New California

[bounty40]

I have been looking for a California for a little while now , The prices of second hand seems really high £40 k ish for a 12 plate !! now when I look on line a reasonable spec one new is £48k ish seems a no brainer 2014/15 model only a little extra in the great scale of things.
Now how do I go about getting the best deal , online companies I don't trust , dealers seem to be all over the place rice wise ??

 

[Freeley]

Drive the deal has to be your best bet - get your price there and either buy through them (it will be supplied through a UK vw dealer) or ask your preferred dealer to match the price

 

[bounty40]

Thank you , I will give them a call next week - also is there Must haves on a spec ?? I'm looking for a 180 manual , silver , parking , - anything else ~I should get ??

 

[Freeley]

Privacy glass is a must. I wouldn't bother with the electric sliding door next time though as they're temperamental.
I'm sure others will be able to advise on spec

 

[gatvol]

Obviously personal. When I got mine I was advised the following 3 were vitals - and I think it was good advice:

Privacy glass
Cruise
Front and rear parking

I think other things are budget and taste dependent, important for me:

DSG. Makes for a quicker and more relaxing drive
180 engine. I don't want to be one of mobile home drivers slowing down traffic
Safe, as you go on holiday with all manner of iPads, passports etc
Spare wheel locking nut, as these get nicked

Tow bar wiring is a nightmare to retrofit unless you specify it on a new vehicle

I think dab radio is worth having. I wish I had this. Retrofitting requires an aerial to be installed and is pricey

You are then into lots of nice to haves like iPod, sat nav but far cheaper to get a tomtom etc etc

I didn't go for leather seats as I did not fancy sleeping on it downstairs. But in reality lots of owners use memory foam toppers downstairs to make the bed more comfortable. So I wish I had the leather option too - though retrofitting full leather might make more sense anyway. Cali seats get dirty quickly as the stupid designers used light grey.

As said before, avoid the electric sliding door due to serious reliability issues

 

[teeboy]

We purchased an ex-demo with quite a high spec, here is a review of the things we got for "Free"!

180 DSG - lots of discussion of 140vs180 and DSG v's Manual - we are very happy with 180DSG
Metallic Paint - Ours is Grey - without Metallic paint I would go for Red
Parking F+R - a must have for such a big car IMHO
Safe - wasn't on our must have list, but we use it quite a bit when carrying docs in France
Tyre Pressure Sensor - no idea if this works, but I am sure it will be useful one day!
Privacy Glass - handy for getting changed into beachwear without faffing with blinds!
3 Zone Climate - wasn't a must have, but we love this and love the REST function
Awning Black - an awning was a must for us - just pick the colour that suits your van
Mud Flaps - not much to say - they are mud flaps - not on our must have list
Cruise Ctrl - very handy in France, but the VW cruise is a bit fiddly
Headlight Washers - not a must - I don't think these really make much difference
MultiFunction Steering Wheel - must have IMHO
Extra Seat - very handy once a year - the rest of the time sits in the garage
Electric Sliding Side Door - wasn't on our must have list, but we got it and it works fine, if it gets temperamental then we just give it a clean - beeping when closing can be annoying - deffo not a must have!

Things we didn't get and we miss:
- Auto Lights and Wipers - all medium spec cars have this and we miss it in the cali
- DAB, handy for the cricket

I have retrofitted the following things:
- SatNav - RNS510 - very simple install (as mentioned if you get a DAB one then you need an aerial installing)
- Bluetooth - simple - just a faff installing the microphone
- Towbar - as mentioned wiring is a pain, but do-able for a keen DIYer
- Comfort Mattress - a must have to make the downstairs bed comfy - there are lots of options, VW, Comfort, Zonesleep etc.

With DrivetheDeal - just use their website to get a quote - then I think they will give you a call - we didn't use them as we got ex-demo, but they are a legit company and simply introduce you to a VW dealer, the downside may be that the dealer might be miles away...

T

 

[gatvol]

Sorry but I forgot about the awning and Teeboy's good advice has reminded me how important this is. That was a must have according to my dealer and I agree

For many months I thought it was a waste of money, BUT

Very handy for ventilation when it is raining. When you sleep in a cali, if you open any windows at all, they all let rain in. The awning lets you open the side door windows and remain dry

Very handy for cooking outside when it is raining - we tend to cook outside all the time. Also for drying clothes when it is raining

Acts as a sunscreen when in hot, sunny places. We needed this function recently in NOrthumberland. We use a compass so we set the van so that the awning is on the west side at night. It can be hard to cool a Cali down in strong sunlight if there is no breeze - this is when the awning comes in

 

[bounty40]

Thank you guys . for taking the time out to reply , drive a deal with with the bits mentioned about £46 k so really happy if I can get it for that , - happy camping !!!!