Has a new Cali become just too expensive?

[calibusje]

They have become too expensive for me to consider ever replacing mine. They are good but not that good.

Agreed

if you have one, keep it; although we will be replacing: from T4 westfalia to T6.1 and with reasons that are important enough to us to make this decision. The old T4 will remain and become our Sunday car But if the T7 or T8 ever comes out, I will also react like this: too expensive ... but weren't they all in their time?
Greetings and hope to see you all at a meet!

 

[GSX1300R]

Not really. I suppose we each put a value on items. I think Spotify is too expensive but would have no concern spending £6k on a bicycle. Another one to add to the collection.

£6k on a bicycle? My godson races for a living and His parents thought nothing of £6k. wheels are £1k each...But me I paid £260 from Halfords..and thought that was enough..Everything relative.

 

[Karlos]

if you have one, keep it; although we will be replacing: from T4 westfalia to T6.1 and with reasons that are important enough to us to make this decision. The old T4 will remain and become our Sunday car But if the T7 or T8 ever comes out, I will also react like this: too expensive ... but weren't they all in their time?
Greetings and hope to see you all at a meet!

If the pics of the T7 available are correct it looks pig ugly IMO.

 

[calibusje]

If the pics of the T7 available are correct it looks pig ugly IMO.

yes it does; hopefully this will be the successor to charan and / or touran and not the transporter. They still build the t6.1 smoothly and then the real new transporter will arrive? Cooperation between VW and Ford ...

 

[subthree]

yes it does; hopefully this will be the successor to charan and / or touran and not the transporter. They still build the t6.1 smoothly and then the real new transporter will arrive? Cooperation between VW and Ford ...

Looks like the Ford/VW "Transporter" is being lead by Ford. I will not be buying a Ford California

 

[Karlos]

Price increase on 01.10.20.

 

[Jenny H]

Thought experiment... let's say you buy a new Cali, keep it for ten years, after which it's worth 50% of its original price (factoring in some finance/time value of money etc etc). The exact numbers don't matter here. You use the van just as a camper/leisure ride, 30 nights a year, it's not your everyday drive.

Plan A is you buy a basic-spec Coast for £55k, Plan B is a full-loaded Ocean for £75k. Based on the above scenarios, the costs per night will be £91 a night for the Coast, versus £125 a night for the Ocean.

Or put another way, for your two week summer hols 'renting' the Ocean (from yourself) will be around £500 more than the Coast, or the price of several really nice evenings out during the trip.

Which would you choose? (And, whisper it quietly, which would your partner choose?)

(And yes I know the full-loaded Ocean will have 4-Motion etc, but let's assume you don't actually need that to get to the camping spots you want to use).

Thats a very interesting though process/breakdown.
For me it would be the Coast but then Im a 50 year old woman - not interested in chrome, gadgets, alloys, but far more interested in cushions & covers!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Thats a very interesting though process/breakdown.
For me it would be the Coast but then Im a 50 year old woman - not interested in chrome, gadgets, alloys, but far more interested in cushions & covers!

you can get alot of cushions for £20k!

 

[Jenny H]

you can get alot of cushions for £20k!

indeed you can - but interesting nightly stay comparison thank you.

 

[Karlos]

you can get alot of cushions for £20k!

Or Red Wine

 

[calibusje]

Looks like the Ford/VW "Transporter" is being lead by Ford. I will not be buying a Ford California

neither do I: just ordered a t6.1 coast; i still don't think a california has become too expensive but we’ll have no money for the next decades

 

[hirsty]

My T6 Beach preregistered 0-miler was a comparative bargain new at £42K in March 2016 & the thought of an eventual £80K replacement is simply eye-watering.

I'm short of some things I'd like (LED headlamps) & had to pay more for some desired retrofits (heater, alloys) but VW are starting to take the mickey.

 

[Elizabeth Silman]

They are very expensive but that didn’t stop me placing an order in July for a very well specified Cali Ocean 6.1. Everybody has their own viewpoint but mine is a 10 year plan. I’m 70 next year and hope to have the enthusiasm and energy for lots of Cali adventures until I’m 80 and maybe longer? So, looking at the per annum cost it still seems to me to be a good investment and lifestyle choice. Furthermore, money in the bank is losing value in real terms and if they move to negative interest rates (being considered again) I’ll have to pay them to look after my money!!!
Yes, some of the coach built ‘great whites’ are obviously more spacious and luxurious and at less money than a Cali BUT there are downsides. Most people can’t park one outside their property (restrictive covenant); can’t be used as a daily drive; storage costs; need to keep another vehicle for day to day use; costs for taxing, insuring and maintaining two vehicles; difficulty finding town centre parking; the list goes on ......
Hired a ‘great white’ in New Zealand a few years ago. Fabulous holiday but various restrictions put me off owning one, just too big.

Good for you! I took a similar approach when I replaced mine last year.

 

[Rexy99]

If I’d got my head around the price then the 4 seat limit would still have stopped my getting the Cali. Ended up starting from a very nearly new Highline 150 and still got an amazing (6 seat) conversion done, with every extra I could want, for around half the price of a Cali. As has already been said VW will price a Cali at what the market will stand, and while they keep selling then the price will keep increasing. After all ‘worth’ is simply what someone is prepared to pay.

 

[likeuto]

I have 2015 t5 dsg 4 motion se + it cost £62k then, so 5yrs inflation

Whilst there will always be a few buyers that will want a new California regardless of cost, out of pure interest, I have been looking at the prices of new examples for some time, especially the well specced ones, and doubting their worth given the current asking prices. Someone recently posted a photo of an advert for a non 4motion Ocean that was priced up in the mid £80ks!!!

A dealer told me last year that sales had been dropping year on year for the past two years. This may be an indication that they have either reached their ceiling or are very close to it. However, I accept that the Covid effect may well have altered the situation since then.

Here is a vehicle I specced on the VW configurator. I didn't press every option but with the exception of the snazzy paint job, merely configured a vehicle that I would be similar to the ex demo van I bought back in October 2015.
View attachment 66630
As you can see the price came in at a tad short of £80k. My 2015 Cali SE which the dealer had loaded with just about every option cost £59k. Even taking into account inflation, is it worth the extra £20k? I am a big Cali fan but some of the prices being asked now for a van with no hot water or toilet facilities are in my opinion ridiculous.

I know I am comparing fish to fowl but here is an advert for this years top of the range Mercedes Benz Autosleeper Coachbuilt great white. See what you think?

Burford Duo | Mercedes Motorhomes | Auto-Sleepers

The Burford Duo offers aspirational decadence. Find out more about this fantastic Mercedes motorhome today.

www.auto-sleepers.com

I bought My Cali T5 2015, SE 4 Motion DSG, + 2 more packs new in 2015,( wont ever change it!!) for £62k so inflation makes that £ 70k (Covid everyone buying campers ) has increased 2nd hand values ( Nice for me) but if what you're looking at isn't 4 x4 & DSG with extras etc , then yes Vw taking the ****

 

[Vinczz]

This chart shows the value of the pound in euros.
This is also a part of the explanation for an increasing price.
Will the Brexit push the price higher ?
Sure.

 

[Paul S]

Could the fact that a majority of new vehicles nowadays are on PCP or similar?

I think so yes. Selling virtually every car on a PCP allows the true cost to be kicked into the long grass and the dealer can fixate on the monthly payments. It’s all fine I suppose until the music stops. Then we potentially have the housing credit crunch but on wheels. I confess I’m exceedingly old fashioned. My upbringing was:

Do I want it: yes
Can I afford it?
If yes: Buy it. If no: don’t buy it until you can afford it without getting into a debt situation on a depreciating asset.

In answer to the original question yes they ARE too expensive for what they are but so is the base van. Nearly £30k now for a basic panel van is insane money for a tin box.

 

[2into1]

starting from a very nearly new Highline 150 and still got an amazing (6 seat) conversion done, with every extra I could want, for around half the price of a Cali.

Woah there boy. That's a bold statement that you are going to have to elaborate on.

 

[Eber123]

Good evening,

Just spend a wee bit of time on the Hymer webpage. I like the Hymer Grand Canyon S. While I was on the web page I try to configure the camper van as I would be purchasing it, with a specification I would like to have (very similar what I have done with the California on the VW web page).

Maybe I am comparing apples with pears, but for me the Hymer Grand Canyon would be a very desirable camper van to get around Europe, but with more space as in the California.

It is very difficult to get an overview of the endless optional items list for the Grand Canyon, but in a nutshell I went for the Grand Canyon S, with the 190HP engine, all wheel drive, automatic and the big entertainment system, plus a few bits (e.g. bigger tank EUR 93.00).

The cost for this is EUR 79,108! Well, even if I made a mistake and configured it wrongly I don't expect the camper van von Hymer more tan EUR 85,000. That is the cost of a California Ocean with a few extras!

Even if I don't compare correctly I still believe that the Hymer Grand Canyon is the bigger van which is equality (maybe even more) capable as the California (as a camper van). Ok, the Grand Canyon is bigger and not suitable as a daily drive. So an extra car is needed (well, for us, because we live in the country. If we would live in a town one can argue a second car is not necessary).

Don't get me wrong, I still believe the California is a great car, but this thread is about the value (or not) of the California.

Regards,
Eberhard

 

[Karlos]

Good evening,

Just spend a wee bit of time on the Hymer webpage. I like the Hymer Grand Canyon S. While I was on the web page I try to configure the camper van as I would be purchasing it, with a specification I would like to have (very similar what I have done with the California on the VW web page).

Maybe I am comparing apples with pears, but for me the Hymer Grand Canyon would be a very desirable camper van to get around Europe, but with more space as in the California.

It is very difficult to get an overview of the endless optional items list for the Grand Canyon, but in a nutshell I went for the Grand Canyon S, with the 190HP engine, all wheel drive, automatic and the big entertainment system, plus a few bits (e.g. bigger tank EUR 93.00).

The cost for this is EUR 79,108! Well, even if I made a mistake and configured it wrongly I don't expect the camper van von Hymer more tan EUR 85,000. That is the cost of a California Ocean with a few extras!

Even if I don't compare correctly I still believe that the Hymer Grand Canyon is the bigger van which is equality (maybe even more) capable as the California (as a camper van). Ok, the Grand Canyon is bigger and not suitable as a daily drive. So an extra car is needed (well, for us, because we live in the country. If we would live in a town one can argue a second car is not necessary).

Don't get me wrong, I still believe the California is a great car, but this thread is about the value (or not) of the California.

Regards,
Eberhard

But would a Hymer hold it's value like a Cali?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

But would a Hymer hold it's value like a Cali?

Would imagine so...12 month waiting list & very few 2nd Hand ones for sale.

 

[WelshGas]

Would imagine so...12 month waiting list & very few 2nd Hand ones for sale.

Don't forget to include the 2nd vehicle in the calculations.

 

[ilomax]

Whilst there will always be a few buyers that will want a new California regardless of cost, out of pure interest, I have been looking at the prices of new examples for some time, especially the well specced ones, and doubting their worth given the current asking prices. Someone recently posted a photo of an advert for a non 4motion Ocean that was priced up in the mid £80ks!!!

A dealer told me last year that sales had been dropping year on year for the past two years. This may be an indication that they have either reached their ceiling or are very close to it. However, I accept that the Covid effect may well have altered the situation since then.

Here is a vehicle I specced on the VW configurator. I didn't press every option but with the exception of the snazzy paint job, merely configured a vehicle that I would be similar to the ex demo van I bought back in October 2015.
View attachment 66630
As you can see the price came in at a tad short of £80k. My 2015 Cali SE which the dealer had loaded with just about every option cost £59k. Even taking into account inflation, is it worth the extra £20k? I am a big Cali fan but some of the prices being asked now for a van with no hot water or toilet facilities are in my opinion ridiculous.

I know I am comparing fish to fowl but here is an advert for this years top of the range Mercedes Benz Autosleeper Coachbuilt great white. See what you think?

Burford Duo | Mercedes Motorhomes | Auto-Sleepers

The Burford Duo offers aspirational decadence. Find out more about this fantastic Mercedes motorhome today.

www.auto-sleepers.com

Have you factored in the £ / € exchange rate change since you purchased your Cali? At a rough check I think this would account for at least 20% of the increase. I haven’t checked but I strongly suspect that New Cali prices in Euros have not risen by the same amount as in the UK.

 

[Vinczz]

Have you factored in the £ / € exchange rate change since you purchased your Cali? At a rough check I think this would account for at least 20% of the increase. I haven’t checked but I strongly suspect that New Cali prices in Euros have not risen by the same amount as in the UK.

Yes, that's surely a part of the reasons.
See my previous post with pound/euro chart.

 

[Borris]

Have you factored in the £ / € exchange rate change since you purchased your Cali? At a rough check I think this would account for at least 20% of the increase. I haven’t checked but I strongly suspect that New Cali prices in Euros have not risen by the same amount as in the UK.

I'm sure you are right. I'm certain that there are numerous reasons for the increase but I haven't tried to identify them. My question 'HAS A NEW CALI BECOME JUST TOO EXPENSIVE?' was posed purely to elicit members views on the cost of buying a new Cali. In retrospect I should have added four more words to that question: HAS A NEW CALI BECOME JUST TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT IT IS?

The responses so far have been interesting and as expected they have been mixed. However whilst not intended as an extensive survey, a significant number of responses appear to show that maybe that ceiling may have been reached or at least if not quite, very nearly.