Pointers for a newbie please

Mrstee · Jul 17, 2015

hello all, I have had a good read of this friendly and informative forum and we are seriously considering getting a used Cali a few years old ! Please can someone give me an idea of the annual running costs ? Tax, servicing, breakdown, insurance etc. We don't have a garage so it would be parked on the drive in all weathers; we are quite exposed. Does this cause anyone problems ? It would not be a daily use vehicle as we love our Landy 110 but I am getting too decrepit for proper camping now ! How do you keep the van nice and dry when not being used ? We frequently have a free shower from the roof of the Landy when it rains ... Not nice in the winter.
I think we'll hire one to see how we get on to start with. Not sure whether 2 dogs will fit in with the beds out ! (Labrador sized mongrels). We wouldn't want to hire it out to anyone. What are the common pitfalls we should be looking for ? Thanks everyone.

Hotel California · Jul 17, 2015

Hi and welcome , can't give you advice on the running costs as i am not from the UK but there wil pop up some info from others....
Myself also drove a LR Defender with a Hannibal rooftent , now in a Cali we stil sleep in the roof but my oh my all the luxery we now got extra....!
There are adverts here from people who sell .

Meoncoast · Jul 17, 2015

If you look at the uk VW commercial website it will give the service costs and things like fixed price brake pads cam belt etc.
I would say about 30 to the gallon (180 dsg)
Ours sits out side all year either on the drive or on the road

Neilgbj · Jul 17, 2015

We hired before buying, a really good option.........of course once we had tried a Cali we had to buy one ! Not sure about two dogs, we have a (large) Labrador who goes virtually everywhere with us and lives in the back quite comfortably (or outside if he's wet and smelly ....not unusual....

)

WelshGas · Jul 17, 2015

Leaving outside should not be a problem. Putting into a garage whilst wet could be very problematic, a nice environment for rust/corrosion etc. I never garage my vehicles. Ideally a Car Port is the best option as it allows the vehicle to dry naturally whilst keeping the weather off.
As above for Service costs.
4 yrs old or ( I think ) 80k miles a big bill for Cambelt and water pump, £1000+. NB time limit or mileage as rubber belts perish with time.
Occasional use could cause problems with DPF and/or EGR especially if annual mileage is low.
Insurance, very variable from cheap to expensive. I pay £420 with Caravan Club but then I've done 13,500miles in 7 months, and their insurance is good and they know what they are talking about.
180 DSG 4Motion, 30mpg but then I do not drive economically.

andyinluton · Jul 17, 2015

Biggest expense is all the extras after you've bought it, mattress toppers, roof topper , seat covers, carpets, awning, awning sides, bike rack can easily add up to another £2k if you are looking secondhand see which of those are included.

barry · Jul 17, 2015

andyinluton said:
Biggest expense is all the extras after you've bought it, mattress toppers, roof topper , seat covers, carpets, awning, awning sides, bike rack can easily add up to another £2k if you are looking secondhand see which of those are included.

Good observation re the extras.
We've bought stacks of extra stuff but found them a waste of time: e.g. drive-away awning, external topper, outside front blinds, mattress topper to name a few. I wish we'd bought seat covers and might still ...

Oh, we keep the Cali outide and it doesn't seem to suffer

Zebedee · Jul 17, 2015

We use our Cali as our only vehicle. Lives outside on the drive. Had its first service this week after 19,000 miles and 2yrs 3 months cost £200 which included a few minor bits and bobs. Insurance is less than I used to pay on our VW Sharan. My daughter does not like the topper so have only used it once but we have camped in every single month of the year. We have a drive away awning but we are going on a big road trip this summer and we are not taking it with us as we are staying 1 or 2 nights in any place. Essential kit are the Inka seat covers and the parking heater and the roof bungee. Have had a few unexpected costs during ownership...fridge lid exploded and cost £300 to replace. Also backed into a concrete bollard and insurance covered cost of £8250!!!! Have never had so much fun and created memories to last my family a lifetime. Puts a smile on my face and is a talking point wherever we go. Great to feel part of such a lovely friendly and supportive "family" on the forum and super fun at the meets.

motacyclist · Jul 17, 2015

Mrstee said:
hello all, I have had a good read of this friendly and informative forum and we are seriously considering getting a used Cali a few years old ! Please can someone give me an idea of the annual running costs ? Tax, servicing, breakdown, insurance etc. We don't have a garage so it would be parked on the drive in all weathers; we are quite exposed. Does this cause anyone problems ? It would not be a daily use vehicle as we love our Landy 110 but I am getting too decrepit for proper camping now ! How do you keep the van nice and dry when not being used ? We frequently have a free shower from the roof of the Landy when it rains ... Not nice in the winter.
I think we'll hire one to see how we get on to start with. Not sure whether 2 dogs will fit in with the beds out ! (Labrador sized mongrels). We wouldn't want to hire it out to anyone. What are the common pitfalls we should be looking for ? Thanks everyone.

Hi Mrstee the day to day running costs are not much different to any other 2.0 litre car; however depreciation is low so when you come to sell you will get a lot of your money back.

No need to garage it just keep it clean and make sure the roof drains don't get blocked. Never had any problems with damp.

We don't have any dogs but I think there are plenty on here can help with that, there's not a lot of floor space with the bed out but I think most dogs can adapt the the space available.

The Cali is generally a reliable vehicle but things can go wrong, so suggest you buy from a reputable dealer. There's always room for haggle with them either in your p/x or a discount. Some private sellers are asking more than the dealers anyway as they have an inflated view of the value of their vehicles.

I can guarantee if you hire one you will buy, so why not put the hire charges towards your purchase?

Good luck :thumb

Mrstee · Jul 18, 2015

Thanks everybody, very informative, I'm going to have to raid the piggy bank ! Have a fab Cali weekend.

RedCali · Jul 18, 2015

We have 2 Labradors. We sleep upstairs and when it's hot Orla sleeps on the parcel shelf and Dante on the rear bench seat. We plan to put them both on the parcel shelf in cold weather so they are warmer.
Hope this helps,
Alison.