Caravelle Owner's Dilema !!

[surfbus]

Hi Guys,
Finaly decided to post after browsing for a couple of weeks.
My Caravelle Exec. has just turned 2 years old and I want to replace it before the 60K/3 year warranty expires.
As a former "Splitty" ower I have always had a hankering to get another camper..... more want than need I must say.
The California ticks nearly all my boxes and the ability to remove the bench seat and have a bit of a "removal van" sets it aside from most, if not all, of the oher T5 conversions that have fixed seating in the rear.
At the risk of offending the other passionate Cali owners out there :hello , my dilema is....
Do I go with my head and order a replacement Caravelle exec. with an awning, rotating front seats, sleep option and the Dark Anthracite, Leather/Alcantara interior that I love?
Or do I go with my heart and get a nice new Cali. albeit with it's awfully light interior and two tone dash?
Why do they make a vehicle (that will be subject to .... food, drink, muddy feet, childrens sticky fingers etc. etc.) with very light coloured trim and upholstery?
I had considered the option of dark grey Nappa but you are still left with the light Classic Grey seat bases. Are there any other interior options that I have missed?
Don't get me wrong, I am and always have been an ardent VW fan and the California is a fantastic vehicle .... I just need a nudge in the right direction.
Thanks for your time.
Bill

 

[calikev]

Hi bill I'm afraid the light grey is the only colour you can get for the interior :doh

 

[surfbus]

Thanks, I was afraid of that!
Well, life is just one big compromise and I will have to decide if I can live with the light grey interior or at least cover as much as possible in dark grey carpeting.

 

[pagoda]

I've heard that at the IAA 2012 in Hannover there was a Cali Beach with dark grey (anthrazit) interior, which by the way is orderable in the Austrian VW website....apparently being introduced for week 45 oneards of build...

PS: why not a Beach? Perfect as a Van everyday, and as a camperon weekends..

 

[surfbus]

Very interesting.
I fully agree that the Beach would be a perfect compromise for me, but was put off by the interior colours. Will look into this further and really appreciate your input.
Currently on my way to set up at Grand Designs show at NEC. can't wait to pay £3.00 + for a coffee.

 

[James]

Very interesting.
I fully agree that the Beach would be a perfect compromise for me, but was put off by the interior colours. Will look into this further and really appreciate your input.
Currently on my way to set up at Grand Designs show at NEC. can't wait to pay £3.00 + for a coffee.

The Beach does have a lighter interior but you should remember that unlike a full California a Beach is closer to the Transporter. That means it has different door cards, it also has a rubber floor in the rear. What this means is that the Beach is meant to be more practical in terms of cleaning and looking after. The surfaces are light but the Beach is wipe clean

James

 

[surfbus]

The other issue would be that there is no DSG and a maximum of 140hp on the Beach.
These are not show stoppers but I do like the DSG ...... Getting too old and lazy!!

 

[James]

The other issue would be that there is no DSG and a maximum of 140hp on the Beach.
These are not show stoppers but I do like the DSG ...... Getting too old and lazy!!

No - I would have taken the DSG if it was available in the UK.

Personally I think 140 is enough, I mean 115 in mine is nippy once the engine is run in, though you do notice the weight pulling away.

But if you are used to more power I imagine it can be odd to go to less.

James

 

[surfbus]

Thanks James. I was tempted by the Economy of the Bluemotion Beach but didn't understand why the road tax was so high. The July 2012 California brochure shows it as £600/ year or was this just a typo?
Bill

 

[Paul S]

It's because the VED rate is calculated basically on it being a van, whereas the full Cali SE is treated as a motor home so gets the cheaper tax. Is the Caravelle classed as a car?

 

[James]

Thanks James. I was tempted by the Economy of the Bluemotion Beach but didn't understand why the road tax was so high. The July 2012 California brochure shows it as £600/ year or was this just a typo?
Bill

According to this.

The California Beach 2.0 TDI isn’t cheap at £34,970 although compared to some larger motorhomes it appears affordable. Any discounts when buying from a dealer will probably be small as most of the equipment fitted is standard. Not all Volkswagen dealers sell the California so you’ll have to shop around a bit. Owners tend to hang on to them for a long time as well, so finding one as a used buy is even more difficult.

Residual values are typical for a Volkswagen, which means it should hold its value well. Running costs are on a par with similar large MPVs. The California’s CO2 emissions are high at 184g/km which puts it in VED band I for Road Tax, but the 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Technology engine returns an average fuel economy of 40.4mpg which is decent considering the size of the California.

Read more at http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/car-reviews ... 6seAgBH.99

Band I £215 after the first year (I think)



Go on, go on, go on, go on, you know you want a Beach

I will say that you pay for The Beach, in this country, you will be getting less equipment then your Velle, and if you own one, you just have to accept that. I would say that the adventures, the pop top, the sense of fun and its character make it up for me but that may not be the case for everybody.

James

 

[beardie]

I though there was a distinction between motorhomes (permannet cooker, water tanks etc) and large MPV's (like caravelle's and I assume Beach). The large MPV are taxed like car's, the motorhomes including the California SE are taxed as PLG (private light good) vehicles. The PLG tax for equivalent CO2 are cheaper. I would double check, whats the road tax for a Caravelle ?

 

[James]

I though there was a distinction between motorhomes (permannet cooker, water tanks etc) and large MPV's (like caravelle's and I assume Beach). The large MPV are taxed like car's, the motorhomes including the California SE are taxed as PLG (private light good) vehicles. The PLG tax for equivalent CO2 are cheaper. I would double check, whats the road tax for a Caravelle ?

There's a grey area with the Beach. According to the DVLA criteria its not a motor home but on the V5 it is.

James.

 

[surfbus]

Thanks Guys,
My Caravelle is classed as a car, £2.00 now on the Dartford Crossing and the road tax was over £500 in the first year, now £225ish .... Not sure because the "bus" is at home and I am still at the NEC. Starbucks here is good but still £3.00 (no matter what you drive)
Yes James I probably do want a Beach!!
Currently waiting for my local dealer to confirm delivery schedules as I don't want it before March, but don't want it sitting in a compound until then.
PS. Now that you all know me, Should I be ending this "introductions" post and raising any new questions in the relevant sections. or will we keep it open until I finally decide/order?
Cheers, Bill

 

[James]

Raise your questions here then people will answe or direct you to the relevant thread.

You can also do a search on the forum. If the questions are regarding the Beach the forum should have the info, if not, a few owners here, so we should be able to help


James

 

[surfbus]

Based in Cambridge, but working all over the south east ... Hull to Margate to Brighton to Oxford to Birmingham to Derby and back to Hull again. Caravelle has now done 48k, so the warranty stopping 60k is fast approaching.......... Averaging 33.5 mpg with 180 & DSG, 600 miles on a full tank and not hanging about if you know what I mean.

 

[James]

Based in Cambridge, but working all over the south east ... Hull to Margate to Brighton to Oxford to Birmingham to Derby and back to Hull again. Caravelle has now done 48k, so the warranty stopping 60k is fast approaching.......... Averaging 33.5 mpg with 180 & DSG, 600 miles on a full tank and not hanging about if you know what I mean.

Well if you are every in the Southend on Sea or south Essex area and you fancy a cup of tea and looking over a Beach, let me know

James

 

[surfbus]

Thanks James, I was working in Shoeburyness a couple of weeks ago and drove along the sea front at S on S on my way home. I wondered who lived in these houses with a great view over the estuary.
The only problem I had was that it was a Saturday afternoon and it seemed to take forever to get out of Southend.

 

[James]

Thanks James, I was working in Shoeburyness a couple of weeks ago and drove along the sea front at S on S on my way home. I wondered who lived in these houses with a great view over the estuary.
The only problem I had was that it was a Saturday afternoon and it seemed to take forever to get out of Southend.

Lol You have the A13 or A127 to get out of Southend - always packed always a nightmare!

I work 12 miles out of Southend, it takes me half the journey to get out. It's like that scene from The Truman Show where they can't escape from the island.

Houses along the seafront lovely . It's not me who lives there! I live quite close to the seafront though .

It's not a bad drive along the front.

James

 

[surfbus]

We have the A14 at Cambridge which is also like a car park every morning an evening.
Back to the VED road tax. The brochure shows the beach is £325 and the beach blue motion is £600 / year. Surely this is a typo. What is written on your Bluemotion tax disk James? My 3G signal here is a bit iffy, not sure if this reply was sent once or sent multiple times.

 

[James]

We have the A14 at Cambridge which is also like a car park every morning an evening.
Back to the VED road tax. The brochure shows the beach is £325 and the beach blue motion is £600 / year. Surely this is a typo. What is written on your Bluemotion tax disk James? My 3G signal here is a bit iffy, not sure if this reply was sent once or sent multiple times.

I'm on the first year tax of £325 - which I believe drops after the first year.

James

 

[Maxi_mus]

Hi Bill

I've got a 140 beach, the first year tax is £600 on mine, it should drop to £270 next year unless the rates change.

Andy

 

[surfbus]

Thanks Guys.
It looks like the Bluemotion is £215 after year one.
Also, James, and I'm sure you have been asked this before, but are you the James Garratt featured in VW''s 2012 Cali Brochure or is it just a co-incidence that he also has a yellow Beach?

 

[James]

Thanks Guys.
It looks like the Bluemotion is £215 after year one.
Also, James, and I'm sure you have been asked this before, but are you the James Garratt featured in VW''s 2012 Cali Brochure or is it just a co-incidence that he also has a yellow Beach?

Yes that's me lol

James