Advice on cali

[angconcerts]

Hi i want to buy a California probably T5. Would people say that originals are better than conversions? And what’s the best engine size and BHP one to get? Thanks in advance

 

[WelshGas]

Hi i want to buy a California probably T5. Would people say that originals are better than conversions? And what’s the best engine size and BHP one to get? Thanks in advance

There is only one California made and sold by VW and that is how it comes out of the factory.
Some bedtime reading.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/search/37219/?q=Conversion&o=relevance

 

[angconcerts]

There is only one California made and sold by VW and that is how it comes out of the factory.
Some bedtime reading.

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/search/37219/?q=Conversion&o=relevance

Thanks new to all this

 

[angconcerts]

Looking to buy my first Cali pop top and very new to the whole camper van dos and don’ts so any advice before buying would be greatly appreciated. Ie. What size engine is best and Bhp? What should I expect for £30k ? Thanks in advance

 

[Velma's Dad]

Welcome to the forum. Have you been out and tried any Calis? If not the best advice would be to rent one for a weekend and you can then see how you rate various features.

Others will be more up to date with used values than me but you can find eg 7 or 8 year old T5 SEs (the SE is the previous name of what is now called the Ocean on the T6) for under £30k as private sales. But your first question is whether you'll be looking for an SE or a Beach.

Everyone will differ on engine sizes but for the SE it's between the 140 and 180bhp diesel variants. Most people will be quite happy with a 140, given that most of the converted Transporter vans out there make do with 102bhp. There have been some reliability question marks (again, much disputed!) about the 180s built in the 2010-12 time frame.

 

[JohnnyP]

Looking to buy my first Cali pop top and very new to the whole camper van dos and don’ts so any advice before buying would be greatly appreciated. Ie. What size engine is best and Bhp? What should I expect for £30k ? Thanks in advance

There is so much variation in spec, mileage and age of used calis out there that I dont think there is a straight forward answer to your question. There are several for sale on this forum at around £30k with wide ranging variation.

To get the best van for you it is best to decide what you want to use the van for and start to narrow down the choices. For example

Beach or SE
More BHP forTowing?
4Motion for going off the beaten track?
When do you want it for? prices can vary outside of peak season
High / low mileage - based on your expected annual mileage

Then cast a wide net in looking for whats available and then keep checking regularly.

Its worth doing lots of research on whats out there. This owners forum, VW dealerships, Auto Trader etc

 

[angconcerts]

Welcome to the forum. Have you been out and tried any Calis? If not the best advice would be to rent one for a weekend and you can then see how you rate various features.

Others will be more up to date with used values than me but you can find eg 7 or 8 year old T5 SEs (the SE is the previous name of what is now called the Ocean on the T6) for under £30k as private sales. But your first question is whether you'll be looking for an SE or a Beach.

Everyone will differ on engine sizes but for the SE it's between the 140 and 180bhp diesel variants. Most people will be quite happy with a 140, given that most of the converted Transporter vans out there make do with 102bhp. There have been some reliability question marks (again, much disputed!) about the 180s built in the 2010-12 time frame.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me. It’s the ocean with kitchen I want. There’s one on here for sale i like for £29950. Going to test drive one at weekend and see how I get on