California = 2nd Lowest Depreciating Vehicle

[soulstyledevon]

Purchased our last T4 Bilbo for £5k, sold it 4 years later (last year) for £9.5k.

I remember buying my T4 for £5.5k. Ran it for 4 years and sold it on for the best part of £8k with £1.5k put into converting.
First vehicle I owned that didn’t seem to lose money.

 

[ArunAlec]

Bought my 1965 split screen for £750, sold it for £7k, probably worth £30k now!

 

[tim downes]

This has just prompted me to spec my van from March 2016 on the VW configurator...£74,902!!!

I paid £60,037 for my T6 Ocean 4Motion in 2016.

That is nuts

Umm. I’ve just done a similar thing - bought a demo in 2017 for 52k. Now specking a 6.1 has come out at 73k. Still not sure wether to do it ?

 

[soulstyledevon]

Umm. I’ve just done a similar thing - bought a demo in 2017 for 52k. Now specking a 6.1 has come out at 73k. Still not sure wether to do it ?

What’s changed, really...?


I would say keep it another 7 years.
10 year old van at £30k should sell easy enough.
Then pump some more money into the latest thing, where the design might have moved on a bit

 

[Amarillo]

What’s changed, really...?


I would say keep it another 7 years.
10 year old van at £30k should sell easy enough.
Then pump some more money into the latest thing, where the design might have moved on a bit

Agree - these are vans to hang onto for ~10 years unless circumstances drastically change.

 

[Simon Kelly]

Anyone worked out the sweet spot? We have a 2012 with 70,000 on the clock (we use it a lot and has been used as a day to day vehicle) and can’t work out if we should sell and upgrade to the same spec but less mileage to avoid the inevitable material degradation that come with time and mileage or just to keep going with a van that we love to bits and just accept that it will be less reliable?

 

[ejmoore]

If anyone wants some real-life figures to throw into the pot:
we bought our T5 Cali at 4 years old for £35000
we sold it (well used) at 11 years old for £21000
so £14000 depreciation over 7 years, which is 40% (is it? maths not my strong point)
BUT...a new(er) replacement (T6) costs a hell of a lot extra!

 

[Amarillo]

If anyone wants some real-life figures to throw into the pot:
we bought our T5 Cali at 4 years old for £35000
we sold it (well used) at 11 years old for £21000
so £14000 depreciation over 7 years, which is 40% (is it? maths not my strong point)
BUT...a new(er) replacement (T6) costs a hell of a lot extra!

I’ve always felt uncomfortable depreciating my California purchase price - current value.

Replacement cost - current value gives a much more useful figure as it tells me how much I need to set aside when it comes to renew my vehicle.

 

[Aidy P]

I’m hoping to keep my van going until it becomes a classic. 10 year old daughter wants to drive and use it when she’s old enough.

Unless it really started going wrong and costing a lot to keep it on the road, I don’t see any benefits of changing. Electric will come at some point. But I suspect it will be many years before that becomes a viable touring option.

 

[Borris]

Anyone worked out the sweet spot? We have a 2012 with 70,000 on the clock (we use it a lot and has been used as a day to day vehicle) and can’t work out if we should sell and upgrade to the same spec but less mileage to avoid the inevitable material degradation that come with time and mileage or just to keep going with a van that we love to bits and just accept that it will be less reliable?

I can't give you an answer as there are many factors at play when changing vehicles, such as:

1. Are you bored with your current van?
2. Do you hanker after something shiny and new?
3. Are there options available on a new vehicle that would make changing attractive?
4. Have you just won the lotto?
5. Does your current van need expensive work done?
6. Has your current van been unreliable?
7. Have you been offered a good deal to change?

The reasons will obviously vary from person to person. For what it's worth, if you had said that you had a two year old T6 delivery van with 70,000 miles I'd say hang onto it because IMO it would be barely run in. These vehicles are primarily built for work and to do high mileage. The tendency is to think that once a Cali gets past it's first flush of youth we should sell but there's no real reason to do that. If properly maintained a Transporter based vehicle should be good to go round the clock at least a couple of times.

The reason for this commonly held view may have something to do with seeing all the ads for Calis in the for sale section of this forum, most with very low mileage. The other thing is that providing your van is in good condition you are sure to find a buyer when the time comes to sell and at a good price. They are very popular to many people, all with different levels of disposible income.

 

[Erbster]

Good advice Borris. I also agree with Amarillo’s way of viewing depreciation. It would cost me at least £35k to trade up my 3 yr old ocean to a 6.1 of very similar spec (including new tech which is not yet tried and tested). However, I do wonder if these vans will continue to hold their value so well as the combustion engine continues to be demonised. I wonder if the T7 might be hybrid (eg electric with generator for range)? I’m going to sit on my hands and continue to enjoy my van for the foreseeable.

CaliVentures

Adventures in a VW California camper van

caliventures364847572.wordpress.com

 

[Chainline]

Ueah, thought that about my Cayenne. Not true in reality, you can pickup Panamera for a lot less than they ask for. Not usually the case with a Cali.

 

[TripleBee]

I could try to sel mine now, and buy a new one, but I will end up with some things I don't want to end up with.
AdBlue, driving aid systems, the same interior (I am not looking for that in a new van), a black areal above the front windscreen, a chassis from 2003 (we are 17 years later!!), ...
I will run my van until it dies on me, but I will also repair anything that breaks down on me, so, it will be until forever that way. The good thing is that if something would not be made anymore for my van, I can buy the T6.1 interior, because it's all the same, but different.

And I will have to spend the original paid price over the selling price of my van for a new, just the same van like I have now.
I am just polluting a bit more, but the difference in scrapping an old van and making a new van should be considered too as pollution, so, no, not in the first years...

 

[ArunAlec]

My bottom line is how much will it cost to “upgrade” to a new wagon and what does that upgrade offer me over what I have now. Is it worth it?

 

[westfalia]

I’ve always felt uncomfortable depreciating my California purchase price - current value.

Replacement cost - current value gives a much more useful figure as it tells me how much I need to set aside when it comes to renew my vehicle.

Thats okay if you are going to buy the same vehicle again but if you're
not then its no use.
I still can't get my head into that way of looking at it.

 

[Chilmark]

I’ve worked in the prestige motor trade for 30 years and every time we’ve had Panamera’s we’ve lost money on them, I cannot imagine any retailer loosing money on a Cali, I’ve had a Porsche and a Cali and I’d much rather have the service and repair bills of a Cali with a Porsche you dread it going wrong and having to visit the bank manager for a loan

 

[ArunAlec]

I’ve worked in the prestige motor trade for 30 years and every time we’ve had Panamera’s we’ve lost money on them, I cannot imagine any retailer loosing money on a Cali, I’ve had a Porsche and a Cali and I’d much rather have the service and repair bills of a Cali with a Porsche you dread it going wrong and having to visit the bank manager for a loan

Porsche dealers give you cup of coffee and nice biscuits though!

 

[ejmoore]

I could try to sel mine now, and buy a new one, but I will end up with some things I don't want to end up with.
AdBlue, driving aid systems, the same interior (I am not looking for that in a new van), a black areal above the front windscreen, a chassis from 2003 (we are 17 years later!!), ...
I will run my van until it dies on me, but I will also repair anything that breaks down on me, so, it will be until forever that way. The good thing is that if something would not be

And I will have to spend the original paid price over the selling price of my van for a new, just the same van like I have now.
I am just polluting a bit more, but the difference in scrapping an old van and making a new van should be considered too as pollution, so, no, not in the first years...

I’m hoping to keep my van going until it becomes a classic. 10 year old daughter wants to drive and use it when she’s old enough.

Unless it really started going wrong and costing a lot to keep it on the road, I don’t see any benefits of changing. Electric will come at some point. But I suspect it will be many years before that becomes a viable touring option.

We would have been very happy to hang onto ours indefinitely, but we live in London and it didn't meet the ULEZ requirements, & next year that'll cover where we live, so we had to change.

 

[Aidy P]

We would have been very happy to hang onto ours indefinitely, but we live in London and it didn't meet the ULEZ requirements, & next year that'll cover where we live, so we had to change.

Does the Euro 6 engine not comply then?

 

[GSX1300R]

I paid £42000 for our 140 SE in 2015 Id be sick as a pig if I only got 60% of its value now. Dealers are still asking what we Paid new. AND they are getting it. Car mags are for cars and most of them have no Idea how to Value a California...

 

[Aidy P]

Updated article...

California still 2nd least depreciating

Slowest depreciating cars: the cars that hold their value best | Auto Express

Car depreciation is a fact of life with car ownership. But these are the cars that lose the least over time

www.autoexpress.co.uk

 

[soulstyledevon]

Updated article...

California still 2nd least depreciating

Slowest depreciating cars: the cars that hold their value best | Auto Express

Car depreciation is a fact of life with car ownership. But these are the cars that lose the least over time

www.autoexpress.co.uk

This is why i don't buy brand new cars anymore.
Losing thousands of pounds a year doesn't make sense to me. The last brand new car i bought was 2000. Even with a 20% discount i lost money after 3 months of ownership.
Only ever bought vehicles at the 2-3 year old age point. What i consider to be the sweet spot of cost, reliability and re-sale after a couple of years ownership.

Latest Cali bought at 1 year old. However, i believe a large proportion of its cost can still be clawed back if i choose to sell...

 

[Calimili]

This is why i don't buy brand new cars anymore.
Losing thousands of pounds a year doesn't make sense to me. The last brand new car i bought was 2000. Even with a 20% discount i lost money after 3 months of ownership.
Only ever bought vehicles at the 2-3 year old age point. What i consider to be the sweet spot of cost, reliability and re-sale after a couple of years ownership.

Latest Cali bought at 1 year old. However, i believe a large proportion of its cost can still be clawed back if i choose to sell...

When I was looking to buy a Cali, because of its high residuals, it made more sense for me to buy new.
Otherwise it would have been a 2-3 years old, not the latest model with the latest updates. So for 10k difference I have a brand new engine, transmission, brakes and tires. New leisure batteries and latest updates, split stove/sink cover, front window on the bulge and specced exactly how I wanted. And with factory warranty.
It's nevertheless not a straightforward decision new vs second hand....

 

[Skootyalan]

Just sold my Macan Turbo to buy the California Ocean. Thankfully the 993 Cabriolet is still smiling at me from the drive!

 

[2haw]

So according to that article, a 55k Ocean is worth 33.5k after 3 years?

Not sure thats correct!