A few answers to your Westie questions:
Westfalia camper vans are genuine conversions. Until the introduction of the T5, all the "factory" conversions were carried out by Westfalia for VW.
We imported our 2001 Westfalia California Generation in 2007 after looking at a number of aftermarket conversions over here, but none of them were of a suitable or good standard. Eventually we decided that the California was the one to have. We searched German websites and EBay and eventually found one at a dealers north of Hamburg. I contacted the seller and arranged to fly over and check it out. Happy with it, we agreed a price, I flew back, transferred the money from our bank to his and flew back a few days later with my wife and a couple of sleeping bags! We had to sort out the export paperwork at the local equivalent of a vehicle tax office, paid about 30 euros for the export number plates - which included 30 days insurance - and drove it back via The Tunnel.
Once back home, we began the process of registering it in the UK. The main issues to be addressed are the headlights, position of the rear fog light and the instruments to mph. In the end, the cost of changing the gauges were going to be too costly and so I took it for an mot without changing the speedo. I also didn't want to change the headlights immediately as were were about to embark on a 3-month continental trip so left them as they were. I bought headlamp deflectors and the mot guy positioned them on the headlights to correct them for rhd use.
One tricky issue concerned the rear fog plight, which was showing no power at the bulb. After spending a day on it myself and half a day from an auto electrician, he diagnosed the problem. The van has a towbbar fitted, with a 13-pin adapt or attached to the standard7-pin . This adapt or fooled the van into thinking there was trailer or caravan attached and automatically cut off the current to the towbbar, apparently to avoid glare from the "towed vehicle"! Our van has the digital computer display, which indicated consumption in terms of litres per 100 Kim's. Not too helpful but our local VAG dealer sorted it out painlessly.
In terms mpg, our T4 returned 39 mpg over the 4999 miles of our fully laden 3-month trip. I have had the van re-mapped to137 bhp to enable safer overtaking when fully laden and also to improve economy and the best consumption I have obtained is 44 mpg, but with a very light right foot!
We have had no problems with the van since purchase, just the usual replacement items during our 8 years and 50,000 miles such as discs, pads, exhaust, cam belt and water pump and air-con compressor. Even the 110amp leisure battery is original!
All the Westy California's are lhd but I have found no problem with that.
Our purchase price was £16,000 in 2007 which included the air fares and a favourable exchange rate. Not sure what the prices are now, but the latest T4 Westies are 2003.
I have no doubt that a well looked-after California is a great long-term buy. Go for it!
