Newbie

[bengi]

Hi guys and girls , just joined the forum and looking into self build options or the coveted cali. Just weighing up all.options so will be very interested to hear experiences

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Welcome.

For a self build I think it depends on your level of skills, the time you have available, and of course your budget. I’m not sure but self build might introduce problems with type approval and insurance?

A ready to go California, or one of the many quality conversions out there, will obviously get you on the road straight away.

 

[scottk]

I rented a Cali for a few days to see if it would work for us. They are getting built quite quickly currently so you could use it next summer. Self build or converted will probably take longer.

 

[JuanVecino2023]

I went through this journey. Right from a trip down memory lane renting vintage busses and realising they are firmly in my past now I have a family.

We rented a converted T6, then a T6.1 California.

Easy decision, the Cali just works so much better. Even if similar to a conversion, you are getting something purpose built. Not a converted builders an at worse.

The rental agency we went with had Calis & Jobl. They told me from experience of many conversions, the Californias are much better. If perhaps a bit more fragile - especially the blinds.

 

[CamperFam]

Bengi - welcome!

We did a video on this topic - albeit our first and not the best....

In short, we had a conversion (a very good, very pricy one). We sold it at a hefty loss and went for a California. Best move we've done. It's not to say that conversions dont have a place or benefits; but for us, it was absolutely the right move.

Californias have:
- Residuals
- Quality
- Available Parts
- Warranty
- Mass Producted
- Built in-factory
- Consistent
- Safe

Conversions are (generally) poorer on all of the above, but in contrast have:
- More variations of pop tops
- Cheaper
- Better variations of colour/spec
- LWB options
- Customised interiors to suit your needs

 

[KevH]

Bengi - welcome!

We did a video on this topic - albeit our first and not the best....

In short, we had a conversion (a very good, very pricy one). We sold it at a hefty loss and went for a California. Best move we've done. It's not to say that conversions dont have a place or benefits; but for us, it was absolutely the right move.

Californias have:
- Residuals
- Quality
- Available Parts
- Warranty
- Mass Producted
- Built in-factory
- Consistent
- Safe

Conversions are (generally) poorer on all of the above, but in contrast have:
- More variations of pop tops
- Cheaper
- Better variations of colour/spec
- LWB options
- Customised interiors to suit your

Agree with all that.
We had a great conversion for 5 years, loved it, but struggled to use it without a driveaway awning and it began to look and feel a bit tired. The configuration just wasn’t working for us and build quality became a concern.
We listed what we really wanted in terms of actually camping in the van itself, and out popped the answer… a Cali.
So I think you might want to begin by thinking through your actual camping needs, maybe renting a few different models, to see what works for you and what doesn’t.
Good luck and happy camping

 

[DragomirAudio23]

Hi everyone!