Advice on this 2011 California SE

[Lloydfred]

Hi all,

Ive been looking for a California for a while. I was at first looking for a high end T4 but of late I'm considering upping the budget for a nice T5.

I found a 2011 SE DSG with 61K miles for 38K and a fair few extras on it and was interested in the clubs thoughts. Apparently the roof was paid to be done by the seller privately as the warrantee work would take 18 months to sort out and he didn't want to wait? (Not sure if this was done by VW or not)

• Lane Change Assist
• Upgraded alloys (think 18inch)
• Cruise Control
• Remote Side Door Opening
• Sat Nav
• Heated Seats
• Multi Function Steering Wheel
• Carbon A/C Filter
• Aftermarket Leather (see pictures)

Talking to the Dealer he is selling the van on behalf of a customer. The van looks like its been owned by a builder working away. The leather looks new so I'm guessing it's been done to make the van more appealing to a buyer. I've never seen a California with Leather before and was interested in your thoughts.
View attachment 22021

 

[Max-Felix]

Too expensive for my money by some measure for a 2011. Check back in past sales for 2010/11 vans. I'd check the history very carefully. Cambelt etc been done? DSG oil changed? Is it a 180 BTW?

 

[Meoncoast]

Apparently the roof was paid to be done by the seller privately as the warrantee work would take

than I would want to know more about and want warranty was given on the work.

 

[Lloydfred]

Too expensive for my money by some measure for a 2011. Check back in past sales for 2010/11 vans. I'd check the history very carefully. Cambelt etc been done? DSG oil changed? Is it a 180 BTW?

Hi Max, yes it's the 180 the dealer is a VW van centre but they are selling on behalf of the customer (little strange I thought)

I will ask them about the DSG oil changes and the cambelt tomorrow. I also thought the price was a little high but the dealer justified that by the amount of extras and the leather. I responded that the leather was irrelevant to me as I'd be using covers.

 

[Max-Felix]

Read up on the 180 potential engine oil issues on here. And decide if you want to take the risk? I didn't and that was on a 61 plate one owner with 30k miles and six grand cheaper.

Seems rather unusual - a VW franchise brokering a sale for a private customer...?!

Don't be swayed by minor extras, worth hardly anything come resale.

I'd say it's a number of thousands too expensive and it's a 2011 180.

IMHO there have been quite a few much more attractive offers on here and AT over the last month.

 

[Lloydfred]

Read up on the 180 potential engine oil issues on here and then decide if you want to take the risk. I didn't.

Seems rather unusual - a VW franchise brokering a sale for a private customer...?!

Don't be swayed by minor extras, worth hardly anything come resale.

I'd say it's a number of thousands too expensive and it's a 2011 180.

IMHO there have been quite a few much more attractive offers on here and AT over the last month.

I've done a fair bit of reading on the 180 and I can't find any hard evidence to point out it's a major problem. However I am assuming that a fair few hundreds of California's have been sold and thousands of 180 Transporters have been sold without any issues. I'm also banking on you only hear the bad news and not the satisfied customers. (I could be wrong though as I am a new to this)

I was also thinking a fair price for this van was closer to 35K

 

[sidepod]

My op, too expensive. The mileage is high. Not many Calis do 10k per year without being a daily driver.

Don't do anything until you've spoken with the seller. Offer £30k and walk away.

 

[Lloydfred]

My op, too expensive. The mileage is high. Not many Calis do 10k per year without being a daily driver.

Don't do anything until you've spoken with the seller. Offer £30k and walk away.

What about the interior though? never seen a Cali with aftermarket leather

 

[sidepod]

It could be two reasons. The upholstery was knackered or, and I know it's hard to believe, the owner thinks cream leather is a good thing!

 

[BerndRos]

Is the dealer selling on behalf of the owner, with no warranty ?

In order to avoid a possible warranty issue on the 180 biturbo engine ?

Just a thought !

 

[Lloydfred]

Is the dealer selling on behalf of the owner, with no warranty ?

In order to avoid a possible warranty issue on the 180 biturbo engine ?

Just a thought !

It does seem a little odd as they are a VW Van Centre. I'm guessing if sold through them, some sort of warranty would need to be given. If the van went wrong the first port of call would be the dealer would it not?.

 

[BerndRos]

It does seem a little odd as they are a VW Van Centre. I'm guessing if sold through them, some sort of warranty would need to be given. If the van went wrong the first port of call would be the dealer would it not?.

Guess not, the dealer would be the broker rather than the seller, the contract would I guess be between the seller & buyer ?

That's my view from my professional life.

From my personal life, my view as a person that's gone through the pain of a failed 180BHP engine and getting a new engine.

BEWARE.....

 

[2into1]

So, it is.......
More expensive than its peers
Is an early 180 which is the epicenter of oil consumption / new engine worries
It has an aftermarket interior in a 1970's beige colour
It is for sale by a private seller through a VW dealer which adds in a dealer's margin but no protection
It's probably had a quick and cheap roof repair by a paint shop with no knowledge of the root cause

Each to their own, but I'm struggling to see how it's even made any sort of short list. Sorry, but you did ask for our opinion.

 

[Lloydfred]

So, it is.......
More expensive than its peers
Is an early 180 which is the epicenter of oil consumption / new engine worries
It has an aftermarket interior in a 1970's beige colour
It is for sale by a private seller through a VW dealer which adds in a dealer's margin but no protection
It's probably had a quick and cheap roof repair by a paint shop with no knowledge of the root cause

Each to their own, but I'm struggling to see how it's even made any sort of short list. Sorry, but you did ask for our opinion.

I value all advice hence asking on here it does warrant further investigation, but I agree it doesn't look good lol

 

[sidepod]

I agree with "WFA" (or whatever he calls himself these days ;-) ), if the roof was under warranty why would you pay to repair it yourself? More a case of a quick bit of slap to sell it.

It could turn out to be a peach but my gut feeling is the opposite.

£30k and walk away but be prepared for pain either way.

 

[Seaview]

I value all advice hence asking on here it does warrant further investigation, but I agree it doesn't look good lol

Sounds as though it does need further investigation as there are a number of things that don't quite sit right from what you have said so far. You have been given good advice on the price too as the asking price sounds high. Also, if you are having a hard time convincing yourself and not jumping into the deal with a big smile on your face what will it be like in the future when trying to sell on with potential buyers having similar concerns you have now.

 

[Lloydfred]

My Questions to dealer,

Can you answer a few questions I have.

1, is the van being sold with any VW warranty? Or are you just a broker for the seller?

2, if the roof repair was done privately, who carried out the works and what warranty applies.?

3, when was the last DSG oil change? and was that done by a VW main service outlet and who was that.

4, has the van had a cam belt change and water pump? Again was this done via a VW Service outlet

5, the leather looks fairly new was this done because of the original interior was shabby.

6, not many California's do an average of 10K miles a year without being run daily. Does the van have full VW service history.

7, has the van visited any VW Service outlet with 180hp engine issues or related works carried out?

Dealer Response,

1) We are buying the vehicle and selling you it from here, so it would be sold with a full VW warranty from us.

2) The roof was repaired by Minstergate, it was covered under warranty but the customer didn’t want to wait for it to be done, there are only a few dealers in the UK with the facilities to repair under warranty so he decided to pay for it and get it done himself. There is currently no warranty from them on this at the moment.

3) We did the DSG oil on 25/04/2016 next is due at 100,000 miles.

4) Not been done, due at 75,000

5) The original seats were fine, customer just preferred a light leather interior and got this done.

6) It has a full Service History.

7) There has not been any issues with the engine nor any work carried out.

 

[Meoncoast]

Cam Belt changed. ??? think they are out on those dates

 

[Lloydfred]

Ill just keep looking for the right van the finance was less than attractive to be honest.

 

[T6 CFO]

Ill just keep looking for the right van the finance was less than attractive to be honest.

Good idea. One to many questions and not a bargain.


Mike

 

[Max-Felix]

As so many of us have said - it's way overpriced, dubious history, non-official roof repair, too many miles, non-original upholstery, strange brokering sale, blah, blah, blah. Many MUCH better vehicles out there.

And it done not have a full VW history - cambelt is four years maximum interval, official!

 

[MattBW]

A non-official repair may actually stay repaired you never kno w

 

[2into1]

A non-official repair may actually stay repaired you never kno w

That's true, and may be the best route. The only downside is that once a non vw sanctioned repair has occurred, any further comeback* (for what that's worth!) on vw will be denied.

* you never, know but they might offer the new plastic over caps for free.

The reaction on this thread to the Ford granada style leather re trim should be noted for those contemplating a leather upgrade.

 

[Lloydfred]

I used to have a 2008 Range Rover Vogue that had that interior to be fair lol

 

[reserves]

Interesting to see how buyers react to 'non-original upholstery'

Various posts with owners replacing their seats upholstery with leather at the moment, it's done in good faith but down the line when it comes to re-sale the more original the better, for me at least.

A good example is the late T4's, the all original ones are generally more desirable, as is full history.