Buy now or wait for T6?

[Racingt]

hi, wife just agreed we should have our first Cali!!
Question is, do I wait for the T6? Logic says yes, heart says buy one now.
T6 is going to be better, right? Prettier, more economical, better dash, more modern. Higher residuals? And with the recent currency shift, maybe not much more money?
And I'm planning to have it 20 years, so why not wait??
On the other hand, I want one now!!
What do you guys say?

 

[Martin]

Depends how bad you want one, I can't see the T6 Cali being delivered until at least early 2016. I would also want to wait at least six months as there are bound to be teething problems initially.

Saying all that, you may be too late for a T5 as it looks like they are stopping new orders this week

 

[motacyclist]

On the other hand, I want one now!!

Get one then! I just bought my second T5 Cali, knowing there is a new one on the way; who knows when the RHD California versions of the T6 will arrive .... if ever ...

 

[larrylamb]

You aren't going to get a new one now until half this year has gone so bag a good deal on a demo and have it now or wait and be one of the first T6 owners sometime next year i say.

 

[Jaydub]

New for new will be a £4000-£6000 price swing T5-T6 with the 8-10% discount you can get now,the new model will be more expensive and you won't get a deal for quite some time,now yes residuals will be better by £1500-£2000 so you will still be upto £4000 worse off.We bought now got all the deal plus the free servicing offer with the intention to trade up in 2-3 years time when the discounts are back and teething problems ironed out.

 

[treecity]

We've been waiting for the T6 anyway but, especially now, I would definitely wait. New engines, better emissions, new dash etc. Long term, I would not be buying a soon to be 'old model'.

A lot of people talk about missing out on this Summer. If you're worried about that, I would look at hiring this Summer and wait for the new engineering, software etc.

 

[rich-s]

Surely if you are planning to keep it for 20 years, residuals are largely irrelevant?

Having just agreed a deal on an ex demo Cali myself, I had wondered the same. However, With the uncertainty around any release date for the T6 Cali, along with it almost certainly going to have a price increase, I chose to buy now. Waiting for a T6 could mean missing half of 2016 as well as 2015. Then of course you'll start wondering whether to wait for the proper new model (Not forced facelift) T7 due out in another couple of years.

 

[treecity]

Rumours are that T7 isn't coming until 2020.

If someone is going to keep a Cali for 20 years... emissions and a more economical engine are going to play a big role, IMO.

 

[Hotel California]

I was planning on keeping my new bought 2012 forever....
But you never know what comes along , i used to have a Defender bought new and said exact the same , treaded it like it was made of gold , taking care of everything , cleaning and polisching ,....
Sold it afther 10 years to buy my Cali.
One never knows.... Don't plan things over 20years... Live your life today
If you want one now , buy now!

 

[Racingt]

Good points all! Yes, it isn't possible to say I will keep one 20 years, the last 24motorcycles attest to that . This year, I'm a little time-starved, so there i would rather wait than have a very expensive vehicle doing little. And emissions are important to me, but then so is the price. Maybe a demo t5 in autumn 2015 would be a good move, but I'm guessing those are like hens teeth....

 

[rich-s]

If time is an issue this year then it may be best to wait after all. In that case why not hire a couple of times and then know its really what you want.
I wonder if there will be many demo T5's left around by the autumn? Although I might be wrong as I expect some dealers will have ordered a quantity of vehicles to sell in the interim period between models.

 

[crazygrandad]

I work in the motor industry and my advice is BUY NOW

The T6 WILL have problems with the transporter side of things alone, not to menion the Camping equipment side

In the first year there will be no discounts and offers availble

Also people who say the engines will have better economy are kidding themselves, are they expecting 70 MPG on the T6 Cali? The Cali is a heavy beast and we will be lucky to see a 5% improvement on MPG

 

[snowy55]

And you're got all the Adblu cr@p to contend with and keep topped up on a T6

 

[treecity]

I work in the motor industry and my advice is BUY NOW

The T6 WILL have problems with the transporter side of things alone, not to menion the Camping equipment side

In the first year there will be no discounts and offers availble

Also people who say the engines will have better economy are kidding themselves, are they expecting 70 MPG on the T6 Cali? The Cali is a heavy beast and we will be lucky to see a 5% improvement on MPG

Wow! Bold statements.

Emissions will be better.

Economy will be better.

Most likely there will be teething problems but T5 still has known issues.

No discounts or offers in the first year? That would surprise me, especially on the finance side of things. I can't imagine every new buyer will turn up with a bag full of cash.

As someone who used to work in the motor industry... WAIT! ;-)

 

[GrannyJen]

Only the OP can answer the question that he asked and it is a difficult question with no definitive answer.

My personal instincts would be to buy the devil we know, not the one we do not.

The T5 Cali has been around long enough now for all known problems to be eliminated, or at worst recognised and fixes found. It does the job of being a camper. Problems aside it has been a resounding success, 50,000 sold. My own questions would be whether to buy a proven product with a possible slight decline in residual values due to being "last year's model" against buying all the potential problems that we do not yet know exist.

I know what I want to do and that is go camping. I am not a vehicle expert nor an investment pundit. I am someone who simply wants something that works. Give me the proven product but that is simply me and what works for me. I'm sure many could provide good aruments to come up with an opposing answer.

 

[reserves]

And you're got all the Adblu cr@p to contend with and keep topped up on a T6

?

 

[crazygrandad]

Economy will be better.

Marginal! Worth all that extra money? What would also worry me is there is no launch date for the Cali yet, we could be talking about late 2016 so you would miss two seasons. You could get knocked over by a bus next week.

 

[treecity]

Marginal! Worth all that extra money? What would also worry me is there is no launch date for the Cali yet, we could be talking about late 2016 so you would miss two seasons. You could get knocked over by a bus next week.

You're focusing on one thing as if it's a negative. Better economy is worth paying extra but what about the other benefits, emissions, new dash, new software etc, better engineering, safety enhancements...

At the end of the day, it is the choice of the individual and I am waiting.

We're still holidaying etc, still leading a full life. Waiting 12 months for a new Cali doesn't change our lives.

Also, what about the Mercedes Benz Marco Polo?! ;-)

 

[snowy55]

This is a bit of an extreme example of adblu "fun", but you get the picture

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/227850-vw-and-adblue-arrrgggggghhhh/

 

[WelshGas]

Thank you Snowy55. As if having a DPF isn't bad enough now you will have this Adblue stuff. Another tank to fill, more weight to carry, better fuel economy to compensate for the cost of the Adblue and more power to compensate for carrying the extra weight.
Heaven save us from the Green Brigade.

 

[snowy55]

Thanks welshGas, it's an almost self defeating circle.It must cause a lot of pollution making all this cleaner technology equipment that goes on these vehicles. More weight to carry, more trips to the dealers to get it sorted. Less mpg and so it goes on_________

 

[WelshGas]

Yes, exactly. Electric cars are a prime example. Who/how is the electricity produced. What about the environmental impact of the production and recycling of the batteries. There was an article some time ago about the Total enviromental impact i.e.: production/running and recycling costs of motor vehicles. The Toyoto Prius was bottom of the list because of the lifespan and toxic chemicals involved in the battery production and disposal. The Land Rover Defender was at the top, basically because it was low tech and 70% of all Defender types were still in use.
It is all a big con and the Public have fallen for it. For every GREEN electric car there is a bl**dy big power station at the end of the wire.
Rant over.

 

[rippers]

I decided to buy now. Rightly or wrongly. I like the way the present T5.1 looks and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get the same spec T6 for the money. IMO the T6 will be dearer, not much discount and long wait.
We don't even know if a RHD one is going to be made and if they are when will it be available i.e. how far down the pecking line is the UK market if at all. Its not like they even based the Cali of a RHD van! our beloved UK Calis are a parts bin special lets be fair!
The Marco Polo looks hideous as it based on a hideous van in the first place.

 

[2into1]

One way of looking at this is (perhaps) to see how you feel between a pre facelift Cali (2009) and a post facelift (2010). I know the T6 is a bigger change than the 5.1 to 5.2 but it may still help. I don't think pre 2009 Cali's are snubbed; they were just what Cali's looked like in 2009.
When I tried to come up with a pricing guide for used Cali's (which seems to have been deleted???) I think I calculated a pre-facelift was worth just £1500 less, plus the extra years' depreciation.

(If anyone can help track down my 'how to value' post - I'd appreciate it. It used to work with this link http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/california-price-guides.8764/ which now fails).

 

[reserves]

(If anyone can help track down my 'how to value' post - I'd appreciate it. It used to work with this link http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/california-price-guides.8764/ which now fails).

http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/how-to-price-your-cali.8438/