The picture above is a perfect example of what you can do with one of these vehicles.  Find the idyllic location and park up, it's as simple as that with The vw california. 

We purchased our california after much consideration and carefully assessing the competition. We opted for the 174 PS version with a tiptronic gearbox.  The vw california is superbly equipped as standard, however, there are also a host of extra's you can have to personalise yours, such as leather and suede seats, an electric sliding door, sat nav and multi disc player, an extra 5th passenger seat, roof racks, bike racks etc.etc. 

Since purchasing our vehicle we have covered thousands of miles, at this stage only in the UK, although we have plans to venture in to Europe this year. We are an ordinary, working class family of four who sacrificed alot to buy the vehicle (not least of all my beloved motor bike), however, the freedom and flexibility it brings, especially with two small children, is second to none.

The vw california is a unique vehicle.  It is the first factory built camper van by vw.  It's not cheap, at around £35,000, however, this sort of money would only get you a second hand Range Rover and is equivalent to what you'd spend on many nice family cars or top range people carriers, however, the versatility that The vw california offers is second to none.  What other family car, which you can use everyday for travelling to work in, or doing the school run in, can you then use to sleep in, stand up in, cook in or sit round a table and eat your dinner in, regardless of what the British weather is doing.  If you're in to outdoor sports or have a young family like me, I really don't think you can beat it.

           

               2 burner hob and sink.                                                                                Interior seating area.

We are really passionate about this vehicle, I should work for vw or at the very least be on commission.  The vw california is sold and distributed through volkswagen's commercial vehicle van centres.  In my opinion, vw should be selling this vehicle through their car dealer network or independant 'camper van' centres as clearly, this is a lifestyle vehicle for the private individual in most cases.

Come and join The vw california owners club.  Send in details and photo's of your vw california experience and we'll share them on this site.

If you're thinking of buying a vw california, i'm sure you will have realised by now that we are huge fans.  I do accept though, that they are a big commitment.  vw do tend to offer good finance deals and payment options.  I know that california's are also available as imports in the UK and a number of people who made contact with the site purchased their california's via this option.  I believe that the specification is slightly different on the imports and they are mainly left hand drive versions.  If this is something you are considering purchasing, then feel free to post questions via the facebook forum page and hopefully you'll get honest, unbiased advice from owners who have been through the process.

Need accessories or extras? Advice on where to go in your california or links on where to buy one?        The vw california site is constantly evolving.  If you have feedback, suggestions or advice, please feel free to forward them via the contact us page.