Buy all your VW California Accessories at the Club Shop Visit Shop

Spec regrets

Anage

Anage

Messages
54
Location
West midlands
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204
Hi. I now have a confirmed build date of wk 14. I spent weeks pondering what options to pick, 4motion or not etc etc. Finally I "settled" on a spec and ordered. However, even after my order was placed I still changed a couple of items, I got rid of sat nav and added rear camera and a few other bits. BUT my main area of deliberation has always been dsg vs manual. I won't re open the pros and cons discussion again but having never driven an automatic I thought I'd stick with manual. Until last week that is when I finally phoned the dealer to try and change order to dsg. Unfortunately my build status had been confirmed (from unconfirmed) and I could no longer change.
Me being me I am now feeling worried that I have made a big mistake in my base vehicle as nobody else seems to have a 204 4motion Manual gear box specced up:Nailbiting .
I'm not massively worried about driving a manual, as I always have. It's more the resale aspect if I have some unusual combo.
I'm trying to console myself with the fact I was at my budget limit (probably over it!) and that maybe some people prefer 4 wheel drive with manual transmission.
Anyway Im sure the excitement of owning my new Cali will dispel any misgivings as soon as she turns up.
I'm sure there is a moral to this story somewhere :happy
 
Oh goodness... I think we all worry over those issues sometime or other.

The time when you come to sell, and I'm sure manual will not be a great impediment, is long off.

What you have in front of you is years of enjoying the best fun vehicle on the planet whether it is DSG, Manual, Beach, Ocean, 4 Motion, Blue motion or fiddled-emissions motion. By the time it comes to sell the smile on your face would be so broad that all those worries will seem trivial.

You are used to manual so no worries, you are going to love your cali, get loads of use out of it, come on here telling all sorts of great stories and not worrying about what might be when it finally happens.

Smile and enjoy. :D
 
Oh goodness... I think we all worry over those issues sometime or other.

The time when you come to sell, and I'm sure manual will not be a great impediment, is long off.

What you have in front of you is years of enjoying the best fun vehicle on the planet whether it is DSG, Manual, Beach, Ocean, 4 Motion, Blue motion or fiddled-emissions motion. By the time it comes to sell the smile on your face would be so broad that all those worries will seem trivial.

You are used to manual so no worries, you are going to love your cali, get loads of use out of it, come on here telling all sorts of great stories and not worrying about what might be when it finally happens.

Smile and enjoy. :D
Hi,
Yes I'm sure as soon as I finally receive it and hit the road I will be reassured. I think I could have gone on forever chopping and changing.
Thanks for the reassuring words :thumb
 
concur with GJ post above - if you have have never had an auto you will not miss it. enjoy your van when it comes.
 
Good choice, don't worry, you'll love it and there will always be someone searching for a top spec manual if you sell/upgrade down the line. :thumb
 
Stop beating yourself up over this. Many people have stated on this forum that both the manual and dsg are excellent gearboxes. You are used to driving manual vehicles so what is the issue?
Don't worry about whether it will have less appeal when you come to sell it as it will sell to one of the many people who prefer a manual. That might sound obvious but there are people in both camps on this forum and who knows you might not have enjoyed the dsg as much anyway. They are not everyones cup of tea. Anyway you bought it to use it yourself so don't worry about selling it just yet.

You have made a great choice so don't console yourself, rejoice instead.
 
We've got the manual 4 motion very specc'd up and would not change..... Like being in control of all options when on icy alpine roads and going through rough tracks in Portugal
 
DSG means a lower MPG
4motion means a lower MPG
So at least your combo is minimising the impact
I have a DSG but if I were specing 4motion then manual would be my preferred choice as I would be trying some offroad fun!
 
Things happen for a reason in my view. You were not meant to have a DSG and I don't think it will make any difference at resale time. There will always be people who prefer manual over auto. Enjoy what you have ordered an have some fun with no regrets.
 
Yes I'm certainly grateful if a little nervous about being in a position to buy a Cali in the first place. I guess I got so wrapped up in the order/spec process I forgot to look forward to all the things we intend to do with it!
Thanks for comments. Reassured ;)
 
Buyers Dilemma. I have never spent so much time considering options on a vehicle in my life and like you Anage was still contemplating changes right up to the second the dealer said its locked down and no further changes. I think he was getting p*?sed off with me.

DSG v Manual
4Motion v 2WD
Cloth v Alcantara
Silver awning v Black Awning
150 v 204
Pearl White v Standard White
Tow Bar Mount v VW Bike Rack
Davenports v Cascavel
Nav v App Connect

etc etc etc

The forum is an amazing source of information, but for every view there is an equally passionate opposite view and reading too much can be bad for your sanity. It was for mine. Enjoy the fact it is locked down, sanity can prevail and whatever turns up will be amazing. Enjoy.
 
DSG means a lower MPG
4motion means a lower MPG
So at least your combo is minimising the impact
I have a DSG but if I were specing 4motion then manual would be my preferred choice as I would be trying some offroad fun!
DSG off road works fine with Manual Mode, also has a form of anti-stall that allows you to creep forward even on a significant slope.
 
I'm now thinking if adding voice control is worth it :)
Though I've thrown in diff lock and upgraded to 204hp ;S
 
I don't think it makes too much of a difference in the Cali.

Similarly "specing" the original X5 without the optional auto box would have been a KOD come resale time. (As such auto only now as per Range Rovers / Discovery)
 
Justified or not, there is some controversy over the DSG. Therefore I would guess a large percentage of prospective buyers may prefer a manual gearbox. So I wouldn't worry about it; as I, having DSG, don't worry about the controversy. :D
 
I've got a manual 4 motion but bought a Touran with DSG. Thought I'd give it a try with the next Cali in mind. With that DSG delay I'll go manual every time! I wouldn't worry if I were you.
 
We've got DSG; its more than fine most of the time - sport mode sounds ridiculous on the Cali, but works well as soon as you get anywhere near a twisty mountain road - but I miss a manual whenever some low speed manoeuvring is needed, particularly on a hill. With a 4motion, I think I would want manual.

But like everyone says, as soon as you start using it, you just don't worry about those things. And if anything like us, you spend about 5 times as much time in it as you thought you would . . . it will be brilliant, I think just enjoy it.
 
We've got DSG; its more than fine most of the time - sport mode sounds ridiculous on the Cali, but works well as soon as you get anywhere near a twisty mountain road - but I miss a manual whenever some low speed manoeuvring is needed, particularly on a hill. With a 4motion, I think I would want manual.

But like everyone says, as soon as you start using it, you just don't worry about those things. And if anything like us, you spend about 5 times as much time in it as you thought you would . . . it will be brilliant, I think just enjoy it.
But you do have a Manual Mode on the DSG. Have you not read the Handbook?
 
Ouch!

Yep, certainly have read (an awful lot of, if not actually the complete) handbook. The Manual Mode is a pretty basic control, kind of difficult to miss really.

And yep, am no expert, but still think the throttle control with my DSG - even in Manual Mode - does not give quite as much control at very low speed as would a decent manual clutch. I notice it getting in and out of my garage - very tight with a slight incline - and e.g. on the rare occasions we end up putting it on levelling ramps.
 
Ouch!

Yep, certainly have read (an awful lot of, if not actually the complete) handbook. The Manual Mode is a pretty basic control, kind of difficult to miss really.

And yep, am no expert, but still think the throttle control with my DSG - even in Manual Mode - does not give quite as much control at very low speed as would a decent manual clutch. I notice it getting in and out of my garage - very tight with a slight incline - and e.g. on the rare occasions we end up putting it on levelling ramps.
Mine just creeps forward or backwards without accelerator in 1st or reverse. Where I park I have to make a right hand 90 degree turn up hill and don't have to touch the accelerator at all. But then I have had plenty of practice on my Defender.
 
Thanks, thats interesting - the degree of "creep" on mine very much depends on the steepness of the hill, hence what I'm on about. Suppose its not entirely fair to compare the Cali with my others cars; only got one other automatic though, but thats an Alpina with Switchtronic, and less that half the weight. As I say, not really a like for like comparison, but from memory the box on the old mercedes estate (it was stolen grrrrr) was a bit easier at low speeds, and nothing like as good as the Cali once you get above about 3 mph.

Quite like DSG for towing as well, and with the front drive and thinking about what I actually do with it - nothing at all challenging off road - would go for the same again. If I was going to use it differently, think I would go and enjoy some test drives of the options.

Cheers,

Mark
 
Thanks, thats interesting - the degree of "creep" on mine very much depends on the steepness of the hill, hence what I'm on about. Suppose its not entirely fair to compare the Cali with my others cars; only got one other automatic though, but thats an Alpina with Switchtronic, and less that half the weight. As I say, not really a like for like comparison, but from memory the box on the old mercedes estate (it was stolen grrrrr) was a bit easier at low speeds, and nothing like as good as the Cali once you get above about 3 mph.

Quite like DSG for towing as well, and with the front drive and thinking about what I actually do with it - nothing at all challenging off road - would go for the same again. If I was going to use it differently, think I would go and enjoy some test drives of the options.

Cheers,

Mark
Haven't managed to stall it yet. I think it has an element of "anti-stall" similar to the Defender but that would start in low gear on a 45degree slope and pull away without handbrake or accelerator. Put in low 1st, handbrake off, start.
 
Haven't managed to stall it yet. I think it has an element of "anti-stall" similar to the Defender but that would start in low gear on a 45degree slope and pull away without handbrake or accelerator. Put in low 1st, handbrake off, start.

...and go downhill at footspeed without thoutching the break or trotllepedal , at least the Td4 did...a had a Td5
 
Certainly no problems with my cali stalling . . . one less excuse to buy the defender I've always needed as well. Oh all right then, wanted.
 
Back
Top