Beach with Heater

[matt-k918]

Hi,

I’ve been lurking on the forum on and off for a while now and have nearly committed to buying a California SE a number of times over the past few years.

I have now got permission from the budget holder (!) to buy something, but we think that we are now erring towards a 7-seat beach. It will be used as a nearly everyday 2nd car and we think that the occasional need for 7 seats for kids friends/grandparents etc will probably outweigh the holiday benefits of the full SE/Camper…. I know that this is a whole discussion in itself that can rumble on within the forum for weeks!

I’ve had a quote for a new T6 Beach with approx. 7-8% discount, but am also looking at used options. The problem I’m finding is that there are none with the added factory aux/ parking heating option on the market. In fact there are not many on the market at all. I guess that since it is quite an expensive option it doesn’t get added to VW stock vehicles and private individuals who have spec’d it are keeping hold of them? However, I would view this as an essential for year round use. I know it can be added aftermarket, but don’t really fancy the idea of an aftermarket installer cutting holes in my £35-£40k vehicle!!

Most seem to be around 1 year old and up for £36k-£39k from VW dealers. Generally I think prices for used Beaches are really close to a new Beach with a discount, especially given that the T5s were a little cheaper in the first place. I guess this shows how good the depreciation is, but equally I haven’t tried to negotiate a discount off the list price of a used one either? I guess £400-£800 should be possible on used)

Other considerations such as whether used prices for T5s will start to drop once more people start taking delivery of their T6s, that fact that the price for a new Beach is falling right into the pricing area of a number of used SEs and the lead time for a new order (~16weeks) are all weighing heavily on my mind at the moment.

I guess my main question at the end of that ramble is does anyone know of any dealer demo/used Beaches out there with factory parking heater included?

Cheers
Matt

 

[Stuart]

I have went through almost exactly the same thought process as you over the last 6 months and my conclusion is just to buy a new T6 Beach!

 

[Bigted]

Haggle is the key - if a dealer wants the sale and know you are serious then a deal can be had l'm sure. Mine was an ex demo and in the end got a good deal. The heater is a must and makes it a year round van!

 

[CALI FATE]

I have went through almost exactly the same thought process as you over the last 6 months and my conclusion is just to buy a new T6 Beach!

and me - getting my T6 Beach on Friday - nearly as excited as Davey Boy. As you say, a Beach with a parking heater makes a v desirable bit of kit - should hold its value well. Best of luck .............. its only money

 

[Batmobile]

I too considered a used T5 but the numbers looked so good on a discounted T6, I went the same way (7 seater Beach). Yes, I am spending more on a new T6, but I am getting a significantly higher spec that is exactly what I want, along with some of the other benefits of the T6.

Right at the start I considered the parking air heater essential and see a lot of people here speccing them on their new T6s, so think you've made the right decision. I'd go as far as to say that it could make a big difference to resale, because these expensive heaters are lacking on many T5 Beaches and as we can see, there is lots of interesting in having them!

 

[matt-k918]

Interesting message just received from a dealer who I had spoken to about he heater being an essential.

"do you know its different to the one installed on an SE? It will only run for 90 minute intervals, unlike the SE which will run all night. I think this is due to only having a single leisure battery as opposed to the two installed on an SE."

Not my understanding if you've gone for the £1700 option!?

 

[Rich20]

We have the factory fitted heater and it runs all night with no problems. You can set it for a period of time or continous. Dealer needs to learn about the product I think.

 

[Borris]

This one is currently being advertised on Ebay. It has a aux parking heater. It is the only second hand Beach that I have ever seen with one.

 

[Batmobile]

I think the dealer is incorrect. I think he is referring to the heater that uses the engine heat (coolant) to keep provide 40 mins or so of heat after the engine has been switched off. As I understand it you can order the exact same diesel powered air parking heater for the Beach that is available as std on the Ocean. I ordered one and my dealer said it is indeed the same. It should be at £1700!

 

[CYCLOPATH]

I agree that a heater is vital for an all year round veichle.
The beech and SE are quite different veichles, and suit different needs.
I would decide which suits you first, then make sure that which ever one you want has one

 

[Bigted]

Mine has a heater and it can be set to run for a length of time or non stop. The dealers really are poor!

 

[matt-k918]

I had found the eBay one too and it is a great spec...... but slightly put off by being an ex-hire vehicle. Haven't seen it In the flesh but there is just a niggle that it won't have been treated quite as carefully by customers as it would've been by an owner.

 

[cleve]

I had found the eBay one too and it is a great spec...... but slightly put off by being an ex-hire vehicle. Haven't seen it In the flesh but there is just a niggle that it won't have been treated quite as carefully by customers as it would've been by an owner.

We bought our current T5 from Steve and would highly recommend him. Certainly a lot more pleasant to deal with than a lot of the dealers we went to! He was really helpful, they take great pride in all their vehicles, gave fab handover and know their vehicles really well. We have even been able to call his mobile number to ask questions anytime we couldn't work something/find the wheel locking nut etc! Ours was handed over to us like new and I really wouldn't be without the parking heater. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from him again. Only complaint was that he was a tough guy to haggle with but we now see we got value for money Check out their website as the vehicle is on there too.

We went for the Beach from this seller as we got a lot more extras for the same price as we were looking at paying for a new one and we were able to view and collect the following week. We decided not to order new as we had a buyer for our caravelle at a good price and didn't want to miss a whole summer of adventures waiting for delivery of a new one!

 

[matt-k918]

Good to know re the ex-hire experience, thanks.

Found a few dealer-ordered vehicles out there with great specs......and price tags to match! As soon as they go over £40k something in my head keeps coming out with "I could get a decent SE for that"

 

[daveyboydanger]

Having had my Beach for around 30 hours (!) I can already say that the heater is worth it. Sitting in the van waiting for the school pickup? Shove the heater on and do a bit of work at the table. Kids wanting to play in the roof bed but it's 3degrees outside? Put the heater on and everything is toasty!
The heater is the same spec as the SE/Ocean (although I chose not to pay the extra £250 for a remote).
Love the heater. Would be sad and cold without it.

 

[Borris]

Forget the zeon lights, dsg, flashy radio/sat nav, alloy wheels etc, IMO the auxillary parking heater is just the best feature you can specify. The weather can do what it likes outside because with the heater on you will always be cosy where ever you are. It turns the Beach from a very useful multi purpose vehicle into a truely usable all year round camper van as well. If I were buying a Beach it would be Number 1 on my list and if I had a tight budget I would do without every thing else on the options list in order to have the heater. Further more when you come to sell it on the aux parking heater will make it even more highly desirable.

 

[cleve]

Ooh now I laughed at the remote option but actually I use it all the time! Press the button when we come down for breakfast and the van is all toasty when we go on the school run which means the kids don't have to wear their coats in their car seats which is much safer.

The heater definitely allows us to lengthen our camping season. We also use it for winter picnics most weekends, and as a changing room for after school clubs. My eldest can even stay in the vehicle with the heating on and a walkie talkie in case he needs anything whilst I take the others into their swimming lesson

 

[matt-k918]

Argh. Been waiting 3 weeks for my local van centre to get their beach demo in, chased up today to be told they're not getting it anymore

Definitely going for the beach now and definitely with heater, still torn between new lower spec, new higher spec or used though.

 

[Bigted]

The other thing that was on my list was the 3 zone aircon - it's the only way to get AC in the rear otherwise it's all from the dash vents for cooling. The 'rest' function is also proving its use over the cold last couple of weeks for keeping the van warm while popping into shops etc.

Parking heater and 3 zone were my only must haves and all else was just pushing up the price.

 

[cleve]

Argh. Been waiting 3 weeks for my local van centre to get their beach demo in, chased up today to be told they're not getting it anymore

Definitely going for the beach now and definitely with heater, still torn between new lower spec, new higher spec or used though.

I'd definitely recommend going for the spec you want and agree parking heater and 3 zone climatronic would all be top of my list if purchasing again. Don't spend a small fortune only to regret that you didn't spend a tiny bit more (if affordable obviously) on what you really wanted. We nearly bought an ex demo which was much less than what we paid for the ex hire one but feel we would have been disappointed if we had bought the cheaper one although it was newer with lower mileage it didn't have the heater or climatronic.

I'd recommend chatting to steve about the ex hire one as he specs his vehicles well and can tell you lots about it then you can weigh up how important those things are to you vs what it would cost you for the same spec if buying new. We also factored in that the ex demo was available almost immediately vs waiting for a new one. Depends how patient you are and also if you are bothered about T6 vs T5.

When we were looking, the only other ones we found with heaters were ex demos from SMG as they are one of the few places to include heater in their spec so try them if you haven't already.

 

[kave]

Get a new T6 with all the toys you need.
Are you sure the ebay Beach has Air Heater? Probably its the water warmer which wont run for long.

 

[matt-k918]

Yes I'm sure the heater on the eBay one is the full air heater. I've been in contact with Steve and was going to try and get over to see it today but didn't quite have enough time.

 

[kave]

If you have a link with interior pix its quite easy to tell.

 

[kave]

They have better pictures on their homepage. It seems it has Air Heater:
http://+++++++++++++++++++++++/uploads/pics/products/big800/38fa6ee2cb_DSC_0923.JPG

 

[matt-k918]

Neither of the new beaches I've been looking at have the three zone climate, but do have the elusive heater (one with remote, one without). Is the consensus out there that three zone climate is an essential or a nice to have?