Looking for first Cali, but is it too compromised?

[Racingt]

Hi all, been fancying a Cali for years, but had my first very brief tour yesterday, by an uneducated dealer, and was left disappointed. I want one for holidays, and it will be in addition to a golf estate (for 25,000 miles a year), and an MX5 (for fun). I think a motorhome may be better for me due to the following reason. I stress this was a very brief tour, and the dealer was not an expert, so please don't get upset if I have missed the obvious
1. I want to load my clothes into a wardrobe, then use a laundry bag to segregate the dirties. There appears to be very little wardrobe space? Do people live out of suitcases? :-(
2. Toilet facilities, how do people cope when city camping, or wild camping?
3. Roofbed, where does the bedding get stored? Boot space appears to be at a premium.
4. Roofbed, is access for this 90kg guy by climbing up a seat back? Don't think this is a good way to treat seats!
5. The window blinds appear pretty flimsy, well it lost the tracks the first time I used it, and how does the windscreen get covered?
6. Rock and roll bed looks comfortable (but my thermarest mattress is thicker) but appears a pretty awful car seat, and restricts access to cupboards whilst up? How does this work?
7. Are heaters fitted as standard? Do they require an elec hookup?
8. Does the awning really cost extra on a £47k vehicle?
9. Finally, and assuming there are good solutions to all the above, what's a good level of discount to aim for in the UK? Dealer offered 4%, drivethedeal offers 10%, so I'm guessing 12.5%? Or can the 25% on luxury Mercs be obtained
Thanks for reading, really fancy driving one, but at moment a motorhome appears a better solution to my needs, but I actually don't want to own one of those. I would feel proud of a Cali, and they look cool, but my impression is they are too compromised.
Cheers
Phil

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

When we bought our Cali we sold our fun car (an ageing Boxster) and haven't missed it. We use the Cali for fun, and for the sorts of trips the Boxster would have been used for. The Cali is the world's best picnic hamper, for example, and you get your fresh air from the times when you are parked on a mountainside, rather than when you are driving up those nice twisty roads.

If you want something as nimble as a Cali but closer to the capabilities you want, you could look at one of the high tops that are built on the VW chassis, and maybe look at a long wheel base for extra space.

The Caravan and Motorhome exhibition is on in Birmingham in a few days. We went to this when we were camper hunting, and climbing all over the various models helped us loads.

I think you got a pretty fair tour of the Cali and nothing particularly jumps out as wrong in your assessment. The heater doesn't need hook up and some of the fittings are quite delicate. There are various loo options and screen covering options described on the forum. Most owners probably try to travel light, and have foldable, crushable clothes. Getting the right storage strategy has taken us a while though, and everyone does it differently.

It all really depends on the balance of your needs. You could try renting for a week to see how you and the Cali get on

 

[Retiredron]

[][/img]

This one would fit your needs, the Westfalia Club Joker.
Ron.

 

[Meoncoast]

Packing it all in

I think this all part of "campervan holidays" For us we spent a few days out in a large New Forest playing with the van packing and organising it after a few nights away we refind what goes were. mixture of boxes and stuff bags Small place living becomes an art

Window blinds

I know some people have broken thsese. We always handle the blinds with care holding each side rather than in the middle

 

[calikev]

I think it's relatively simple if you want to travel light,park in towns,wild camp without being to obvious,get between 30-40mpg and look cool get a Cali. If you need a wardrobe,toilet,satellite
TV,and are happy getting 20 mpg then choose a motorhome

 

[Andy80F]

If it had not been for our circumstances, need for the campervan to be also be used as an everyday vehicle and lack of a driveway then we would not have considered the T5 based vehicle. There are plenty of other motorhomes and for the same price as a California many bigger and more comfortable vehicles can be found. However within our needs the California is the best solution we could find and those compromises once accepted have become, for us, the charm of the Cali.

Your circumstances need to dictate the vehicle you end up with and the amount of compromise that can be tolerated. its all good fun though.

Andy

 

[Racingt]

Thanks for the responses!
Calikev, yes agree totally that Cali's look cool, and no I don't want a motorhome particularly, but Ron's picture of the high top website t5 looks about the best of the lot. I think a drive of the 140dsg would make a lot of sense, then perhaps hire one. Dealer offers weekend hire for £100/day. Selling the second car and maybe the BMW motorcycle would make the choice easier, but not quite ready for that yet.
We can do small camping, we are the guys you see in a golf estate, living out of a tent! Not sure I fancy spending this much and still have to do it though
Time to check the Westies out, not sure I could enthuse about owning one though;-)
Thanks
Phil

 

[2into1]

I obviously (based on my drive) love the T5 Westfalia Joker, but pre-reg examples in Germany are demanding Eur68.5K against a list of Eur74k! This is a 180DSG, but man! that is some money (on Steel wheels!)

 

[Barefoot62]

The only thing I will say is try getting a motorhome in to a normal car park when you want extra provisions then you'll find why Cali's are better

 

[NickE]

One thing that is compromised in a motorhome is performance: both drivability and acceleration. Having done 4000 miles around Eastern Europe this summer I came back incredibly impressed with the Cali. You can chuck it around narrow, winding mountain roads and it pulls like a train when overtaking lorries uphill.
If your touring is mainly pootling, then I'm sure a MH is fine. When the driving conditions get more challenging, I'd rather be in Cali.

 

[Martin]

One thing that is compromised in a motorhome is performance: both drivability and acceleration. Having done 4000 miles around Eastern Europe this summer I came back incredibly impressed with the Cali. You can chuck it around narrow, winding mountain roads and it pulls like a train when overtaking lorries uphill.
If your touring is mainly pootling, then I'm sure a MH is fine. When the driving conditions get more challenging, I'd rather be in Cali.

We had two motorhomes before the Cali and totally agree with the above and this was the main reason for us downsizing. The only thing we possibly miss is being self contained by having our own bathroom, but apart from that the Cali is so much better than a MH in so many ways.

 

[Racingt]

Wow that's a huge price fir the Westy t5. Cali dealer margins are a tiny 5% my contact advises so I guess drivethedeal is the way to buy.
Take all the points about driving, particular when you consider the Welty has 84bhp option!
Why? That's significantly less than most if my recent motorcycles! Not sure I can slow down that much:-( thanks for all responses, building a good picture now of what to expect!
Phil

 

[caligraphy]

Hi all, been fancying a Cali for years, but had my first very brief tour yesterday, by an uneducated dealer, and was left disappointed. I want one for holidays, and it will be in addition to a golf estate (for 25,000 miles a year), and an MX5 (for fun). I think a motorhome may be better for me due to the following reason. I stress this was a very brief tour, and the dealer was not an expert, so please don't get upset if I have missed the obvious
1. I want to load my clothes into a wardrobe, then use a laundry bag to segregate the dirties. There appears to be very little wardrobe space? Do people live out of suitcases? :-(
2. Toilet facilities, how do people cope when city camping, or wild camping?
3. Roofbed, where does the bedding get stored? Boot space appears to be at a premium.
4. Roofbed, is access for this 90kg guy by climbing up a seat back? Don't think this is a good way to treat seats!
5. The window blinds appear pretty flimsy, well it lost the tracks the first time I used it, and how does the windscreen get covered?
6. Rock and roll bed looks comfortable (but my thermarest mattress is thicker) but appears a pretty awful car seat, and restricts access to cupboards whilst up? How does this work?
7. Are heaters fitted as standard? Do they require an elec hookup?
8. Does the awning really cost extra on a £47k vehicle?
9. Finally, and assuming there are good solutions to all the above, what's a good level of discount to aim for in the UK? Dealer offered 4%, drivethedeal offers 10%, so I'm guessing 12.5%? Or can the 25% on luxury Mercs be obtained
Thanks for reading, really fancy driving one, but at moment a motorhome appears a better solution to my needs, but I actually don't want to own one of those. I would feel proud of a Cali, and they look cool, but my impression is they are too compromised.
Cheers
Phil

If you don't like the idea of throwing away money then why would you consider buying a new one ? Buy new at 45k. 3 years old it's worth 30k, 6 yrs old it's worth 27k, 10 yrs old it's worth 23k.

There are plenty of good as new Calis out there for around 30k with low mileage and very little use. Most owners pamper them and generally all the issues have been sorted by the end of the warranty period, plus they usually have a swag of extras.

As for compromise. Yes. In a way it's a Swiss Army knife. You just need to see how it matches up with your own priorities. If you're not sure don't go blowing 5k immediately you drive one from a dealer's door.

 

[Retiredron]

[][/img]

Phil, One more to consider 300+ BHP :smile

Ron.

 

[caligraphy]

[][/img]

Phil, One more to consider 300+ BHP :smile

Ron.

Discretely parked up in a lay-by

 

[gamort]

Discretely parked up in a lay-by

Put a large RAC sticker on the side and no one would bother you

 

[Racingt]

Thank Ron, like that one!
Danbury Royale t5 looks good too
Wetsphalia have no UK distributor and no response from Germany.
Cheers

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

I think Westy's are currently distributed in the UK by http://www.roywoodtransits.co.uk/index.htm.

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorh ... nw2590_pg1

I know there is nothing on the website, but worth giving them a call.

The new club joker is a stunning looking van, if only it were available with a 2.4D... (although admittedly it probably wouldn't move)

dan

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

I think Westy's are currently distributed in the UK by http://www.roywoodtransits.co.uk/index.htm.

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorh ... nw2590_pg1

I know there is nothing on the website, but worth giving them a call.

The new club joker is a stunning looking van, if only it were available with a 2.4D... (although admittedly it probably wouldn't move)

dan

Yes definitely. I spoke to them at that NEC earlier in the year, when they were showing a LHD Westy. I think they were also considering building on the pretty new Transit chassis, which could cost a few quid less.

 

[KernowLad]

Hi all, been fancying a Cali for years, but had my first very brief tour yesterday, by an uneducated dealer, and was left disappointed. I want one for holidays, and it will be in addition to a golf estate (for 25,000 miles a year), and an MX5 (for fun). I think a motorhome may be better for me due to the following reason. I stress this was a very brief tour, and the dealer was not an expert, so please don't get upset if I have missed the obvious
1. I want to load my clothes into a wardrobe, then use a laundry bag to segregate the dirties. There appears to be very little wardrobe space? Do people live out of suitcases? :-( We use the main wardrobe for bedding and hiding kit (in the safe) and the shelves for clothes - we did 5 weeks with two kids and were fine.
2. Toilet facilities, how do people cope when city camping, or wild camping? With two kids, we almost always stay at sites with loos but we have dug a toilet before.
3. Roofbed, where does the bedding get stored? Boot space appears to be at a premium. In the bigger cupboard and/or storage area above the bench seats.
4. Roofbed, is access for this 90kg guy by climbing up a seat back? Don't think this is a good way to treat seats! Agreed but the seats are strong! Just NEVER tread on the armrests!
5. The window blinds appear pretty flimsy, well it lost the tracks the first time I used it, and how does the windscreen get covered? We store ours "made up" up top - don't put anything more up there though (a sheet is fine). They look silly but work fine.
6. Rock and roll bed looks comfortable (but my thermarest mattress is thicker) but appears a pretty awful car seat, and restricts access to cupboards whilst up? How does this work? Plan ahead a bit - don't put the kettle in the rear cupboard! And get a mattress topper - the bed isn't comfortable as standard. We got a Zonesleep and store the extra bedding in the bag it comes with.
7. Are heaters fitted as standard? Do they require an elec hookup? Yes and no. They use a TINY amount of diesel. You hardly need hookup unless you have high current items.
8. Does the awning really cost extra on a £47k vehicle? Yes - some don't like them and/or use a bigger awning. It's actually good VFM I reckon!
9. Finally, and assuming there are good solutions to all the above, what's a good level of discount to aim for in the UK? Dealer offered 4%, drivethedeal offers 10%, so I'm guessing 12.5%? Or can the 25% on luxury Mercs be obtained We got ours pre-reg, delivery miles for £44750. List was just over £52k...
Thanks for reading, really fancy driving one, but at moment a motorhome appears a better solution to my needs, but I actually don't want to own one of those. I would feel proud of a Cali, and they look cool, but my impression is they are too compromised. Calis are SO much easier to drive, quicker, better on fuel, etc, etc. So much more versatile!
Cheers
Phil

"Answers" above!!