Quest for a California!

Trollhunter · Aug 15, 2018

In the quest to buy my first California I have one I am interested in, but looking for some advice.
I have put in the link... its a Norwegian site so just wondering if anyone has time or interest to just flick through the pictures.
I think the car looks like its in great condition to be from 2005, and has a heap of extras (NAV/ DAB / bike rack / side awning / parking sensors etc.) But I am a bit concerned that in some areas around fittings, rim of the ceiling it looks like its picked up a bit of grease over its lifetime (probably hard to remove). Also the inside ceiling looks quite discolored. As prices in Norway are high I have to aim towards the older models so bit of wear and tear has to be accepted I suppose. Any ideas how watertight the roof canvas would be after so many years?
Anyhow, just thought maybe someone would cast a glance over and see what they think. No worries if not!
Otherwise I think the car itself looks pretty badass

Heres the link:
https://www.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=126508814

Trollhunter · Aug 15, 2018

Oh, and the reason I ask is that its quite a journey for me to go see it, so I have to be pretty sure to make the effort!

Hotel California · Aug 15, 2018

When 13y and 260.000km it's not abnormal to have tear and wear .
As long everything is there and working you must compare prices to other Cali's .
We can not compare prices , even me here in Belgium the prices are very diffrent then those in the UK or Holland for instance.
In the pictures as far i can see it looks like a normal used Cali.
It could be better cleaned , but rooffabric and carpets are hard to keep clean .

Trollhunter · Aug 15, 2018

hotel california said:
When 13y and 260.000km it's not abnormal to have tear and wear .
As long everything is there and working you must compare prices to other Cali's .
We can not compare prices , even me here in Belgium the prices are very diffrent then those in the UK or Holland for instance.
In the pictures as far i can see it looks like a normal used Cali.
It could be a better cleaned , but rooffabric and carpets are hard to keep clean .

Thanks, yes I agree. I just have to compare to others in the norwegian market. It seems pretty well priced according to the few there are. I guess I just need to bite the bullet and get my wallet out at some point! Cant hang myself up in small details as long as the thing runs well

Hotel California · Aug 15, 2018

If my calculations are correct 10NK is about 1€ so 29.000€ is indeed a lot of money for a 13y old Cali but that's about the prices they go here...
There need to be some members from Norway who can help you.

Velma's Dad · Aug 15, 2018

I think it looks very good for a 13 year old van, at least from the pictures. Looks like it's been pretty well cared for, even though it's slightly grubby in places (but I wish our cooker hob looked as sparkling as that, and ours is 10 years younger!).

It's hard to see if the ceiling/roof lining is actually stained, I guess that's something you'll just need to see for real and take a view on. Could it have been smoked in? But that's all only going to be a problem if it actually bothers you.

The pale grey carpets get pretty discoloured very quickly, personally it wouldn't bother me.

The slight 'bunching' on the inside door fabric is fairly normal, and possibly caused by someone trying to turn the seat with the dor closed. But you don't really see it once you're inside the van.

MattBW · Aug 15, 2018

It does look a good example for it's age, the ceiling is covered in fabric so it may be possible to clean it with products but I suspect if the dealer hasnt done it it may be difficult.

4 motion too so nice feature, is it a 2.5 they are quite strong engines that last well so the high mileage may not be so bad but hard to be sure without testing it.

sapto · Aug 15, 2018

Hi and welcome
IMO „looks“ great

Would be interessting if there are any „bigger“ things to do/repair or if the preowner done everything on time. You might ask about the roof corrosion (I know you‘ll be out of warranty) and the timing belt (is this the correct name? sorry). My 2005er hasn‘t got one so less worry.