W
WillH
I've recently had to make the agonising and difficult decision of whether to order a California or Marco Polo.
I first started looking a few months ago-initially just at the California Ocean.I took a lot of time reading on here,deciphering the confusing options/price list and configurator and calling in at my local VW Van Centre(Preston)to ask all the questions one does when searching for the perfect camper(Guy at Preston is highly recommended and knows his stuff btw).Also looked at pre reg vehicles but eventually decided on a factory order to get exactly what I wanted.
Then VW went and increased the price of the California by about 7% which made my order about £5k more expensive but while I was annoyed about my timing-this did not put me off.I worked out my perfect spec and looked to place an order however VW now have a situation where the 204 4motion DSG is unorderable at the moment??
While waiting for my California order to be processed I read on here about the Marco Polo.Never heard of it before-thought it was some aftermarket conversion so it went off my radar.Passing my local MB dealer a few days later there was one set up so thought I'd pop in for a nosey around-if only to make sure my decision to order the Cali was the right one.
Walking up to the one they had there,the shape did not immediately grab me but once inside I did like the interior-wood effect floor,high quality units by Westfalia and full leather interior(I had spec'd Alcantara on my Cali order but was peeved that the surrounding material was not leather.)A lot more stuff that was optional on the Cali was standard on the MP.
I went away and started weighing both vehicles up.Both are fantastic and I would be really happy with either but I had to make a decision.
The California was more expensive after the price increase(although not quite a direct comparison because the MP is only 2WD).The model I wanted is unobtainable as a factory order at the moment and,in my opinion of course,not as nice inside.Some options I would have liked I had to pass on as it would have made it massively more expensive.On the plus side the California has something that the Merc(at least in the U.K.)does not have at all-heritage.This is important to me as I am a lifelong Land Rover Defender owner and I like this side of it.Hand in hand with heritage is residual values-I don't think the MP will hold its money as well.The outside chairs and table stow cleverly in the California yet in the Merc they take up most of the boot space-a bit of a joke really.
The MP interior is really top class-full leather(quite surprising really because most Mercs have this Artico rubbish these days)Extra length in the body which makes for a more spacious interior-worth the offset for the slight extra difficulty in manoeuvrability.One silly thing with the MP though-the top bed is not lifted by struts but fastened in place by 2 clips.The rear seats are separate which is good and recline electrically as required.The tailgate glass opening independently is a good idea.There is also no handbrake to get in the way when rotating the front seats.Whilst on the subject of the front seats they only have one armrest each which is a bit daft.The outside shape has grown on me now-it is more imposing than the Cali-if not quite as 'cute' if you understand what I mean.
So there are many pros and cons for both vehicles.I drove the MP today and was quite surprised-I wasn't expecting much but it drove well and is a nice place to be for a long trip.
I've had sleepless nights the last couple of weeks but have now finally decided that I'm going to go for the MP-not an easy decision but on balance fits what I need slightly better than the Cali.
A really difficult decision.
I first started looking a few months ago-initially just at the California Ocean.I took a lot of time reading on here,deciphering the confusing options/price list and configurator and calling in at my local VW Van Centre(Preston)to ask all the questions one does when searching for the perfect camper(Guy at Preston is highly recommended and knows his stuff btw).Also looked at pre reg vehicles but eventually decided on a factory order to get exactly what I wanted.
Then VW went and increased the price of the California by about 7% which made my order about £5k more expensive but while I was annoyed about my timing-this did not put me off.I worked out my perfect spec and looked to place an order however VW now have a situation where the 204 4motion DSG is unorderable at the moment??
While waiting for my California order to be processed I read on here about the Marco Polo.Never heard of it before-thought it was some aftermarket conversion so it went off my radar.Passing my local MB dealer a few days later there was one set up so thought I'd pop in for a nosey around-if only to make sure my decision to order the Cali was the right one.
Walking up to the one they had there,the shape did not immediately grab me but once inside I did like the interior-wood effect floor,high quality units by Westfalia and full leather interior(I had spec'd Alcantara on my Cali order but was peeved that the surrounding material was not leather.)A lot more stuff that was optional on the Cali was standard on the MP.
I went away and started weighing both vehicles up.Both are fantastic and I would be really happy with either but I had to make a decision.
The California was more expensive after the price increase(although not quite a direct comparison because the MP is only 2WD).The model I wanted is unobtainable as a factory order at the moment and,in my opinion of course,not as nice inside.Some options I would have liked I had to pass on as it would have made it massively more expensive.On the plus side the California has something that the Merc(at least in the U.K.)does not have at all-heritage.This is important to me as I am a lifelong Land Rover Defender owner and I like this side of it.Hand in hand with heritage is residual values-I don't think the MP will hold its money as well.The outside chairs and table stow cleverly in the California yet in the Merc they take up most of the boot space-a bit of a joke really.
The MP interior is really top class-full leather(quite surprising really because most Mercs have this Artico rubbish these days)Extra length in the body which makes for a more spacious interior-worth the offset for the slight extra difficulty in manoeuvrability.One silly thing with the MP though-the top bed is not lifted by struts but fastened in place by 2 clips.The rear seats are separate which is good and recline electrically as required.The tailgate glass opening independently is a good idea.There is also no handbrake to get in the way when rotating the front seats.Whilst on the subject of the front seats they only have one armrest each which is a bit daft.The outside shape has grown on me now-it is more imposing than the Cali-if not quite as 'cute' if you understand what I mean.
So there are many pros and cons for both vehicles.I drove the MP today and was quite surprised-I wasn't expecting much but it drove well and is a nice place to be for a long trip.
I've had sleepless nights the last couple of weeks but have now finally decided that I'm going to go for the MP-not an easy decision but on balance fits what I need slightly better than the Cali.
A really difficult decision.
