New owners (shortly)

[adamdavi3s]

Hi from sunny Devon!

Ordered our MP in July after being VW owners for the last 7 years... ours is 70% car 30% camper which is what sold us over the Cali Picking it up from the dealer in early December (bad timing or what!)

We went for a white 220d Sport in beige leather with:
5th seat
awning
towing package (for a bike rack)
command
hot air heater
parking and 360 degree camera
usb in the headrests

We managed to negotiate 8% off, no idea if that is any good with Merc or not

Plan on using the shuttles from the 5th seat and nabbing a viano 2 seater bench from the continent to make it a 6 seater- if only they did the Horizon in this country!

We are also having ours done with star guard so will let you know how that is, I don;t have time to apply something myself and the Mercedes package includes interior and exterior

 

[Roy C]

Welcome to the forum. At least December delivery will give you the chance to use the heater!

 

[Wilnx005]

Nice Spec!

 

[adamdavi3s]

Got to choose the number plate today #### BNB

 

[Michael]

Howdi.

I collected my Sport last week.
Where is the best place to source the 2 seater bench from? Will this attach to the rails I have in the Polo? TIA

 

[funkyegg]

Howdi.

I collected my Sport last week.
Where is the best place to source the 2 seater bench from? Will this attach to the rails I have in the Polo? TIA

Congratulations! Please can any recent owners confirm if their vans are now fitted with cup holders in the center console and ambient lighting along the dashboard? Thanks

 

[adamdavi3s]

Howdi.

I collected my Sport last week.
Where is the best place to source the 2 seater bench from? Will this attach to the rails I have in the Polo? TIA

AFAIK- Europe or Evilbay. And you will also need the shuttle things which go in the rails for the seat to clip on and 4-5 hours to lift the rails to put the shuttles in. And I don't even know if the bench will fit... I am just really hoping it will

 

[Michael]

Congratulations! Please can any recent owners confirm if their vans are now fitted with cup holders in the center console and ambient lighting along the dashboard? Thanks

Hi - I have neither the console or dash ambient lighting. Thx

 

[adamdavi3s]

Interested to see what ours comes with, the new iOS app manual (for the Marco Polo) states

“The front door handle lighting and the ornamental strip lighting on the dashboard are part of the vehicle ambient lighting (see the vehicle's Operating Instructions).”

 

[WILLH]

Mine has console and ambient lighting to dash and doors

 

[Graham]

Greetings everyone. First proper post. The reason to come in now? And why this post? My MP has been ordered! So, new owners (shortly). Will try to cover it all in one go, so bear with me!

Interest started around 4 years ago on a camping trip to Cornwall with my wife. Kids are grown up now so we were back in a tent after a very long time. We pitched next to a VW Cali and, while driving around, became aware there were loads of camper vans about, which got me thinking. At our age, suddenly the idea of having a van rather than a tent appealed. The problem was the packing up every time you wanted to go out for a drive during the day - or so I thought.

We debated the bigger van (more space, but less manoeuvrable) against the smaller van (less space, but easier to drive). Given the amount of time that we would be likely to drive, decided the smaller vehicle would suit us better. The footprint of the Cali is about the same as my car and I want to enjoy the driving.

Then came the clincher. I discovered the drive away awning! The only debate at the time was actual Cali, or conversion - until the MP was announced in the UK. Really liked the look.

Waited for the reviews, then followed all the VW forum chat and watched all the you tube videos. I was going to need talked out of it, even though I hadn't even seen one in the flesh! Not many around up here. It was only couple of weeks ago we went to MB in Edinburgh where they had a demo model for sale - 220d Sport with a few extras on it.

Got the tour and a drive and it was everything I hoped it would be. Fortunately my wife was sufficiently, although perhaps not equally, as smitten as I was.

It was a nice van, decent price, but I thought a lot about it (you'll have gathered I do a lot of thinking!) and decided that if I was going to do it, and it was likely to be only once, I was going to get exactly what I wanted.

I had made an enquiry on Carwow back in October and the top discount was 7.2%. We decided the timing was right for us now, so I asked the lad at the dealer if he could match that discount and, if so, he would have my order that day. Well you could knock me down with a feather, he did! So I ordered.

250d AMG, Indium Grey (hoping it hides the dirt well!), driving assistance package (thinking of queuing traffic), towing package (for a tow bar bike rack), 360 degree camera, auxiliary night heater, COMAND online, me connect. Pretty much fully loaded.

I haven't even been in a Cali to compare. I've read all the debates, I get all the pros and cons of each, but I just prefer the look of the MP and could end up going round in circles forever! The dealer had a slot for an order they had made which they would have taken as a demonstrator, but changed all the spec for what I wanted. Van build date early May, then over to Westfalia with a delivery date early August.

Scott at the dealer has been very good, albeit he hasn't had much to do, but he saved me a wad of cash, so that makes him ok in my book.

Bit of a story, but thanks for hanging in there. Also, thanks to all who have contributed to the forum and helped me get to this point. For the moment I just have to keep reading and picking up helpful hints before my own adventure begins in earnest!

Cheers.

 

[BabaJen]

I haven't even been in a Cali to compare. I've read all the debates, I get all the pros and cons of each, but I just prefer the look of the MP and could end up going round in circles forever! The dealer had a slot for an order they had made which they would have taken as a demonstrator, but changed all the spec for what I wanted. Van build date early May, then over to Westfalia with a delivery date early August.


Cheers.

A very sensible comment. it's what appeals on an individual level. At the end of the day two fine vehicles and as you are paying a lot of money for either then you need to fall in love with it, not just drive it

 

[Katie]

Welcome Graham
Good spec. We had to decide between indium grey or brilliant silver, because we live out in the sticks and our van will always be dirty. In the end chose brilliant silver as my last car was this colour and hid the dirt well. Our neighbour has your colour and that also does well.
Hoping to collect ours this Friday (her name is Penelope) but due to the bad recent weather I don’t know if she will arrive on time.
Over the past five months I’ve been buying lots of ‘necessary’ goodies and am going to order some rubber mats this morning.
Our sister forum, the vw one, is excellent for all sorts of information that is equally applicable to the Marco Polo, so have a browse on this as well. Don’t take to heart anything some posters have to say about the mp though; it seems as though VW Camper owners can be almost evangelical about their vans, but they are very helpful if you have any questions.

 

[Graham]

Thank you both. I spent a lot of time on the Cali forum before this one got going. It's a bit like TripAdvisor in that you have to read through some of the more superficial or (often highly) subjective comments. Fortunately there were plenty of objective opinions out there, none more so than the review by Shaun & Lizzie on their Californiacamping site, which is fab. These sites, and others I am sure, are also going to be a great help when we really start to put together some travel plans. You can't beat experience ( such as GrannyJen/BabaJen) and every day is going to be a school day and bring something new for us.

My take on it is that the important thing is we are all after the same thing - a bit of free spirited adventure. Do it in whatever you prefer. By the time the sun is over the yardarm and the gin & tonic has been poured, who cares what your driving!