California dreaming

[tedgina]

Has buying your California filled all your dreams or do you now wish you had bought another type of camper?
Since we first viewed a California at a show we knew that was for us ,so after a lot of dreaming, saving , we bought one, although we have had a few hiccups along the way still it is the camper we dreamed of.

 

[Camperfamily]

I’ll keep it short - yes and no, respectively

 

[Eber123]

Good afternoon,

I say that the California met our (my) expectations.

After we bought the camper of course I looked at other options, but at the end comparing pros and cons I believe that the VW California ticks the right boxes for us.

If I could afford it, I would change - but to an upgraded California with different specifications. But that is not possible so I believe we will keep the camper until I am either not able to drive or not able to "climb" into the driver seat.

What I like is how versatile the camper is. From daily drive, to day trips, weekend trips and long holidays, the California is working well. Small country roads, national roads or "German Autobahn", the California is working well.

We only have the camper for a wee bit over three years. The only hope (and a bit of concern I have) is that the VW California Ocean will be reliable for years to come. Firstly I don't want to get stuck somewhere with no help far and wide and I simply can't afford a repair in the 4 digit range.

So far we are happy with the van.

Happy California,
Eberhard

 

[ThomasHJ]

Just the other day, parked the Cali in a parking garage. Walked away from it, turned my head to look back at it and I felt happy. This happens to me daily. To me it's the dream mobile.

A larger camper was never an option for us, because we wanted:

- beautiful spots on camp sites where big ones can't park/aren't allowed to
- a comfortable driving experience
- to use it as a daily driver
- easy parking
- being able to go into parking garages
- not block the neighbours view

A conversion never turned out to be a serious option as it turned out to be as expensive as a (second hand) cali.

A Ford Nugget wasn't for us because the layout seemed unlogical and there had been quite some problems with the Ford motors.

A Mercedes Marco Polo just didn't have any appeal for us. Camping and Mercedes seemed wrong together and they were said to have a lot more rust problems.

And... A T4 was within price range and then we were hooked on the Cali, so upgraded to a T5.

Sure I see advantages in other campers. The big ones have more space and are much more comfortable when it rains (a lot). Ducato/Jumper/Boxster based (larger) vans are cool and offer a bit more space but in the end the advantages of other campers for us (right now) dont outweigh the disadvantages.

I think it also depends on how much research you do before getting your first camper. If you're the type to do a lot of research / rent or borrow one / have camping experience, you're more likely to make the right choice per haps.