A California as your main vehicle?

[sidepod]

As a daily driver I think the size/cumbersome-ness of it would do my head in after awhile.
You can't avoid the fact is based on a commercial vehicle. We're back to the 'C' word again.
(That's Compromise by the way...)

 

[pjm-84]

We have a Fiat 500 as a run around vehicle. Cheap to run and pre- dented so its a great around town car.

 

[Rhyddin]

As a daily driver I think the size/cumbersome-ness of it would do my head in after awhile.
You can't avoid the fact is based on a commercial vehicle. We're back to the 'C' word again.
(That's Compromise by the way...)

I'm not too worried about the size: believe it or not, it's actually shorter than my Audi and only slightly wider. The dynamics are going to be a compromise but I should probably slow down anyway and the added height would be awesome!

 

[Freeley]

As a daily driver I think the size/cumbersome-ness of it would do my head in after awhile.
You can't avoid the fact is based on a commercial vehicle. We're back to the 'C' word again.
(That's Compromise by the way...)

I think exactly the opposite! As a daily commercial van driver (a lwb transporter) I spend most days dodging round town at some point, parking in tight spaces etc.
It's a doddle!

Sent from my Galaxy S6

 

[LindaF]

We have an SE which is an everyday vehicle but nor our sole vehicle as I have a little Fiat 500 which I use for work and shopping but anything else is done in the SE - very comfortable, no problems parking and great as a changing room when we are out running at the weekend

 

[MattBW]

My GF has just bought a Seat Ibiza so that will be our town car from now on

 

[Bobbybus]

In addition to the SE, I have a Landrover Defender and Triumph Tiger motorbike. I did far more miles on the bike than the other 2 this year with less but similar miles for the Defender and SE. The Defender was my everyday vehicle for 15 years until I retired last December, but is being used less and less so I might have to part with it. That will be very hard to do! The SE will be my everyday vehicle even if I keep the Landrover.

 

[soulstyledevon]

You can easily get a lot of gear in the boot/trunk in crates but I personally don't want to be running back and forth to the boot every time I want my clothes, or to fetch something etc. Its fine in nice weather and summer but in the autumn or winter it just isn't practical. For this reason a camping pod or a drive away awning is a must and they are on my list to buy. I'm airing on the side of a pod because we prefer to keep moving on our camper trips and having to constantly take an awning up and down, or load and unload the boot just puts us off.

Very happy with the Beach, and once I address the camping aspects it will be a perfect all rounder.

p.s. fuel consumption isn't amazing but not bad for the size. Around town miles is pretty low however long trips is good.

To sleep downstairs, you absolutely need a mattress topper. I have this gel topper:
http://www.dunelm.com/product/gel-fusion-memory-foam-topper-1000059812?cmCategoryId=34060

Plus a zonesleeper over the top and sleep with my feet at the tailgate. It all folds away and stows on top of the multiflex board when not in use, along with bedding and pillows.

Clothes are in bags under multiflex which you can only get to from the rear. Cereals, plates, cups, tea and coffee etc etc, stored in the rear bench seat drawers. Side compartment for other utensils and torches, wet wipes etc.
Even with the SE there are limitations as the van is so small. But paying £50k for one of them, no chance. My money would be in a proper campervan. Mercedes sprinter base or something like that.

 

[Mriddell]

I do 15k miles a year and have just left a Renault Grand Scenic....and a 10 year old 3 man tent that is about the same size as the pop up roof on the Beach.....and while I've not camped yet, I used to in my Caravelle and I know the Beach is bound to be a big step up on that experience. I thought about running three cars but I didn't want the faff and having lived with a Caravelle before, knew that you soon get used to the size of the van and the bit of extra care needed in manoeuvring and parking....it's more a worry of someone opening a door on you if its a bit tight.

The upside of the Renault was it covered a lot of miles easily and did nearly 50mpg (and it had an integrated tom tom satnav that I didn't get in the Beach sadly!) but I really missed the times when you were out in a van with the family and you could all sit in the back round the table after you'd been out walking or on the beach and have a chat or something to eat without everything on top of you....and without feeling you have to head straight off with everyone crammed in the car ready to go. Plus.....I've gone a bit soft for winter camping when, with shorter days you are either in the pub (not all bad I know) or laid in a tent. Maybe a bigger tent could have been the answer but I can't be bothered to put them up in the rain when I get somewhere at 10pm on a Friday night after a week at work....and it's still cold! Plus you get the changing room for kids at rugby, the beach etc. just as you say.

Driving wise it is different, but different good rather than worse in my opinion. It's pretty refined, relaxed with the captains chairs, you slow down a bit - not a bad thing....and the visibility over hedges etc. is better. I did the same journey with three children to the French Alps two years in a row...once in the Caravelle and once in the Renault...only the former was acceptable! So a Beach everyday is fine for me...and if the budget allowed, and I could face the admin, a third car would be a bike! or a convertible!

 

[WelshGas]

Even with the SE there are limitations as the van is so small. But paying £50k for one of them, no chance. My money would be in a proper campervan. Mercedes sprinter base or something like that.

That's not a Campervan. It cracks me up when people say " £50k for an SE - Please, Please compare like with like.
Firstly the SE Base vehicle costs a lot more than the Beach Base vehicle as they are different specs. Next the Camper conversion for the SE is somewhere between £15 - £20k on top. A Van conversion using a brand new vehicle of the same spec as the SE will come in at a higher price and still be missing a number of things that the SE has. I know because I did my research.
Buying a New Sprinter, rather than a clapped out builders van and having a quality conversion would probably cost more in total for something that has to park with the HGV's.
The Beach is an excellent vehicle for those that want one, as is the SE for those that wish to be fully self contained.

 

[Meoncoast]

Even with the SE there are limitations as the van is so small. But paying £50k for one of them, no chance. My money would be in a proper campervan. Mercedes sprinter base or something like that.

The size is not a issue with a California SE it is its advantage and why we bought it as our only mode of transport any bigger and it would not have worked for us. SE - Full campervan will go just about anywhere because of its size

 

[andyinluton]

How practical an SE is as an everyday vehicle ,I suppose depends on where you live, my current project means Im doing M1, M25, A12, into london docklands most days - 1 hour to get there 3 hours to get home, The seats are comfy, driving position is perfect, stereo is fine the size is an advantage in that you can hold your own with the other van drivers & not be intimidated by lorries, Mpg is averaging high 30s but very little overtakes me on the motorway in the morning run in. If my commute was A roads with overtaking opportunities or the like I might want a different vehicle or if I was reliant on using multistorey car parks.

It was bought principally for weekend use but Ive ended up using it more & more - 16k in 14 months so far & am looking now to replace my regular commuter car with a weekend toy and using the cali as my main car.

Ive got inka seat covers & brandrup carpets covered in mud from transporting half a football team, it hasn't been washed for about 6 weeks, the boot (well protected with corex and cardboard) is still half full of empty rubble sacks from the last trip to the dump, I brought a washing machine home in it last week, & the downstairs mattress is currently living in my office. My view is there is no point having it just to sit in the drive unused with all that money tied up in it, Ive been there & done that with a huge motorhome. This time of year we can't get away due to work & football commitments so if we didn't use it as we are, it wouldn't get used at all.

 

[soulstyledevon]

The higher driving position is great

The size is not a issue with a California SE it is its advantage and why we bought it as our only mode of transport any bigger and it would not have worked for us. SE - Full campervan will go just about anywhere because of its size

Yes, I agree to a point. Its a fantastic vehicle in its own right. However, I think its vastly over-priced as a fully loaded SE starts getting into Coachbuilt campervan territory .
As said they all have their compromises, whether it be the Beach, SE or Mercedes Auto sleeper. each to their own. But I wouldn't class the SE as a good daily, in-fact that's the target market of the Beach, if anything...

 

[WelshGas]

The higher driving position is great


Yes, I agree to a point. Its a fantastic vehicle in its own right. However, I think its vastly over-priced as a fully loaded SE starts getting into Coachbuilt campervan territory .
As said they all have their compromises, whether it be the Beach, SE or Mercedes Auto sleeper. each to their own. But I wouldn't class the SE as a good daily, in-fact that's the target market of the Beach, if anything...

Not if there are only 2 of you and you like travelling, and not just for holidays once a year.

 

[sidepod]

The higher driving position is great


Yes, I agree to a point. Its a fantastic vehicle in its own right. However, I think its vastly over-priced as a fully loaded SE starts getting into Coachbuilt campervan territory .

Are you saying there are coach built conversions out there that come close to the quality and equipment levels of an SE?
I've yet to see one I'd pay more than £20k for!

 

[Freeley]

I used to think autosleepers were quality conversions until the mother in law bought. I've watched the thing slowly disintegrate over the last 5 years and that's with very little use.
Cheap materials and poor workmanship, it's not even close to the quality of the california and for the same sort of money.

Sent from my Galaxy S6

 

[soulstyledevon]

Are you saying there are coach built conversions out there that come close to the quality and equipment levels of an SE?
I've yet to see one I'd pay more than £20k for!

Then you should have went to the latest CC show at the NEC a couple of months ago. Not only were they on a par with an SE, but I saw a lot of innovative designs that were far better.

 

[Freeley]

I used to think autosleepers were quality conversions until the mother in law bought. I've watched the thing slowly disintegrate over the last 5 years and that's with very little use.
Cheap materials and poor workmanship, it's not even close to the quality of the california and for the same sort of money.

Sent from my Galaxy S6

*bought one.
Where's my edit button gone?

Sent from my Galaxy S6

 

[soulstyledevon]

I used to think autosleepers were quality conversions until the mother in law bought. I've watched the thing slowly disintegrate over the last 5 years and that's with very little use.
Cheap materials and poor workmanship, it's not even close to the quality of the california and for the same sort of money.

Sent from my Galaxy S6

True there are some dogs out there. But with so many good conversion companies popping up. There really is a great selection of campers available.

 

[snowy55]

True there are some dogs out there. But with so many good conversion companies popping up. There really are a great selection of campers

"Good conversion companies popping up"
No track record and no guarantee they'll be in business in a years time,no idea of residual values,doesn't bode well for any warranty work when you've just handed over £50k. So a Cali to me a Cali wins on that score.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Some of the coach built companies have been around for many years. As for warranty, Volkswagen are a hateful company to honour warranty work on California specific parts. 99% of the time, they can fob you off with user error.
I had to fight tooth and nail just to get some corroded wheels bolts replaced and they were only two and a half years old...!!!

 

[WelshGas]

Have you checked out some of the " Coach built " Forums?

None of the Conversion companies/Coach Build companies could give me a conversion based on the base vehicle I wanted with a full VW warranty on the vehicle and a 3 yr warranty on their conversion.

 

[Meoncoast]

Not if there are only 2 of you and you like travelling, and not just for holidays once a year.

I am with WelshGas.

SE meets our needs as a daily drive Yesterday - Parked up by the sea, watching the sea crash in over the sea wall, cooker lit cup of tea made in the dry, later on lunch knocked up, only out for a pee so maybe in a bigger motorhome I could have used the loo. I also like the look of a T4 T5 T6 and would not like to drive around in a fiberglass backed van./ motorhome

The only choice for a daily drive campervan/day van was either a beach or a SE when we bought ours in 2012 at that time the beach had no heater no cooker no hook up so the SE was the van that met our needs.

Going back to the original question the beach is an ideal daily (only car) You just have to decided if the Beach or SE / Ocean meets your needs best

 

[MattBW]

I used to think autosleepers were quality conversions until the mother in law bought. I've watched the thing slowly disintegrate over the last 5 years and that's with very little use.
Cheap materials and poor workmanship, it's not even close to the quality of the california and for the same sort of money.

Sent from my Galaxy S6

Thats sad to hear, certainly used to be pretty great. Vanessa's 85 Autosleeper is still going strong and is solid.

 

[jamessclarke]

We use our Beach everyday. It does everything I need in style. Its regularly carrying 7 people, acres of room for shopping or just stretching out whilst waiting for netball training to chuck out. We did over 30 nights camping too last year with between 2 and 6 people sleeping on board. I even go in multi-storey car parks- but only when I have researched the height restrictions before. I enjoy the high driving position and the performance is fine. I find I adapt my driving style to the way the Beach goes- relaxed and easy.
I never considered an SE because I need 6 seats.