California is not fun any more in UK weather!

[Borris]

So we had been waiting excitedly for our weeks holiday on the South coast for six months now and when it arrives it rains every day for us! This is not the first time this has occured, last year we had the same problem in Cumbria!

We have now come to the conclusion that the California is really not suited to UK weather, when it rains we are all stuck inside a very confined place playing board games with a wet and smelly dog and two kids, it is no fun at all.

Ah yes, but what would you have written if the weather had been nice?

A holiday when it rains every day is always a dull miserable experience where ever you spend it. At least you weren't under canvas and I doubt if your fealings would be much different if you had spent it in a large motor home or a luxury hotel. The expectation of that wonderful long awaited sun drenched out doorsy holiday adventure, when shattered, will often lead to feelings of disapointment, frustration and anger. How dare the weather suddenly change the day the school holidays start and ruin all of that emotional expectation and planning!

I understand the point you are making but don't be too harsh on the Cali. IMO what you are experiencing is a nasty case of cabin fever! Stick on your waterproofs, get out, explore and ignore the rain. Calis aren't really designed for 24 hour habitation.

Do you have an awning? They can make all the difference in these situations. Wet boots, wet clothing and wet dogs can all be left in the awning.

 

[RodCouncil]

We just sold our Westfalia Columbus .i must say
It was a fantastic van,we sold it to a dealer in hayling island ,now were buying another Cali,we started with a Cali 8 years ago then decided to buy a new Karmann motorhome that spent most of its life with us sat on the drive depreciating .A LOT
Definitely better for holidays.
from there we went to a new Westfalia Columbus on a fiat ducato.the Westfalia side of it was fantastic but the quality of the actual base van left a lot to be desired, the quality of the paint was dreadful but I suppose your not buying it for that.we actually rejected our first one it was that bad! Now we have ordered a new Cali just because it's easier to live with .just jump in at the drop of a hat and have a night or 2 away.easy...I would own a motorhome again but maybe when we're retired

Hi,

Any insight you could give me into the Westy as we are ex Cali owners who have moved to Sweden 18m ago and have our first child on the way.

I just like the idea of having a van with more storage, comforts and ability to still park, Swedish roads are generally wide and empty outside of the city and campsites less frequent so the 600 Columbus looked a nice fit, saying that looks the 2018s Crafter looks good too.

Still looking at an older Cali for a weekender option or day bus but thinking these mini motor homes could fit the bill.

 

[BikerGran]

A holiday when it rains every day is always a dull miserable experience where ever you spend it.

Nonsense! We've holidayed in UK in a tent for most of my life, starting when the kids were smallish (3 and 8), we've had lots of holidays where it rained all the time and we have ALWAYS found a way of enjoying them. Walking in the rain is great as long as you have wellies and rainwear, kids love it! And there are always places to go that aren't open air.

It's a matter of attitude, but clearly what the OP says is right, the Cali is no fun for them because they aren't prepared to make the most of what they have, I would think they'd be happier in a hotel or possibly a holiday camp where there are lots of things organised for children to do. We just preferred to make our own adventures but clearly that's not for everyone.

 

[Jay20cali]

Hi,

Any insight you could give me into the Westy as we are ex Cali owners who have moved to Sweden 18m ago and have our first child on the way.

I just like the idea of having a van with more storage, comforts and ability to still park, Swedish roads are generally wide and empty outside of the city and campsites less frequent so the 600 Columbus looked a nice fit, saying that looks the 2018s Crafter looks good too.

Still looking at an older Cali for a weekender option or day bus but thinking these mini motor homes could fit the bill.

Hi
Fantastic van loads of room top quality fit out inside I couldn't fault the inside ours was a 601d with the large proper fridge.
Very easy to live with .
Only sold is as I'm from a vw background and the Westfalia did sit on the drive more than I would of liked.
we also have a t5.5 Kombi so the California was a good option to sell the Westfalia and the Kombi bank some money and buy a California
.i have owned 3 Californias in the last 10 years they can be hard work in bad weather but I can live with that until we have more time on our hands then I would buy another Westfalia in a heartbeat good luck

 

[RodCouncil]

Hi
Fantastic van loads of room top quality fit out inside I couldn't fault the inside ours was a 601d with the large proper fridge.
Very easy to live with .
Only sold is as I'm from a vw background and the Westfalia did sit on the drive more than I would of liked.
we also have a t5.5 Kombi so the California was a good option to sell the Westfalia and the Kombi bank some money and buy a California
.i have owned 3 Californias in the last 10 years they can be hard work in bad weather but I can live with that until we have more time on our hands then I would buy another Westfalia in a heartbeat good luck

Cool, how was the shower? and toilet use as it does seem rather cramped.

We are heading to the big camper show in Jonköping in September as Westy are going to be there with the new 540 Columbus and Crafter.

 

[Jay20cali]

Cool, how was the shower? and toilet use as it does seem rather cramped.

We are heading to the big camper show in Jonköping in September as Westy are going to be there with the new 540 Columbus and Crafter.

Hi
The shower we never used as we showered on campsites,but I could imagine the shower would be ok .very usable .but no point messing your van up unless your desperate for a shower and your on an aire,
Toilet was a god send especially at 3am in the morning and on aires it's just so much easier,the bed was unreal with plastic coil springs and a memory foam mattress.just like being at home .also it's a full size double...very very comfortable.the heating was second to none with a full alde heating system with radiators everywhere .plus under floor heating..and a webasto.
Very plush very spacey van.we never needed more room and struggled to fill it even on or our 2 weeks in the summer.and 2 weeks ski camping in the alps .all led lights inc dimmers..
The fiat side of it was ok.
but being a vw man I was able to pull holes in the quality when we first got it new.but it's a camper and the camper side was the dogs..
I'll regret it when we're sat in the rain or at 3 am when we need the loo in our new ocean but.so be it... the Cali is a jump in and go van the Westfalia I suppose was too but it just felt more hassle.maybe that's just me?
The crafter version is 10 grand more apparently so I was told by the Westfalia dealer who bought ours and apparently is a fair bit smaller inside
I'd have another fiat I'm not biased but you can't beat vw quality..
You won't regret it I promise you!!!

 

[RodCouncil]

Hi
The shower we never used as we showered on campsites,but I could imagine the shower would be ok .very usable .but no point messing your van up unless your desperate for a shower and your on an aire,
Toilet was a god send especially at 3am in the morning and on aires it's just so much easier,the bed was unreal with plastic coil springs and a memory foam mattress.just like being at home .also it's a full size double...very very comfortable.the heating was second to none with a full alde heating system with radiators everywhere .plus under floor heating..and a webasto.
Very plush very spacey van.we never needed more room and struggled to fill it even on or our 2 weeks in the summer.and 2 weeks ski camping in the alps .all led lights inc dimmers..
The fiat side of it was ok.
but being a vw man I was able to pull holes in the quality when we first got it new.but it's a camper and the camper side was the dogs..
I'll regret it when we're sat in the rain or at 3 am when we need the loo in our new ocean but.so be it... the Cali is a jump in and go van the Westfalia I suppose was too but it just felt more hassle.maybe that's just me?
The crafter version is 10 grand more apparently so I was told by the Westfalia dealer who bought ours and apparently is a fair bit smaller inside
I'd have another fiat I'm not biased but you can't beat vw quality..
You won't regret it I promise you!!!

Yeah we'll plan our spec beforehand so we can compare, I think the 600 Ducato base will work well for us, but very interested in the Crafter and I does look expensive, should be fun but I think a 540 Columbus with the pop top might be ideal, but I do alot of bike racing so we need space for that and pram etc, had the VW bike rack on the Cali which was ok but it fell to pieces in the end.

 

[Borris]

Nonsense! We've holidayed in UK in a tent for most of my life, starting when the kids were smallish (3 and 8), we've had lots of holidays where it rained all the time and we have ALWAYS found a way of enjoying them. Walking in the rain is great as long as you have wellies and rainwear, kids love it! And there are always places to go that aren't open air.

It's a matter of attitude, but clearly what the OP says is right, the Cali is no fun for them because they aren't prepared to make the most of what they have, I would think they'd be happier in a hotel or possibly a holiday camp where there are lots of things organised for children to do. We just preferred to make our own adventures but clearly that's not for everyone.

View attachment 24227

Nonsense eh? If you had read my post fully you would see that this was exactly my point.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Very easy to live with .
Only sold is as I'm from a vw background and the Westfalia did sit on the drive more

Hear this statement with the bigger vehicles all the time. Appealing as they are, with their creature comforts.
Hence why the California is so popular and so easy to live with.

If I really needed such comforts, I would book a hotel for a few nights...

 

[RodCouncil]

Hear this statement with the bigger vehicles all the time. Appealing as they are, with their creature comforts.
Hence why the California is so popular and so easy to live with.

If I really needed such comforts, I would book a hotel for a few nights...

We go to places pretty far off piste in Sweden so hotels are essentially huts, plus I'd rather get cleaned up properly after a marathon bike race, horses for courses, loved the Cali but got fed up of feeling grubby and finding toilets, plus we absolutely hage camp sites, here in Sweden we have allemansrätten so are free to stay anywhere, for one night, for free.

 

[Jay20cali]

Hear this statement with the bigger vehicles all the time. Appealing as they are, with their creature comforts.
Hence why the California is so popular and so easy to live with.

If I really needed such comforts, I would book a hotel for a few nights...

I hear what your saying

But from a first hand experience a bigger van is also a great asset .
I'm not biased...
Not having to walk to the loo at 3am is not a creature comfort,or worrying about the bellows leaking when the winds driving sideways in the dead of night .theres no putting tents up to get more room you can use the aires much easier as your self contained.they both have pro&icons.
For rod council this is what he's looking for, so giving him a bit of advice from the other side is just being helpful
I love cali's.
There definitely better to jump in and go at the drop of a hat.this is the reason why I have my 4th Cali on order
Like rod council says horses for courses

 

[terry1956]

hi. I went from a MWB transit to a Hymer motorhome as I found that after a few weeks away the ford was a total tip. the hymer was much better all round and being French reg there was no road tax to pay and the insurance was cheaper and it was just so easy to get going and visit all the places on my list and use the very cheap stop overs to be found all over Europe. when I moved the Hymer back to the UK the bills started to add up, road tax, higher insurance, mot and service costs etc and it just remained on the drive way. So I sold it and moved to a smaller LWB globecar. yes I could use it from time to time in the UK more, it was fast enough to make a week in Italy ok and worth doing but what killed it was the very poor after care service from globecar. motorhomes and their dealerships will play fiat ( the base chassis) off against Globecar who fitted the interior etc and nothing gets sorted. Motorhomes are a very poor investment and due to many people not being able to drive 3.5 ton vans anymore. motorhome manufactures have tried to cut down on weight and this leads to a falling in standards in some cases. I sold the globecar and to be honest now I wish I had just got it sorted and it was back on the drive. my reason for saying that is it had real beds, a toilet, shower, hot water, a real table and space to move around and carry things and it was only £35,000 when I purchased it.You will see a whole lot of these vans being used in Europe and a lot have young families using them. I cant recall ever seeing more then a handful of pop up roof vans. why am I looking then for a short wheel base van. well for some reason I fill the need to visit more of the uk and as we all know parking is a problem in our very overcrowded country and I will need to take the dogs with me and I don't like tents. but if I was back living in france it would be a motorhome all day long

 

[terry1956]

Sorry re typos on above.

 

[calimera]

Please moderators could you please move terry1956 post above,off topic . Should be moved to the Marco Polo section in light hearted chit chat.
Hard to ignore his comments slagging the VW cali again .

 

[GrannyJen]

Can we please keep this thread on topic please. Someone has had a miserable experience on holiday, a hard-earned holiday ruined by cold British weather and I for one have vivid memories of that happening to me. Support and suggestions welcome, critiques welcome, advice welcome.

 

[Meoncoast]

The most flexible vehicle I have ever owned and loving every day with her... rain or sun... She puts a shine on a wet day...

ditto to above
rather be away in wet weather than not away

 

[Digger]

Please moderators could you please move terry1956 post above,off topic . Should be moved to the Marco Polo section in light hearted chit chat.
Hard to ignore his comments slagging the VW cali again .

Totally agree. There is room for discussion but some take the negativity to new levels. If you don't own or want a Cali why are you on the forum. Maybe an infiltration by Mercedes paid troublemakers

 

[Digger]

For bad weather maybe a bit of forward planning and research to find whats on and suitability for your enjoyment. Up here on west coast rain is the norm so I find out whats coming up on the websites and plan around this. Even in a large motorhome bad weather is still miserable dependent on attitude.

 

[terry1956]

I am not a Mercedes sky. I am just reporting what I saw from my point of view. As I have made up my mind now on not purchasing a dated over priced van I will know longer need to be a part of this group.

 

[marshian70]

We too are a family of four plus dog. Two teenage girls don't understand the meaning of packing light and I think if you are planning spending any length of time away where the weather might be bad then a driveaway awning or separate tent is a must. We had the former and now use the latter. We are currently in Switzerland where the weather has been very hot but still has a couple of thunderstorms. The extra space of the tent/driveaway is invaluable. In fact we had been toying with the idea of upgrading to something a little larger but what we have now works, and it is great when you go out not to have the hassle of looking for parking or barrier height issues.
Shorter stays in the U.K. are manageable with pop up Quechua to store stuff.
To use the Cali solo for a family without an extra tent of some description will be tough

 

[Meoncoast]

As I have made up my mind now on not purchasing a dated over priced van I will know longer need to be a part of this group.

enjoy your direction and life choices

 

[Sonas]

I was visiting a campsite in Sent, Switzerland yesterday. About 40 vehicles there, mostly cars with tents, a few caravans, one or two small motorhomes, but 16 VW Californias with pop up roofs. The roads to the Graubünden canton of Switzerland, are narrow, but the place is absolutely stunning. And easily accessible by the California. VW sold more Californias in Switzerland that any previous year, the are everywhere Im happy to say.

 

[GrannyJen]

Last time that I was in France, just South of Rouen, pulled into an Aire and I thought that I had accidentally driven into a VW showroom

 

[Hotel California]

The grass is always greener on the other side , still i quite like my grass ....including yelow spots where my dog went and peed....

 

[kave]

As many said previously, rain can be bad and is independent of the vehicle. I imagine uk is the same as sweden, usually it does not rain 24/7 even if it feels like that sitting inside watching the rain covered windows.
We spent our first 7 nights in a row in our cali on this trip, we used to dislike the comfort madrass, but now we use it in our rented french riviera house on the crappy beds.