why is this van cheaper than others?

[kp64zl]

I'm looking for a nearly-new VW Beach and I noticed this van on Das Welt Auto for ~£42,000 which is right at the top of my price range

https://used.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/...ia-beach-20tdi-150ps-eu6-bmt/details-kjbu7vns

It seems a bit cheaper than others that are approximately equivalent (although I am no expert at all in these matters). Is there anything I should consider / find out more about?

Any thoughts would be most appreciated, thanks

 

[Jay20cali]

Looks like a nice van to me ..I don’t own a beach ibut I’m sure if you compare spec with others you will get your answer..
I would be wanting one with a parking heater Really so you can use it all year round ,and it’s gotta be pretty rare being a manual for me that would also be a plus .

 

[T6 CFO]

I have an Ocean so no expert but I don’t see a parking heater which for me would be a deal breaker. I would also prefer DSG but that’s me.

Mike

 

[kp64zl]

I would like a parking heater but doesn't seem to be many second hand Beaches for sale with parking heaters so would get one retro-fitted eventually. Either way this will be a step up from tent-camping in winter!

 

[OGII]

Pricing is always tough, depends on the time of year and dealer etc as well as the number of vans for sale.

Personally I find this one to be a bit pricey for a preregistered or demo van, especially as options wise its lacking a few nice to haves (heater, radio upgrade, multi function wheel etc)

Our December 17 150 beach with all the above options (and a few more) with 6 miles on the clock was a chunk cheaper than this one.

Maybe keep looking? ( or negotiate hard?)

 

[2haw]

Without calling them, it does look fairly low spec, can only see:

Privacy
Metallic
Parking Sensors

You could get a brand new one in that spec with DSG for very similar money.

(7% - 8% discount + 2k deposit contribution)

Speaking to my salesman last week, he was looking to call in a new demo from central stock, so it maybe worth finding out from a dealer what they have immediately available.

Try Ian Flood at Loughton VW Van centre.

 

[kp64zl]

What do you think a more reasonable price would be?

 

[Melanie Day]

When we were looking I found the nearly new at VW dealers to be cheaper than private Cali's that were older. I think it's just how the market works, I would go to the online configure a van section and try spec your ideal van and compare the price.


We luckily found a petrol, manual beach with parking heater just 12 months old on here for sale ...that combination is rare so we were very lucky and snapped it up.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Kevthegas]

Do you really want a Beach with 2 rear seats ?

 

[OGII]

What do you think a more reasonable price would be?

Our prereg Beach 150 with over £8k of options was just under £40k in December, essentially factory fresh with protective plastics on etc.

Many people think a heater is essential, its your call really. As much as you need to buy based on what you want from a vehicle the advertised one is more or less standard spec and may be harder to sell than others.

I guess it comes down to how much you need one soon. I think the emissions issue where no new Calis were registered from Dec to Easter has held up supply and may be keeping prices high.

Personally I'd be disappointed to pay more than 38 or 39 for that Beach and even then I'd wonder if it had enough options to really enjoy what is a premium purchase.

Hope this helps

 

[sidepod]

Does it have front swivel seats? Seems a potential booby trap when buying demos? Absolute no go if it doesn’t!!

 

[kp64zl]

Thanks, that's all really helpful.

Yes I am sure I would like a 2 seater manual Beach, and I couldn't pay more than this one is going for. Less than £40k would be much better.

In terms of spec, this isn't far off what I would like.

I am not too fussed about too many extras (more things to go wrong)

I'd want a parking heater (which could be added later - saw some nice pics of the good job done by Slidepods), as I do camp in the winter.

I can't work out whether or not this van has swivel seats but they are definitely something I would not compromise on. Thanks for highlighting this. (don't swivel seats come as standard?)

I am not in a rush - any time between now & next year would be fine -- hoping to take advantage of autumn to get a good price

As suggested I checked my ideal van on the configurator and that would be about £50,200 with parking heater.

 

[Billywizz]

What do you think a more reasonable price would be?

Offer 40k I got 2k off my beach at the dealer!

 

[2haw]

Offer 38 an they may meet you at 40. If you offer 40, they'd meet you at 41.

Personally, I wouldn't pay more than 38 / 39 with that spec though.

It would only be missing swivel seats if it was a misbuild or if it had comfort seats, which is fairly unlikely with the minimal options this one is showing.

It's still worth calling the dealer for the full options list though as they are often advertised incorrectly.

 

[MarkVw2017]

No cruise control
No parking heater (but can be retrofitted
H4 headlights H4 not got a good rep!
2 seater rarer than Hens teeth!
Colour

Folding mirros
Tinted glass
Its a California

 

[MarkVw2017]

In terms of offers, vw cali dealers are hardcore! They dont budge mich AT all, maybe £500 if your lucky. They know they will sell them (numerous time i phoned back an hour later when i found my perfect cali to agrree asking price and it was sold!). Rather than cash reductions, try and get free services, seat covers, fuel, mats etc

 

[kp64zl]

Hi Everyone, thank you for your helpful replies, that's really appreciated.

Seems like on balance that this van may be a little overpriced in relation to its specifications. Price may or may not be negotiable, and it sounds like you think that about £38k would be more in the ballpark of a reasonable deal.

Also, although 2nd hand (Dec 17) something only a little older (e.g. March 2017) would be liable for less road tax -- this one has the £350 supplement which started April 2017.

So therefore my next question -- what's the collective thinking regards spending this type of money (e.g. £35-40k) on something slightly older with better spec (but more 'history' & less warranty) e.g. something with ~10k miles, 2-3 yrs old?

 

[OGII]

Californias are an oddity. Essentially they are great but overpriced vans that have near cult status that make them even dearer and highly prized than the similarly overpriced VW van conversions.

If you look at the tongue in cheek threads here with people swearing their allegiance to the Ocean vs Beach; colour A vs colour B; wheelsize; standard vs lowered, etc, etc you will find there is no right answer and conversely there is everyone's own personal correct answer.

As you can see by the myriad of T25, T4, T5 out there they run for ever as you would expect from the well engineered commercial base vehicle.

Sadly your biggest problem will be finding a van that suits your needs at a price you think "yep, that's the one". Annoyingly there's probably a few others looking for a similar van and not many for sale, keeping the prices firm. Great news when it comes to resale, frustrating when it comes to finding a bargain.

As others have said you may benefit from aiming to buy an ex demo rather than the hen's teeth true used bargain. Travelling to a far flung dealer helps. Our northern 6 mile high spec Beach was cheaper than a year old lower spec one in our local dealer in the south east.

Enjoy the search, its worth it in the end. Having a must have/indifferent list of options/colours will help.

 

[kp64zl]

I had a look at the van today and took it for a test drive.

My overwhelming feeling was that I should try the DSG before committing to one or the other gearbox. Otherwise I remain pretty keen on finding the right Beach (it's the first one I have properly looked at).

The van was as expected, pretty bare bones on spec (but with an unnecessary satnav, which I don't want).

The dealer would not negotiate on the price, beyond a recent reduction to £40,990

As an aside, the van had certain bits missing which "would be there when I buy it"
- The sat nav / media unit had been removed - leaving a hole in the dashboard (for security reasons apparently as these satnavs are often stolen)
- There was no cushion over the multiflex board (so to test the bed I had to lie on the cushion over the box)
- No curtains for windscreen or front side windows available to test out

This did feel like this dealership was lacking 'attention to detail' when trying to sell a premium vehicle, and the missing bits created a bit of a sense of unease.

 

[T6 CFO]

I had a look at the van today and took it for a test drive.

My overwhelming feeling was that I should try the DSG before committing to one or the other gearbox. Otherwise I remain pretty keen on finding the right Beach (it's the first one I have properly looked at).

The van was as expected, pretty bare bones on spec (but with an unnecessary satnav, which I don't want).

The dealer would not negotiate on the price, beyond a recent reduction to £40,990

As an aside, the van had certain bits missing which "would be there when I buy it"
- The sat nav / media unit had been removed - leaving a hole in the dashboard (for security reasons apparently as these satnavs are often stolen)
- There was no cushion over the multiflex board (so to test the bed I had to lie on the cushion over the box)
- No curtains for windscreen or front side windows available to test out

This did feel like this dealership was lacking 'attention to detail' when trying to sell a premium vehicle, and the missing bits created a bit of a sense of unease.

Good to have a test drive of different sorts. I would be surprised if you didn’t like the DSG. I’m sure the right one will come along with a bit of patience.

Mike

 

[super_mooper]

Interesting to read. We test drove the same van and came to the same conclusions (condition of van didn’t quite merit price). Agree it seems cheaper than others, but hope that it’s more a case of most dealers whacking the price up at the moment in the hope of a buyer needing a van for this summer/ early autumn & willing to pay the premium. Fingers crossed two 2 seaters under £40k come up for us both in the autumn!

 

[kp64zl]

Does anyone know if/when prices may start to drop off? Clearly August is too early....

 

[Moakesy]

Does anyone know if/when prices may start to drop off? Clearly August is too early....

You said you weren't in a rush and also that you camp in winter. I would think therefore that by October there won't be as many buyers walking into showrooms. Ideally you want a cold and few weeks before you look, therefore putting off other customers who'll wait until next year.

I guess the October half term will be the real time when demand drops off, as people start to think about winter and Xmas.

 

[Elmo3]

Does anyone know if/when prices may start to drop off? Clearly August is too early....

Wait until end of October / November.

 

[kp64zl]

Thanks for that, Question: How do you think the market would be in October / November ?

i.e how much cheaper do you think vans would be ? more choice or less choice?

& do you think benefits more on dealer market or private?