VW California spotted in USA

[California4x4]

I spotted a rare beast at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff Arizona at the weekend.

It has a club sticker on it - anyone on here?

 

[larrylamb]

Looks right hand drive, ex UK.

 

[MattBW]

It's even got a bellows bungee

 

[Amarillo]

There was a conversation here with people wanting to ship to the US.

 

[Hotel California]

Club sticker all the way in the far west....very nice spotted !

 

[California4x4]

Looks right hand drive, ex UK.

Oh it’s right hand drive

That has to be the best warning ever....

 

[California4x4]

I would love to take my California to the USA and do the Pan America Highway from Alaska to Argentina. It’s not off the cards

 

[California4x4]

Looks right hand drive, ex UK.

You can’t import the T5 or T6 into the USA. It has to be exported after 12 months.

 

[AlanC]

I would love to take my California to the USA and do the Pan America Highway from Alaska to Argentina. It’s not off the cards

FlyingQ did it back in 2013. It was a brilliant thread to follow. It Inspired us...not that we have done anything as bold as that ...yet!
Pan-American Highway

Alan

 

[larrylamb]

Oh it’s right hand drive
View attachment 45219
That has to be the best warning ever....

Ha, never noticed that on the original photo.

 

[California4x4]

FlyingQ did it back in 2013. It was a brilliant thread to follow. It Inspired us...not that we have done anything as bold as that ...yet!
Pan-American Highway

Alan

Thank you.

 

[jts46]

Pre facelift T5 , good solid 2.5, five pot engine

 

[Ting Tong]

FlyingQ did it back in 2013. It was a brilliant thread to follow. It Inspired us...not that we have done anything as bold as that ...yet!
Pan-American Highway

Alan

Shame his blog link doesn’t appear to work as I would have liked to read that.

 

[AlanC]

It appears that the site that hosted FlyingQ's blog, TravelPod, closed down in 2017.
I have no idea if they moved their blog to another blog site before the closure, or indeed if Manuel and Jill are still members of this forum.

Martin may be able to help here.

Alan

 

[2009California]

It has its cool chairs and table out as well.

 

[Shaun0008]

I spotted a rare beast at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff Arizona at the weekend.

It has a club sticker on it anone here?

Hello, this is my van I live in San Francisco and drove it to the Overland Expo show for the weekend. I bought it about a year and year-and-a-half ago.It came witha damaged motor. I bought it from the seller who's friend brought it over from New Zealand on a tourist visa in 2012. After the motor seized he left the van with the friend who then sold it on his behalf. It is now legally registered in Montana and I believe it to be the only T5 California licenced in the United States.

 

[California4x4]

Hello, this is my van I live in San Francisco and drove it to the Overland Expo show for the weekend. I bought it about a year and year-and-a-half ago.It came witha damaged motor. I bought it from the seller who's friend brought it over from New Zealand on a tourist visa in 2012. After the motor seized he left the van with the friend who then sold it on his behalf. It is now legally registered in Montana and I believe it to be the only T5 California licenced in the United States.

That’s an amazing story and history. What motor does it have now?

 

[2009California]

That’s an amazing story and history. What motor does it have now?

The van still has the original 5 pot AXE Diesel. It was seized from the oil turning to sludge. You could not turn it. The pistons had to be beat out of the bores.
There was no damage to any of the journals. The galleys were cleaned out and bearings and rings replaced as well as a turbo rebuild and of course all the sensors were replaced.
I have the van now on a week long trip, this is my second trip with this van. If these were available in the states I’d Own one.
It still has some small issues. The controller for the top is inop, we think there is a bad wire or lack of signal input. We have by passed it and mounted a remote switch to operate the top.
For the most part it goes by unnoticed. When people realize what it us, they want to know how to get on of their own.

 

[DOUG MILNE]

I would love to take my California to the USA and do the Pan America Highway from Alaska to Argentina. It’s not off the cards

Hello there. We live in New Zealand. My wife & I worked in GB for 2 years 1999-2001. Bought a RH Drive VW Autosleeper Trident, which was a high top 2.5 diesel, short wheel base. WE ran an upmarket 5 star B&B in Bath for approx. 14 months then professionally house sat for a British firm for another 6 months. We then travelled around a bit of Europe of which we had done years before. Travelled through out Ireland. Then we shipped the Camper to Canada & did 35,000 miles around Canada, Alaska, & USA. We then shipped it to Australia, where we worked as a golf professional at a golf club for approx. 14 months then did 35,000 miles around Ozzie. We then shipped it back to NZ. Have our 3rd California now. Shipped it roll on roll off to Canada. Crooks on wharf went through it well. Shipped it in a container to oz from Canada & the same from oz to NZ. We loved it. In our late 50:s then. Go for it. Neat & got some weird stares rh drive in Canada & USA. Insurance was not easy. KOA campgrounds fantastic with some free camping.

 

[smilingit]

Thanks Doug for the inspiration Can you tell us a bit more of the shipping from Europe to Canada - ports, costs, times and things to be aware of. I heard that you can be max 1 year in US with a foreign vehicle... will it reset if you enter Canada/Mexico?

How did you sort your insurance?

 

[DOUG MILNE]

Thanks Doug for the inspiration mericans, ut Can you tell us a bit more of the shipping from Europe to Canada - ports, costs, times and things to be aware of. I heard that you can be max 1 year in US with a foreign vehicle... will it reset if you enter Canada/Mexico?

How did you sort your insurance?

Sorry it was so long ago but we think it was Portsmouth, or Southhampton. The warfies stole our very expensive cd kenwood stereo radio. CB radio & rifeled through everything. We trusted them when we said should we photograph everything, they said no need to. It arrived in Nova Scotia Canada. After that we shipped by container instead of roll on roll off. Shipped it from Vancouver port to Sydney, Ozzie poties were bloody useless & took ages to release the vehicle. We also had to secure a Carne from the BNZ here in NZ to allow it in to ozzie. They are very stict with vehicles being brought in to oz. Insurance was not easy in Canada or OZ. A hell of a lot of homework & perserverence. Can not remember the costs or the companies involved. All paper work gone. A hell of a lot of work but we loved it & it was the only way we could afford it at the time some 19 years ago, Unreal journey. If I was going to do it again I think we would buy & sell in each country, Obviously the rules for all of these countries would also have changed by now. Things could have eased up greatly since movanning is so popular world wide. Check with the department of each country, chck out different shipping & insurance companies. We look back & quite often can not believe our stats, 85,000 miles, not one flat tyre, no tickest, no accidents, no breakdowns. Just a lot of weird looks & questions from North Americans, & we met some fantastic people & saw a lot of country. Sorry we can not be of any statistical help.