Buying a private VW California T4 - Help?

[Cali_Greg]

Hello Cali lovers!

I have been looking at VW California's for 2 months now and there are so many things to look out for when buying an old T4, that I decided to look for some guidance and help on this beloved forum of Cali experts.

Just recently, I have found a California that has been on sale by a private owner from Italy since January 2019, that I somehow missed during my search.
It's a 1996 T4 California with a 2.5 TDI 102HP engine with 290.000 km on it:
- Air conditioning
- Perfect pop-top fabric,
- Overall solid looking interior,
- Just repainted (underneath just coated),
- Slight damage on passenger side bottom,
- Garaged
- Webasto broken.

The price for the T4 is 12.500€. Is that a reasonable price considering I would most likely have to install a new webasto? (Inserting the reply into Google Translate, the owner threw away the webasto as the repairman could not find a spare part for it)

It has 6 seating approved, although I am unsure the owner has the 2 extra seats.

The owner has also agreed to send me the VIN number.

Help would be much appreciated

 

[2into1]

Door mirrors (good copies) are very cheap on eBay.de

Nice it has the ‘round’ nose. The 102hp 5 Cly tdi is a great engine. Does it have cab air conditioning?

Prices have been softening in the uk, but it doesn’t look far from the mark, although bodywork is always expensive and the heater will be expensive and difficult to source. Maybe look at these Chinese copies of eberspachers that are cheap on eBay.

 

[Cali_Greg]

Thank you for your reply.

The seller only stated that is has air con. As far as I know there are 2 sorts (air condition and climate control)?

Given the needed bodywork and some minor damage and the non-functioning webasto, I was thinking the realistic price is around 11.000€-11.500€? Correct me if i'm wrong.

Would this be suitable for the T4 cali?
https://www.ebay.de/itm/EBERSPACHER...125799?hash=item463ec9d6a7:g:ZgMAAOSw9NdXsYL2

I was also thinking that after I do the bodywork, I would wrap it in color foil (brown bottom, beige top) to protect if from forming any rust and keep the resell value when and if the time comes (could be i'll never part from it )

Another question regarding T4 Cali's- Is the awning removable? I mean the ones attached to the van, not the rail types.

 

[sidepod]

Seems expensive to me given what needs doing.

Why do you think the heater needs replacing as opposed to repairing?

There was a nice Red i on eBay a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Cali_Greg]

The seller has just informed me that the webasto was left at the mechanics shop, so I would have to put in a new webasto heater.

I'm only missing an awning, which im sure to fit on later, provided I buy this Cali.

Does anyone know the webasto model for the 2.5 1996 T4? Or the model from Eberspachers that would fit?

 

[sidepod]

Eberspacher is D2L (assuming diesel powered van)

 

[bluerallye]

We have seating for 6 in our T4 California ('93). They mount in the runners and are rare in the UK but not so much on the continent. They can be pricey though at around 500 Euros upwards but they do offer flexibility and can be sold on without loss. We have aircon but it's not climate control. It's ok but when it's operating you lose use of the fan in the rear so the rear occupants have a few minutes to wait before the whole cab is cool but it does serve its purpose. It also has 2 x settings regarding power output, the highest is like a freezer and does rob the engine of a bit of power as the compressor kicks in and out. The low setting is best and you don't notice it at all re. power and it kept us all cool through south of France this year in 35C. We also had full UV / privacy tints done too which helped with the aircon efficiency. Love our T4, we paid £13K for it, Jap import with 70K miles. Price wise they have pretty much plateaued now so take care of it and you won't lose any money at all.

 

[mrcheesbrough]

The seller has just informed me that the webasto was left at the mechanics shop, so I would have to put in a new webasto heater.

I'm only missing an awning, which im sure to fit on later, provided I buy this Cali.

Does anyone know the webasto model for the 2.5 1996 T4? Or the model from Eberspachers that would fit?

The Eberspacher is a pretty expensive beast and you'd need to buy the VW specific one to do a direct replacement as it uses a different ECU to the 'off the shelf' version. We paid VW around £1500 for our replacement about 5 years ago. Wouldn't like to think how much they'd charge now. If you were happy to retro fit new controls for a heater you can replace it with a kit for a much cheaper price.

Despite the slight cosmetic bodywork issue it's more important to check the actual physical condition of the chassis, wing edges and windscreen scuttle panel. If any of these are badly corroded or disguised with filler/fibreglass I'd walk away as this will cost quite an amount to repair. Reality is you need to see the vehicle first hand. Photos can be very flattering of even the roughest looking cars.

 

[Cali_Greg]

Thank you for all your support and advice, great forum and i'm glad I joined this Cali bunch.

As for the heater - I will most likely fit a Webasto unit, as to not have to retrofit new controls for an eberspacher.
I've found some really cheap heaters on this site: https://heaters4you.com/for-areas-less-then-12-m/20-air-top-2000-st.html

So far, I researched a few forums in which the users mentioned they have bought from this site and received the heaters which actually work, although the authenticity of the heaters still stay questionable . The price seems like a cheap chinese replica. Anyone have any experience buying from the site?

I have contacted a local car dealer/transporter to tag along with me to see the Cali and if all numbers check out, along with the clear chassis mrcheesbrough mentioned, I feel that the van is coming home with me.

Any more tips for what to look at when buying? Any universal cons on the T4 Calis?

 

[2into1]

Any more tips for what to look at when buying? Any universal cons on the T4 Calis?

Rust around the wheel arches, rust around the windscreen (top and bottom and occasionally half way up both sides from poor screen fitting).

Rust around the top rubber seal (that prevents rain getting pushed under the roof) can be very severe and expensive work. Some are not impacted at all, others badly.

Mechanically they are easy and (vs a T6) cheap to fix.

Oh check for excess movement in the gear stick when the engine goes under load. Thought to be worn engine and gearbox mounts.

Rust around rear screen. Rust seems to be a theme here. Unfortunately bodywork is (virtually) the same price for both a £9k T4 or a £70k T6.

 

[Tony hylton]

Does it have cruise control? Very handy if much motorway driving planned?

 

[Cali_Greg]

Does it have cruise control? Very handy if much motorway driving planned?

Im not sure about cruise control, doesnt really matter to me, it was hard enough finding one with aircon for a decent price. Everything else is a bonus here.

Rust around the wheel arches, rust around the windscreen (top and bottom and occasionally half way up both sides from poor screen fitting).

Rust around the top rubber seal (that prevents rain getting pushed under the roof) can be very severe and expensive work. Some are not impacted at all, others badly.

Mechanically they are easy and (vs a T6) cheap to fix.

Oh check for excess movement in the gear stick when the engine goes under load. Thought to be worn engine and gearbox mounts.

Rust around rear screen. Rust seems to be a theme here. Unfortunately bodywork is (virtually) the same price for both a £9k T4 or a £70k T6.

Looks like mechanically the T4 is pretty cheap compared to rust related problems. Thanks for the hints, Ill make sure to write them down and take a look when I meet with the seller!