California consideration

[mikeelawson]

I am potentially on the start of a new adventure with a vw calafornia ocean. Due to reture within the next year and we are both unsure about where we want to live (for me back to North Devon) wife wants Dorset.
I am now working part time and in order to yo help us qe have decided to explore villages in both locations, hence the requirement for a calagornia. However I have noticed that in cv19 times these have become stupidly rare and expensive. We are hiring a cali in August for a weekend to test the ground, however I have some basic questions that I would appreciate some support on.
1. How do I get the best priced deal (email all dealers with my spec)
2. What are peoples feelings about cali vs convresion (residuals?). I have been looking g at knights camepervans and ghe quality seems excellent
3. What upgrades are worth it / not worth it. You can soon get into scary pricing
4. New vs old. When I looked slme of the 2nd hand vehicles seemed to be pri e of new these days (if you can get one)
5. What is the true mpg and insurance costs
6. We are only planning to keep it for 5 years, what is the residual like after this time
7. Has anyone been denied entry with cali e.g. national trust
8. Is there a seasonal event yo ghe 2nd hand market, are we expecting to see a whole load co.e on the market again in the winter
9. The test model I drkve coat 6.1 seemed to rate indecently. Is this yhe norm
10. When I drive I was amazed at how car like it felt and ghe ability to see down narrow lanes from an elevated position. However clmkng from a bmw tourer, this still felt enormous. How long before this feels normal?

Your help in answering these questions is much appreciated.

Regards

Mike

 

[Magic Bus]

We’ve had our Ocean for a year now, so I feel I can answer some of your questions.

1. Best deals - if you are looking for new, then email the dealers to see what they’ve got. We bought ours from Liverpool Van Centre.
2. We looked at conversions and almost bought a Hillside, but a medium spec one was only £5k less than what we paid for our Ocean. Conversions don’t have electric roof, the bed was shorter and not as good. Have a look and compare the specs.
3. ours is a fairly basic spec, it’s 150 PS, 6 speed manual, 2 wheel drive. Others will say that you need 204 PS, DSG, 4 Motion. We don’t and we don’t miss them. I think DSG is worthwhile but the others aren’t. Ours happily cruises at 70 mph at 12-1400 Rpm on the motorway. We are never short of power even on steep hills, fully loaded. I think Adaptive Cruise Control would be worth it too.
4. Whatever you can afford. A new van has a 3 year warranty, which can be extended to 5, for about £400. We looked at 3-4 year old vans with 50k on the clock and they are still £40,000.
5. We get 37-40 MPG, depending on the nature of the journey. You can get 38+ on a motorway trip. Insurance varies but £300 to £500 if you have full no claims.
6. Have a look at the classifieds. 5 year old vans still go for £35-40,000 depending on mileage and spec.
7. Never been denied entry to National Trust or other places. The only problem might be very restricted height areas. The van is just under 2m high, so you might struggle in a multi storey car park.
8. Weve been to various Motorhome shows but you don’t see that many Calis. You may be better to visit specialist VW van dealers or search online.
9. They can rattle, but probably rattle more when empty. Tables, cutlery and crockery are the usual culprits.
10. I think it’s akin to driving a big 4x4 in terms of driving experience. It’s great to be able to see over hedges. Mine does wallow a bit on twisty roads, but sticks to the roads pretty well. It’s a joy to drive on the motorway. I always feel very low down when I get back in my car after driving the Cali.

 

[Erbster]

Excellent point made above.
I’d add/emphasise
1 be prepared to travel fir best deal
2 I’ve had both and think Cali is better - certainly likely to have higher residual. Make sure you’re comparing like with like - often conversions use more basic vans (can be a benefit if you don’t want the luxuries)

CaliVentures

Adventures in a VW California camper van

caliventures364847572.wordpress.com

 

[kp64zl]

Autoebid worth checking

 

[mikeelawson]

We’ve had our Ocean for a year now, so I feel I can answer some of your questions.

1. Best deals - if you are looking for new, then email the dealers to see what they’ve got. We bought ours from Liverpool Van Centre.
2. We looked at conversions and almost bought a Hillside, but a medium spec one was only £5k less than what we paid for our Ocean. Conversions don’t have electric roof, the bed was shorter and not as good. Have a look and compare the specs.
3. ours is a fairly basic spec, it’s 150 PS, 6 speed manual, 2 wheel drive. Others will say that you need 204 PS, DSG, 4 Motion. We don’t and we don’t miss them. I think DSG is worthwhile but the others aren’t. Ours happily cruises at 70 mph at 12-1400 Rpm on the motorway. We are never short of power even on steep hills, fully loaded. I think Adaptive Cruise Control would be worth it too.
4. Whatever you can afford. A new van has a 3 year warranty, which can be extended to 5, for about £400. We looked at 3-4 year old vans with 50k on the clock and they are still £40,000.
5. We get 37-40 MPG, depending on the nature of the journey. You can get 38+ on a motorway trip. Insurance varies but £300 to £500 if you have full no claims.
6. Have a look at the classifieds. 5 year old vans still go for £35-40,000 depending on mileage and spec.
7. Never been denied entry to National Trust or other places. The only problem might be very restricted height areas. The van is just under 2m high, so you might struggle in a multi storey car park.
8. Weve been to various Motorhome shows but you don’t see that many Calis. You may be better to visit specialist VW van dealers or search online.
9. They can rattle, but probably rattle more when empty. Tables, cutlery and crockery are the usual culprits.
10. I think it’s akin to driving a big 4x4 in terms of driving experience. It’s great to be able to see over hedges. Mine does wallow a bit on twisty roads, but sticks to the roads pretty well. It’s a joy to drive on the motorway. I always feel very low down when I get back in my car after driving the Cali.

This is an excellent response many thanks. It was all consistent with my thoughts.

Regards

Mike

 

[Alan Andrews]

Yes, be prepared to travel to get best deal.

We travelled from Midlands to Perth (Scotland) to get ours.

I thought I wanted a manual box, but finally agreed that a DSG is so much more convenient.

If I were you, I'd look to test drive manual/dsg/dsg 4 motion.

Each has there own quirks - so choose what will work for you.

Go for the highest spec you can afford. It will payback when you decide to move on later.

Try to meet up with some Cali owners - where you can chat and see what all the options provide. A glossy brochure is just too tempting to add everything.

As you say, it is now a sellers market.

Deals will come in the darker months......If you can hang on!

 

[dartmoorscott]

As said above be prepared to travel. I caught the train from Devon to Liverpool and had a lovely drive back in my new van. All the negotiations were done by email or phone and I knew what spec I wanted. Some rattling is normal especially over bumpy small roads, for me it's the awning so worse with the windows open. I also looked at conversions but bang for buck and resale value it was no contest. No regrets and it's also my daily driver. I'm getting 35-40mpg. Insurance for me was cheapest with Admiral multicar to include the wife's car. Good luck.

 

[Scrumpypops]

Great replies, thanks also found it very informative.
I'm nearer to full time van life. I'm certainly not in a rush and if I'm honest, I'm liking the marco polo
Sorry.
Again when the time is right, I'll try as many as possible both models, shame campervan show NEC is cancelled but I'm looking for when it's a buyers market.
Personally 90% of the time, it will be just me, so size is fine, I think anything bigger I'm not sure would be as fun, also will be my only vehicle. Obviously bathroom would be great but quite into wild side etc, Fun times looking hopefully and having the money to haggle.

 

[jimmywease]

DriveTheDeal.com are currently offering 10.5% discounts on Californias. Not the greatest deal but worth using their configurator to get a price to work to.

 

[Scrumpypops]

More research ths better for me. Thanks

 

[Jason P]

I'm in the same boat as the OP, looking for a Cali and wondering whether to go new or SH. The lure of a 5 year warranty is tempting. I think the initial 'new car' depreciation (usually said to be 15%+ as soon as it's driven off the forecourt) is less likely as the demand is there at the moment - however, come winter when the looming recession bites I think there will be a lot of secondhand vans and deals to be had new. We're in a bit of a false economic bounce right now, with prices skewed as people are staycationing and impulse buying.

So for me, I'm going to fight my urge (want it and want it NOW!) and see what the market is like in the winter. As to new vs old - I think as some have said here before, the camping experience is very similar if not identical - it's the driving that differs. I doubt if you buy well you'd lose any more or less on a S/H machine, and a newer one that has had the 5 year extended warranty applied may be a nice 'sweet spot' in terms of price, peace of mind and residual value.

Thinking about it you could probably get a good idea on a spreadsheet of price, likely depreciation, running cost over 5 years and likely selling price for both scenarios, new and used. Might do that myself...

 

[California4x4]

I'm in the same boat as the OP, looking for a Cali and wondering whether to go new or SH. The lure of a 5 year warranty is tempting. I think the initial 'new car' depreciation (usually said to be 15%+ as soon as it's driven off the forecourt) is less likely as the demand is there at the moment - however, come winter when the looming recession bites I think there will be a lot of secondhand vans and deals to be had new. We're in a bit of a false economic bounce right now, with prices skewed as people are staycationing and impulse buying.

So for me, I'm going to fight my urge (want it and want it NOW!) and see what the market is like in the winter. As to new vs old - I think as some have said here before, the camping experience is very similar if not identical - it's the driving that differs. I doubt if you buy well you'd lose any more or less on a S/H machine, and a newer one that has had the 5 year extended warranty applied may be a nice 'sweet spot' in terms of price, peace of mind and residual value.

Thinking about it you could probably get a good idea on a spreadsheet of price, likely depreciation, running cost over 5 years and likely selling price for both scenarios, new and used. Might do that myself...

I’d very much like to see that if you do!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Buy one now and start using whilst the sun is still shining!

I have always bought 2nd hand and put some money aside each month to cover any future repairs; If it is just about peace of mind you can buy a third party warranty to cover the mechanical side of things, but they are commercial vehicles so generally very reliable provided that have been properly serviced by VW, or, a VW specialist.

 

[Elmo3]

Having had a 3 month old and a new Ocean in the past 3 years (both from Liverpool, great to deal with), if I wanted a new one I’d order a Coast and keep it. Decent discounts now available and manual roof for long term ownership. We’re now taking a different tack, soon collecting a 2009 T5 Beach. Done its money and should retain as it will continue to be properly maintained. Horses for courses!

 

[California4x4]

Having had a 3 month old and a new Ocean in the past 3 years (both from Liverpool, great to deal with), if I wanted a new one I’d order a Coast and keep it. Decent discounts now available and manual roof for long term ownership. We’re now taking a different tack, soon collecting a 2009 T5 Beach. Done its money and should retain as it will continue to be properly maintained. Horses for courses!

Nice! What’s your new username going to be?

 

[Mikemuskoka]

My contribution as a relatively new owner.....
Also look at VW's DasWelt site for pre-used / pre-registered.
Comparing what I actually got for my money, I chose a Cali. Then on top of that, you get factory-fit quality.
DSG is great, especially for pulling off from stand-still. Makes no difference when you get going and I like to control speed (partly) by changing down gears when needed. DSG = more expensive and yet another thing to go wrong/maintain.
Cali's are very well built and work well.
Consider: the roof bed will comfortably accommodate 2 x 6ft / 1.83m people. A conversion roof may not provide room for feet thus reducing the effective length.
Top-opening fridge saves cabin space and better in my view. I had trouble finding a conversion with one.
Cali has 2 aux batteries.
Some conversions use a separate and smaller water container using space under the bed seat.
I like the drive position but yes, there is quite a lot of roll due to the weight of all the on-board kit so my co-driver reminds me to "just slow down a bit".
The window blinds are a bit fiddly to use but very effective.
Intersting about the Marco Polo comparison....the YouTube pair "A Bus and Beyond" did a comparison, look it up.
They didn't mention this forum being an advantage. It is truely excellent. I don't regret buying the Cali Ocean.
Good luck!

 

[Scrumpypops]

I know the guys are expecting a little one soon, so their time will be limited but I did email to ask whether they could do a follow up to that comparison, seeing both vehicles have upgrades, more so the VW but the MP is meant to have a more refined engine and 9 speed.
In the end its down to personal choice, like you mention the finish and build quality, I find will be hard to beat with any conversion. Small things like the fridge, etc, will probably be the things that sway me. As anything new/nearly new is way way ahead of anything I've every driven, let alone owned. Once I have my readies I can properly start looking. Ventura campers are near me in South Devon, their vans look the business, however I'm also reminding myself, I'm into kayak fishing, diving, cycling, all items that will be stored on/in the van unless I hire a storage container?
Wouldn't want all that bling to get scratched. :_)

 

[mikeelawson]

Theft

The one thing that is stopping me pressing the button is the though of theft / vandalism etc. The van is £60+k and the thought of this being stolen or a door being prised open makes you think about the investment. We will be fitting a tracker (another subject for exploration), but I would be interested in the stats / reality of vehicles being stolen etc. We are hiring in a few wekends from Campervantastic and this is a subject I would like to explore with him.

Your thoughts?

Regards,

Mike

 

[Scrumpypops]

Similar thoughts, I know I've spent to much time worrying in life, however my van will need to be left for 12 hours on street parking whilst at work. I live in a fairly safe part of the UK, but you never know?
My initial thoughts are to park up in a nicer area, with shops etc so fairly busy and walk cycle, making it hard for anyone to tamper with it or worse, steal the thing. As I'd be full time van life, a park bench doesn't do it for me.

 

[Elmo3]

Nice! What’s your new username going to be?

Elmo3 - it’s our 3rd Elmo! Elmo the Beach didn’t sound so good.

Maybe I worry too much but I wouldn’t sleep at night with a new Cali parked in view in an urban area. Look at the threads on awnings and bike racks being ripped off etc!

 

[Perfectos]

 

[California4x4]

Theft

The one thing that is stopping me pressing the button is the though of theft / vandalism etc. The van is £60+k and the thought of this being stolen or a door being prised open makes you think about the investment. We will be fitting a tracker (another subject for exploration), but I would be interested in the stats / reality of vehicles being stolen etc. We are hiring in a few wekends from Campervantastic and this is a subject I would like to explore with him.

Your thoughts?

Regards,

Mike

To most car thieves, I would hazard a guess they wouldn’t look past a £20k hot hatch to get to the weird looking minibus. If someone knows what it is, and wants to steal it, I’m not sure having it on your drive would deter them. After recent reports, I wouldn’t be leaving anything bolted on the outside that could be ripped off and damage the vehicle if it was somewhere more precarious.