November 17 Increase

[swan]

Chatting to the dealer I purchased from yesterday and he tells me all cali’s subject to a further 3% price increase on 1st November. Price protection is only offered if you accept the vehicle when it arrives, he tells me, so ordering for March 1st is not price protected, for example. That should further bolster used prices, whilst tipping 4m DSG 204’s with spec well into £70k+ territory. VW also offering 25-year interest-only mortgages from November 1st to help first time cali buyers!

 

[GrannyJen]

At the end of the day whatever the price it is up to the individual to decide if it's worth it.

I am not surprised, I am still spending euro's that I bought for 1.415 and if I compare how much more things cost in France if I was paying 1.107 it's eye-watering.

Thank you for the heads up. Yes it will favourably impact residuals, but it is now very expensive even with bullet proof residuals.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Hmmm as soon as that eh?
I also heard of an imminent price increase of 3% but didn't get to the bottom of when.
It will rule some people out i'm sure and will also delay some saving hard but how that loss balances out against the increase I guess we're unlikely to find out.

 

[MichaelB]

I think these price increases are to readdress the 15% loss in the value of the Pound against the Euro so a few more may be coming.

One thing new Cali owners should consider is Gap insurance for new for old. In the unlikely event (touch wood) of a total loss a replacement could get expensive. A modest Cali bought for around £45k 6 years ago is worth around £35k today. A new one is about £60k that is quite a gap. Cover the new vehicle not return to invoice though. 5 years should cost less £500 to cover.

 

[CampervanTime]

Ouch, 1st November then eh?

Well that would just be too early for me to order I think, especially with the current delivery times being around the 3 month mark. If they were still working out at about a 6 month wait that would be ok, just, but I just can't save up quick enough to order by 1st Nov and take delivery in 3 months maybe.

Such a pain though. Another £1800 on a £60k spec van. Couple that with the new VED as well it's all getting a bit silly now.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Blame Brexit? (Dare I suggest??)

 

[B J G]

I think these price increases are to readdress the 15% loss in the value of the Pound against the Euro so a few more may be coming.

One thing new Cali owners should consider is Gap insurance for new for old. In the unlikely event (touch wood) of a total loss a replacement could get expensive. A modest Cali bought for around £45k 6 years ago is worth around £35k today. A new one is about £60k that is quite a gap. Cover the new vehicle not return to invoice though. 5 years should cost less £500 to cover.

I did ALA GAP Insurance through Cashback. After the cashback it cost £240 for a 5 year period.

 

[CampervanTime]

I'm not trying to apportion blame for any price rises, politics is politics and the country has spoken, end of.

My wife reminded me last night that we've thrown away / wasted £1800 many times before by swapping cars or motorbikes on a whim so just relax and forget about it. If it delays our potential purchase by a month or so then so be it. Frustrating yes, not worth loosing sleep over though.

I'm certainly not going to compromise on spec to order it sooner as the annoyance of having to do so would always outweigh the 'saving' that we'd be making.

 

[Niborn]

I did ALA GAP Insurance through Cashback. After the cashback it cost £240 for a 5 year period.

That's sounds interesting , can you tell me about the cash back please , how it works , many thanks

 

[blondebier]

Price protection is only offered if you accept the vehicle when it arrives, he tells me, so ordering for March 1st is not price protected

I'd be surprised if a dealer tried this on. If you've agreed a quotation and have an order in progress I don't think they could subsequently increase the price. They'd be in breach of contract.

New orders after the price increase, yes, but once a deposit has been paid and and order already accepted? No way.

 

[swan]

I'd be surprised if a dealer tried this on. If you've agreed a quotation and have an order in progress I don't think they could subsequently increase the price. They'd be in breach of contract.

New orders after the price increase, yes, but once a deposit has been paid and and order already accepted? No way.

I think what VW mean here is that if you know you don’t want a vehicle until, say March 1st, then it won’t be price protected. If the vehicle is ready in January, you will be expected to take the vehicle then. If you do, it will be price protected. It you choose to stall delivery/registration until March, then VW won’t price protect it. Sounds fair enough, I think. And calis do seem to be coming through much quicker at the moment.

 

[blakeley]

I think what VW mean here is that if you know you don’t want a vehicle until, say March 1st, then it won’t be price protected. If the vehicle is ready in January, you will be expected to take the vehicle then. If you do, it will be price protected. It you choose to stall delivery/registration until March, then VW won’t price protect it. Sounds fair enough, I think. And calis do seem to be coming through much quicker at the moment.

That is correct, it has always been like this, its pretty standard

 

[2haw]

I see that 1k Finance deposit contribution is now available on the California, so it may offset the increase for anybody just about to buy..

 

[mccp]

I see that 1k Finance deposit contribution is now available on the California, so it may offset the increase for anybody just about to buy..

Assuming the deposit contribution doesn't change...

I think that VW keep their finance promos running for a quarter, so this one should be Oct-Dec, but who knows?

 

[blondebier]

Small print point 2 says...

2. Offer available for new vehicle orders from participating Van Centres only, ordered by 02/01/2018. Subject to availability. Services must be used consecutively prior to vehicle reaching 8 years old. T&Cs and exclusions apply. Contact your nearest Van Centre for further details. Accurate at time of publication [10/2017].

 

[Jason wallace]

Doesnt seem to restrict on order date so maybe those who just placed an order may be able to qualify.

 

[mccp]

Doesnt seem to restrict on order date so maybe those who just placed an order may be able to qualify.

I placed an order at the beginning of September and my dealer advised me to wait and see if VW improved their PCP offer from the beginning of October before doing any PCP paperwork. My understanding is that the price is fixed at the point of placing an order and VW will guarantee that price until two weeks after it is available at the dealership. The finance offers are whatever is on offer when you complete the finance paperwork, so I will take the £1K discount (sorry - deposit contribution) offered by VW Bank.

There's a good chance that my van will be ready at the beginning of December but even with no price increase I wouldn't wait for a Jan 18 registration - life is too short!

 

[Jason wallace]

My dealer just confirmed i would get it and also build week 46 and should here early to mid dec.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Ouch

Such a pain though. Another £1800 on a £60k spec van. Couple that with the new VED as well it's all getting a bit silly now.

Yep.
It really is getting silly.
We are seriously looking at options at the moment, but the crazy costs involved are putting us off. The expense isn’t an issue for us, value for money is...!
At least £50k+ to change our current Cali.

Let’s get one thing straight. It’s just a builders van, with a tent on the roof and some nice cupboards.

It’s all going bonkers...!!!

 

[Duncan]

Yep.
It really is getting silly.
We are seriously looking at options at the moment, but the crazy costs involved are putting us off. The expense isn’t an issue for us, value for money is...!
At least £50k+ to change our current Cali.

Let’s get one thing straight. It’s just a builders van, with a tent on the roof and some nice cupboards.

It’s all going bonkers...!!!

I still think the Cali is worth every penny, my previous X5 cost the same as my Cali and depreciated 5x faster, also I could not do half the things in my X5 that I can do in my Cali.

The Cali is great value for money and still within the top of of vehicles with best residuals and when I mine is 3 years old I will be buying a new one

 

[stephen watson]

That's sounds interesting , can you tell me about the cash back please , how it works , many thanks

I'd also be interested to hear details of this please.

 

[CampervanTime]

Sorry, not cash back but deposit contribution - see this example on the VW site: https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/en/offers-finance/offers/california-ocean.html

 

[podge]

It’s via Quidco by looks of it, ALA advertise gap insurance through them and you get 10% back if you complete the purchase through quidco

We placed an order for a beach in September, wanting a delivery in March, fairly disappointed we won’t be able to do this any more without paying additional - but that’s offset somewhat by looking forward to getting our hands on it sooner

With their £1000 off PCP package, can you no longer pay it off early now then?

 

[B J G]

That's sounds interesting , can you tell me about the cash back please , how it works , many thanks

Google Cashback or I could refer you as a 'Friend' (you'd have to PM your email etc to me). I get some cash & you get some after buying through them.
They do links to various Sellers (Halfords Sainsbury's M&S etc etc )where you buy online after logging into Cashback. After the purchase you get a % cash into your account then transfer it into you Bank or have vouchers, M&S etc etc to spend.

No member fees or have to buy criteria unless you upgrade your membership. I haven't.

 

[Lewis]

It’s via Quidco by looks of it, ALA advertise gap insurance through them and you get 10% back if you complete the purchase through quidco

We placed an order for a beach in September, wanting a delivery in March, fairly disappointed we won’t be able to do this any more without paying additional - but that’s offset somewhat by looking forward to getting our hands on it sooner

With their £1000 off PCP package, can you no longer pay it off early now then?

Also there's an Honest John discount code for 10% off at ALA. Easily found with a google. don't think they'll pay cash back too but at least the 10% off is at point of purchase rather than waiting for cash back.