Order placed and deposit paid!

Mr & Mrs B · Oct 20, 2016

After deciding we wanted to buy a campervan we did lots of research on different makes and conversions and kept coming back to the California Ocean. We've read lots of reviews in magazines, read posts in this forum, had a test drive and a 'try before you buy' weekend - which was everything we hoped it would be! We placed our order yesterday for a 150PS in Acapulco Blue, We've added a few options, cruise control, black awning,heated front screen and rear window, multifunction steering wheel, lights and vision pack, parking sensors and camera, discover media navigation and comfort mattress.

We were given a provisional delivery date of March 2017 (which we feel is a bit optimistic) but we'll wait and see. We're both feeling excited and are looking forward to planning our trips for next year.

GrannyJen · Oct 20, 2016

Sounds fabulous Mr and Mrs, please keep us in touch with progress, ask all the questions you want and a warm welcome to the forum.

calikev · Oct 20, 2016

Hi there welcome along :thumb

Hotel California · Oct 20, 2016

Welcome , as said above watch out with the rear heated window option .
For me i never use my rear window as all the blinds behind the driverseat are closed at all time while driving. But i am used to drive bigger verhicles , lorry's and cranes , on those you learn to drive using the outside rearview mirrors only.

Alibee · Oct 20, 2016

Welcome M&MB! Your spec is very similar to ours and we're also expecting delivery in March. Here's hoping for a quick winter and a long summer in the new wagons.

GrannyJen · Oct 20, 2016

Alibee said:
Welcome M&MB! Your spec is very similar to ours and we're also expecting delivery in March. Here's hoping for a quick winter and a long summer in the new wagons.

I await March with interest

The start of whatever season a Cali has, longer days, shorter nights, and loads of new Cali stories doing the rounds!

WelshGas · Oct 20, 2016

sd5000 said:
Sounds great and it will be worth the wait!

One observation to your spec is that I think you mention a heated rear window. My understanding is that with the heated rear window you loose the rear window double glazing which in my view is preferable. The double glazed rear window keeps out noise and keeps in heat and doesn't steam up either.

I may be wrong on both counts

Double glazed rear window, expensive to replace and can lose seal so mist up permenantly.
Keep in heat - just turn the heater up.
Condensation. If you get no condensation on the rear window then that just means it has gone somewhere else such as the external walls of the wardrobes or rear of the kitchen units where it is non-insulated body panels.
In order to minimise condensation then you need good ventilation because people breathe out an awful lot of water vapour in an enclosed space and just use the Parking Heater to control the internal temperature. The California does not have insulated body panels as do many conversions.

WelshGas · Oct 20, 2016

sd5000 said:
We ventilate well always, there are 4 of us sleeping. Our rear window never steams up with the heater on or off, or when driving in cold conditions, that's why I'd opt for double glazed over heated myself. Ours is 6 years old and no issues.

Same with my single glazed window, except it's not 6 yrs old.

Tony Beretta · Oct 21, 2016

Congrats for your order. I ordered my Coast in July. Should be getting it by end of January but it has not been confirmed jet. Long, long wait. We will suffer together.
See if anyone can help me with this. Does the Coast come with double glazed rear window?
I dont think it does. If Im not wrong, the double glazing, stationary heating, better air conditioning and electric top are the main differences with the Ocean.

Mr & Mrs B · Oct 23, 2016

Thank you for all your comments, especially regarding the rear window. Cali (yes, that's what we're going to call her!) will be our only vehicle so we've chosen many of the options that are similar to our current car. We will ventilate well - over the years we've camped in different sorts of tents and have also had several caravans - so know about condensation problems.

We feel that March is very optimistic for delivery - we reckon it will be more like the end of April/May time. We're pretty laid back about delivery times and are going to spend the winter getting the essential accessories (we may be posting asking for advice on several items). Mr B is also making a list of the 'would be lovely' accessories. The latter won't be bought until we have Cali - a few trips away will make us decide if we really need them.

Thanks for the advice and the warm welcome.

Mr & Mrs B · Jan 9, 2017

We've been given a provisional build date of 6-10 March (Week 10?) and we're told this should be confirmed by the end of the month. Hopefully we should still be on track for collection early May. The closer it gets the more excited we become!