Has a new Cali become just too expensive?

[Louis II]

A new Ocean is too expensive for me.
But they keep selling and as far as I can tell there is still a waiting list. So unless VW plan to invest in capacity then maybe it’s still too cheap?

 

[David Eccles]

Having had lots of things going wrong with my 2012 Cali costing money (dealer had cheek to say "it drives well for its age!!!! thought about a new one
I'd still need to find £40K!!!!!
sticking with what I have ... and know ...

 

[soulstyledevon]

I’m just glad I bought one years ago.
I remember squirming at the price in 2018. But it worked at the time...
2020 prices are ludicrous and I very much doubt we will change into another Cali.
In-fact, a hefty bill to keep this one on the road is worth paying over sinking another big chunk of money into a new one. Essentially paying for a very very similar experience...

 

[Meoncoast]

Volkswagen Coast T6 - Sold | Used Motorhome | Dolphin Dorset UK

2017 Volkswagen Coast T6 Used Elevating Roof motorhome for sale in Dolphin Dorset UK. This model is 4 berth with 5 seatbelts. 2.0 TDI (102) engine with Manual transmission.

www.dolphinmotorhomes.co.uk

here is (not )a cheap Coast!

 

[OGII]

Same here. Buying a high spec MY18 Beach in the depths of December 2017, pre-registered as we collected it with 6 miles on the clock for south of £40k was one of those serendipitous moments. We beat the VW emissions 3 month delay on new deliveries/ registrations by a matter of hours, have had almost three years of fun memories and couldn't replace it without doing a personal import from Ireland etc. and certainly wouldn't want to entertain the monster price tag. As great as a factory fresh Cali is if buying now I'd probably save the £££ and self convert a carefully chosen T6 or T.6.1 van. The current asking prices are out of touch. As much as the future Ford/VW tie up may result in image or possible quality changes it may also reset the prices.

It may just be me but the T.6 and T6.1 are also starting to look a little dated, the reworking of the T5 finally having run out of tweaks.

All a bit irrelevant as our T6 will fingers crossed be with us for the next decade.

 

[Karlos]

Volkswagen Coast T6 - Sold | Used Motorhome | Dolphin Dorset UK

2017 Volkswagen Coast T6 Used Elevating Roof motorhome for sale in Dolphin Dorset UK. This model is 4 berth with 5 seatbelts. 2.0 TDI (102) engine with Manual transmission.

www.dolphinmotorhomes.co.uk

here is (not )a cheap Coast!

And not a Cali.

 

[WelshGas]

Volkswagen Coast T6 - Sold | Used Motorhome | Dolphin Dorset UK

2017 Volkswagen Coast T6 Used Elevating Roof motorhome for sale in Dolphin Dorset UK. This model is 4 berth with 5 seatbelts. 2.0 TDI (102) engine with Manual transmission.

www.dolphinmotorhomes.co.uk

here is (not )a cheap Coast!

No, a bl**dy expensive builders van conversion.

 

[pjm-84]

So it was £59k AFTER 15% discount..That’s £68k list.. OMG... 5 years ago.....We pushed hard to get 8% which we found was the norm for 2015 California’s. Looks like my £42k was a pretty good deal..

Yep. Mine was 53.5k and was just over the 60k mark list.

Not enough of an change for the cost, so not for me, I'm out!

 

[dartmoordingoe]

I must say I have ordered a post demonstrator Coast. There are not many things I find I am missing with the new T6.1 .
Its a lot cheaper than the ocean .... I am a happy bunny

 

[sidepod]

Having owned two now I realise they are long term vehicles. This for me makes the price more palatable.

As with all things, just use Man Maths.

Do you want it? Yes.
Have you got the money? Yes.
Buy it.

Have you got the money? No.
can you get the money? Yes.
Buy it.

 

[Eber123]

Good morning,

We bought our Ocean as a demo model. The price (new) in November 2017 was just a little under EUR 70,0000. If I check now, the cost for an Ocean with spimiliar specification is EUR 74,000. But this would include LED lights (which are standard with the Ocean now) and other items.

Seeing it from this point of view the California Ocean didn't get much more expensive. Have I said that, dealer discounts (for my experience) are very hard to negotiate.

Saying all that there is something I can't get my head around. I only would replace my California if I would be able to afford my dream specification (Ocean, 199 HP, DSG, 4 motion, differental lock ...). Last week I configured this on the German VW web page. The cost was almost EUR 92,000. I agree it is a very impressive specification which of course cost money, but it is simply too high. If I would live in Germany I would onsider alternatives (La Strada etc.).

I exchanged emails with my VW sales rep only a few weeks ago. He said that the Californias sell very well at the moment (this is confirmed by newspaper reports). And many in higher spec. An Ocean with the big engine, 4motion cost around EUR 84,000. That is a lot of money. But people still seems to be able to afford this. As long as there are customers willing to pay this amount of money, VW will charge for it.

Happy Califonria,
Eberhard

 

[calibusje]

Have they become too expensive? We currently have a 30 year old T4 westfalia and bought it 8 years ago for 9,500 euros; after those 8 years of memorable trips and journeys, we decided -ordered August 31st, delivery May 2021- to buy a coast: more horsepower (150), air conditioning and we also wanted dsg, fog lights, cruise control and a built-in gps; this comes from our experience and wishes of the previous years with the T4. Oh yes, also dark windows at the back because after 8 years in the back, just like sitting in a fish bowl during the day, we wanted something more private, so: sound-insulating glass with tinted windows in the passenger compartment. What I don't want: the electro-hydraulic roof because all this time very satisfied with the manual roof & I really dont't want experiencing a broken roof during a trip. The choice was quickly made: the coast (no noncense campervan with a good basis). We also chose a free color (cherry red) and not 4motion (if you can use it, you have to order it, but we stick to good tires with better grip for example in wet grass).
It's configured as a 5-seater and also had to use the larger brakes in the front, so 17-inch rims: the steel ones (Michelin crossclimate xl will be fitted). So, the price remained well below an ocean (> 8,000 euros) with options and discounts. Each his choice, of course, but I just wanted to show that there are also those who do not buy the full spec.
Although I will drive with this one every day (my Opel Grandland goes out), it remains a campervan and you know (or don't know) where you will get with it while traveling; hence simple color (easy touch up with small scratches) and if in the future there come aluminum rims underneath, it will probably be the devonports: beautiful and simple for maintenance when they are dirty from those remote beautiful places where you once again wanted to get.
A California has a hefty price, but to me it is also worth it because you have something for it. I hope that the T6.1 coast will give us at least as much pleasure as the T4 westfalia (which we love, I can't -yet- part from it ...) but still have a lot of time until delivery to enjoy it and. .. continue to save

Greetings and enjoy your cali's, whatever one you bought!

If some sentences are a bit artificial: English is not my native language and I use my school English and google translate, sorry about that. But I still wanted to share this with you all as a first time new buyer

 

[Calimili]

To sum it up, Cali might have become more expensive, but you get a lot more than you could once spec .
LED 2k, 4Motion 4k , 199PS 4k ,dsg 2k, right there it's 12k worth of options. If you compare with a 150ps manual FWD, which is more like comparing apples with apples, pricing have increased just a little, like any car.

 

[Nolan]

I think part of the appeal has been that they are expensive but relatively simple and reliable so a long term investment.

I'm not so convinced this still holds, the engines are more complex than ever due to emissions hardware and the new dash, control panel etc might become a real issue once these vehicles are 10+ years old.

 

[sidepod]

Have they become too expensive? We currently have a 30 year old T4 westfalia and bought it 8 years ago for 9,500 euros; after those 8 years of memorable trips and journeys, we decided -ordered August 31st, delivery May 2021- to buy a coast: more horsepower (150), air conditioning and we also wanted dsg, fog lights, cruise control and a built-in gps; this comes from our experience and wishes of the previous years with the T4. Oh yes, also dark windows at the back because after 8 years in the back, just like sitting in a fish bowl during the day, we wanted something more private, so: sound-insulating glass with tinted windows in the passenger compartment. What I don't want: the electro-hydraulic roof because all this time very satisfied with the manual roof & I really dont't want experiencing a broken roof during a trip. The choice was quickly made: the coast (no noncense campervan with a good basis). We also chose a free color (cherry red) and not 4motion (if you can use it, you have to order it, but we stick to good tires with better grip for example in wet grass).
It's configured as a 5-seater and also had to use the larger brakes in the front, so 17-inch rims: the steel ones (Michelin crossclimate xl will be fitted). So, the price remained well below an ocean (> 8,000 euros) with options and discounts. Each his choice, of course, but I just wanted to show that there are also those who do not buy the full spec.
Although I will drive with this one every day (my Opel Grandland goes out), it remains a campervan and you know (or don't know) where you will get with it while traveling; hence simple color (easy touch up with small scratches) and if in the future there come aluminum rims underneath, it will probably be the devonports: beautiful and simple for maintenance when they are dirty from those remote beautiful places where you once again wanted to get.
A California has a hefty price, but to me it is also worth it because you have something for it. I hope that the T6.1 coast will give us at least as much pleasure as the T4 westfalia (which we love, I can't -yet- part from it ...) but still have a lot of time until delivery to enjoy it and. .. continue to save

Greetings and enjoy your cali's, whatever one you bought!

If some sentences are a bit artificial: English is not my native language and I use my school English and google translate, sorry about that. But I still wanted to share this with you all as a first time new buyer

You could , of course gone late T4 Freestyle as we did. All the bells and whistles you require at a fraction of the 6 price. Then you could’ve remained smug every time you read a post about crap hydraulic corroding roofs and EGR bollox.

 

[calibusje]

You could , of course gone late T4 Freestyle as we did. All the bells and whistles you require at a fraction of the 6 price. Then you could’ve remained smug every time you read a post about crap hydraulic corroding roofs and EGR bollox.

, that's true, indeed; we went to see two (they are hard to find) good T4 westfalia with 102 hp and airco (one even from 2003) but due to they have euro norm 3 we decided not to buy (we'll still have our T4 from 1991 and remain a big fan of the T4 westfalia california) and since it will be my daily vehicle, I also want to be able to use it in all zones for a while longer and want a euro 6 norm.
With a coast I don't have an electro-hydraulic roof and for the rest it has what we want.
Greetings en enjoy your freestyle!

 

[Haves1979]

You could , of course gone late T4 Freestyle as we did. All the bells and whistles you require at a fraction of the 6 price. Then you could’ve remained smug every time you read a post about crap hydraulic corroding roofs and EGR bollox.

I'd seriously consider a nice late T4 if one came up, but they are rarely available. That said it would need to be in a decent colour and the right spec, there was a black one that came up a while back that looked amazing but he did want 25k for it iirc.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I miss my old T4 Bilbo!...Ok it wasn't as fast or cool (aircon wise) as my T5.1 but it did have character, very easy to fix, internal furniture survived the test of time, fully insulated & and had no rust on its +20 year old 100% waterproof elevating roof.

Still find it strange that you need to cart a substantial separate mattress around in current Cali's in order to get a good nights sleep downstairs.

But despite the above still love my T5.1!

 

[calibusje]

I miss my old T4 Bilbo!...Ok it wasn't as fast or cool (aircon wise) as my T5.1 but it did have character, very easy to fix, internal furniture survived the test of time, fully insulated & and had no rust on its +20 year old 100% waterproof elevating roof.

Still find it strange that you need to cart a substantial separate mattress around in current Cali's in order to get a good nights sleep downstairs.

But despite the above still love my T5.1!

hello, I don't know what the bed was like in your Bilbo but we have a T4 westfalia and also use an extra mattress on the downstairs bed. For the rest, a T4 is indeed full of character and I will miss it to travel with our bus; I hope for the same feeling in our yet to be delivered T6.1 but I realize that it will be something completely different. Still, our choice has been made

Greetings

 

[Ch1pbutty]

hello, I don't know what the bed was like in your Bilbo but we have a T4 westfalia and also use an extra mattress on the downstairs bed. For the rest, a T4 is indeed full of character and I will miss it to travel with our bus; I hope for the same feeling in our yet to be delivered T6.1 but I realize that it will be something completely different. Still, our choice has been made

Greetings

All great vans, but you get more driver waves in the T4!

 

[Elmo3]

All great vans, but you get more driver waves in the T4!

I’ve noticed a lot more waves in the T5 than the T6!

To the original question, yes, I think they have become too expensive new. They are going the same way as car list prices, which rely on deeper discounting and finance packages. However, I feel used ones will soon soften in price.

 

[calibusje]

In addition to what I already wrote about the initial question: has a new Cali become just too expensive? the following: we bought a new T6.1, a new one because I never make hasty decisions and inform myself thoroughly: in Belgium a second-hand T6 is often more expensive than a new T6.1 coast, even with options. A T5.1 around 45,000 euros and our new T6.1 coast with some options to our liking (among other things 150hp/dsg) but wihtout 4motion... 55,000 (with discount). Buying second-hand California - at least here - is expensive, almost as expensive as a new one or even more expensive.
I cannot estimate the pricing very well in the UK as here in Belgium but when I look at volkswagen.co.uk configurator and at second hand prices, I think the situation is about the same for you.
Greetings and let's enjoy all types

 

[PaulMilton]

Something is only worth what people will pay for it and they are selling, so technically no they’re not too expensive because they wouldn’t sell otherwise.

Camp Dave is our second car and was a replacement for LR Disco 4. I don’t consider either car a car for ‘the people’.I do feel fortunate to be able to afford one. I wouldn’t be able to if it was a third car.

So it is too expensive if you can’t afford it, but it’s not the if you can afford it. If one doesn’t like the cost, don’t buy it and find something one can afford.

VW are not obliged to make them affordable. I don’t like how expensive they are but I will still want a new one in 5ish years!

 

[Borris]

Something is only worth what people will pay for it and they are selling, so technically no they’re not too expensive because they wouldn’t sell otherwise.

Camp Dave is our second car and was a replacement for LR Disco 4. I don’t consider either car a car for ‘the people’.I do feel fortunate to be able to afford one. I wouldn’t be able to if it was a third car.

So it is too expensive if you can’t afford it, but it’s not the if you can afford it. If one doesn’t like the cost, don’t buy it and find something one can afford.

VW are not obliged to make them affordable. I don’t like how expensive they are but I will still want a new one in 5ish years!

Whether you can afford it or not was not part of the question.

 

[Calisand]

I’m not sure if it’s too expensive. About the same time I bought our Cali I was toying with the idea instead of a Porsche Macan S and a caravan ( even though I hate towing). The lightly specced Macan was £55k - about the same price after discount as my Cali with about £4K of options. Today the Macan is £65k as I’d previously specced and the Cali is also but comes with standard some of the extras I specced and LED headlights which I didn’t. Against that milestone it doesn’t look so expensive.
Similarly I’ve also looked at pricing up a Hymer Ayers Rock 140bhp auto with pop top. Again £65k ish. A better camping experience perhaps but Fiat Ducato certainly not as good to drive or well finished as a van. I do think both car and Campervan prices seem to be racing ahead of inflation and I do wonder if it is sustainable. Personally I’m not sure if I’d buy a new Campervan if we replaced ours and maybe look used (once pandemic buying subsides).