Is it worth buying a Wavecamper? - I answer on the basis of 2 years of use

Generally, I try not to get attached to material things, but in the case of my camper built by Wavecamper, it was completely different. I fell in love with this car from the first kilometers and this love continues to this day, even though it is no longer in our family.

I drove this camper for a total of 2 years and 2 months and covered a total of 50,000 km.

For those who don't know what car I'm talking about - I described it in detail in this article: Wavecamper - CampRest Test .

For those who don't like reading, I also prepared a video presenting this car:

Summary of the 2-year Wavecamper test

In the article below, I will try to answer the most frequently asked questions from people who were wondering about choosing a new CamperVan.

Why Wavecamper? After all, California is iconic, better and more recognizable.

I also asked myself the same question before deciding to order the Wavecamper. The argument in favor of the California was that it would be much easier to sell and the depreciation would be smaller. I told myself that the quality would definitely be better if the car was built by robots and not people...

The main deciding factor was the functionality of the Wavecamper, which the California does not even come close to. Single seats in the back with any configuration options and quick disassembly of the seats and bed convinced me to choose the Wavecamper. I knew the quality only from seeing this car at the fair because I didn't even have the opportunity to test it or even take a test drive before ordering it, but I wasn't disappointed at all. After 2 years of use, I didn't have to change my mind about the well-made construction by a company from Poznań.

At one point in Poland there was a lot of talk about a wave of thefts of VW Californias, but I was still calm about the Wave because it is still such a unique car that it is not such a tasty target for thieves, which they can easily sell further, camouflaging it in the crowd of others, or take it apart.

As for the decline in value, there is currently such a boom in campers that there is almost no decline in value when it comes to special camping vehicles, so it's hard for me to say whether Wave is losing value faster or slower compared to California.

How did you fit in such a small camper?

We traveled as a family of 4, but we usually traveled with our teardrop trailer, which served as luggage because we always have more than enough stuff and sometimes it's hard for us to even pack everything into "full-fledged, large campers".

The trailer also saved our lives in terms of luggage space, but for shorter trips we went without a trailer and we were able to easily pack 3 bicycles, a 2-person bicycle trailer , a barbecue, chairs with a table, food and clothes.

Have you had any breakdowns related to the base car?

Reading various forums and groups, you may get the impression that the VW T6 will break down after 10,000 km or the engine will need a major overhaul. I drove this car for almost 50,000 km and nothing happened. Suspension, drive system, gearbox, engine... everything worked great, but I took care of the car and serviced everything on a regular basis, so maybe the principle "if you take care of it, you get it" is important here.

However, the person who bought this car from me reported to me that he noticed a small leak under the engine which was caused by a shaft leak, but it was repaired under the extended warranty that I purchased at the time of purchasing the car.

Can you travel in a Wavecamper in winter?

With 4 people it is actually a challenge, but with 2 people I don't see a problem. I slept in it myself at a temperature of -18 and did not feel any discomfort. You definitely can't sleep on the roof in such frosts, unless you have sleeping bags for Himalayan climbers :)

As for the Eberspaecher D2 heating, it is very efficient IF IT IS TURNED ON.

And it was the switching on that was the biggest problem. This was mainly due to the fact that I ordered Easy Start Web control, i.e. one controlled via phone, and it didn't quite work. Very often, messages appeared that there was no Easy Start Web connection to the server - I replaced the controller twice, but unfortunately the error appeared most often when I cared about heating the most...

How to use the sleeper roof?

Folding the sleeping roof is very simple and takes just a few seconds. I sleep great because there is a nice breeze and even on hot evenings it was very good. However, when the temperature drops to about 10 degrees, you need a warmer sleeping bag.

We also led the heating pipe upwards, which effectively solved the temperature problem.

The original mattress is a bit thin, but after adding the self-inflating mat it was very comfortable.

How will you determine the quality of the construction after a longer period of use?

I can't say a bad word here. Literally all elements of the structure work the same after 50,000 km as when the camper was picked up. The structure does not creak and nothing had to be improved.

Were there any faults or failures of the base car and bodywork elements?

As for the base vehicle - I had no faults, but the new owner reported a small fault to me, which I described above.

As for the body, the only things that had to be replaced were the flexible solar panel from Car-Best and the parking battery, the manufacturers of which took into account the factory complaint caused by production errors.

What would you improve on your next Wavecamper?

I would order the chassis version with a 200 HP engine - but sometimes the weight of the bodywork was felt. The rear suspension should be strengthened so that the vehicle does not "sit down" so much when fully loaded. However, I would choose a higher GVM, i.e. 3200 kg, because with 4 people and a large amount of equipment I was often at the limit of the load capacity.

When it comes to the construction itself, all the comments I had were that Wavecamper has already used them in new models.

Would you order the same car again?

Yes, yes and yes again!

I sold this car only because I started cooperation with CarGO! , during which I would test their campers for a longer period and the Wavecamper would be left unused in the parking lot.

I have already ordered another Volkswagen T6.1, but it will be a passenger and cargo version, which I will need outside of camping trips.