Bigger vans

[Barry Chuckle]

On the subject of Trade Ins, I put my immaculate 4 month old Cali Ocean 204 with 1000mls on Autotrader £995 more than the outright purchase trade value I was offered by a VW dealer. I wanted it gone within a matter of days as I needed the space so was happy to just get rid of it. Although pricing it at a full £15k below it's list price I've not had a single call or inquiry in over a fortnight. I've ended up selling it to a local dealer, even I was surprise the lack of appetite in it particularly as it's the best time of year to sell. I'm guessing it's to do with the ongoing bellows saga sadly......

 

[Jimmylondon07]

For those of you interested, we had a good look around the Trekker and Trekker X at Spinney Flintshire this afternoon. Quality is actually not too bad. You can see where they have made some savings (no reversing camera on a 6m van??), seat coverings were not the greatest quality although they were comfortable, and no diesel heater (gas/electric only).

The beds were very comfortable albeit I was surprised how high the pop top bed was - definitely one to be tackled sober!

As mentioned previously, the shorter one actually feels more open, but the lower bed is a wider on there X and of course you get that extra storage. The lightning inside was very good though and lots of power sockets and USB ports.

I think it compares favourably to the Grand California which felt more cramped, and I think it had a bit more personality as I feel that the GC can be a little stark.

Ultimately it's a no go as the potential trade in on our 2022 Coast was garbage - £42k. So whilst we could get more privately, there's a hassle factor I can't be bothered with at the moment! But the Trekker at the Bailey B64 seems like good options at the "cheaper" end of the 6m 4 berth van market.

Funny old life, I found it quite dark inside and prefer the ‘airier’ interior of the GC. Agree on the height of the poptop though, makes it very impractical with very young kids. We went with a GC purely because you can throw them in the overcab bed from ground level

 

[Jimmylondon07]

On the subject of Trade Ins, I put my immaculate 4 month old Cali Ocean 204 with 1000mls on Autotrader £995 more than the outright purchase trade value I was offered by a VW dealer. I wanted it gone within a matter of days as I needed the space so was happy to just get rid of it. Although pricing it at a full £15k below its list price I've not had a single call or inquiry in over a fortnight. I've ended up selling it to a local dealer, even I was surprise the lack of appetite in it particularly as it's the best time of year to sell. I'm guessing it's to do with the ongoing bellows saga sadly......

I wonder if that would have been the case in a few weeks time Bazza, my thought is that anyone who’s in the market right now has probably just ordered new with the big discounts, 0% finance and 5+ Promise etc.

I’ll be listing mine in a week or two so we’ll find out I guess!

 

[Boomer]

Funny old life, I found it quite dark inside and prefer the ‘airier’ interior of the GC. Agree on the height of the poptop though, makes it very impractical with very young kids. We went with a GC purely because you can throw them in the overcab bed from ground level

Sorry. Wasn't meant to come across as derogatory to the GC! To be honest, if they did a pop top version that would be the one we'd go for ultimately at having the vehicle and habitation covered by the manufacturer is a great selling point.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I wonder if that would have been the case in a few weeks time Bazza, my thought is that anyone who’s in the market right now has probably just ordered new with the big discounts, 0% finance and 5+ Promise etc.

I’ll be listing mine in a week or two so we’ll find out I guess!

The 0% deal finished a couple of months ago, I do wish you all the best Jimmy by only advice would be to sell at a competitive price. There are loads of nearly new Calis on at silly money and I can see they've been on sale since last autumn.
I did actually see the GC in detail today as I delivered my Cali to the deal, actually a lot smarter outside than I initially thought. The interior definitely not for me as I found it far too clinical and cold. Really well thought out though, but the fold up plastic sink I felt looked really tacky on such a high end RV

 

[Boomer]

On the subject of Trade Ins, I put my immaculate 4 month old Cali Ocean 204 with 1000mls on Autotrader £995 more than the outright purchase trade value I was offered by a VW dealer. I wanted it gone within a matter of days as I needed the space so was happy to just get rid of it. Although pricing it at a full £15k below it's list price I've not had a single call or inquiry in over a fortnight. I've ended up selling it to a local dealer, even I was surprise the lack of appetite in it particularly as it's the best time of year to sell. I'm guessing it's to do with the ongoing bellows saga sadly......

The dealer mentioned that trade prices had been all over the show but had definitely dropped in the last couple of weeks - but maybe he just didn't want my van! But I wondered if the new T7 being announced had affected things?

 

[Jimmylondon07]

Sorry. Wasn't meant to come across as derogatory to the GC! To be honest, if they did a pop top version that would be the one we'd go for ultimately at having the vehicle and habitation covered by the manufacturer is a great selling point.

Not at all, different strokes for different folks and all that

 

[Corradobrit]

But I wondered if the new T7 being announced had affected things?

MV Cali vs T6.1. Apples and oranges

 

[Jimmylondon07]

The 0% deal finished a couple of months ago, I do wish you all the best Jimmy by only advice would be to sell at a competitive price. There are loads of nearly new Calis on at silly money and I can see they've been on sale since last autumn.
I did actually see the GC in detail today as I delivered my Cali to the deal, actually a lot smarter outside than I initially thought. The interior definitely not for me as I found it far too clinical and cold. Really well thought out though, but the fold up plastic sink I felt looked really tacky on such a high end RV

It’s a blank canvas just begging for some individual touches, that’s how I sold it to the Mrs! Very easy to add some colour and texture to make it a bit warmer if you so wish, but appreciate it’s not for everyone.

Unfortunately there are very few competitors in the sub 6m, 4 berth (without poptop) market.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

It’s a blank canvas just begging for some individual touches, that’s how I sold it to the Mrs! Very easy to add some colour and texture to make it a bit warmer if you so wish, but appreciate it’s not for everyone.

Unfortunately there are very few competitors in the sub 6m 4 berth (without poptop) market.

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Absolutely, in the smaller van sector the Cali reigns supreme, but every larger van conversion is a compromise of some description. I have absolutely no idea why Westfalia don't do the Sven as a 4 berth or even a 2 plus 2, I feel it would sell by the bucketload and many vloggers say the same. I do note the weight issue but I'm sure they could address this with perhaps a pop top or losing weight elsewhere.....

The VFM of the GC is unrivaled so it's definitely a sensible choice, and if anything goes wrong with the habitation you don't need to yomp 150 miles to one of the only 2 dealers in the UK like me!!!!!

You'll have to post some pics when you've softened the interior to your tastes!

 

[Barry Chuckle]

It’s a blank canvas just begging for some individual touches, that’s how I sold it to the Mrs! Very easy to add some colour and texture to make it a bit warmer if you so wish, but appreciate it’s not for everyone.

Unfortunately there are very few competitors in the sub 6m, 4 berth (without poptop) market.

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Did you look at the Widax Altair? that was the only competitor that close to the Sven for me.

 

[Jimmylondon07]

Will do, and totally agree that every option is a compromise! We hired a GC for the weekend last year and found quite a few annoying things with it…the bench seat is pretty uncomfortable, kitchen storage is poor, one side of the kitchen extension is at a different height to the worktop and the other side folds out on to the bed (like WTAF?!), the ladder makes it difficult to get in and out of the bathroom at night, the cupboard catches are fiddly, the fridge is a bit weird…I could probably think of more if I tried. However, when we sat down and reflected on it nothing else suits our current circumstances better, we’ve done the NEC four times in 2 years as well as trips to various dealers so we’ve done plenty of looking lol.

 

[wildslammer22]

Absolutely, in the smaller van sector the Cali reigns supreme, but every larger van conversion is a compromise of some description. I have absolutely no idea why Westfalia don't do the Sven as a 4 berth or even a 2 plus 2, I feel it would sell by the bucketload and many vloggers say the same. I do note the weight issue but I'm sure they could address this with perhaps a pop top or losing weight elsewhere.....

The VFM of the GC is unrivaled so it's definitely a sensible choice, and if anything goes wrong with the habitation you don't need to yomp 150 miles to one of the only 2 dealers in the UK like me!!!!!

You'll have to post some pics when you've softened the interior to your tastes!

Be prepared for lots of bronze accents ;-)


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[Jimmylondon07]

Be prepared for lots of bronze accents ;-)


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Oh definitely, will be a 6m tribute to God’s finest alloy.

 

[JuanVecino2023]

It’s a blank canvas just begging for some individual touches, that’s how I sold it to the Mrs! Very easy to add some colour and texture to make it a bit warmer if you so wish, but appreciate it’s not for everyone.

Unfortunately there are very few competitors in the sub 6m, 4 berth (without poptop) market.

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And you called yourself a swamper.

Where are the flowers man?

 

[Elmo3]

The dealer mentioned that trade prices had been all over the show but had definitely dropped in the last couple of weeks - but maybe he just didn't want my van! But I wondered if the new T7 being announced had affected things?

This type of thing will certainly have an impact. Seems this dealer has ordered 40+ new Cali’s for pipeline delivery. They sure won’t want to buy any more, unless super cheap.

 

[CamperFam]

Which says a huge amount about dealer confidence on the upcoming model, in addition to the expected residuals on the Cali itself.

 

[Elmo3]

Quite risky IMHO. They could easily have a reasonable % rejected if VW don’t fix the bellows.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I know many of you are already subscribed but a great compare and contrast video of going from a Cali to a bigger van. I totally agree with all their conclusions.

@Jimmylondon07 I'm sure this will whet your appetite of your next van James

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Oops forgot to post the link, here it is

 

[Jimmylondon07]

I know many of you are already subscribed but a great compare and contrast video of going from a Cali to a bigger van. I totally agree with all their conclusions.

@Jimmylondon07 I'm sure this will whet your appetite of your next van James

Good watch, thanks mate. The Cali’s a fantastic vehicle no doubt but as soon as my Mrs decided she didn’t want to use it as our daily its days were numbered (for exactly the reasons they gave). Just wish she had’ve told me before I put the new wheels on it

 

[soulstyledevon]

Good watch, thanks mate. The Cali’s a fantastic vehicle no doubt but as soon as my Mrs decided she didn’t want to use it as our daily its days were numbered (for exactly the reasons they gave). Just wish she had’ve told me before I put the new wheels on it

I was tempted back towards the Cali because of the 5 plus deal.
But the other half over-ruled. Theres was no way she way going back to a smaller van after owning the Blue Evo 540 we had.

 

[Barry Chuckle]

The having hot water is not a consideration I thought about, but I do agree with the point about the living area being too claustrophobic when the roof has to be down.

He is also right about smaller VW vans being cool, I'm not sure they sell too many tea towels or t shirts with VW Crafters or Fiat Ducatos on them !!!!

 

[Barry Chuckle]

I've just had confirmation that my Sven has gone into build this week. I only ordered it first week in March so about 7 weeks from order to build. Perhaps this is a bellwether of how the demand for leisure vehicles is dropping off (or getting back to pre-covid normality!) I know many have waited for over 12 months for Westfalias with many build times getting pushed back.

 

[The Merle]

I've just had confirmation that my Sven has gone into build this week. I only ordered it first week in March so about 7 weeks from order to build. Perhaps this is a bellwether of how the demand for leisure vehicles is dropping off (or getting back to pre-covid normality!) I know many have waited for over 12 months for Westfalias with many build times getting pushed back.

They would have sold you a pre ordered van I imagine. They place orders for max amount of svens/jokers they can, and then sell them way before they hit the shores (on most occasions).
Westfalia don’t tend to do updates on builds what my westy dealer said. Only when it’s ready for shipping.
Good news if it comes in 7wks, what colour did you go for?