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6 months after buying an 2008 Cali....

Big Ted

Big Ted

Messages
201
Location
Bristol
Vehicle
T5 SE 174
This week sees 6 months and 10k miles have passed since picking up Sinbad, so I thought I’d post my experience to date as I read many many posts ahead of our purchase so wanted to help share our journey.
I now watch on and see many posts of new Cali’s ordered with excitement of the new purchases along with lots of new/excited questions about what should be spec’ed from new etc. .
We couldn’t stretch our funds too far and joined the Cali family from the T5 Pre face lift end.... here’s how it happened and how we feel now.

We are a family of 4 (13 & 12 year old kids) and have historically enjoyed an active life with many camping trips over the last 20 years or so. We outgrew camping due to getting a bit older and richer which allowed us to buy a T4 N reg Reimo van as a 3rd vehicle. We had Popeye the camper-van for 4 years and loved him and everything he did for us, but time took it's toll and he had to go due to starting to become a money pit, lack of reliability and more importantly no a/c, abs nor airbags.

The pull of the Reimo conversion was that it wasn’t a home made conversion, so I was delighted to find the California’s were factory built by VW.
Once I’d sat in one in a show room I knew nothing else would cut it.
I was then astonished (and still am) by the price of new and nearly new.
Many evenings were spent trying to justify the high residual values, the low cost of borrowing and even could we sell a child to fund it, but alas the money was too much for us. So off the the 2nd hand market we went.

We found ourselves in an awkward price point - £30-35k ish.
For this money we could go for a late T5 or an early T5.1. Since this Cali was going to be my daily driver and coming from ‘quicker’ road cars, the 174/180 bhp was our target.
We discovered the oil burn/egr issue and alas this seemed to knock our confidence in the early T5.1’s with the later models being too expensive.
There was an option of buying 5.1 and crossing fingers, but the thought of buying a lemon and having to fund an engine replacement made me shiver.
After a few months of looking, we stumbled across a mint low mileage 2.5 174 auto T5 which was spec’ed very well, including cream seats not the blue. (For me the blue reminds me of a school bus!)
Sorry for the long pre-amble, but it should help set the scene and may help people identify our choices/experiences.

This was our thought process/choices which got us to this point.

Model T5
I recognise the changes to the under pinnings of the 5.1, 6 and now 6.1 sees improvements to engines, running gear, suspension and in car tech, however when we look at the habitation space, there are only small changes from the B pillar back, such as….
  • Wire rack, not wooden board for bed.​
  • LED lighting with some extra lights.​
  • USB charging point in the roof space.​
  • Better canvas/colours and front opening window.​
The core layout and feature set is pretty much the same in our model as the newly launched T6.1 for day to day camping. A sign that VW got it right.
The T5 does have some features the newer models haven’t, such as the clips on the external table, allowing you to clip it to the kitchen giving a larger indoor table. (Cost cutting measures in later vans?)

Door on the ‘wrong side’ as it’s a Cali
I was a bit concerned by this, but after living with it, I almost think I prefer it.
Our kids are old enough to look before they leap, but should we end up parked on a busy busy road, they can easily exit via the passenger door.
It's handy for me as the driver to stop, get out & take something out of the rear of the van.

SE spec
Coming from our Reimo, the layout is near identical and we knew it just works for us.

Engine
We decided upon 2.5 174, as an older but bullet proof engine, rather than 180 bitdi. (See above)

Gearbox
Auto made a lot of sense for us. As an added bonus, when camping and spinning the drivers seat around, there is no requirement to pull the hand break on which can foul the spinning action.
At this age it’s not the DSG version, but lets remember it’s not a sports car!

2wd or 4 motion
I would have preferred a 4 motion to help with wet campsites and a planned trip to the artic circle one year, but we also needed\wanted a 5th seat option, so needed then 3rd rail in the floor. (Not many 4 motions have this feature.) So 2wd for us.

Colour
2nd hand, you take what you can find.

3 way climate.
With tweens in the rear, it was a given that we wanted the extra controller in the rear.

Parking sensors

The nose drops away and the rear end is a long way off. Navigating tight spaces in work car parks as a daily driver lead these to being on our need list.
The cost of a repair to bumpers soon adds up, with the 2nd hand market not charging a premium for this.
IIRC the T5 4motions didn’t have front sensors as an option. Not sure why, but we never found any??

Heated seats
Not used in anger yet, but an essential in my book.

Parking heater
Oh wow, this has extended our camping season. The joy of a warm van brings a smile to my face every time I hear it click on.
The ability to set the heater to come on on a schedule is superb too, no more defrosting the windows in the winter, just diesel heating on whilst I drink my coffee.

Double glazed windows
Good for sound insulation and also warmth.
We’ve spotted the rear window has a small amount of condensation in it, which we will just leave. The cost of a replacement doesn’t seem money well spent.
The down side of the double glazing means you don’t get a heated rear window. Not sure if this is an issue yet, as we’ve not had a winter yet. (Watch out for. 12 month review)



Buying 2nd hand and not new/from dealer.
We looked at a few vans and apart from one, they were all clearly loved and well looked after. Many of them were 2nd or 3rd vehicles and were cherished.
Spending £30k plus is a huge thing for me, so it was comforting to think that we would be buying someone’s pride and joy.
For us, we had 2 vehicles to trade in and needed to complete the whole transaction in one go, so we’re lucky enough to find our Cali at a 2nd hand dealer who dealt in cars and campers - perfect for us.
The added benefit of the trade purchase allowed us to secure 6 month warranty for peace of mind, though I suspect you can buy this too if you did bought for a private seller.

Now we’ve had it...

As a Daily driver.

  • Better visibility than a Range Rover.​
  • Smaller than a great white, it fits in most car parks.​
  • Watch out for 2m height restriction.​
  • Drives like a car mostly, need to remember it’s not a sports car.​
  • You get waved at by other Campers.​
  • With 5th seat, it’s practical as a car, but with massive boot if needed.​
  • Loads of leg room in the rear.​
  • Sitting in it whilst waiting for pick up & making a coffee - priceless.​
  • MPG isn't great, with around 30 mpg most of the time.​

Camping.
The setup works really well inside. Campervan living will always be a bit cramped with 4 of you in a small space, but the Cali nails it.
Simple things like the chairs in the boot and table in the door mean you take less and have more space.
The fridge is awesome, taking on a large volume with easy access via top loader. (Front opening door in t4 was a pain due to rear bench potentially getting in the way when in bed mode)
The twin leisure batteries keep with lights and fridge going for way over a weekend, so electric hook ups are a thing if the last for short stays. The future free camping plans are boosted by this thought.

Things we’ve done.
See other posts by me for more details
  • Swopped interior lights to LED bulbs to lower power draw. Cheap and dead easy to do.
  • Cut spoiler and fitted VW bike rack and spoiler on the rear. Looks great imho.
  • Painted rear of window blind back for cosmetics.
  • Added B pillar wrap, again, cosmetics.
  • Fitted wood effect dash trim to brighten cockpit.
  • Canvas Bungie fitted. For the cost of £10 if it stops one rip it’s worth it.
  • Machine polished

Things I’d like/plan to do.
  • 30mm lowered springs or b14 coil overs to help ride.​
  • Pendle remap, as 174 is nice, but 200+ is nicer.​
  • T5 head unit is FM CD player. Double DIN Airplay head unit is on the list. (Alpine Halo) No urgency.​
  • Nano/ceramic coating- watch this space,​

Things I don’t like or I’d do differently.
I won’t lie, I do miss some of the toys and features I left behind in a modern car, such as adaptive cruise control. I know a lot of these toys are found in the new models, but the cost to get to these is prohibitive at the moment. I look fwd to the upgrade one day in the far future to a well spec’ed newer model.
MPG - it's not great!

Overall.
We love it, investing in the Cali was a large decision for us, but I feel we made the right decision. Coming from our camping & previous camper van it felt right before we started, now we are here there is no looking back.
I guess this post is really aimed at any potential buyers, new or 2nd hand. There are lots of choices to make, lots of thinking to be done, but at the end of the day, once you’ve made your choice, you won’t regret it.
 
Great posting, will be very interesting to those looking to enter Cali life.
 
Great post - We just did the same having returned from 2 weeks camping in France and deciding we are getting on a bit. As we have 3 kids (3,10,13) we went for the Beach but your points about the layout been essentially the same is true - we had a number of Westys including a T3 Joker and T4 Generation - aside from the fridge location/type they were pretty much the same (and of course engine location!) and looking at the SE, Ocean think that’s still true as there isn’t much you can change re. The layout - as you say it’s the gadgets which get better on the later models

We also had a Westy Nugget (based on Ford Transit) which was an amazing van and was different in that it had the kitchen at the back - we did consider getting another as they are pretty cheap (and have 3 travel seats and loads a storage) but in the end went for the Beach

Fingers crossed for an Indian summer - our only regret is that we didnt do it at the start of summer
 
Wire rack, not wooden board for bed
Us oldies are back on trend now, because the 6.1 has reverted to a solid shelf in the back (although it can be tilted to make a chaise longue affair). Wire shelves are so 2010s!
 
I find myself sat in the van this evening, getting it ready for tomorrow eve‘s Great British camp out and I realise I’ve had the van 12 months now.

After a year of owning Sinbad I can happily report we’re still really pleased to have him.
As a family we’ve not spent a huge amount of time away in him, but as an individual I’ve used the Cali as my daily driver and as my accommodation a fair bit when visiting/supporting elderly parents and other members of my family around the UK.

The Cali’s seen about 16k miles in the 1st year of my ownership and apart from a service it’s had a new water pump and power steering pump too. Not the cheapest trip to the garage, but since it’s a 10 year old vehicle I expect a few of the components will need changing as time marches on.

More money has been spent on a few odds and sods on the van.
It’s interesting to see my wish list 6 months ago and where I’ve spent the money. See below.

Pendle remap - took an already torquey engine into an even nicer drive. I know it’s not a sports car, but the price was right and it costs nothing when declared on my insurance.
The day to day running see’s around 30mpg, but I don’t drive like Miss Daisy. This is no better and no worse than pre-remap.

17->18” wheels - I managed to buy some OEM Canberra alloys with 3 good tyres. These were refurbished and my 17’s sold on eBay. The total transaction cost was about £10 a corner if I remember well.
No cost to my insurance again, since they are OEM they didn’t care.
Drive and comfort are not impacted, it probably corners better now in the dry and worse in the snow. Point to note the 255/45/18’s have less choice in tyres and only recently have seen the Cross Climates become avail.
I had the wheels refurbished in gold, which I know isn’t everyone’s taste, but I like it and it’s my Cali!

Headunit - I put in a cheap Sony Apple Carplay head unit as the lack of car kit was driving me potty. Looking at the whole Sony range the internal specs looked to be the same, with only the display being different. Really pleased to have CarPlay onboard now as it will remove any temptation to pickup the phone when at the lights.

Gtechniq Nano coating. Last weekend I spent many hours machine polishing, cleaning and prepping the paintwork for a nano coating of CSL topped with EXOv4.
The results are amazing. Easy to apply, but long hardwork to get the paintwork ready for it.
Due to ‘stay at home’ I’ve not gone anywhere to get the Cali dirty, but the sheeting and beading of water from the hose is impressive.
I plan to take the wheels of this weekend and coat them with C4.

B14’s. Was booked in this month to have these fitted with a well known company who offers free fitting. Alas, I can see this being cancelled with recent events. A real shame as I was looking forward to this upgrade the most. 1st world problem though and I’ll just enjoy things as they are and revisit this when normality resumes.


Overall, still really enjoy owning the Cali, with no regrets of downsizing from 2 vehicles to 1. As a daily driver I’ve not had any issues at all.
As a camper, it’s awesome. The diesel heater is fab, not only for cosy camping when less then zero degrees outside, but also for defrosting things in the morning via the remote whilst drinking my coffee.

Would I change it?
I won’t lie, if a 6 number lottery win came in I know the exact spec of 6.1 I’d buy the same day, but since I don’t play that’s not going to happen.
There’s nothing wrong with an older van, some may say there are some advantages. I like the fact my table clips on, that I’ve a lip on the shelf in my sliding door pocket. I also like the fact it cost me less than half the price of a new one!
We’ll be hanging onto Sinbad for a good few more years yet I’m sure. We’re making it our own and once the new coil overs are fitted I can’t see me wanting to change it.

Shopping/wish list for the next 12 months+
Get B14’s fitted
Leather retrim
Solar panels
All season tyres
Front spoiler/splitter

Lets see what happens.

One other thing I’ve noticed in my 1st 12 months of owning a Cali is the engagement I’ve had in this forum. It’s a nice place to be - useful posts, helpful people, not too many arguments or heated threads. Thanks to all those who contribute to and also those who manage this page.

Obligatory photo of Sinbad.A366E7D5-B3A7-4BA7-B53D-4F758B718A4A.jpeg
 
@Big Ted which model of Sony unit did you install for CarPlay? Something I’d like to do for my 2008 but haven’t got round to researching


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
After much deliberation I chose the Sony XAV-AX1000.

I didn’t really like the interface of the other brands as they looked like they were designed by a 13 year old boy.

Looking at the spec sheets of all the Sony range they all seemed to share the same internals and power outages, with just the physical screen and buttons being different. I chose the bottom model as it only has one lit button on it rather than many.

The install was simple enough, but I’ve bodged the power for it by tapping into a 12v source from the heated seat switch. I should really run this to a piggy back fuse and do it properly. (One day.)
I’ll also sort the dimmer wire then too.

No fascia plate needed, it come with a surround that fits.
Needed DAB aerial and wiring loom interface.
I’ve fitted the Brodit iphone holder/charger and use this hardwired to the usb on the front.

The screen does look small in the van, with a notice surround, but I like the simple look now.
(Maybe less shouty ‘steal me’)

All sounds great and nice to have CarPlay. (Note, no android auto on this model)
 
IMG_1422.jpeg

Photo of radio installed, looks like the top right of the surround isn't pushed in on this snap. It does sit flush.

I think a better (more expensive) model would look nicer & perhaps fill the hole more, but I'm happy with this head unit, let's remember what it replaced!! :)

Side on snap of the phone holder. Not a cheap bit of kit, but is perfect to hold phone & charger it.
Only one hand operation & is adjustable to fit phone with case.

IMG_1425.jpeg
 
You made some good choices, I think you got the best van you could for your money. Glad your still enjoying it.
 
Thanks @Big Ted - this has been a really interesting read as I find myself in a similar buying position to yourself 18-months ago.... My affordable budget is £30-35K and I'm torn between:
  1. Opting for lower end of my budget at getting a late T5
  2. Going for the top end of my budget and getting an early T5.1
  3. Getting a loan for up to £10K to move into early T6 territory
If I'm honest, I hadn't really considered Option 1 seriously until reading your post(s). Definitely food for thought in an environment where it may not be wise to take on unnecessary finance. Can you share what mileage Sinbad had when you bought him?
 
Thanks @Big Ted - this has been a really interesting read as I find myself in a similar buying position to yourself 18-months ago.... My affordable budget is £30-35K and I'm torn between:
  1. Opting for lower end of my budget at getting a late T5
  2. Going for the top end of my budget and getting an early T5.1
  3. Getting a loan for up to £10K to move into early T6 territory
If I'm honest, I hadn't really considered Option 1 seriously until reading your post(s). Definitely food for thought in an environment where it may not be wise to take on unnecessary finance. Can you share what mileage Sinbad had when you bought him?
Sinbad was on 48k when I got him.
Now >66k
Since my last post I’m pleased to say I’ve ticked off two more items on my list. All weather tyres and the B14’s.

My way of thinking has helped me free up some funds to tweak the Cali with updates/upgrades such as the B14’s.

Obligatory photo of a lower Sinbad.9427CC9D-62F0-4135-990D-7503BE23E8EF.jpeg
 
Thanks @Big Ted - this has been a really interesting read as I find myself in a similar buying position to yourself 18-months ago.... My affordable budget is £30-35K and I'm torn between:
  1. Opting for lower end of my budget at getting a late T5
  2. Going for the top end of my budget and getting an early T5.1
  3. Getting a loan for up to £10K to move into early T6 territory
If I'm honest, I hadn't really considered Option 1 seriously until reading your post(s). Definitely food for thought in an environment where it may not be wise to take on unnecessary finance. Can you share what mileage Sinbad had when you bought him?

Or (at least when I bought my Beach) you buy a (2 or 3 seat bench) T6 Beach for your budget with low miles and add a vangear pod to make it close to a Cali if you want all that or just add cooker sink pod and slide out tray/fridge on boot.
Or any other combo depending on your love or not of permanent built in kit.
Just another option.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thank you Big Ted this is exactly the position I'm in with budget in same region. Today I got my central locking issue fixed having new front door locks fitted - cost of parts of eBay - £57 plus hour and half fitting and all sorted by my local garage - whilst paying the garage owner asked if and when I'd be selling my T5 conversion as it's exactly what he's looking for and the plus is he knows it's service history so now decisions needed......but late T5's seem to be like hens teeth
 
We ha
This week sees 6 months and 10k miles have passed since picking up Sinbad, so I thought I’d post my experience to date as I read many many posts ahead of our purchase so wanted to help share our journey.
I now watch on and see many posts of new Cali’s ordered with excitement of the new purchases along with lots of new/excited questions about what should be spec’ed from new etc. .
We couldn’t stretch our funds too far and joined the Cali family from the T5 Pre face lift end.... here’s how it happened and how we feel now.

We are a family of 4 (13 & 12 year old kids) and have historically enjoyed an active life with many camping trips over the last 20 years or so. We outgrew camping due to getting a bit older and richer which allowed us to buy a T4 N reg Reimo van as a 3rd vehicle. We had Popeye the camper-van for 4 years and loved him and everything he did for us, but time took it's toll and he had to go due to starting to become a money pit, lack of reliability and more importantly no a/c, abs nor airbags.

The pull of the Reimo conversion was that it wasn’t a home made conversion, so I was delighted to find the California’s were factory built by VW.
Once I’d sat in one in a show room I knew nothing else would cut it.
I was then astonished (and still am) by the price of new and nearly new.
Many evenings were spent trying to justify the high residual values, the low cost of borrowing and even could we sell a child to fund it, but alas the money was too much for us. So off the the 2nd hand market we went.

We found ourselves in an awkward price point - £30-35k ish.
For this money we could go for a late T5 or an early T5.1. Since this Cali was going to be my daily driver and coming from ‘quicker’ road cars, the 174/180 bhp was our target.
We discovered the oil burn/egr issue and alas this seemed to knock our confidence in the early T5.1’s with the later models being too expensive.
There was an option of buying 5.1 and crossing fingers, but the thought of buying a lemon and having to fund an engine replacement made me shiver.
After a few months of looking, we stumbled across a mint low mileage 2.5 174 auto T5 which was spec’ed very well, including cream seats not the blue. (For me the blue reminds me of a school bus!)
Sorry for the long pre-amble, but it should help set the scene and may help people identify our choices/experiences.

This was our thought process/choices which got us to this point.

Model T5
I recognise the changes to the under pinnings of the 5.1, 6 and now 6.1 sees improvements to engines, running gear, suspension and in car tech, however when we look at the habitation space, there are only small changes from the B pillar back, such as….
  • Wire rack, not wooden board for bed.​
  • LED lighting with some extra lights.​
  • USB charging point in the roof space.​
  • Better canvas/colours and front opening window.​
The core layout and feature set is pretty much the same in our model as the newly launched T6.1 for day to day camping. A sign that VW got it right.
The T5 does have some features the newer models haven’t, such as the clips on the external table, allowing you to clip it to the kitchen giving a larger indoor table. (Cost cutting measures in later vans?)

Door on the ‘wrong side’ as it’s a Cali
I was a bit concerned by this, but after living with it, I almost think I prefer it.
Our kids are old enough to look before they leap, but should we end up parked on a busy busy road, they can easily exit via the passenger door.
It's handy for me as the driver to stop, get out & take something out of the rear of the van.

SE spec
Coming from our Reimo, the layout is near identical and we knew it just works for us.

Engine
We decided upon 2.5 174, as an older but bullet proof engine, rather than 180 bitdi. (See above)

Gearbox
Auto made a lot of sense for us. As an added bonus, when camping and spinning the drivers seat around, there is no requirement to pull the hand break on which can foul the spinning action.
At this age it’s not the DSG version, but lets remember it’s not a sports car!

2wd or 4 motion
I would have preferred a 4 motion to help with wet campsites and a planned trip to the artic circle one year, but we also needed\wanted a 5th seat option, so needed then 3rd rail in the floor. (Not many 4 motions have this feature.) So 2wd for us.

Colour
2nd hand, you take what you can find.

3 way climate.
With tweens in the rear, it was a given that we wanted the extra controller in the rear.

Parking sensors
The nose drops away and the rear end is a long way off. Navigating tight spaces in work car parks as a daily driver lead these to being on our need list.
The cost of a repair to bumpers soon adds up, with the 2nd hand market not charging a premium for this.
IIRC the T5 4motions didn’t have front sensors as an option. Not sure why, but we never found any??

Heated seats
Not used in anger yet, but an essential in my book.

Parking heater
Oh wow, this has extended our camping season. The joy of a warm van brings a smile to my face every time I hear it click on.
The ability to set the heater to come on on a schedule is superb too, no more defrosting the windows in the winter, just diesel heating on whilst I drink my coffee.

Double glazed windows
Good for sound insulation and also warmth.
We’ve spotted the rear window has a small amount of condensation in it, which we will just leave. The cost of a replacement doesn’t seem money well spent.
The down side of the double glazing means you don’t get a heated rear window. Not sure if this is an issue yet, as we’ve not had a winter yet. (Watch out for. 12 month review)



Buying 2nd hand and not new/from dealer.
We looked at a few vans and apart from one, they were all clearly loved and well looked after. Many of them were 2nd or 3rd vehicles and were cherished.
Spending £30k plus is a huge thing for me, so it was comforting to think that we would be buying someone’s pride and joy.
For us, we had 2 vehicles to trade in and needed to complete the whole transaction in one go, so we’re lucky enough to find our Cali at a 2nd hand dealer who dealt in cars and campers - perfect for us.
The added benefit of the trade purchase allowed us to secure 6 month warranty for peace of mind, though I suspect you can buy this too if you did bought for a private seller.

Now we’ve had it...

As a Daily driver.

  • Better visibility than a Range Rover.​
  • Smaller than a great white, it fits in most car parks.​
  • Watch out for 2m height restriction.​
  • Drives like a car mostly, need to remember it’s not a sports car.​
  • You get waved at by other Campers.​
  • With 5th seat, it’s practical as a car, but with massive boot if needed.​
  • Loads of leg room in the rear.​
  • Sitting in it whilst waiting for pick up & making a coffee - priceless.​
  • MPG isn't great, with around 30 mpg most of the time.​

Camping.
The setup works really well inside. Campervan living will always be a bit cramped with 4 of you in a small space, but the Cali nails it.
Simple things like the chairs in the boot and table in the door mean you take less and have more space.
The fridge is awesome, taking on a large volume with easy access via top loader. (Front opening door in t4 was a pain due to rear bench potentially getting in the way when in bed mode)
The twin leisure batteries keep with lights and fridge going for way over a weekend, so electric hook ups are a thing if the last for short stays. The future free camping plans are boosted by this thought.

Things we’ve done.
See other posts by me for more details
  • Swopped interior lights to LED bulbs to lower power draw. Cheap and dead easy to do.
  • Cut spoiler and fitted VW bike rack and spoiler on the rear. Looks great imho.
  • Painted rear of window blind back for cosmetics.
  • Added B pillar wrap, again, cosmetics.
  • Fitted wood effect dash trim to brighten cockpit.
  • Canvas Bungie fitted. For the cost of £10 if it stops one rip it’s worth it.
  • Machine polished

Things I’d like/plan to do.
  • 30mm lowered springs or b14 coil overs to help ride.​
  • Pendle remap, as 174 is nice, but 200+ is nicer.​
  • T5 head unit is FM CD player. Double DIN Airplay head unit is on the list. (Alpine Halo) No urgency.​
  • Nano/ceramic coating- watch this space,​

Things I don’t like or I’d do differently.
I won’t lie, I do miss some of the toys and features I left behind in a modern car, such as adaptive cruise control. I know a lot of these toys are found in the new models, but the cost to get to these is prohibitive at the moment. I look fwd to the upgrade one day in the far future to a well spec’ed newer model.
MPG - it's not great!

Overall.
We love it, investing in the Cali was a large decision for us, but I feel we made the right decision. Coming from our camping & previous camper van it felt right before we started, now we are here there is no looking back.
I guess this post is really aimed at any potential buyers, new or 2nd hand. There are lots of choices to make, lots of thinking to be done, but at the end of the day, once you’ve made your choice, you won’t regret it.
We have a 2008 174 auto also, bought in 2009. Eleven years on we love it. It’s a great choice. Had a fantastic two weeks in France this summer that helped all of us recover from lockdown. Our kids are 10 & 7. We all sleep in van and have no awnings.
I was going to recommend the Sonysony xav-ax1000 head unit as the volume button that also activates Siri is great but Halo looks interesting.
 
Model T5
I recognise the changes to the under pinnings of the 5.1, 6 and now 6.1 sees improvements to engines,

Great review BT although I'm not sure you are correct when you say " I recognise the changes to the under pinnings of the 5.1, 6 and now 6.1 sees improvements to engines". Many of the changes have been brought about due to emissions legislation. That's great for the environment but does it make those engines better? Our daughter a son in law have just bought a T4 Autosleeper MH with the VW 2.5 litre 5 cylinder engine. Having had one of those engines in a T4 van I used to own I now find myself being rather envious of them.
 
Last edited:
This week sees 6 months and 10k miles have passed since picking up Sinbad, so I thought I’d post my experience to date as I read many many posts ahead of our purchase so wanted to help share our journey.
I now watch on and see many posts of new Cali’s ordered with excitement of the new purchases along with lots of new/excited questions about what should be spec’ed from new etc. .
We couldn’t stretch our funds too far and joined the Cali family from the T5 Pre face lift end.... here’s how it happened and how we feel now.

We are a family of 4 (13 & 12 year old kids) and have historically enjoyed an active life with many camping trips over the last 20 years or so. We outgrew camping due to getting a bit older and richer which allowed us to buy a T4 N reg Reimo van as a 3rd vehicle. We had Popeye the camper-van for 4 years and loved him and everything he did for us, but time took it's toll and he had to go due to starting to become a money pit, lack of reliability and more importantly no a/c, abs nor airbags.

The pull of the Reimo conversion was that it wasn’t a home made conversion, so I was delighted to find the California’s were factory built by VW.
Once I’d sat in one in a show room I knew nothing else would cut it.
I was then astonished (and still am) by the price of new and nearly new.
Many evenings were spent trying to justify the high residual values, the low cost of borrowing and even could we sell a child to fund it, but alas the money was too much for us. So off the the 2nd hand market we went.

We found ourselves in an awkward price point - £30-35k ish.
For this money we could go for a late T5 or an early T5.1. Since this Cali was going to be my daily driver and coming from ‘quicker’ road cars, the 174/180 bhp was our target.
We discovered the oil burn/egr issue and alas this seemed to knock our confidence in the early T5.1’s with the later models being too expensive.
There was an option of buying 5.1 and crossing fingers, but the thought of buying a lemon and having to fund an engine replacement made me shiver.
After a few months of looking, we stumbled across a mint low mileage 2.5 174 auto T5 which was spec’ed very well, including cream seats not the blue. (For me the blue reminds me of a school bus!)
Sorry for the long pre-amble, but it should help set the scene and may help people identify our choices/experiences.

This was our thought process/choices which got us to this point.

Model T5
I recognise the changes to the under pinnings of the 5.1, 6 and now 6.1 sees improvements to engines, running gear, suspension and in car tech, however when we look at the habitation space, there are only small changes from the B pillar back, such as….
  • Wire rack, not wooden board for bed.​
  • LED lighting with some extra lights.​
  • USB charging point in the roof space.​
  • Better canvas/colours and front opening window.​
The core layout and feature set is pretty much the same in our model as the newly launched T6.1 for day to day camping. A sign that VW got it right.
The T5 does have some features the newer models haven’t, such as the clips on the external table, allowing you to clip it to the kitchen giving a larger indoor table. (Cost cutting measures in later vans?)

Door on the ‘wrong side’ as it’s a Cali
I was a bit concerned by this, but after living with it, I almost think I prefer it.
Our kids are old enough to look before they leap, but should we end up parked on a busy busy road, they can easily exit via the passenger door.
It's handy for me as the driver to stop, get out & take something out of the rear of the van.

SE spec
Coming from our Reimo, the layout is near identical and we knew it just works for us.

Engine
We decided upon 2.5 174, as an older but bullet proof engine, rather than 180 bitdi. (See above)

Gearbox
Auto made a lot of sense for us. As an added bonus, when camping and spinning the drivers seat around, there is no requirement to pull the hand break on which can foul the spinning action.
At this age it’s not the DSG version, but lets remember it’s not a sports car!

2wd or 4 motion
I would have preferred a 4 motion to help with wet campsites and a planned trip to the artic circle one year, but we also needed\wanted a 5th seat option, so needed then 3rd rail in the floor. (Not many 4 motions have this feature.) So 2wd for us.

Colour
2nd hand, you take what you can find.

3 way climate.
With tweens in the rear, it was a given that we wanted the extra controller in the rear.

Parking sensors
The nose drops away and the rear end is a long way off. Navigating tight spaces in work car parks as a daily driver lead these to being on our need list.
The cost of a repair to bumpers soon adds up, with the 2nd hand market not charging a premium for this.
IIRC the T5 4motions didn’t have front sensors as an option. Not sure why, but we never found any??

Heated seats
Not used in anger yet, but an essential in my book.

Parking heater
Oh wow, this has extended our camping season. The joy of a warm van brings a smile to my face every time I hear it click on.
The ability to set the heater to come on on a schedule is superb too, no more defrosting the windows in the winter, just diesel heating on whilst I drink my coffee.

Double glazed windows
Good for sound insulation and also warmth.
We’ve spotted the rear window has a small amount of condensation in it, which we will just leave. The cost of a replacement doesn’t seem money well spent.
The down side of the double glazing means you don’t get a heated rear window. Not sure if this is an issue yet, as we’ve not had a winter yet. (Watch out for. 12 month review)



Buying 2nd hand and not new/from dealer.
We looked at a few vans and apart from one, they were all clearly loved and well looked after. Many of them were 2nd or 3rd vehicles and were cherished.
Spending £30k plus is a huge thing for me, so it was comforting to think that we would be buying someone’s pride and joy.
For us, we had 2 vehicles to trade in and needed to complete the whole transaction in one go, so we’re lucky enough to find our Cali at a 2nd hand dealer who dealt in cars and campers - perfect for us.
The added benefit of the trade purchase allowed us to secure 6 month warranty for peace of mind, though I suspect you can buy this too if you did bought for a private seller.

Now we’ve had it...

As a Daily driver.

  • Better visibility than a Range Rover.​
  • Smaller than a great white, it fits in most car parks.​
  • Watch out for 2m height restriction.​
  • Drives like a car mostly, need to remember it’s not a sports car.​
  • You get waved at by other Campers.​
  • With 5th seat, it’s practical as a car, but with massive boot if needed.​
  • Loads of leg room in the rear.​
  • Sitting in it whilst waiting for pick up & making a coffee - priceless.​
  • MPG isn't great, with around 30 mpg most of the time.​

Camping.
The setup works really well inside. Campervan living will always be a bit cramped with 4 of you in a small space, but the Cali nails it.
Simple things like the chairs in the boot and table in the door mean you take less and have more space.
The fridge is awesome, taking on a large volume with easy access via top loader. (Front opening door in t4 was a pain due to rear bench potentially getting in the way when in bed mode)
The twin leisure batteries keep with lights and fridge going for way over a weekend, so electric hook ups are a thing if the last for short stays. The future free camping plans are boosted by this thought.

Things we’ve done.
See other posts by me for more details
  • Swopped interior lights to LED bulbs to lower power draw. Cheap and dead easy to do.
  • Cut spoiler and fitted VW bike rack and spoiler on the rear. Looks great imho.
  • Painted rear of window blind back for cosmetics.
  • Added B pillar wrap, again, cosmetics.
  • Fitted wood effect dash trim to brighten cockpit.
  • Canvas Bungie fitted. For the cost of £10 if it stops one rip it’s worth it.
  • Machine polished

Things I’d like/plan to do.
  • 30mm lowered springs or b14 coil overs to help ride.​
  • Pendle remap, as 174 is nice, but 200+ is nicer.​
  • T5 head unit is FM CD player. Double DIN Airplay head unit is on the list. (Alpine Halo) No urgency.​
  • Nano/ceramic coating- watch this space,​

Things I don’t like or I’d do differently.
I won’t lie, I do miss some of the toys and features I left behind in a modern car, such as adaptive cruise control. I know a lot of these toys are found in the new models, but the cost to get to these is prohibitive at the moment. I look fwd to the upgrade one day in the far future to a well spec’ed newer model.
MPG - it's not great!

Overall.
We love it, investing in the Cali was a large decision for us, but I feel we made the right decision. Coming from our camping & previous camper van it felt right before we started, now we are here there is no looking back.
I guess this post is really aimed at any potential buyers, new or 2nd hand. There are lots of choices to make, lots of thinking to be done, but at the end of the day, once you’ve made your choice, you won’t regret it.
Great read thank you we hope you’ll enjoy your Cali life
 
Good looking T5...

 
Great write ups Big Ted, I remember the spoiler mod well,

Van looks great, keep up the good work :Stig
 
Good looking T5...

That sold quickly but for some reason they still have it advertised on their own website
 
Excellent thread Big Ted, a really interesting read. I'm with you on the detailing - such a shame people just do a basic wash and miss out on getting the paintwork "singing". It's the first thing I'm going to do when we collect ours - and ours is brand new!!! Most people would think I was mad doing that, but those that know, know ;)
 
This week sees 6 months and 10k miles have passed since picking up Sinbad, so I thought I’d post my experience to date as I read many many posts ahead of our purchase so wanted to help share our journey.
I now watch on and see many posts of new Cali’s ordered with excitement of the new purchases along with lots of new/excited questions about what should be spec’ed from new etc. .
We couldn’t stretch our funds too far and joined the Cali family from the T5 Pre face lift end.... here’s how it happened and how we feel now.

We are a family of 4 (13 & 12 year old kids) and have historically enjoyed an active life with many camping trips over the last 20 years or so. We outgrew camping due to getting a bit older and richer which allowed us to buy a T4 N reg Reimo van as a 3rd vehicle. We had Popeye the camper-van for 4 years and loved him and everything he did for us, but time took it's toll and he had to go due to starting to become a money pit, lack of reliability and more importantly no a/c, abs nor airbags.

The pull of the Reimo conversion was that it wasn’t a home made conversion, so I was delighted to find the California’s were factory built by VW.
Once I’d sat in one in a show room I knew nothing else would cut it.
I was then astonished (and still am) by the price of new and nearly new.
Many evenings were spent trying to justify the high residual values, the low cost of borrowing and even could we sell a child to fund it, but alas the money was too much for us. So off the the 2nd hand market we went.

We found ourselves in an awkward price point - £30-35k ish.
For this money we could go for a late T5 or an early T5.1. Since this Cali was going to be my daily driver and coming from ‘quicker’ road cars, the 174/180 bhp was our target.
We discovered the oil burn/egr issue and alas this seemed to knock our confidence in the early T5.1’s with the later models being too expensive.
There was an option of buying 5.1 and crossing fingers, but the thought of buying a lemon and having to fund an engine replacement made me shiver.
After a few months of looking, we stumbled across a mint low mileage 2.5 174 auto T5 which was spec’ed very well, including cream seats not the blue. (For me the blue reminds me of a school bus!)
Sorry for the long pre-amble, but it should help set the scene and may help people identify our choices/experiences.

This was our thought process/choices which got us to this point.

Model T5
I recognise the changes to the under pinnings of the 5.1, 6 and now 6.1 sees improvements to engines, running gear, suspension and in car tech, however when we look at the habitation space, there are only small changes from the B pillar back, such as….
  • Wire rack, not wooden board for bed.​
  • LED lighting with some extra lights.​
  • USB charging point in the roof space.​
  • Better canvas/colours and front opening window.​
The core layout and feature set is pretty much the same in our model as the newly launched T6.1 for day to day camping. A sign that VW got it right.
The T5 does have some features the newer models haven’t, such as the clips on the external table, allowing you to clip it to the kitchen giving a larger indoor table. (Cost cutting measures in later vans?)

Door on the ‘wrong side’ as it’s a Cali
I was a bit concerned by this, but after living with it, I almost think I prefer it.
Our kids are old enough to look before they leap, but should we end up parked on a busy busy road, they can easily exit via the passenger door.
It's handy for me as the driver to stop, get out & take something out of the rear of the van.

SE spec
Coming from our Reimo, the layout is near identical and we knew it just works for us.

Engine
We decided upon 2.5 174, as an older but bullet proof engine, rather than 180 bitdi. (See above)

Gearbox
Auto made a lot of sense for us. As an added bonus, when camping and spinning the drivers seat around, there is no requirement to pull the hand break on which can foul the spinning action.
At this age it’s not the DSG version, but lets remember it’s not a sports car!

2wd or 4 motion
I would have preferred a 4 motion to help with wet campsites and a planned trip to the artic circle one year, but we also needed\wanted a 5th seat option, so needed then 3rd rail in the floor. (Not many 4 motions have this feature.) So 2wd for us.

Colour
2nd hand, you take what you can find.

3 way climate.
With tweens in the rear, it was a given that we wanted the extra controller in the rear.

Parking sensors
The nose drops away and the rear end is a long way off. Navigating tight spaces in work car parks as a daily driver lead these to being on our need list.
The cost of a repair to bumpers soon adds up, with the 2nd hand market not charging a premium for this.
IIRC the T5 4motions didn’t have front sensors as an option. Not sure why, but we never found any??

Heated seats
Not used in anger yet, but an essential in my book.

Parking heater
Oh wow, this has extended our camping season. The joy of a warm van brings a smile to my face every time I hear it click on.
The ability to set the heater to come on on a schedule is superb too, no more defrosting the windows in the winter, just diesel heating on whilst I drink my coffee.

Double glazed windows
Good for sound insulation and also warmth.
We’ve spotted the rear window has a small amount of condensation in it, which we will just leave. The cost of a replacement doesn’t seem money well spent.
The down side of the double glazing means you don’t get a heated rear window. Not sure if this is an issue yet, as we’ve not had a winter yet. (Watch out for. 12 month review)



Buying 2nd hand and not new/from dealer.
We looked at a few vans and apart from one, they were all clearly loved and well looked after. Many of them were 2nd or 3rd vehicles and were cherished.
Spending £30k plus is a huge thing for me, so it was comforting to think that we would be buying someone’s pride and joy.
For us, we had 2 vehicles to trade in and needed to complete the whole transaction in one go, so we’re lucky enough to find our Cali at a 2nd hand dealer who dealt in cars and campers - perfect for us.
The added benefit of the trade purchase allowed us to secure 6 month warranty for peace of mind, though I suspect you can buy this too if you did bought for a private seller.

Now we’ve had it...

As a Daily driver.

  • Better visibility than a Range Rover.​
  • Smaller than a great white, it fits in most car parks.​
  • Watch out for 2m height restriction.​
  • Drives like a car mostly, need to remember it’s not a sports car.​
  • You get waved at by other Campers.​
  • With 5th seat, it’s practical as a car, but with massive boot if needed.​
  • Loads of leg room in the rear.​
  • Sitting in it whilst waiting for pick up & making a coffee - priceless.​
  • MPG isn't great, with around 30 mpg most of the time.​

Camping.
The setup works really well inside. Campervan living will always be a bit cramped with 4 of you in a small space, but the Cali nails it.
Simple things like the chairs in the boot and table in the door mean you take less and have more space.
The fridge is awesome, taking on a large volume with easy access via top loader. (Front opening door in t4 was a pain due to rear bench potentially getting in the way when in bed mode)
The twin leisure batteries keep with lights and fridge going for way over a weekend, so electric hook ups are a thing if the last for short stays. The future free camping plans are boosted by this thought.

Things we’ve done.
See other posts by me for more details
  • Swopped interior lights to LED bulbs to lower power draw. Cheap and dead easy to do.
  • Cut spoiler and fitted VW bike rack and spoiler on the rear. Looks great imho.
  • Painted rear of window blind back for cosmetics.
  • Added B pillar wrap, again, cosmetics.
  • Fitted wood effect dash trim to brighten cockpit.
  • Canvas Bungie fitted. For the cost of £10 if it stops one rip it’s worth it.
  • Machine polished

Things I’d like/plan to do.
  • 30mm lowered springs or b14 coil overs to help ride.​
  • Pendle remap, as 174 is nice, but 200+ is nicer.​
  • T5 head unit is FM CD player. Double DIN Airplay head unit is on the list. (Alpine Halo) No urgency.​
  • Nano/ceramic coating- watch this space,​

Things I don’t like or I’d do differently.
I won’t lie, I do miss some of the toys and features I left behind in a modern car, such as adaptive cruise control. I know a lot of these toys are found in the new models, but the cost to get to these is prohibitive at the moment. I look fwd to the upgrade one day in the far future to a well spec’ed newer model.
MPG - it's not great!

Overall.
We love it, investing in the Cali was a large decision for us, but I feel we made the right decision. Coming from our camping & previous camper van it felt right before we started, now we are here there is no looking back.
I guess this post is really aimed at any potential buyers, new or 2nd hand. There are lots of choices to make, lots of thinking to be done, but at the end of the day, once you’ve made your choice, you won’t regret it.
Very informative post. We have a 3 yr old van and I am sure you will have every bit as much fun in Sinbad. I think our van, as it ages and gets the odd little mark here and there, gets better as we are less precious about it. We are at a later stage of life than you and I wish we had discovered/considered a Cali when the children were smaller. Hope you are enjoying your van.
 
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