Thinking of Selling your California?

[wilde1]

You definitely made the right decision not to sell, I had a fantastic t5.1 great spec and colour and super memories, i sold it to buy a great white!!! What a mistake, a couple of days later it hit me and it was like loosing a loved one so I went out and bought a t6, financially and emotionally it hit me, 2 years on it still pains me to think I let it go, these are more than just a van, love the van we have now but still miss our Florence (Cali). Good on you for not selling it you won't regret the decision you made, trust me

 

[dave6779]

Love your van!
We bought a second hand one on here a year ago and it’s the best thing we ever did. Daily driver (dsg and the 204ps is just amazing to drive), day tripper, weekender, lock down office, you name it, it’s got it.

Where did you get your wheels? They’re lovely! What size?

 

[Perfectos]

I’m glad your Heart won over your head.

I regretted getting rid of my t5 caravelle weeks after selling it, in fact I didn’t really want to sell it, family came along and the OH didn’t want to drive it so much as she used to due to various reasons, these vans have a way of ruling our hearts, It took me years to replace it, with a 5.1, the OH must have been fed up with me saying, “ I wish we still had the van” at numerous occasions over many years.
When we decided to buy the T6 the OH fully understood the serious financial commitment, but was fully behind the decision, particularly due to the regrettable loss of our T5 had imparted.

You are only here once, get out and enjoy in whatever format that is whether driving to the shops or camping, the smile on your face it what it’s all about.

I’m glad sense has prevailed for you, sense is not always a head decision !

 

[Anthony1]

We purchased our Cali from new last year (Jan '19); in the 12 months that followed, we hardly got chance to use it (in fact we only used it for 1 night away last September).

At the start of this year, I decided that as much as it pains me, I have to sell it because it's a shame to have such an awesome machine just sitting idle

I used the Classified's on here as well as AutoTrader; I got a LOT of calls and some crazily low offers but I did have one or two reasonable offers (albeit still too low to accept); one deal did get very close but, when push came to shove, I found myself reconsidering my decision to sell.

I'm not sure if it is the current situation that's made me realize life is too short or whether it's just down to my wanting a Cali for so long but in the end, I decided not to sell. I've worked hard to finally get a Cali and so who cares if during it's first year with us we didn't get to use it much; my passion for the Cali has returned and we are going to try that bit harder to get out in it once the world is back to some sort of normality.

Our original plan when we first purchased the Cali was that we would try to get away at least 1 weekend in every month but it just didn't pan out (business was just too busy) but my better half made a good point too that helped me decide to keep it and that was that as well as using it as a means of staying overnight somewhere, we should also make use of it as a day-tripper; no better vehicle for a nice day out; nice wander/hike somewhere, back to the Cali for a lovely cuppa tea and a bacon sandwich

So that's our plan, as and when we can get away for a few days we will, but in the interim, we will use it for any and all day-trips (rather than using our daily drives).

Actually, another factor that helped me realize my decision to sell was a mistake, were some of the conversations I had with prospective buyers who called me for a chat about my Cali; one in particular (Garry), who is a very nice chap, said one or two things that really made me pause for thought.

Anyway, a bit of a rant I know and perhaps off-topic for a "Buying a Cali" post, but my point here is, don't be too hasty to sell; think long and hard about it before finally committing to parting company with your beloved Cali. Had I got a reasonable offer just after placing my first ad, I would have sold, but now I know for sure that I would have regretted it, big time.

Cheers

Understand completely. I am on my third California, previous models sold because of the looking at an expenive vehicle sitting on the drive doing nothing.

I recently purchaseda Citroen Relay, with all electrics and insulation work done. During lockdown I built a bed, cupboard, seat etc. Still waiting for my pro built kitchen. But the driving is a lot rougher, my Cali is a DSG 4 motion. I have decided to keep the Cali (I really can't bear to part with it), use the Citroen for long trips (3 - 5+ weeks) and the Calif for days out and short stop overs. I also have another car I can't bear to sell, a convertible. The insurance/tax/Mots/ servicing on all these cars is killing me though.

 

[RetroRed5]

I’m glad your Heart won over your head.

I regretted getting rid of my t5 caravelle weeks after selling it, in fact I didn’t really want to sell it, family came along and the OH didn’t want to drive it so much as she used to due to various reasons, these vans have a way of ruling our hearts, It took me years to replace it, with a 5.1, the OH must have been fed up with me saying, “ I wish we still had the van” at numerous occasions over many years.
When we decided to buy the T6 the OH fully understood the serious financial commitment, but was fully behind the decision, particularly due to the regrettable loss of our T5 had imparted.

You are only here once, get out and enjoy in whatever format that is whether driving to the shops or camping, the smile on your face it what it’s all about.

I’m glad sense has prevailed for you, sense is not always a head decision !

Indeed, it was my head telling me to sell, when in fact all along, my heart was sulking in the corner; in the end, my head lost; choosing to keep it was the right decision for sure; I'm so pleased I didn't let it go.

Glad to hear that after letting your T5 go, you came back with a T6

Obviously, given the current situation, we've not had chance to go away in the Cali just yet but since deciding to keep it, we've been out in it many times already, the trusty drive/walk/cuppa combo

 

[RetroRed5]

Love your van!
We bought a second hand one on here a year ago and it’s the best thing we ever did. Daily driver (dsg and the 204ps is just amazing to drive), day tripper, weekender, lock down office, you name it, it’s got it.

Where did you get your wheels? They’re lovely! What size?

Thank you

I agree with you on the drive; for a "van", they drive very nicely; our's is the 199 PS DSG 4MOTION, and it is very comfortable and it's got a bit of punch when needed. Plus, for me, they are just such a nice place to be when behind the wheel, I love it.

They are nice wheels, they work especially well on the two-tone Cali's; they have a sort of retro feel about them; perhaps not to everyone's taste but personally, they are my favorite of all the Cali wheels.

The wheels are 18" and they are from VW. In the UK, these wheels were not available as a factory option but we were able to buy them directly from VW (via the dealer) and they were shipped over to the dealership on the day my dealer got my Cali; they swapped out the standard wheels for these before we picked it up.

 

[RetroRed5]

Understand completely. I am on my third California, previous models sold because of the looking at an expenive vehicle sitting on the drive doing nothing.

I recently purchaseda Citroen Relay, with all electrics and insulation work done. During lockdown I built a bed, cupboard, seat etc. Still waiting for my pro built kitchen. But the driving is a lot rougher, my Cali is a DSG 4 motion. I have decided to keep the Cali (I really can't bear to part with it), use the Citroen for long trips (3 - 5+ weeks) and the Calif for days out and short stop overs. I also have another car I can't bear to sell, a convertible. The insurance/tax/Mots/ servicing on all these cars is killing me though.

Quite a collection - nice

Yup, I can imagine that keeping your little fleet running ain't so easy on the wallet!!

Last year, I had an old-ish car that I thought I'd never part with (a mint, 1 previous owner 1989 Ford Escort RS Turbo); it was obviously just a plaything and so 95% of its life all I did was just look at it and tinker a bit with the odd dry-day drive here and there. I struggled for months before I finally decided that it's time for it to go to a new home; I can honestly say that my dilemma with the Cali was even harder than it was with that old dear (obviously much harder because I've decided to keep the Cali).

 

[RetroRed5]

You definitely made the right decision not to sell, I had a fantastic t5.1 great spec and colour and super memories, i sold it to buy a great white!!! What a mistake, a couple of days later it hit me and it was like loosing a loved one so I went out and bought a t6, financially and emotionally it hit me, 2 years on it still pains me to think I let it go, these are more than just a van, love the van we have now but still miss our Florence (Cali). Good on you for not selling it you won't regret the decision you made, trust me

I feel for those that have been through the "I've got to sell because of XYZ" and then actually gone on to sell their Cali's, albeit reluctantly; seller's remorse is just as bad as buyer's remorse!

When you got the T6, did you keep the Great White or did you let that go? If not, you would have had both buyer's and seller's remorse at the same time - ouch

 

[LowMan]

@RetroRed5 That's a beautiful van. Really glad you had a change of heart and decided to keep it. Hope you get the chance to get plenty of enjoyment out of it in the near future. Best wishes x

 

[GSX1300R]

When you make choices its based on Price and available time. Nobody can say if a VW camper van is worth paying 75k for but it you want one badly enough AND you have the available cash to buy it then why not. As far as time, Im retired and like EVERYONE over the past 3 months NOBODY has been able to use their Camper so regardless of if retired or in employment and furloughed we havent even had the opportunity of even driving it down the road. I imagine 90% are on SORN anyway.
We are booked to go Harwich to the Hook on the 3rd Sept then back Santander at the end of Sept and even that
far away we have no idea whats happening. We live in Wales and the lockdown has been far more strict than in England where you can take trips out with your sick wife and small children to test your eyesight.

How long is a piece of string. Who knows what will be happening in a Month, 2-3-4 months.
Hopefully Things will change for the better very soon.

 

[Rogerstone]

Totally agree with the sentiments above!
We had a 5.1 and changed to a big white, what a mistake.Swapped it for a lovely T6 and couldn't have been happier.
Unfortunately it was stolen after only 6 weeks

 

[flying banana]

When you make choices its based on Price and available time. Nobody can say if a VW camper van is worth paying 75k for but it you want one badly enough AND you have the available cash to buy it then why not. As far as time, Im retired and like EVERYONE over the past 3 months NOBODY has been able to use their Camper so regardless of if retired or in employment and furloughed we havent even had the opportunity of even driving it down the road. I imagine 90% are on SORN anyway.
We are booked to go Harwich to the Hook on the 3rd Sept then back Santander at the end of Sept and even that
far away we have no idea whats happening. We live in Wales and the lockdown has been far more strict than in England where you can take trips out with your sick wife and small children to test your eyesight.

How long is a piece of string. Who knows what will be happening in a Month, 2-3-4 months.
Hopefully Things will change for the better very soon.

heres one of those posts that tries to swerve an innocent thread into a political argument.

 

[Rogerstone]

Sorry for the break in transmission, we have a new puppy and her needs override all else!
After T6 was stolen we have had to rethink but still the best option is another Cali,
they just can't be bettered.
Just biding time

 

[blakeley]

Quite a few cheap Cali's in the classifieds on here, two of which are possibly too cheap.