Is any dealer buying Californias?

[DouglasJG Cali]

Are any dealers buying californias? We tried Breeze and also we buy any Motorhome but both were mentioning there was too much stock so they were lowballing.

 

[turnitdown]

That's an interesting question. I talked to Aberdeen yesterday and they mentioned they have 25 Californias arriving in the next 6-8 weeks, which I thought seemed really high. I assume dealers were given big incentives to order (just as end-user customers were).

 

[Perfectos]

My local dealer is literally stacked out with Vans both commercial and Cali, I think they have planned for future supply !

 

[The Blue Merle]

Are any dealers buying californias? We tried Breeze and also we buy any Motorhome but both were mentioning there was too much stock so they were lowballing.

Could try campersales use to be a good buyer (don’t know now though).

 

[Camperfamily]

My local dealer is literally stacked out with Vans both commercial and Cali, I think they have planned for future supply !

Some/ many will see the Ford partnership as end of the ‘true’ VW T-series

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Could try campersales use to be a good buyer (don’t know now though).

I called them a couple of months ago and they wouldn't take my Cali even though it was to be a part-ex for a new Sven Hedin they were selling. I made it clear I would order elsewhere (Wandahome) if they didn't offer on it and they still didn't budge. They cited that there was a glut of stock and they were concerned about the residuals.

So I very much doubt they will buy a Cali outright. Incidentally I called 10 different VW dealerships and only 3 would offer on it, the others didn't even lowball me they just said they've too much stock already.

The best offer I got was from VW Van Centre in Birmingham and the sales manager was a really nice chap.

 

[Hawthorn37]

I think VW have done a great disservice to existing customers by pushing so many end of run Calis on to the market in a mad scramble to milk the 6.1 for every penny / euro !

 

[willwander]

Covid bubble bound to burst at some point

 

[Rikmac]

Are any dealers buying californias? We tried Breeze and also we buy any Motorhome but both were mentioning there was too much stock so they were lowballing.

I sold my Ocean through Carwow last month.

 

[WelshGas]

I think VW have done a great disservice to existing customers by pushing so many end of run Calis on to the market in a mad scramble to milk the 6.1 for every penny / euro !

Maybe a disservice to those buying new, but to those buying second hand?
The second hand market is much bigger than the new vehicle market.

 

[ArunAlec]

I called them a couple of months ago and they wouldn't take my Cali even though it was to be a part-ex for a new Sven Hedin they were selling. I made it clear I would order elsewhere (Wandahome) if they didn't offer on it and they still didn't budge. They cited that there was a glut of stock and they were concerned about the residuals.

So I very much doubt they will buy a Cali outright. Incidentally I called 10 different VW dealerships and only 3 would offer on it, the others didn't even lowball me they just said they've too much stock already.

The best offer I got was from VW Van Centre in Birmingham and the sales manager was a really nice chap.

Bad luck, Campervan Sales would have been my first port of call. They gave me a very fair price when I traded in my T5.1.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

That's an interesting question. I talked to Aberdeen yesterday and they mentioned they have 25 Californias arriving in the next 6-8 weeks, which I thought seemed really high. I assume dealers were given big incentives to order (just as end-user customers were).

Guess it's the start of camper van sales season. Sun came out at the weekend!

 

[turnitdown]

Guess it's the start of camper van sales season. Sun came out at the weekend!

Maybe, I would have thought it started a good few weeks ago, and that peak season for selling will be over by July. But I don't know for sure.

Frankly with VW finance rates at 7 percent for new and over 10 percent for used, I struggle to see that demand will not be relatively weak. I guess we'll have a better sense in a month or two.

 

[hirsty]

Presumably a recent glut of trade-ins for final run 6.1's and a damp start to the year has softened demand?

Can't work out whether demand is increasing or decreasing after the holiday-at-home COVID effect. Have some tried it out & got bored, or are yet more still joining the wave? As mentioned on several threads, the North Coast 500 is chock full of vans seemingly year round ...

 

[Perfectos]

It only matters if your selling !

 

[Wilbur]

Try Braithwaites who advertise on this forum.

 

[SusiBus]

If yours is a 4Motion, try VW Van Centre, Birmingham and ask for Dave Brady, 0121 260 3000

 

[Barry Chuckle]

If yours is a 4Motion, try VW Van Centre, Birmingham and ask for Dave Brady, 0121 260 3000

He was the chap who helped me, a diamond geezer!

 

[SusiBus]

We sold our 4Motion to him last month in anticipation of taking delivery of one of the last new 4Mo's. I've found him great to deal with on previous occasions, he knows the California market well, and sells alot of them. A diamond geezer as Barry said.

 

[Esandar#1]

Presumably a recent glut of trade-ins for final run 6.1's and a damp start to the year has softened demand?

Can't work out whether demand is increasing or decreasing after the holiday-at-home COVID effect. Have some tried it out & got bored, or are yet more still joining the wave? As mentioned on several threads, the North Coast 500 is chock full of vans seemingly year round ...

Using a campervan LOTS isn’t actually easy unless you are retired. I cannot imagine your average family using it for more than half of their 4-5 weeks (of annual holiday allowance) as the weather in the country is unpredictable & people like variety. Living out of a van in a field isn’t for everyone. We use our lots (almost every weekend the sun comes out we head to the coast) and have averaged 21 nights away over 2017-2023. We only managed 12 in Covid year 2020, so I took that year out the calculation. I know of two families that bought Beach / Merc Marco Polo that have probably ‘popped their top’ less than ten times in total, so there must be a good number of new owners of ‘Covid Cali / Campers’ for whom the reality probably hasn’t quite lived up to the dream?! This should mean there are plenty of low camping usage vans out there if you are looking to buy… but that makes it harder if you are looking to sell.

 

[STR1]

Are any dealers buying californias? We tried Breeze and also we buy any Motorhome but both were mentioning there was too much stock so they were lowballing.

Are any dealers buying californias? We tried Breeze and also we buy any Motorhome but both were mentioning there was too much stock so they were lowballing.

Hey Douglas ..whats the details on your van?

 

[66tim99]

Maybe, I would have thought it started a good few weeks ago, and that peak season for selling will be over by July. But I don't know for sure.

Frankly with VW finance rates at 7 percent for new and over 10 percent for used, I struggle to see that demand will not be relatively weak. I guess we'll have a better sense in a month or two.

Given you can no longer buy new, I wonder if people are offloading in anticipation of T7. Time will tell if there is a strong market for T6's when T7's are available, but I expect there will be. Some always want the latest thing, others may find the T6 more practical, and certainly cheaper.