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This was paisted from a VW California forum and being a Cali owner makes interesting reading. It was prompted by a visit to the NEC and an absence of the California at the show........................
I agree - the show this year was poor, either desperate caravan stands trying to unload last year's left over’s on finance, overpriced big motorhomes (Niesmann and Bischoff/Burstner/IH etc) seriously affected by the £/Euro rate, or shoddy VW conversions. I hope no-one takes offence at this comment but why on earth would anyone buy a B+Q/Homebase conversion for mid £30k's when a California starts at £37 ish ?. As someone whose whole life at the moment is affected by the exchange rate being in the 1.06 territory with no prospect of recovery buying a California at anything discounted or near to the price of the last year or so has to be the bargain of the century. VW must be blowing their brains out and making a loss on any California they sell, in which case for us owners the less they sell the better. It will help to support the values of those that are already in the UK, and the new model while being a bit kinder on CO2 is not a 5 cylinder 174 (if it's the 4 cylinder Audi engine I think it is it'll be like a tractor compared to the 5 pot). Is it surprising they aren't promoting it ? Not at all. It wouldn't surprise me if the new 5.2 California is actually not imported to the UK, the maths don't work. I also don't believe any converters are going to be able to make the numbers stack on importing the Kombi base.....suspect many of the VW conversions on the new van will be £40k plus in the New Year.
There should be some comfort for us current owners that when we bought it was a rare product but we bought into a very very exclusive club, just ran back my old spreadsheet from when we bought ours at 1.4 Euro to £ and at the current exchange rate it would be a mind altering £49,588 !!!!! At the time I couldn't reconcile that a Caravelle 174 was only £4000 less than a California, so either they were making a fortune on Velles or we have all had a result !
Anyone out there who would pay £50k to replace their Cali please put your hand up ? !! - Or shall we just stick with (what could be) the collectors items that we have already !? Allegedly there are under 500 RHD Californias in the UK, if the Euro goes 1=1 with the pound there might not be many more......at that rate a new 180 with a few toys could well be £52,500 - would you ?
Apart from funding the cost the California is probably one of the slowest depreciating vehicles you can buy, so the less that VW sell moving forward the better for all of us.....
I thank you..
After that rant I need to put the heater on, it's freezin - Monday night in a California ? No not on holiday regrettably....
Interesting point of view. One could be forgiven for thinking there may be a bit of snobbery at work here Personally I can't understand why anybody would pay £37k plus for a California (£40k for a decent spec)when a perfectly good conversion with a matching spec done by a reputable company can be had for almost half that! £37k plus for a converted delivery van is ludicrous if you ask me
Granted, the California is a nice vehicle, but not worth the premium over what are perceived to be lesser vehicles IMO. Its desirability ensures good residual values, but in percentage terms I'm not sure it achieves much more than other models. All camper vans hold their money well.
My mint 18mth old T5 with 10k miles cost just £10k(!) plus a further 10k to convert to a top spec 4 berth with pop top roof & cassette toilet, hob + grill etc etc. The workmanship (by Leisuredrive) is superb.
Each to their own, but bear in mind I now have a comparable vehicle plus a theoretical £17-20k to spend on holidays!
This was paisted from a VW California forum and being a Cali owner makes interesting reading. It was prompted by a visit to the NEC and an absence of the California at the show........................
I agree - the show this year was poor, either desperate caravan stands trying to unload last year's left over’s on finance, overpriced big motorhomes (Niesmann and Bischoff/Burstner/IH etc) seriously affected by the £/Euro rate, or shoddy VW conversions. I hope no-one takes offence at this comment but why on earth would anyone buy a B+Q/Homebase conversion for mid £30k's when a California starts at £37 ish ?. As someone whose whole life at the moment is affected by the exchange rate being in the 1.06 territory with no prospect of recovery buying a California at anything discounted or near to the price of the last year or so has to be the bargain of the century. VW must be blowing their brains out and making a loss on any California they sell, in which case for us owners the less they sell the better. It will help to support the values of those that are already in the UK, and the new model while being a bit kinder on CO2 is not a 5 cylinder 174 (if it's the 4 cylinder Audi engine I think it is it'll be like a tractor compared to the 5 pot). Is it surprising they aren't promoting it ? Not at all. It wouldn't surprise me if the new 5.2 California is actually not imported to the UK, the maths don't work. I also don't believe any converters are going to be able to make the numbers stack on importing the Kombi base.....suspect many of the VW conversions on the new van will be £40k plus in the New Year.
There should be some comfort for us current owners that when we bought it was a rare product but we bought into a very very exclusive club, just ran back my old spreadsheet from when we bought ours at 1.4 Euro to £ and at the current exchange rate it would be a mind altering £49,588 !!!!! At the time I couldn't reconcile that a Caravelle 174 was only £4000 less than a California, so either they were making a fortune on Velles or we have all had a result !
Anyone out there who would pay £50k to replace their Cali please put your hand up ? !! - Or shall we just stick with (what could be) the collectors items that we have already !? Allegedly there are under 500 RHD Californias in the UK, if the Euro goes 1=1 with the pound there might not be many more......at that rate a new 180 with a few toys could well be £52,500 - would you ?
Apart from funding the cost the California is probably one of the slowest depreciating vehicles you can buy, so the less that VW sell moving forward the better for all of us.....
I thank you..
After that rant I need to put the heater on, it's freezin - Monday night in a California ? No not on holiday regrettably....
Whoever wrote that tripe needs a soapbox and a spot on Hyde Park corner ! Or perhaps a seat in the house of commons
Or, you could buy a REAL California by Westfalia on a T4! The last special editions from 2003 go for about £19K tops. And you get LHD thrown in. That's what I call a proper bargain compared with the VW in-house "California" on the T5! Eventually T4s will be seen as classics even by the aircooled dub/hippy lot.
I do agree that the 2 litre 4 pot diesel on the facelifted T5 sounds like a backward step.
My friends daughter and boyfiriend jointly bought a second hand VW camper(Has George Bush anything to do with these?) having read how they hold there price and the popularity of them.
This year as they had not the necessary insurance, they had to buy a tent and live on a campsite while a new engine and gearbox was ordered by a French garage. No news by the time their holiday ended so they paid to have it transported back home.
They have now got rid of it. However, the point of this post is that the French who actually could speak English told them that in their experience these were a load of trouble and really only good for DIY enthusiasts.
Pusser, I'm assuming that was an old splitty or bay window VW camper, in which case no-one should be surprised that it broke down. Catching fire is also a common hazard it seems. All part of the classic VW fun experience.
These classic VWs are best left to the weld-and-polish dub enthusiasts IMHO.
VW conversions have ALWAYS been expensive - even from the dawn of motorcaravanning - that is why the British converters flourished in the early days. VW would not allow anyone who was not 'accredited' to convert their vehicles (citing safety issues!!) - which is why Bedfords, Fords and Austins/Morrisses and Commers became so popular over here.
In Europe in the 60's and early 70's, if you wanted a motorhome your choice was limited to VW (unless you forked out for a spec coachbuilt). It was the success of British coachbuilders that spurred on the Europeans to build their own.......
Personally, I cannot see the attraction - even of modern VW's (unless maybe you are single) - there just isnt the room........
The VW is a great van for days out and supermarket expeditions. It fits in a standard car parking space. The neighbours haven't objected to it either.
Ours has also taken us on several holiday trips to South West France and the Italian Lakes lasting up to 3 weeks; It has been very comfy for camping and sleeping, with enough room for 2 adults and all the clothes and outdoor stuff we bring with us (and mostly didn't use). All it lacks is a built-in cassette loo.
I wasnt 'rubbishing' the VW as a whole - just that it isnt for me!!!!
I do wonder sometimes how they can justify the 'premium' on the price over other makes (however, this has been the case since the dawn of the hobby!!).
Those that I have looked at have been well converted - and I am sure they are ideal for some.......maybe the last line of my post could have been written better .
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Personally I can't understand why anybody would pay £37k plus for a California (£40k for a decent spec)when a perfectly good conversion with a matching spec done by a reputable company can be had for almost half that! £37k plus for a converted delivery van is ludicrous if you ask me 
That's what I call a proper bargain compared with the VW in-house "California" on the T5! Eventually T4s will be seen as classics even by the aircooled dub/hippy lot.
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