SHALL I BUY A CAMPERVAN, RENT ONE, OR WAIT?
The long weekend that I’ve spent with the VW California T6.1 was beyond doubt very enjoyable. To the level that I’m more than convinced: I would love to have my own campervan and preferably this T6.1. A done deal one would say, or not…? The ‘or not’ has nothing to do with the fact whether the T6.1 is a nice campervan or whether I’ve enjoyed the ‘try out’. There are just a couple of ‘small issues’ to resolve…
The first ‘issue’ is that – in reading the various magazines and visiting the Dusseldorf and Utrecht fairs this year – it became clear to me that the T6.1 is no longer being produced. You can still buy it from stock or second-hand, but production has stopped because a new version is on the way. A version which logically gets the type number T7. Again, the next step in the VW campervan evolution and a very big one as well. This new T7 is no longer build on a commercial platform. Instead, Volkswagen is using its MPV Multivan platform, hence based on a passenger car. At the fairs, this new model was completely in the spotlight. Seeing it on the stands, it looked beautiful to me! I’m not exaggerating when I say that this model almost made me drool…
Assuming that I will consider buying a campervan eventually, I’ll have a choice to make: will I go for the outgoing T6.1 model (either second hand or from stock) or will I wait and go for the new T7 one… Not a simple choice to be made. Both have almost the same dimensions (the new one is slightly longer) and features. The old one has more storage space, the new one is more flexible in for instance positioning the ‘furniture’ (you can take chairs out in order to have more space). The old one has slightly wider beds. Then again, the T7 has more features and drives even better. A lot to consider! But on this first ‘issue’, I would say the score is 1-1
The second ‘issue’ is related to the fact that the biggest difference between the two models is hidden under the hood: where the T6.1 has a traditional diesel engine, the T7 is available as a so-called PHEV, a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. This PHEV provides the combination of a small petrol engine with an electric motor. Both engines seamlessly work together. You have the benefit of being able to drive approximately ninety kilometres / 60 miles electrically. With the possibility to quietly drive around on camper- and camping spaces. Different however from full electric cars, the additional petrol engine prevents you from getting ‘mileage stress’: you don’t need to be afraid that the battery will be empty before you reach your destination or are able to recharge it. You simply switch over to petrol and have your ‘range’ extended. A hybrid engine therefore combines the best of both worlds: on relatively shorter distances you drive electrically and if the distance becomes too large, you switch to petrol. Another nice detail, the combination of petrol and electric makes it a four-wheel-drive camper. Very handy if you go camping on a muddy terrain or are ‘off-track’ somewhere. It prevents you from getting stuck easily and having to be towed away by a tractor. The foremost important thing however is that – unlike with diesel versions – you do not have any problems with the new environmental and CO2 emission rules and are therefore not limited in your mobility by environmental zones. Long live freedom!
With the pressure from governments in the Netherlands and abroad to drastically reduce CO2 emissions, diesel engines are gradually being put on the not accepted list. It will take a while, but there will come a time when you will no longer be allowed to enter urban areas with a diesel camper. In fact, if it is up to the current Dutch government, older diesels will be banned in many cities as of January 1, 2025. To eventually eliminate all diesel access step by step. The purchase of an expensive camper with a diesel engine does not give me a good feeling, something that is of course very personal. The question is not if, but only when, restrictions on urban traffic will be introduced. This is no problem at all for renting a campervan, because you rent it and give it back. But if I possibly consider buying a motorhome myself, the long-term perspective will certainly also count. Especially if you know that a motorhome is generally used for fifteen or more years (I read in a Dutch magazine that in the Netherlands, a motorhome is on average used for nineteen years!). All the above would point at the T7 as being the most interesting and desirable campervan to buy. Hence with this second ‘issue’ addressed, the score is 2-1 for the T7. But then there’s another ‘small issue’…
The third and last issue to resolve is a very personal one to me, one of a financial nature. Needless to explain again that by now I would love to buy a VW California Ocean T7 campervan. One that I would use not only for short or long breaks, but also as a day-to-day vehicle. But can I afford myself to buy one? Would it not be wiser to rent a campervan so now and then, albeit knowing that also renting is pretty expensive. Or would it not even be better to completely postpone buying or renting until I retire? All these thoughts are spinning around in my head, together with some insecurities popping up like… what if I would lose my job… if I would get sick… would lose my income… and if I then would not be able to pay my monthly high alimony… My mind (or is it my fear?) initially tells me that I shouldn’t buy one, too much risk. That it is better to postpone the purchase until the moment I retire and (a) receive a pension benefit and (b) no longer have to pay alimony. It won’t be very long before I can retire, only three-and-a-half years left. Wouldn’t it be much wiser to postpone the purchase until then?
Wiser perhaps, but also very contradictory to how I started my first story on this website. Did I not say that I wanted to postpone less? Less ‘I will do that later’? Not waiting until my retirement. And enjoy the here and now more, experience freedom in addition to my busy work? Isn’t it true that the purchase of a campervan fully complies with this? Of course, I may get sick after the purchase. Or even worse (not going to happen of course), incapacitated. Which would mean I would have to sell the camper. The great thing is that the VW camper has proven over the years to be extremely stable in value. So even when shit hits the financial fan, I can always sell it. Again, that’s not going to happen! In addition, this beautiful camper is small enough to be used as a daily car and I can therefore also trade in my current car. So I won’t be faced with double costs. I can and may also park it in my own parking space behind my house. With the camper always within reach, I can then spontaneously go on a weekend trip. Put the mountain-bike on the back of the van, grab some clothes and provisions and be on my way… The thought of this puts a big smile on my face. Carpe diem! Pas si vit! Postpone less and enjoy the here and now!
Which means that I’ve come to the best conclusion I can make:
I’m going to order my new VW California T7 Ocean… let the fun begin!