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Thinking of Selling your California?

RetroRed5

RetroRed5

VIP Member
Messages
218
Location
West Yorkshire
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204 4Motion
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 ;)
 
If I recognise your profile pic correctly, your Cali was one of the highest specs and best looking Calis I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t understand why you had gone to so much effort (and expense!) on speccing and upgrading it to then sell it soon after. I’m glad you’ve decided to give it the use it deserves.
 
Yup, I think my Cali is the one you are thinking of; we went, shall we say, "bonkers" with the spec. Thus far, I've never seen a "factory" Cali quite so highly spec'd.

I agree on looks, it does look great :thumb
 
So glad you decided to keep it. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t use it last year. I didn’t use mine a lot either because of work.
You should be looking forward to using it for day trips, weekends, or full holidays because it gives you that flexibility and spontaneity.
 
Good afternoon,

The California camper van is so versatile. When we bought ours, I was fully aware that we won't be able to be out and about all the time (as we should for the price of the machine). But my train of thoughts back in November 2017 were:
  • use it as a daily drive (I love to drive the van)
    - daily, except recently because of the lock down
  • use it for day trips (after a walk or even a hike for tea and coffee, after swimming in the sea ((to warm up))
    - used it many times alone or with the family
  • for short breaks (just down to the west coast of Ireland at the weekend)
    - that, we should have done more often, still we went away a few times
  • for longer, full grown holidays
    - we did a road tour through Europe last year, which was fantastic
I don't believe that, for us, a bigger camper van or even a motor home would be suitable. Because I can see a few things not able to do with those vehicles. For that point I believe we get more out of the California.

We bought ours in November 2017, kind of unplanned. It was a demo model with a specification and price which was very difficult to say no. The only thing that I really miss(ed) is the DSG.

4 or 5 months ago I was so keen to just "upgrade" to the new Ocean T6.1, but I decided against it. The upgrade would have been simply too expensive and taking early retirement I am not sure now to invest so much money anymore. Especially in these times with the virus and the diesel engine.

So the plan is to keep the van as long as possible (at least as long as I can climb up into the seat). I am not unhappy with the diesel consumption, in Ireland car tax is cheap (at least for the moment), insurance is ok as well (all cheaper as for the VW Tiguan I had before). There is only 40,000 km on the clock and I hope to get at least 200,000 km out of it (If it is looked after well). In other words it could be that the California sees me out :).

I agree your comment if somebody made the decision to buy a California and is in doubt if they get "value" out of it, think it through before the decision is made to sell it.

Happy California,
Eberhard
 
@Eberhard , I agree for sure, the California is such a versatile machine but where I went wrong is I was forgetting this versatility; I'd convinced myself we'd bought this machine that you can sleep in and so we have to stay overnight in it whenever we take it out. Whenever we went on a day-trip (or just a drive), I'd say "let's go in your car Mrs, the Cali is meant for better things than just a day trip".

So by the time its first birthday came, it had literally never been used (except for the 1 night away) and a couple of short drives.

I'm going to do what you do, i.e. use it for all sorts (with the exception of a daily drive, the Mrs and I both have "normal" cars for pottering about).

In fact, I've used it a couple of times this past week, just to go for a drive, stop for a quick walkabout (for exercise) and a cuppa tea afterward - lovely!!

Happy Cali'ing!

Cheers,

Red.
 
I have to say I fell in love with your Cali when I saw it up for sale it’s stunning. I’m so glad to hear you are keeping it to enjoy I think the versatility of the vehicle allows for it to be enjoyed in so many different ways.
We bought ours in January and have managed just a couple of nights on the drive and a few day trips due to lockdown. We can’t wait to use it in anger so to speak.
 
When i saw it advertised, i thought that someone had won the lotto,

gone in and asked for the best that there is then after sobering up decided that
camping wasn't for them.
So the crazy offers could've been people thinking the same and chancing it.

Enjoy it :thumb and:welcome:welcome
 
We sometimes go to a campsite we know, which is only an hours drive away - spur of the moment, leave sat middle of day, bbq in a field, sit round the “burny bin”, a few drinks and a kip. Leisurely start on Sun and a pub lunch on the way home. It doesn’t have to be a “big weekend” or long trip in order to enjoy the Cali.


 
When i saw it advertised, i thought that someone had won the lotto,

gone in and asked for the best that there is then after sobering up decided that
camping wasn't for them.
So the crazy offers could've been people thinking the same and chancing it.

Enjoy it :thumb and:welcome:welcome
Lol :D I can see how it might of looked like that, and I suppose I can't knock the chancers for trying their luck; if you dont ask....as the saying goes ;)
 
So glad you decided to keep it. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t use it last year. I didn’t use mine a lot either because of work.
You should be looking forward to using it for day trips, weekends, or full holidays because it gives you that flexibility and spontaneity.
Thanks - oddly, its sort of reassuring to hear that sometimes other folks dont get chance to use their Cali's quite as much as they'd hoped and inspite of that they are still keeping them; its shows I'm not alone ;)
 
We sometimes go to a campsite we know, which is only an hours drive away - spur of the moment, leave sat middle of day, bbq in a field, sit round the “burny bin”, a few drinks and a kip. Leisurely start on Sun and a pub lunch on the way home. It doesn’t have to be a “big weekend” or long trip in order to enjoy the Cali.


That's it, spur of the moment, local'ish, bit of food and a cheeky pint, 24 hours start to finish, perfect!! Not every outing has to be a "big" one; I'm sure I can manage to fit in a bunch of these 24h adventures :thumb
 
Hello RetroRed5,

I thought it would be a "waste" to use the California just for "driving around". But thinking about it, in the genes of a California is a VW Transporter - a vehicle driven by hundreds of thousands delivery people, trades men (and woman), police, fire brigade etc.

This vehicle is designed for this. Even though the Ocean's kerb weight is 2.5 t, it does not use more diesel than my VW Tiguan from 2012 (using it in the same way).

So, I use it to drive to work (well not know I am retired), going shopping, etc. I believe it is better for the van to be used than standing in the driveway. After a long day of work I enjoyed to drive home and was looking forward to it (not only to go home, but the drive).

The difference I see with the camper and a car is that it does take more maintenance work to ensure the van stays in good shape.

I have manual gears, so I can only imagine how beautiful it must be to drive the California with DSG (and maybe with the bigger engine). I would prefer this any time in comparison to a sports car or limousine.

Happy California,
Eberhard
 
Lovely camper - I went for virtually identical spec to yours minus the electric sliding door and (I think) you specced electronic diff.
I’m still waiting to get those alloys though lol.
I use mine for work as well as said on forum they are made to be used.
Glad your keeping yours :thumb
 
In my humble opinion that's the best colour combination for a Cali and the chrome pack looks great against the red.

We had a Cali in the same colours camp near us on Lake Como last year which I have to admit looked fantastic. They remind me of my grandfathers Triumph Herald 12/50 in the same colours which I restored best part of 25 years ago.

Glad you decided to keep your van, I had been toying with selling ours as it didn't get used as much as I had wanted since we took delivery last September but the weather was so wet we only got one weekend away in it after our Italian trip.

I do however use it as a place for stealth sitting when I want some peace and quiet. I am hoping it will get lots of use when we are free to roam again and you have plenty on your doorstep looking at your location.

Enjoy your wanderings whether they be near or far.:thumb:cool:
 
Hello RetroRed5,

I thought it would be a "waste" to use the California just for "driving around". But thinking about it, in the genes of a California is a VW Transporter - a vehicle driven by hundreds of thousands delivery people, trades men (and woman), police, fire brigade etc.

This vehicle is designed for this. Even though the Ocean's kerb weight is 2.5 t, it does not use more diesel than my VW Tiguan from 2012 (using it in the same way).

So, I use it to drive to work (well not know I am retired), going shopping, etc. I believe it is better for the van to be used than standing in the driveway. After a long day of work I enjoyed to drive home and was looking forward to it (not only to go home, but the drive).

The difference I see with the camper and a car is that it does take more maintenance work to ensure the van stays in good shape.

I have manual gears, so I can only imagine how beautiful it must be to drive the California with DSG (and maybe with the bigger engine). I would prefer this any time in comparison to a sports car or limousine.

Happy California,
Eberhard
You are absolutely right; the Cali is a great machine to drive, I love it; with DSG and 199PS, it's like a nice big GT with a bit of punch when you need it :thumb

We've been out in the Cali today for a drive/walk; previously, we would have normally gone in the Mrs Disco Sport but the Cali is far better for this sort of thing in my opinion. Once we got parked up, jumped in the back, table up and had a bite to eat with a cuppa - lovely ;)
 
Lovely camper - I went for virtually identical spec to yours minus the electric sliding door and (I think) you specced electronic diff.
I’m still waiting to get those alloys though lol.
I use mine for work as well as said on forum they are made to be used.
Glad your keeping yours :thumb
Ah yes, I do seem to remember you from when I was posting my spec before I took delivery, your's was very similar to mine - nice :thumb
 
In my humble opinion that's the best colour combination for a Cali and the chrome pack looks great against the red.

We had a Cali in the same colours camp near us on Lake Como last year which I have to admit looked fantastic. They remind me of my grandfathers Triumph Herald 12/50 in the same colours which I restored best part of 25 years ago.

Glad you decided to keep your van, I had been toying with selling ours as it didn't get used as much as I had wanted since we took delivery last September but the weather was so wet we only got one weekend away in it after our Italian trip.

I do however use it as a place for stealth sitting when I want some peace and quiet. I am hoping it will get lots of use when we are free to roam again and you have plenty on your doorstep looking at your location.

Enjoy your wanderings whether they be near or far.:thumb:cool:
Thanks :thumb White over red might not be to everybody's taste but for me, it's the best colour combo for sure.

And, it will only become rarer now since VW doesn't offer the Cali in this combo anymore (well they don't in the UK at least).

"Stealth sitting", hehe, I like it!

Happy Cali'ing ;)
 
Glad you enjoyed your day. Day trips last longer in a Cali, we used to head off home with the rest, now we put the kettle on, watch the sunset and are always the last to leave
 
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.

Come on then what did Gary say :D
 
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Lovely cali Definitely stands out
 
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