Westfalia Club Joker on sale in UK

[Hubert]

Mentioned on this forum before that Roy Wood T r a n s i t s sold the Westfalia van conversions on the Ford.
I enquired on their stand at the NEC last October if they planned to sell the VW conversion. As it happened they were actually discussing that possibility at that very moment on their stand.
Read in Which Motorhome that they have now in fact got dealership for the VWs and other base vehicle conversions. Non VW by special order.

Not to everyones taste but the Wesfalia Club Joker does offer full toilet facilities with an interesting layout.

Hubert

 

[2into1]

Thanks for spotting that. Its the newer version of my van. Suits me perfectly but I know the extra length and height are not for everyone.

Hope he does well on them.

 

[choplee]

Westfalia do make quality ,practical campervans in whatever disguise the base model is ....the VW California just sits in a different category .. I'm not saying better or worse ,but its a VW T5 California campervan and its the only one VW have ever built themselves as a production vehicle ,so it spreads the options out to home brews ,company conversions (westy ,bilbos,Vantastic..etc) and then Manufacturer built ...
All have their good and bad points and a have their own followings in clubs,forums,prices and custom specs which keeps them a different and in demand from different owners ....
It is good to see westfalia back on a vw base van again ...

 

[James]

I think one point to make and it's a subtle but important one, VW never set to find the ultimate layout or the most practical camper layout.

The aim was to build an in house conversion. This is what males the California almost unique (Mercedes Marco Polo aside)

If you want a practical camper then there other conversions that are taller longer etc.... But they are not a VW California.

It might not seem like a big point to the seasoned camper who values practicality and layout above all else but most Cali owners here will talk of the joy of owning a VW in house camper.

T4 westy's are great and I too am very pleased to see a westy T5 but I can still see the appeal of the full California, it is a special vehicle with a massive appeal

 

[pabloalfa76]

I think the Westfalia Club Joker is a great looking van, inside and out.posting.php?mode=reply&f=5&t=3394#
In about 20 years time, it will just about be coming down into my price bracket! I'll keep an eye out for one.

 

[choplee]

I think the Club Joker is a great looking van, inside and out.http://www.vwcaliforniaclub.com/forum/p ... =5&t=3394#
In about 20 years time, it will just about be coming down into my price bracket! I'll keep an eye out for one.

So you wouldn't be interested in going for a VW California when they come down to your price bracket ... :?: :?: :?: ...or are you looking at staying a Westfalia guy :?: :?: :?:

 

[James]

Maybe there should be a Westy section on the forum for the T25 and T4 Calis. I didn't know Westy made some variations

James

 

[pabloalfa76]

I think the Club Joker is a great looking van, inside and out.posting.php?mode=reply&f=5&t=3394#
In about 20 years time, it will just about be coming down into my price bracket! I'll keep an eye out for one.

So you wouldn't be interested in going for a VW California when they come down to your price bracket ... :?: :?: :?: ...or are you looking at staying a Westfalia guy :?: :?: :?:

Well possibly?, I love the look of the T5 cali and I'm sure they drive way better than an old T4.
I'll have a good look around at Cali's on the farm. Anyway, It's not me that would need convincing, I live in a democracy, so she tells me!

 

[Gary&Heather]

Well possibly?, I love the look of the T5 cali and I'm sure they drive way better than an old T4.
I'll have a good look around at Cali's on the farm. Anyway, It's not me that would need convincing, I live in a democracy, so she tells me![/quote]

I love a democracy. :laugh2

 

[choplee]

Maybe there should be a Westy section on the forum for the T25 and T4 Calis. I didn't know Westy made some variations

James

i'm really surprised to be honest and i thought the westfalia's had a big following ,but i can't find a westfalia forum in the UK ...and it could be split into two...air & water -cooled if they could live side by side :lol: ....
Joking aside this does surprise me no-one has done it ,as i know alot of the smaller converters of vans have forums and have shorter history

 

[2into1]

There is some more detail of pricing etc on autotrader:
http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/...reading-mfpa-8aa11af33cd969c2013ced72672d3785

Over £52K in the 84hp / steel wheel guise is quite a stretch. Makes me feel better about my 102hp!
Interestingly is shows that RHD is available to order.

One detail I don't like, and have only noticed on these new 'non professional' images, is the way the high top has to stop short of the tailgate. It just shows the trouble they went to with the (my) T4 Exclusive with a custom made (non lifting) 'tailgate'.

Overall I'm not too impressed with 'Roy Wood Transits' efforts so far and hope Westfalia have chosen a good partner. The vehicle is quite a specialised / niche sale and their effort on their website is one photo which links to Westfalia in Germany. Westy have a huge heritage and the van has some USP's vs every other new VW available, but there is little sign they are going to exploit this.

 

[James]

I can't say I like it but I realise its big and therefore has tons of space and I understand its aimed at perhaps a different market to the Cali.

The problem is price, it seems expensive, and the base vehicle is woeful in terms of power and spec. I realise this might not matter to most owners who just want a big and clever conversion.

Interestingly if you had a LHD Cali you'd have a very different vehicle. To me the Westy and Cali are aimed at two different markets.

 

[TwentyOneThirtyFive]

That roof does look very wrong.

Inside looks fantastic, great use of the space.

I'm a bit concerned that the downstairs bed seems to use the space over the drivers seat on the LHD model. We always keep the driver's seat clear and ready to go when we are camped somewhere that is not a campsite, so I wouldn't consider that ideal.

Still, great to see Westfalia back working with VWs again, hopefully this model will evolve as they find their VW feet again.

dan

 

[James]

To me the Westy is a motorhome and the Cali is a camper.

I think there is a difference

James

 

[Dibz]

To me the Westy is a motorhome and the Cali is a camper.

I think there is a difference

James

Totally agree. I like the subtle distinction made in this comparison, and it is the one I use when explaining the Cali to people.

 

[choplee]

I couldn't have said it better myself James .. The westy joker is a motorhome and the Cali is a vw campervan and aimed at different clients in the market place ..

 

[2into1]

What is this distinction that has allowed you all to agree? What are the characteristics that define the labels (camper vs. Motorhome) you are using?

I've had pop tops and now a Westy 'motorhome'. To me, I get a much more practical layout....someone can cook, whilst another sits at the table, whilst another uses the loo (maybe just to get dressed). Try that in a conventional layout! This ability to act independently of each other on a wet day makes the whole camping deal acceptable to me, where as in my old Reimo pop top, it wasn't. My van still fits down the side of my house whereas anything bigger won't. I use the 'motorhome' just as much as I used the pop-top. I found neither particularly great as an everyday vehicle (although this may be a T4 thing).

Its a foot longer (LWB) and won't fit under car park barriers. It catches the side winds a bit more. All of those are worthwhile trades for me.

The other big differences? It doesn't look cool. I wonder if that's the distinction trying to be made here?
Campervan=Cool,
Motorhome=Not Cool?
Smurf looking hard top = Not cool, therefore its a motorhome? (It's OK, I know it doesn't look cool; I'm just past the age of caring!).

If I get to the next meet (I'm booked but have a very ill parent) it will be interesting to see what some spouses think of the trade off!

 

[James]

In VW terms a camper is simply an in house vehicle that takes a standard transporter and turns it into a vehicle you can go away in.

The term camper is a word tied into the past and that is all VW wants to and needs to tap into along with the perception of VW quality.

A motorhome is a different vehicle entirely, hence why Westy have took a LWB transporter, turned the top into a box giving massives of room.

This goes back to an earlier posts int he thread, you have to understand what VW's goals are with the California, whether you buy into the nostalgia, the perceived quality is one thing but VW were never aiming to build a motor home or even build something that found as much space as possible within the van.

Those are not the sole values or attributes that the T5 California is sold on. If you want masses of space that can be got from a number of convertors and conversion companies.

When Choplee said in his post, 'it's not a VW Campervan', that is the point, that is exactly what VW want to capture. To many people owning a VW campervan is something special. I could have got any van and turned into a dayvan or weekender but I wanted to own a VW Campervan.

Have you seen the Carry on Camping pic in some dealers? There is a California and a Splittie and it plays on the campers of old with the joy of the new etc etc.

It sums up exactly what VW want to achieve.

James

 

[Dibz]

For me the distinction is about as simple as:

Campervan = "camping in a van" I.e. sleep, sit, cook, change but no wash/loo facility, like a tent but all self contained in the 'van.

Motorhome = all the elements you would want from a home that you can drive around. Full kitchen, loo, shower, bed, seating etc.

The distinction is close to loo / no loo but not quite just that, it is having more dedicated spaces/zones for the various core elements of kitchen, washroom, seating area and bed.

On balance I feel the Cali is one of the best examples of a campervan.

The Westy club joker looks like an excellent "compact" motorhome. The layout looks genius. I was looking at 5.4m and 6m Ducato based conversions for a while but I think I would have been more tempted by the Westy at that time. In the end they weren't suitable for me as I needed a daily driver.

 

[2into1]

Well I certainly agree the Cali is the best of it's type. I've argued that on here. I'm just reflecting on my own hopes from my Reimo pop-top which were frustrated when I came to use it.
Being 6'4" and not very flexible may have been part of the problem, but I could wind myself up in that space ON MY OWN. I didn't need my family!

I wonder if the many Cali's that are sold after 6 months are from owners that felt the same? Clearly the best advice to is hire (to try) before you buy.

I also wonder if things have moved on. The 'camping' comparison is useful, as when the first VW campervans appeared 50 years ago, folks were camping in very simple and small tents. Look at how tents have grown recently. The quality of build and driving experience of campervans has seen a similar improvement, as too have some aspects of the camping experience they offer (compare the Cali roof bed with an early example. BUT, the rest of the experience (being cramped together in a single space on a wet Sunday) hasn't changed that much.

My layout, and that of the Joker targeted in this thread, offer so much more in this aspect, and allow us to share in the quality of build, Westy history, and VW van base. For that reason, I'll keep sticking up for them.

 

[James]

Well I certainly agree the Cali is the best of it's type. I've argued that on here. I'm just reflecting on my own hopes from my Reimo pop-top which were frustrated when I came to use it.
Being 6'4" and not very flexible may have been part of the problem, but I could wind myself up in that space ON MY OWN. I didn't need my family!

I wonder if the many Cali's that are sold after 6 months are from owners that felt the same? Clearly the best advice to is hire (to try) before you buy.

I also wonder if things have moved on. The 'camping' comparison is useful, as when the first VW campervans appeared 50 years ago, folks were camping in very simple and small tents. Look at how tents have grown recently. The quality of build and driving experience of campervans has seen a similar improvement, as too have some aspects of the camping experience they offer (compare the Cali roof bed with an early example. BUT, the rest of the experience (being cramped together in a single space on a wet Sunday) hasn't changed that much.

My layout, and that of the Joker targeted in this thread, offer so much more in this aspect, and allow us to share in the quality of build, Westy history, and VW van base. For that reason, I'll keep sticking up for them.

Of course, the layout of your van or any with a raised roof or extended roof will offer more practicality.

I'm quite happy with what can be loosely termed a weekender or day van, the Beach is fine for me and VW started Multivans in the mind 1980's for just that purpose.

I don't think it is a case of one or the other, perhaps to some UK drivers it feels like that, I am glad Westy are building conversions again and glad that other companies continue to convert. I am sure there are people who buy a Cali and think, yep, I should have gone for a larger motorhome type vehicle, equally there are some on here who have done that moved to the Cali.

James

 

[Hubert]

I posted this thread originally because in my opinion I don't think there would now be a VW California without Westfalia. I have an open mind on all conversions, some have good points, some have bad points. Having numerous conversions on the market can only be good in developing the campervan further. David Eccles wouldn't have been able to produce such a good book on the various conversions throughout the recent decades without them. The book is an interesting read to see how converters have utilised the confined space. The Club Joker is just another example of providing what some people might desire from a campervan after all the California is not to everyones taste, it's obviously the best for me because I am on my second.
The Club Joker is hardly enormous to warranrt calling it a motorhome.

I wonder if the many Cali's that are sold after 6 months are from owners that felt the same? Clearly the best advice to is hire (to try) before you buy.

.

I agree with the whole post from Wilupo7 above but am more concerned with the specific quote.
There are an increasing number of nearly new Californias coming onto the market, including pre-registereds, This is bound to affect future residuals.
My dealer in 2009 would only stock one for display and order for customer's specific. He now orders Californias for stock and onward sale.

Having said all that I am looking forward to spring and getting away in the Cali.

Hubert

PS what's with all this 'Elite Member' , 'Junior Member' . I understand the VIP as someone who has paid but are we getting snobbish as a club shouldn't everyone be called a Member.

 

[Dibz]

PS what's with all this 'Elite Member' , 'Junior Member' . I understand the VIP as someone who has paid but are we getting snobbish as a club shouldn't everyone be called a Member.

They are usually just labels set by the forum based on the number of posts someone has made.
Newbie < 20
Junior < 100
And so on

 

[redstar]

I have toured in all sorts of VW 'camper' and apparently now 'motor home'.
From home brews, to karmann gypsy's, devons et al... and now my exclusive.

I cannot say they are ugly, they are unusual yes, but ugly no.
Practical? yes... but only if you wish to use one for camping / touring in relative
comfort. I have no desire to keep moving 'stuff' around the van to allow me to use
that space.

Bit babbly I know but just a few thoughts.

My van is a VW Westfalia California Exclusive, not just a westy; it says CALIFORNIA
on it.

Cant really see the eliteist views from poptop owners on here thinking that there
van is in someway superiour..... I honestly thought that given average ages of owners
here that playground 'banter' would be a minimal and advice given to all comers.....

If you dont want, or like the 'poorer element', say so.

 

[calikev]

Some interesting points being made here I bought my Cali because of the ability to take it into town and under barriers. I agree that a high top has its benefits and makes more room