ahhh stuff it - we bought one!!

[sirendipity]

Hi everyone, this is our first post after the honour of of being accepted into the club We will be signing up as VIP members as we have a bus load (yeh yeh i know - terrible pun) of extra 5% discount stuff to by - why? i hear you ask (or maybe not) - because after 3 years of do we/don't we, life events have led us to the decision of "if we dont we may regret it" - so we've ordered a Cali Ocean which is about to arrive in the UK - woohooo!!

Looks like its customary to tell everyone a little about ourselves so here goes - we live close to Chester, have grown up kids and an 11 year old little lady with a king charles aptly named Charlie. Life is crazy busy, we work in our business from dusk till dawn like many others and were literally 7 days a week until i heard the news a few weeks ago that a guy ive worked with on and off for about 20 years in the industry of similar age with 2 beautiful girls had found out he had terminal cancer 6 weeks earlier and has already lost his sight, hearing and wont make Christmas. My wife and I are so wrapped up in work and home we decided its time to do something about it before our 11 going on 21 year old decides we aren't cool enough to hang round with - so we've thrown caution to the wind (spent the rent as my dear old dad used to say) and bought a beautiful blue/white cali. We are more glampers hence the purchase, and likely more 1 or 2 day ones at best but as the cali is also a fantastic day van we can head off and have a great day out with a home from home to run back to if needs be, or just to have a brew while we kick back.

So - that's us, we all have stories, life events and reasons to start a journey, that's ours, and hopefully we will enjoy many trips around the surrounding areas, and hey maybe make a few new friends along the way too!

Any tips for newbees who have thrown caution to the wind welcome, we've spent literally hours reading and watching some very impressive posts from many of you (thank you) to try and learn as quick as we can what we need to start out with but i guess in the end we will learn by doing.

Looking forward to being part of the club.

Simon and Karen

 

[calikev]

Hi and welcome along i hope you enjoy your new cali

 

[Volkywagen]

Hi there from Warrington

 

[TripleBee]

Oh no! What have you done!? You will regret

not having it bought much earlier!

Welcome to the club. I am sure yo will enjoy every single trip.

Pictures are the first thing to share when you have it!

 

[CannonDale]

Hi everyone, this is our first post after the honour of of being accepted into the club We will be signing up as VIP members as we have a bus load (yeh yeh i know - terrible pun) of extra 5% discount stuff to by - why? i hear you ask (or maybe not) - because after 3 years of do we/don't we, life events have led us to the decision of "if we dont we may regret it" - so we've ordered a Cali Ocean which is about to arrive in the UK - woohooo!!

Looks like its customary to tell everyone a little about ourselves so here goes - we live close to Chester, have grown up kids and an 11 year old little lady with a king charles aptly named Charlie. Life is crazy busy, we work in our business from dusk till dawn like many others and were literally 7 days a week until i heard the news a few weeks ago that a guy ive worked with on and off for about 20 years in the industry of similar age with 2 beautiful girls had found out he had terminal cancer 6 weeks earlier and has already lost his sight, hearing and wont make Christmas. My wife and I are so wrapped up in work and home we decided its time to do something about it before our 11 going on 21 year old decides we aren't cool enough to hang round with - so we've thrown caution to the wind (spent the rent as my dear old dad used to say) and bought a beautiful blue/white cali. We are more glampers hence the purchase, and likely more 1 or 2 day ones at best but as the cali is also a fantastic day van we can head off and have a great day out with a home from home to run back to if needs be, or just to have a brew while we kick back.

So - that's us, we all have stories, life events and reasons to start a journey, that's ours, and hopefully we will enjoy many trips around the surrounding areas, and hey maybe make a few new friends along the way too!

Any tips for newbees who have thrown caution to the wind welcome, we've spent literally hours reading and watching some very impressive posts from many of you (thank you) to try and learn as quick as we can what we need to start out with but i guess in the end we will learn by doing.

Looking forward to being part of the club.

Simon and Karen

Welcome to the club, I am sure you will have many happy trips in your Cali, 'just as I have in mine"

 

[zinglefiffy]

Your post stirred many emotions when I read it, our journey was quite similar. It was my dad who was gone by Christmas, he was diagnosed a month before he was due to retire. At the same time, after many years effort and sacrifice, we had surplus income to save for a house deposit. We have kids of 10, 4, 3 - and the youngest two thought a holiday was a weekend at a friends house. All the memories that were dredged up by my dads passing were of beaches in cornwall, midges in scotland, hill-tops everywhere, day trips, adventures, camping, and so on. 'You can't take it with you' has never felt more true, so we changed our plans. We may not own our house, but the kids already have a home, they can wait a while longer for a bigger one. In the meantime, we're using the van to have fun and we don't regret it for a second, I'm sure you won't either!

 

[California4x4]

Hi everyone, this is our first post after the honour of of being accepted into the club We will be signing up as VIP members as we have a bus load (yeh yeh i know - terrible pun) of extra 5% discount stuff to by - why? i hear you ask (or maybe not) - because after 3 years of do we/don't we, life events have led us to the decision of "if we dont we may regret it" - so we've ordered a Cali Ocean which is about to arrive in the UK - woohooo!!

Looks like its customary to tell everyone a little about ourselves so here goes - we live close to Chester, have grown up kids and an 11 year old little lady with a king charles aptly named Charlie. Life is crazy busy, we work in our business from dusk till dawn like many others and were literally 7 days a week until i heard the news a few weeks ago that a guy ive worked with on and off for about 20 years in the industry of similar age with 2 beautiful girls had found out he had terminal cancer 6 weeks earlier and has already lost his sight, hearing and wont make Christmas. My wife and I are so wrapped up in work and home we decided its time to do something about it before our 11 going on 21 year old decides we aren't cool enough to hang round with - so we've thrown caution to the wind (spent the rent as my dear old dad used to say) and bought a beautiful blue/white cali. We are more glampers hence the purchase, and likely more 1 or 2 day ones at best but as the cali is also a fantastic day van we can head off and have a great day out with a home from home to run back to if needs be, or just to have a brew while we kick back.

So - that's us, we all have stories, life events and reasons to start a journey, that's ours, and hopefully we will enjoy many trips around the surrounding areas, and hey maybe make a few new friends along the way too!

Any tips for newbees who have thrown caution to the wind welcome, we've spent literally hours reading and watching some very impressive posts from many of you (thank you) to try and learn as quick as we can what we need to start out with but i guess in the end we will learn by doing.

Looking forward to being part of the club.

Simon and Karen

Great respect to you for all the hard work done and the way you’ve done it. There is a good chance that the time spent together in your new Campervan will be some of the fondest memories and easiest to conger whether making the most of a sunny afternoon or Sunday or long weekends away. I don’t think you’ll regret it for a moment. Good luck.

 

[BeagleMum]

Hi everyone, this is our first post after the honour of of being accepted into the club We will be signing up as VIP members as we have a bus load (yeh yeh i know - terrible pun) of extra 5% discount stuff to by - why? i hear you ask (or maybe not) - because after 3 years of do we/don't we, life events have led us to the decision of "if we dont we may regret it" - so we've ordered a Cali Ocean which is about to arrive in the UK - woohooo!!

Looks like its customary to tell everyone a little about ourselves so here goes - we live close to Chester, have grown up kids and an 11 year old little lady with a king charles aptly named Charlie. Life is crazy busy, we work in our business from dusk till dawn like many others and were literally 7 days a week until i heard the news a few weeks ago that a guy ive worked with on and off for about 20 years in the industry of similar age with 2 beautiful girls had found out he had terminal cancer 6 weeks earlier and has already lost his sight, hearing and wont make Christmas. My wife and I are so wrapped up in work and home we decided its time to do something about it before our 11 going on 21 year old decides we aren't cool enough to hang round with - so we've thrown caution to the wind (spent the rent as my dear old dad used to say) and bought a beautiful blue/white cali. We are more glampers hence the purchase, and likely more 1 or 2 day ones at best but as the cali is also a fantastic day van we can head off and have a great day out with a home from home to run back to if needs be, or just to have a brew while we kick back.

So - that's us, we all have stories, life events and reasons to start a journey, that's ours, and hopefully we will enjoy many trips around the surrounding areas, and hey maybe make a few new friends along the way too!

Any tips for newbees who have thrown caution to the wind welcome, we've spent literally hours reading and watching some very impressive posts from many of you (thank you) to try and learn as quick as we can what we need to start out with but i guess in the end we will learn by doing.

Looking forward to being part of the club.

Simon and Karen

Hi from The Wirral

 

[sapto]

Welcome here!
Nice first post! Wishing you all the best!
Happy camping!

 

[superchoward]

Welcome!

Thought I’d chip in with that we stayed at the Chester Fairoaks Caravan and Motorhome Club site earlier this year which was really nice, might be a good starting point for a first trip away in your van as it is nice and local, has good facilities and a pub right next door!

Good luck with your van, I’m sure you will enjoy it

 

[gvick]

Welcome and like you and many others I struggled with the cost vs lifestyle choice of a Cali- one month on and over 3k later I know I’ve made the right decision.
Read all the advice on the forum and watch the “California Chris” YouTube videos lots of read to get the most out of your new purchase

 

[SimonB]

A warm welcome from Bristol as well. We waited until we retired to buy our California. We wish we had done it earlier.
Here's a link to "California Chris"

They are very helpful in reminding you what you should be told in the handover when you pick your California up. Useful tips about turning the front seats, putting the awning out and so on.
Try to come to a Meet where you can ask a lot of us all the questions you've been saving up.
Hope to bump into you on your travels
Simon

 

[sirendipity]

Welcome!

Thought I’d chip in with that we stayed at the Chester Fairoaks Caravan and Motorhome Club site earlier this year which was really nice, might be a good starting point for a first trip away in your van as it is nice and local, has good facilities and a pub right next door!

Good luck with your van, I’m sure you will enjoy it

Many thanks, I did ask if they sold the van with stabilisers while we learn how to use it but this sounds like the next best option, especially with a pub next door

 

[sirendipity]

Oh no! What have you done!? You will regret

not having it bought much earlier!

Welcome to the club. I am sure yo will enjoy every single trip.

Pictures are the first thing to share when you have it!

Thanks Hoping to get it in about 10 days so will absolutely post a few pics

 

[sirendipity]

A warm welcome from Bristol as well. We waited until we retired to buy our California. We wish we had done it earlier.
Here's a link to "California Chris"

They are very helpful in reminding you what you should be told in the handover when you pick your California up. Useful tips about turning the front seats, putting the awning out and so on.
Try to come to a Meet where you can ask a lot of us all the questions you've been saving up.
Hope to bump into you on your travels
Simon

Thanks for this, we are buying the van from this dealership and they said we need 3/4 hours in the afternoon for the handover so must be very thorough. They also told us to take a look at these vids even before we made the purchase which have been very helpful as we had a wobble just before we pressed the 'Go' button. I will look out for meets on the forum and absolutely i will make sure i have cold ones in the fridge for when we bump into each other

 

[sirendipity]

Welcome and like you and many others I struggled with the cost vs lifestyle choice of a Cali- one month on and over 3k later I know I’ve made the right decision.
Read all the advice on the forum and watch the “California Chris” YouTube videos lots of read to get the most out of your new purchase

Thanks for the kind words, we are getting the same van as you, may i ask a question? - have you lowered it with the stock 30mm kit from VW, im reading alot about this on the basis that it actually improves the ride and helps against travel sickness which my girls suffer from so im thinking of getting it done before i collect it, also the extra 30mm may mean i can fit it in the garage without a shoe horn! Thanks

 

[sirendipity]

Your post stirred many emotions when I read it, our journey was quite similar. It was my dad who was gone by Christmas, he was diagnosed a month before he was due to retire. At the same time, after many years effort and sacrifice, we had surplus income to save for a house deposit. We have kids of 10, 4, 3 - and the youngest two thought a holiday was a weekend at a friends house. All the memories that were dredged up by my dads passing were of beaches in cornwall, midges in scotland, hill-tops everywhere, day trips, adventures, camping, and so on. 'You can't take it with you' has never felt more true, so we changed our plans. We may not own our house, but the kids already have a home, they can wait a while longer for a bigger one. In the meantime, we're using the van to have fun and we don't regret it for a second, I'm sure you won't either!

A wonderful story and i can share the grief of losing parent(s) - if they could see us now eh?! Enjoy your travels and family time, and if you're ever on a site and see a crazy blond 11 year old girl with a troop of younglings around her playing and singing then there is every chance thats our daughter and we arent far behind......

 

[Perfectos]

Lovely first post,

this is not a test this is your life, get out there and make some lovely memories with your family

Your already part of the club by your very contribution so far.

Post a piccy or two when the Eagle has landed,
you’ll be roughing it with the rest of us soon enough, when the bug bites it bites deep.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Welcome..........you will have many trips out, but you need to plan, they will all be enjoyable!
Great life choice!

 

[gvick]

Thanks for the kind words, we are getting the same van as you, may i ask a question? - have you lowered it with the stock 30mm kit from VW, im reading alot about this on the basis that it actually improves the ride and helps against travel sickness which my girls suffer from so im thinking of getting it done before i collect it, also the extra 30mm may mean i can fit it in the garage without a shoe horn! Thanks

Hi There
Personally I haven’t felt the need. Driving the Cali coming from a car is a learning experience- basically bends and roundabouts you take a lot slower. It does wallow a bit when unladen but it’s for leisurely cruising - the journey is part of the destination and all that.
My advice would be to live with it and see if you really need to lower it.
Don’t forget to post the pics

 

[sirendipity]

Hi There
Personally I haven’t felt the need. Driving the Cali coming from a car is a learning experience- basically bends and roundabouts you take a lot slower. It does wallow a bit when unladen but it’s for leisurely cruising - the journey is part of the destination and all that.
My advice would be to live with it and see if you really need to lower it.
Don’t forget to post the pics

Thanks for that, ive asked a few people with T6's what they think and also looked at the forums - all in all it seems like a positive thing to do so ive taken the chance and gone for it so it will come 30mm lower, and as ive said im concerned about garage clearance too and would rather not have to park the new baby on the drive in this wonderful North West English weather!
Will absolutely post some pics, hoping to have it by the end of next week.....

again for the feedback

 

[Borris]

Hi everyone, this is our first post after the honour of of being accepted into the club We will be signing up as VIP members as we have a bus load (yeh yeh i know - terrible pun) of extra 5% discount stuff to by - why? i hear you ask (or maybe not) - because after 3 years of do we/don't we, life events have led us to the decision of "if we dont we may regret it" - so we've ordered a Cali Ocean which is about to arrive in the UK - woohooo!!

Looks like its customary to tell everyone a little about ourselves so here goes - we live close to Chester, have grown up kids and an 11 year old little lady with a king charles aptly named Charlie. Life is crazy busy, we work in our business from dusk till dawn like many others and were literally 7 days a week until i heard the news a few weeks ago that a guy ive worked with on and off for about 20 years in the industry of similar age with 2 beautiful girls had found out he had terminal cancer 6 weeks earlier and has already lost his sight, hearing and wont make Christmas. My wife and I are so wrapped up in work and home we decided its time to do something about it before our 11 going on 21 year old decides we aren't cool enough to hang round with - so we've thrown caution to the wind (spent the rent as my dear old dad used to say) and bought a beautiful blue/white cali. We are more glampers hence the purchase, and likely more 1 or 2 day ones at best but as the cali is also a fantastic day van we can head off and have a great day out with a home from home to run back to if needs be, or just to have a brew while we kick back.

So - that's us, we all have stories, life events and reasons to start a journey, that's ours, and hopefully we will enjoy many trips around the surrounding areas, and hey maybe make a few new friends along the way too!

Any tips for newbees who have thrown caution to the wind welcome, we've spent literally hours reading and watching some very impressive posts from many of you (thank you) to try and learn as quick as we can what we need to start out with but i guess in the end we will learn by doing.

Looking forward to being part of the club.

Simon and Karen

Hello S and K,
It sounds like you're adjusting your work/life balance in the right direction. You will not regret it. Once you get your van I suspect that you might find even more time to get away. I hope that you all have many happy adventures in he/she/it.

And remember to follow the advice of the late Cecil Bustamante Cambell AKA Prince Buster.

"Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think,
"Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink,"

 

[Campervanner]

Thanks for the kind words, we are getting the same van as you, may i ask a question? - have you lowered it with the stock 30mm kit from VW, im reading alot about this on the basis that it actually improves the ride and helps against travel sickness which my girls suffer from so im thinking of getting it done before i collect it, also the extra 30mm may mean i can fit it in the garage without a shoe horn! Thanks

I get travel sick in the back of a car but find travelling in the back seat of the cali quite different. Because the windows are low and you are high up you can see out better so motion sickness is not really a problem. Its really comfortable. Be interesting to see how your children get on.

 

[Alan Andrews]

We have had our Cali Ocean for a year now.

Like yourselves we had the need to go out and buy accessories. Much of what we could have bought will have been surplus now.

My advice is to get the van and try to meet up with other Cali owners first.

See what they have kitted their Cali out with.

For the bigger items look for alternatives.

Get to some sites to look at other van users.

Remember anything you buy has to be carried with you, and has to be stowed somewhere inside.

Good luck.

 

[Stewart Hall]

Hi everyone, this is our first post after the honour of of being accepted into the club We will be signing up as VIP members as we have a bus load (yeh yeh i know - terrible pun) of extra 5% discount stuff to by - why? i hear you ask (or maybe not) - because after 3 years of do we/don't we, life events have led us to the decision of "if we dont we may regret it" - so we've ordered a Cali Ocean which is about to arrive in the UK - woohooo!!

Looks like its customary to tell everyone a little about ourselves so here goes - we live close to Chester, have grown up kids and an 11 year old little lady with a king charles aptly named Charlie. Life is crazy busy, we work in our business from dusk till dawn like many others and were literally 7 days a week until i heard the news a few weeks ago that a guy ive worked with on and off for about 20 years in the industry of similar age with 2 beautiful girls had found out he had terminal cancer 6 weeks earlier and has already lost his sight, hearing and wont make Christmas. My wife and I are so wrapped up in work and home we decided its time to do something about it before our 11 going on 21 year old decides we aren't cool enough to hang round with - so we've thrown caution to the wind (spent the rent as my dear old dad used to say) and bought a beautiful blue/white cali. We are more glampers hence the purchase, and likely more 1 or 2 day ones at best but as the cali is also a fantastic day van we can head off and have a great day out with a home from home to run back to if needs be, or just to have a brew while we kick back.

So - that's us, we all have stories, life events and reasons to start a journey, that's ours, and hopefully we will enjoy many trips around the surrounding areas, and hey maybe make a few new friends along the way too!

Any tips for newbees who have thrown caution to the wind welcome, we've spent literally hours reading and watching some very impressive posts from many of you (thank you) to try and learn as quick as we can what we need to start out with but i guess in the end we will learn by doiLooking forward to being part of the club.

Simon and Karen

Hi and welcome,
Congratulations on the van, we did something similar exactly 12 months ago and bought a T6 ocean because life’s to short, called her “impulse”! However, we’ve only stayed in it once, I know our fault, but have used it loads transporting our elderly mother (91 yrs old) in and out of hospital as she’s not able to get in a car. Have been to 2 funerals and 1 wedding - wow!
Anyway mother now in a care home and planning our 2nd trip next week.
The point of my ramblings are now you’ve got it try if you can to use it.
All the best
Impulse!