Bigger vans

[Barry Chuckle]

Aren’t the alloys and solar a dealer fit option rather than factory?
Congrtas on the Sven, a steadily growing number of Cali owners are making the switch!
Look forward to hearing how you get on with it.

Many thanks yes they are dealer fit options, I was told that they stopped options on these to streamline the build process and cut down the ridiculous wait times.

Thanks I'll definitely provide an update, from what the dealer says around 90% of buyers are ex Cali owners. If they offered a 4 berth option that figure would be even higher I'm sure and VW executives would be very anxious about Grand California sales.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Worth the small effort - ours sold locally within 3hrs of being listed on FB Marketplace.

Was also listed on the forum one week prior & ebay. (Any enquiry received from ebay gives you the buyers name, phone number & postcode...so fairly easy to check if its a genuine enquiry. )

Thanks I may put it up for a couple of grand more than the trade in just before delivery and make it clear it's a non negotiable price as I have a trade in offer. I sold an Audi I had ages ago privately and I was inundated with tyre kickers and dealers wanting to sell it sale or return on my behalf....

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Thanks I may put it up for a couple of grand more than the trade in just before delivery and make it clear it's a non negotiable price as I have a trade in offer. I sold an Audi I had ages ago privately and I was inundated with tyre kickers and dealers wanting to sell it sale or return on my behalf....

Cars are a bit different, we found we got alot of small dealers coming round, pretending to be private sellers.

We have sold various campers in the past and first to view has always purchased. People tend to know what they want so its more about finding a van close to them with the spec that they want.

Trust is on both sides, yes you are sellling, but they are also potentially handing over a large sum of money to you. So you also need to make them feel comfortable, to avoid them going to a dealer paying over the odds for the same van.

..dont price it too low!

 

[Jimmylondon07]

Thanks I may put it up for a couple of grand more than the trade in just before delivery and make it clear it's a non negotiable price as I have a trade in offer. I sold an Audi I had ages ago privately and I was inundated with tyre kickers and dealers wanting to sell it sale or return on my behalf....

Definitely worth a go in my opinion mate! Good luck.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I like this slightly modded Free 600 running 18 x Loder At#1
Cool wheel and tyre combo

 

[Kevthegas]

So this happened last week !!

After selling our 3rd California back in September we decided to try flying package holidays again. So £7k / 2 trips away later I was convinced it is not for me.

An Adria Twin 640 SLX popped up on Autotrader priced up + £45k (£15k less than motorhome dealers prices) 40k miles. Massive service history. Solar panels/ towbar ect.

Ended up paying £44,500.

2017 plate, 2.3 Multijet 2 150 bhp.

It will never drive like a Vw Cali, but just drives as well as the Crafters I have used on many occasions on loaners from VW when my Transporters have had issues.

 

[soulstyledevon]

So this happened last week !!

After selling our 3rd California back in September we decided to try flying package holidays again. So £7k / 2 trips away later I was convinced it is not for me.

An Adria Twin 640 SLX popped up on Autotrader priced up + £45k (£15k less than motorhome dealers prices) 40k miles. Massive service history. Solar panels/ towbar ect.

Ended up paying £44,500.

It will never drive like a Vw Cali, but just drives as well as the Crafters I have used on many occasions on loaners from VW when my Transporters have had issues.

View attachment 119981

Decent price. If you don’t like it by the end of summer, you could flip it and still be quids in…

 

[Kevthegas]

Soulstyledevon, exactly my words to my wife.
I plan to retire January 2025 + 55 years. We were looking at using savings for the additional £50k for a Grand Cali but realised the difference in £££££ could be used having fun rather than having a newer van.
I drove it back from Portishead with my son behind me in my Amarok ( v6 320 bhp) he was worried I was going too slow. Had a quick phone call and told him to leave me to enjoy the ride, 70/80 mph max.
We have gone from 6 in a Cali Beach to 2 into this!!
Planning France/Spain/Portugal road trip as I type !!!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Keep us posted with how you get on with the new van.
Great bit of kit for longer adventures

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I like this slightly modded Free 600 running 18 x Loder At#1
Cool wheel and tyre combo

View attachment 119978

View attachment 119979

View attachment 119980

Is that the same as what you have, if so I'm seriously jealous that is just as cool (if not cooler) than a Cali but with the added practicality of a bigger van!?

As a matter of interest does the sprinter drive better than MAN/Crafter?

 

[soulstyledevon]

Is that the same as what you have, if so I'm seriously jealous that is just as cool (if not cooler) than a Cali but with the added practicality of a bigger van!?

As a matter of interest does the sprinter drive better than MAN/Crafter?

Not much difference in the drive between the two, to be honest. I would be happy with either, but the Merc does have a nicer dashboard and media interface.
I should add. Both vans I test drove, were empty panel vans.
Like the T-series, both Crafter and Sprinter have lots of aftermarket options to adapt the vehicle to suit user requirements.

 

[Andya]

So this happened last week !!

After selling our 3rd California back in September we decided to try flying package holidays again. So £7k / 2 trips away later I was convinced it is not for me.

An Adria Twin 640 SLX popped up on Autotrader priced up + £45k (£15k less than motorhome dealers prices) 40k miles. Massive service history. Solar panels/ towbar ect.

Ended up paying £44,500.

2017 plate, 2.3 Multijet 2 150 bhp.

It will never drive like a Vw Cali, but just drives as well as the Crafters I have used on many occasions on loaners from VW when my Transporters have had issues.

View attachment 119981

That is a great colour I love it

 

[The Merle]

Not much difference in the drive between the two, to be honest. I would be happy with either, but the Merc does have a nicer dashboard and media interface.
I should add. Both vans I test drove, were empty panel vans.
Like the T-series, both Crafter and Sprinter have lots of aftermarket options to adapt the vehicle to suit user requirements.

New crafter coming this year will give the merc a run for its money on dash/display

 

[Barry Chuckle]

New crafter coming this year will give the merc a run for its money on dash/display

Apparently Westfalia won't be adopting this for the Sven until 2026 as I'm told by the dealers. Not sure if that's really the case or they're just trying to discourage me from holding back on my order!

 

[soulstyledevon]

New crafter coming this year will give the merc a run for its money on dash/display

Yep, all buttons going and a big screen instead .
Will it be anything like the ID interface…?
I say, grab the last of the analogue machines before it’s too late…

 

[The Merle]

Apparently Westfalia won't be adopting this for the Sven until 2026 as I'm told by the dealers. Not sure if that's really the case or they're just trying to discourage me from holding back on my order!

I imagine vw won’t let it go straight to MAN, as they tend to only let them have the lower spec base vans.
So sounds about right. The digital dash was slow to come through on the joker (not even sure it did manage to in the end).

 

[chockswahay]

So this happened last week !!

After selling our 3rd California back in September we decided to try flying package holidays again. So £7k / 2 trips away later I was convinced it is not for me.

An Adria Twin 640 SLX popped up on Autotrader priced up + £45k (£15k less than motorhome dealers prices) 40k miles. Massive service history. Solar panels/ towbar ect.

Ended up paying £44,500.

2017 plate, 2.3 Multijet 2 150 bhp.

It will never drive like a Vw Cali, but just drives as well as the Crafters I have used on many occasions on loaners from VW when my Transporters have had issues.

View attachment 119981

Nice van but bang goes any stealth camping

 

[The Merle]

Yep, all buttons going and a big screen instead .
Will it be anything like the ID interface…?
I say, grab the last of the analogue machines before it’s too late…

Yep finger prints everywhere!
I wish I could get cd player too

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Yep finger prints everywhere!
I wish I could get cd player too

One of the few advantages of the chip shortage during Covid was many manufacturers reverted to analogue dials for a while to cut down on chip usage.....

 

[Ch1pbutty]

This just popped up on facebook:

Swift Trekker pop-top campervan

Trekker pop-top campervan exudes ruggedness without compromising on style, making it stand out in any setting and fit for exploration & new adventures afar.

www.swiftgroup.co.uk

 

[Corradobrit]

This just popped up on facebook:

Swift Trekker pop-top campervan

Trekker pop-top campervan exudes ruggedness without compromising on style, making it stand out in any setting and fit for exploration & new adventures afar.

www.swiftgroup.co.uk

That dog looks miserable. Not sure I'm feeling the kumbaya

 

[rod_vw]

I imagine vw won’t let it go straight to MAN, as they tend to only let them have the lower spec base vans.
So sounds about right. The digital dash was slow to come through on the joker (not even sure it did manage to in the end).

If you order a TGE direct from MAN you can have whatever specification you want, I know I did just that. I guess that most MAN sales in the UK are made to fleet or business buyers as that's where their traditional market has been with the MAN HGVs.
MAN TGEs and VW Crafters all come off the same assembly line in Poland near Września.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

That dog looks miserable. Not sure I'm feeling the kumbaya

He would be, short legs so took him ages to climb into the roof.

 

[Dasteknoviking]

Uff that's a Ford... Diesel engines are full of problems.

Personally would rather deal with the Ducato cab quality but good engines vs rolling the dice on a Ford.

Mercedes or VW or nothing.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

 

[kave]

If you order a TGE direct from MAN you can have whatever specification you want, I know I did just that. I guess that most MAN sales in the UK are made to fleet or business buyers as that's where their traditional market has been with the MAN HGVs.
MAN TGEs and VW Crafters all come off the same assembly line in Poland near Września.

Did you build it yourself?