California vs Hyundai i800

[John]

Original post davidg

Firstly, I’m new to posting on here….so have to thank everyone for all the great knowledge that is stored here (&Facebook), I’ve spent many months reading through all the information. Thanks guys!!!

This summer I rented a converted T5, and was very impressed. Then was even more impressed with the California at my local VW Van centre. I was 99% convinced and spent the next few months trying to decide which engine size, gearbox etc to buy, using your info on these forums. However, I always had the thought lurking at the back of my mind; it’s a great vehicle, but is it really worth ~£45k???

Last weekend, I had a look at the Wellhouse Hyundai i800, which was also very impressive, and have been trying to draw some meaningful comparisons:

Advantages of i800: 5 year warranty, hot water, double sliding side doors, massive standard equipment levels, impressive reliability, better handling, all for only £35k – saving at least £10k.
Disadvantages of i800: Interior finish can’t match California, it’s a bit ugly(!), no choices for upgrades, unknown depreciation, no DSG box.

Over this last week, the Hyundai has slowly taken my preference over the California, and I’ve arranged a 3 day test drive for December. I can’t help but feel that the “logical” choice is the Hyundai, but I’ll always be left wishing I had a California. Basically, my head says the Hyundai, my heart says the California...

What do y’all think?

 

[John]

Original post jules

Hi David. Obviously I'm somewhat biased as I guess most on this and the FB forum will be. We've just placed an order for our second Cali and,at the moment, I wouldn't consider any othe type of vehicle. I'm sure the advice you receive would be totally different on a Hyundai forum, if there is such a thing.

For me the quality of the Cali was a massive factor plus the fact that it is built in the factory and not a conversion. Also residual value. I cant think of many vehicles that hold their value as well. The initial investment may be higher but the amount you will recoup on sale is much less of a gamble. I would say if you can afford the Cali go for it. If you can't well frankly I'd go for a second hand one.

If you can hold out till March/April I'll be able to help you out there!

Jules

 

[John]

Original post Calikev

I agree with that. With the Cali you get brand loyalty. I have never driven a hyundai but
The Cali is the most car like van on the road and a pleasure to drive and own.
By the way does the Hyundai come with program able heating?

 

[John]

Original post mark

Hi, i also considered the i800 on paper but after seeing one in the flesh i soon realised that the quality did not compare to the cali. Here are some cons against the i800:
Build quality
Smaller loft bed
Bench seat is fixed
Driver seat does not go back far enough (due to kitchen)
Price is not that much cheaper when you factor the reductions you can achieve with the cali
Water tanks not frost protected
You cannot loadup the roof unlike the cali

 

[John]

Original post red4reimo

As Mark mentioned, you will be unable to drive the Wellhouse i800 is you are over 6' tall.
Re depreciation: the Cali is actually very cheap if you compare the (discounted) price with the cost of a new high spec VW Van (£25k) and a conversion of 'similar' quality (£16K).

In the campervan market, there is frankly no point comparing non VW vans with other makes. I looked at a Adira conversion of a Renault Traffic which was fab, more space etc etc and £13K cheaper than the VW equiv, but I didn't buy it as I feared it would depreciate like a stone. Look at how Mercedes campers (don't) hold their value. The comparisons simply don't matter. The VW campervan market is a market in its own right.

 

[C&HinNorwich]

Watched th video and it does look good
http://wellhouseleisure.com/video_2.html
Glad I didn't see it before I got the Cali as I think It would have been hard to make up my mind - impressed it even has hot running water and a shower and everything is covered by 5 year cover

Think it would still be the Cali for me though

 

[davidg4183]

Going back to my old original post from Dec 2011 - see top of thread. I ended up buying the Wellhouse Hyundai i800 in Feb 2012, and can comfortably say it was my best ever purchase.

It's been 7 years of fun, with over 400 nights slept in the van, and never in a campsite. It's done 110k miles with 100% reliability. However given the age and mileage I'm starting to evaluate options for a newer model. Looking to see if people have any other recommendations?

Based on experience of wild camping for many weeks in the Hyundai there are several pieces of equipment, that I couldn't live without. Namely; diesel powered hot water, decent sized Porta potti, and a water tank >40litres. Unfortunately these all rule out a California (which I love, except for those points!). My research shows that very few campervan conversion companies include hot water now.

Basically I'm looking for a more modern base vehicle, with a very practical conversion for long duration wild camping. Any recommendations please?

 

[Loz]

So basically, you’re back to gloat and despite saying you still don’t want California you want our opinion?

 

[ArunAlec]

Going back to my old original post from Dec 2011 - see top of thread. I ended up buying the Wellhouse Hyundai i800 in Feb 2012, and can comfortably say it was my best ever purchase.

It's been 7 years of fun, with over 400 nights slept in the van, and never in a campsite. It's done 110k miles with 100% reliability. However given the age and mileage I'm starting to evaluate options for a newer model. Looking to see if people have any other recommendations?

Based on experience of wild camping for many weeks in the Hyundai there are several pieces of equipment, that I couldn't live without. Namely; diesel powered hot water, decent sized Porta potti, and a water tank >40litres. Unfortunately these all rule out a California (which I love, except for those points!). My research shows that very few campervan conversion companies include hot water now.

Basically I'm looking for a more modern base vehicle, with a very practical conversion for long duration wild camping. Any recommendations please?

Are you excluding Wellhouse? I was very impressed with their Ford conversions and that they were being sold through Ford dealers (not sure that is now true).

 

[davidg4183]

Are you excluding Wellhouse? I was very impressed with their Ford conversions and that they were being sold through Ford dealers (not sure that is now true).

I've been impressed with Wellhouse too. However they no longer offer any vans with hot water...which feels like a backward step to me. I'm just amazed how few van conversions have hot water.

 

[Bellcrew]

I've been impressed with Wellhouse too. However they no longer offer any vans with hot water...which feels like a backward step to me. I'm just amazed how few van conversions have hot water.

They all can have hot water, you just have to use a kettle, either on the hob or electric when on hookup. I suppose you could fit a small boat calorifier if you wanted hot water after using the engine.

 

[Ting Tong]

Have you considered something like the Knaus Boxdrive?

 

[Meoncoast]

Marco Polo.

 

[Meoncoast]

To be honest given you comments on your Wellhouse l would talk to them.

 

[2into1]

Tell us why “you couldn’t live without” diesel powered hot water? There doesn’t seem an awful lot of room in an Hyundai for a shower, or a bath....

 

[Loz]

Tell us why “you couldn’t live without” diesel powered hot water? There doesn’t seem an awful lot of room in an Hyundai for a shower, or a bath....

Maybe he has one of these

 

[MattBW]

Going back to my old original post from Dec 2011 - see top of thread. I ended up buying the Wellhouse Hyundai i800 in Feb 2012, and can comfortably say it was my best ever purchase.

It's been 7 years of fun, with over 400 nights slept in the van, and never in a campsite. It's done 110k miles with 100% reliability. However given the age and mileage I'm starting to evaluate options for a newer model. Looking to see if people have any other recommendations?

Based on experience of wild camping for many weeks in the Hyundai there are several pieces of equipment, that I couldn't live without. Namely; diesel powered hot water, decent sized Porta potti, and a water tank >40litres. Unfortunately these all rule out a California (which I love, except for those points!). My research shows that very few campervan conversion companies include hot water now.

Basically I'm looking for a more modern base vehicle, with a very practical conversion for long duration wild camping. Any recommendations please?

Great to hear how it went and always good to get alternative views.

A lot of Cali owners use a porta potti in their Ocean but personally I cant think of anything I want less in such a small space

Hot water for me seems a luxury I've never really considered but I can see if you were used to it it may be hard to give up. Most converters and manufacturers don't include them in the regular size campers simply because they take up a lot of space. Ultimately you will find that setup on larger vans before you will on a T6 or similar.

30 litres is generally a standard size of water tanks these days, often mounted under the vans. Each litre is a kg of weight, add in water heaters and such and you may find your carrying limit greatly reduced.

I would be interested in how depreciation has effected the value of the Hyundai as I know many Cali owners like the fact they hold their value for a long time something most conversions dont hold upto. Most campers will depreciate less than a regular car thankfully..

Ultimately from what you say above it sounds like you need a bespoke solution rather than a factory finished van. Maybe even something bigger like a crafter for all those features. Is the i800 Long Wheel base? Maybe that too could be a way to getting more in? Your list points to the Grand California pretty much.

 

[Sandyvan]

I've been impressed with Wellhouse too. However they no longer offer any vans with hot water...which feels like a backward step to me. I'm just amazed how few van conversions have hot water.

We don't use our cold water so no need for hot. Boil a kettle.

 

[ArunAlec]

Going back to my old original post from Dec 2011 - see top of thread. I ended up buying the Wellhouse Hyundai i800 in Feb 2012, and can comfortably say it was my best ever purchase.

It's been 7 years of fun, with over 400 nights slept in the van, and never in a campsite. It's done 110k miles with 100% reliability. However given the age and mileage I'm starting to evaluate options for a newer model. Looking to see if people have any other recommendations?

Based on experience of wild camping for many weeks in the Hyundai there are several pieces of equipment, that I couldn't live without. Namely; diesel powered hot water, decent sized Porta potti, and a water tank >40litres. Unfortunately these all rule out a California (which I love, except for those points!). My research shows that very few campervan conversion companies include hot water now.

Basically I'm looking for a more modern base vehicle, with a very practical conversion for long duration wild camping. Any recommendations please?

Just browsing the Bilbo site and their Lezan appears to have both hot water and a loo.

 

[CALI FATE]

we couldnt live without our electric hot water porta potty - i hope its not just a flash in the pan

 

[MarkVw2017]

California everyday ;-) its just that vw badge!

 

[davidg4183]

Great to hear how it went and always good to get alternative views.

A lot of Cali owners use a porta potti in their Ocean but personally I cant think of anything I want less in such a small space

Hot water for me seems a luxury I've never really considered but I can see if you were used to it it may be hard to give up. Most converters and manufacturers don't include them in the regular size campers simply because they take up a lot of space. Ultimately you will find that setup on larger vans before you will on a T6 or similar.

30 litres is generally a standard size of water tanks these days, often mounted under the vans. Each litre is a kg of weight, add in water heaters and such and you may find your carrying limit greatly reduced.

I would be interested in how depreciation has effected the value of the Hyundai as I know many Cali owners like the fact they hold their value for a long time something most conversions don't hold upto. Most campers will depreciate less than a regular car thankfully..

Ultimately from what you say above it sounds like you need a bespoke solution rather than a factory finished van. Maybe even something bigger like a crafter for all those features. Is the i800 Long Wheel base? Maybe that too could be a way to getting more in? Your list points to the Grand California pretty much.

Thanks for your thoughts. I do a lot of surfing in cold climates, so a hot outside shower makes a big difference to my comfort levels! And other peoples "suggestions" about a kettle, aren't too useful. I also converted the waste water tank into a second fresh water tank, so can go "off-grid" for a long time with 80litres, and not worry about water supplies.

Depreciation wise - my research shows that I can expect about £10k. Not too bad for 7 years and £100+ miles!

The i800 is 5.1m long, so is between a short & long wheelbase Transporter. A Grand California would be too big for me. I'm impressed how Wellhouse managed to package so many extras into the space. Shame that no other companies seem to have copied them (with a more modern vehicle). It seems like a bespoke solution might be the only option.

As I said - was just looking to see if people had any other ideas. Thanks again.

 

[Paul Cardiff]

I use one of these standalone units, used all through recent camperjam weekend for showers/hot water and was excellent

 

[Loz]

The Guy we overland with has simple heat exchanger plumbed into the engine coolant circuit. he has a pump and a detachable showerhead on the rear door but this could easily go on a tailgate that when lifted would be over your head?

 

[Gary&Heather]

California everyday ;-) its just that vw badge!

Would you say the same about a Vauxhall badge