Taking the plunge...

[BusyLizzyBee123]

100% but we all like to know we are t pouring money down the drain too. As you can see from above we've agonised over this but finally pulled the trigger. My girls are still young and I want them to have those special memories money can't buy. Hope you find what you're looking for! I had a dealer find mine but I'd been registered a while before this came up! Good luck

Exactly - things that money can't buy. We have a 4 year old and hopes for another. If we wait 2/3 years to see how things pan out, then he's going to be 6/7 before we even start. He's had so much of his little life robbed from him because of the pandemic. He lives to be outdoors and in nature, so this camper life really seems ideal.

 

[calibeach76]

I completely understand. Our youngest has lost half of her life to the pandemic and I've got to get to the live for the moment point now or never. We are blessed to live in pembrokeshire so will use our bus as a day van, daily driver, dream maker whatever but the point is I want the girls to make memories so it really is more than just a financial decision. May fate smile upon you your family and your search and i you many happy and safe travels

 

[Perfectos]

Best advise I can give: assuming an in stock vehicle:

A) can you find a van with the spec you want ?
B) can you afford to buy the van ? (Outright if possible)
C) Will you use it ?

if you answer yes to those three question, then go For it.

Carpe Diem, who knows what tomorrow will bring, but if you plan for good things maybe good things will happen.

Kids grow up in a blink of an eye.

discussion regarding depreciation has been Done to death in other threads & on a Cali its the least you will experience from a vehicle. (Search this site and the for sale ads)

 

[calibeach76]

Well said Perfectos! In answer to your points:

a) yes, fortunately it is exactly what we would order plus other options besides
b) yes we can as we did with our beach but this time we are part funding as we want to keep some cash back
c) yes it will be a daily driver/ second car/ used for weekends and some if not all holidays

you echo what most have said about how quick they grow up and it seems so right to just get on with it. if the shtf we would be able to keep it as our only car anyway..

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Exactly - things that money can't buy. We have a 4 year old and hopes for another. If we wait 2/3 years to see how things pan out, then he's going to be 6/7 before we even start. He's had so much of his little life robbed from him because of the pandemic. He lives to be outdoors and in nature, so this camper life really seems ideal.

Hopefully I think I’m right in saying most people don’t remember much before 4yrs. Ours are 12 and nearly 9. The pandemic will have affected them but I’m hoping upcoming teenage years will eclipse most of it. Our 2 weeks in France in summer 2020, mid pandemic, was a great example of how the California helped us through. After 13 weeks home schooling, it felt incredible to be outside in the sunshine, swimming, eating pizza and ice cream. That definitely helped me so I’m sure it helped them.
We have friends with teenagers who lost classic stages of young life. Leaving school. Starting university. That was terribly handled and I felt for them.
We supposedly remember good times over bad so there’s lots of childhood time to get outside. Hope you find a van.

 

[calibeach76]

I think you are right Lambeth. I'm hoping the impact won't be too great but right now it does seem lasting. Funny what you say about mid pandemic. We did exactly the same, 3.5 weeks touring France from Dordogne up through Le mans and into Finistere in our Beach. It was a real tonic and is remembered with much affection by us all. I still recall midnight of the day Boris announced the quarantine rules and changing our ferry to Roscoff Plymouth so we could get home and avoid the quarantine on our return. Used correctly they are really unbeatable in so many ways. My kids only ever gravitated towards the VW's albeit conversions whenever we visited dealers to view Coachbuilts...

 

[Skieryounger67]

Loved this thread. We have just been in same boat and have been lucky to find a fantastic 2015 cali. Prices concerned me but I suspect prices won’t ever come back down to where they were 3 years ago possibly somewhere in between. I also agree with the point about the conversions, there’s no way to value them and 80% are basic spec and the others are over priced.

 

[BeeBee]

How do you find the red in the flesh? I had acapulco blue before on my beach.

Our Ocean is Acapulco, bought it new but ‘ ‘off the peg’ from Liverpool so not our spec but speaking as a woman “ any colour was fab”….. 3 years later still pinching myself when I get in to drive it “ this is really ours”, my husband and our Labrador love it too !
Go for it x

 

[Lambeth Cali]

I think you are right Lambeth. I'm hoping the impact won't be too great but right now it does seem lasting. Funny what you say about mid pandemic. We did exactly the same, 3.5 weeks touring France from Dordogne up through Le mans and into Finistere in our Beach. It was a real tonic and is remembered with much affection by us all. I still recall midnight of the day Boris announced the quarantine rules and changing our ferry to Roscoff Plymouth so we could get home and avoid the quarantine on our return. Used correctly they are really unbeatable in so many ways. My kids only ever gravitated towards the VW's albeit conversions whenever we visited dealers to view Coachbuilts...

We were 10 hours drive away from Calais when I read the quarantine rules were changing in 18 hours. My wife was off doing yoga in a field somewhere. Eurostar were very clear on their website that nobody should arrive without a reservation. I was 1067 in the queue. I emailed my bosses and they were very sympathetic. They basically gave me permission to stay. We stayed where we were and came back on our regular booking 48 hours later.
One manager emailed "swim, man, swim!" but they gave me 2 weeks exceptional leave.
Seems crazy now. We were quarantined because we visited a country where 20 people in 100,000 had Delta. Currently in the UK I think one person in 13 has Omicron. Last week I had a booster vaccine for a disease I've already had. Likewise I now have to decide whether to persuade my 12 year old to have a jab for a disease she had 2 months ago, so we can go to Spain in August.

2020 was definitely one of the best holidays we ever had. In the pictures the kids look so happy.

 

[66PaulVWCoast]

Well said Perfectos! In answer to your points:

a) yes, fortunately it is exactly what we would order plus other options besides
b) yes we can as we did with our beach but this time we are part funding as we want to keep some cash back
c) yes it will be a daily driver/ second car/ used for weekends and some if not all holidays

you echo what most have said about how quick they grow up and it seems so right to just get on with it. if the shtf we would be able to keep it as our only car anyway..

We were in a similar situation re price/availability, and looked at conversations from the better approved converters, but they made no financial sense as once a half decent base spec van was used they were as much if not more than a list price Coast. And the residual will never be as good as a factory built Cali. So we bit the bullet and brought our one year old Coast! I think the greatest risk when the current high price bubble breaks for camper vans & motorhomes will be the T5/T6/T6.1 conversions as they are everywhere - Cali’s are still a relatively small percentage of all the vans out there & very highly regarded.
We have lost a few friends & family members over the last couple of years & some went before they got to do what they were always talking about doing, you can’t buy time.

 

[Skieryounger67]

We were in a similar situation re price/availability, and looked at conversations from the better approved converters, but they made no financial sense as once a half decent base spec van was used they were as much if not more than a list price Coast. And the residual will never be as good as a factory built Cali. So we bit the bullet and brought our one year old Coast! I think the greatest risk when the current high price bubble breaks for camper vans & motorhomes will be the T5/T6/T6.1 conversions as they are everywhere - Cali’s are still a relatively small percentage of all the vans out there & very highly regarded.
We have lost a few friends & family members over the last couple of years & some went before they got to do what they were always talking about doing, you can’t buy time.

Well said and spot on

 

[BikerGran]

Lambeth at Stoo24 thank you!

Yes, I take all of these and hadn't really factored in depreciation on the alternative.

In terms of best you can get I totally agree. We have looked at loads and I mean loads of conversions. In some ways they are more "trendy" in terns of spec but they are still a converted van, many no type approval so a safety concern and many based on basic engine versions and 5 speed manual. Auto 150s sell for more than California's do. O also think resale will be much lower as how does someone book value a conversion?

Will sleep on it tonight. Could have it this time next week...

Don't sleep on it too long or it'll be gone! I lost several that way before I learned to jump in, saw mine and said "I'll take it! "
Haven't regretted it for second!
That was 6 years ago

 

[66tim99]

Cali’s are still a relatively small percentage of all the vans out there

Interesting thanks I didn’t realise that

 

[Lambeth Cali]

Interesting thanks I didn’t realise that

When in Dorset last year we walked along the coast path by half a dozen pop up campsites. I saw one other Cali and at least 50 T6 conversions. I can see their values falling.
We have friends with a T4 Westfalia and another with a T25 Westfalia. These are sought after vehicles because they're well known to be the best. Californias will be seen that way in the future and they are made in small numbers.