Hi, Just Browsing...

superchoward · May 30, 2017

Hello,

Just browsing for now, contemplating a Cali for our young family of myself, my wife and 2 little girls who are 10 weeks and 2 years old. I've recently got a new company car which I'm tied into until March 2020 but I'm thinking that would be the perfect time to swap to a Cali as a daily driver with the girls then 3 and 5 years old and out of prams and nappies. It also gives us time to get some funds together for the not so inconsiderable purchase price (currently thinking to buy new new but will consider this when I've watched used prices for the next year or so).

Just going through the debate of caravan/campervan/motorhome and looking for the pros and cons of each so any advice from anyone who has gone through a similar situation would be appreciated although I am going to scour the forum and internet for this.

Not got much previous history of camping or caravanning so its all new to us but I'm drawn by the freedom, chance of getting away from everyday life (read phones/iPads/emails/TV at the weekends) and getting the kids out in the fresh air exploring different places. I'm sure it won't be without its trials and tribulations but hey, if it doesn't work out you can always sell up and move on!

Cheers
Chris

WelshGas · May 30, 2017

.

I use my California as a daily driver, many do. It's based on a commercial vehicle so is built for daily use.
As a Leisure vehicle, well, it travels with the cars not the HGVs, at car speeds. It parks where cars park, the only limitation being 2m or more if you have roof bars, top box or standard bikes on a VW bike rack.
Consider it as a Tent on wheels as it doesn't have a built in toilet or hot water shower. Caravans do have those items and a Motorhome is just a caravan with an engine.
Unless you plan on wildcamping, which I doubt at first, campsites have all the amenities you will need.
Read the Forum, ask questions and Hire a California to check out if the experience/lifestyle is for you. :thumb

Amarillo · May 30, 2017

superchoward said:
Hello,

Just browsing for now, contemplating a Cali for our young family of myself, my wife and 2 little girls who are 10 weeks and 2 years old. I've recently got a new company car which I'm tied into until March 2020 but I'm thinking that would be the perfect time to swap to a Cali as a daily driver with the girls then 3 and 5 years old and out of prams and nappies. It also gives us time to get some funds together for the not so inconsiderable purchase price (currently thinking to buy new new but will consider this when I've watched used prices for the next year or so).

Just going through the debate of caravan/campervan/motorhome and looking for the pros and cons of each so any advice from anyone who has gone through a similar situation would be appreciated although I am going to scour the forum and internet for this.

Not got much previous history of camping or caravanning so its all new to us but I'm drawn by the freedom, chance of getting away from everyday life (read phones/iPads/emails/TV at the weekends) and getting the kids out in the fresh air exploring different places. I'm sure it won't be without its trials and tribulations but hey, if it doesn't work out you can always sell up and move on!

We went through a similar process to you 18 months ago.

We have two young boys, now aged 2 and 3, have a long history of tent camping, but now aged 50 we wanted something more comfortable to last our family until the boys are aged about 13 (and we are 60).

We chose the California Beach for its chameleon-like ability to transform itself from a family MPV to removal van to four berth sleeping accommodation. As tent campers, we have no problem cooking outside or under the cover of an awning, and saw little benefit in paying an extra £10,000 or so for the Ocean's kitchen, wardrobe and electric roof.

Hotel California · May 30, 2017

Welcome , thats what makes the cali life so great , a simple and easy way to get away from the daily stress .
Drive off with no plans , stop where you see someting nice , enjoy....
Alltough some on here do take theire tv&satelite with them....as if they can not miss out the soapseries.... :headbang

Robowagen · May 31, 2017

I'd say hire one for starters, we were campers previously & had moved onto a mobile tent in the form of a 1972/73 Bay window camper. After owning the bay & having loads of great adventures we felt restricted due to the lack of speed, not at all easy to drive long distances, rubbish MPG and constant maintenance required so we sold last year & bought our Cali Beach!

It's exactly what we wanted as it was also replacing my car to justify the insurance & tax etc. has 5 seats in total which is ideal for us as we needed the 5th seat to enable us to take my elderly stepdad on trips & non camping holidays, I use it every day for work & when we want to go camping I just chuck the camping boxes out the garage in the boot, some clothes & off we go!

We have wild camped in pub car parks & dodgy remote car parks as we had a porta potty on board which isnt ideal but works for a long weekend away! We much prefer finding a little pub to stay at mostly & travel light, what we save on expensive site fee's we spend in the pubs & places we visit and we get to see so much more.

Good luck with it though Chris & let us know if you have any questions there are loads of experienced Cali owners on here who are always happy to help...

superchoward · Aug 25, 2017

So since my last post I've been keeping an eye on used Cali values and also been away camping a couple of times with the family which has been interesting to see how it would work.

On the used Cali front I've been watching the adverts on this forum mainly and keeping a note of prices. There are 2 trains of thought on that front, firstly there seems to be a fairly big depreciation hit in the first couple of years and then prices settle down with hardly any in years 3-6 which is quite amazing considering the value of the vehicles. Then secondly when you consider the prices of the Cali when new a couple of years ago, the used prices probably haven't dropped as much as I'm thinking. So this leads me to think buying a new one isn't as bad financially as it might seem, more a question of whether I can afford it.

On the camping, the one thing I can say about the last couple of months is that the British summer time is absolutely rubbish! Wind and rain on every trip and although it hasn't put us off, it has made it less appealing with such young kids. Our eldest girl who is coming up to 3 has been fine, sleeping well and really enjoying being out and about but we felt for the youngest who is 5 months now it was a bit cold for her at the night time and keeping bottles clean and sterilised a bit traumatic. This time next year though all that will be a thing of the past.

We also went and had a look round VWCV Lancashire and met Guy who was very kind in showing us round the Cali Ocean they had in the showroom. This was the first time I had seen a T6 Ocean in the flesh and I was astounded with the quality of the interior. The cabin area was much more luxurious and less van-like than I was expecting and the sleeping area of very high quality. The thought of camping in a Cali and not having to pitch the tent in the wind is wonderful. The van must have had nearly every option ticked though as it was up for £67k!

superchoward · Aug 15, 2018

So almost a year on from my last post on this thread and....we have a Cali!!!

We haven't hired one before we tried, we just jumped straight in! Having admired one for a couple of years which has been driven round our local area we saw that it had come up for sale on Facebook for what seemed like a good price so we decided to go and view it, weighed up the pro's and con's and thought..what's the worst that could happen. I have been keeping track of sale prices through the used section of this websites and had around 120 examples to see how the price stacked up and considering the relatively high specification it has the price seemed even better.

So we have gone for a 2013 SE with 180PS engine and manual gearbox. It's got 48k miles on, RNS510, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, awning, VW bike rack, Bluetooth, electric sliding door, climatronic and stainless steel side rails.

Unfortunately the service history is lacking and it is definitely due a service but I'll post a separate thread on this in the servicing section.

Thanks for all the posts and replies on this forum, there is so much experience and knowledge on here it is a fantastic resource and community for assisting beginners, prospective purchasers and generally anybody interested in California's.

Let the adventures begin...