Advice gratefully received please

[MOJO]

Would appreciate any advice please. Newbie, so please be kind & forgive my ignorance !
Very early stages of research, but decided a couple of must haves

1. Want an Automatic
2. Budget £20k to £30k
3. T5 or preferably a T6

Should I go for a Beach or Ocean
Pros & cons of cooking/washing up facilities/ storage etc
If I want cooking facilities etc, do I buy already converted
Or do I buy a van & have it converted?
I'd be grateful for any thoughts

 

[California4x4]

Would appreciate any advice please. Newbie, so please be kind & forgive my ignorance !
Very early stages of research, but decided a couple of must haves

1. Want an Automatic
2. Budget £20k to £30k
3. T5 or preferably a T6

Should I go for a Beach or Ocean
Pros & cons of cooking/washing up facilities/ storage etc
If I want cooking facilities etc, do I buy already converted
Or do I buy a van & have it converted?
I'd be grateful for any thoughts

If you’ve got a cup of tea and some spare time do a search for Ocean vs Beach. You’ll find strong arguments for each which may or may not help you decide.
I have an Ocean and love how well it does everything. The main reason I got an Ocean was I could spec it with 4Motion. If I could have got a 4Motion Beach I’d probably have gone that way and then customised it. It would have been more flexible for me. Your factors: how many are traveling; will it be a primary or secondary vehicle; do you need a heater etc will affect your decision. Good luck.

 

[ArunAlec]

Would appreciate any advice please. Newbie, so please be kind & forgive my ignorance !
Very early stages of research, but decided a couple of must haves

1. Want an Automatic
2. Budget £20k to £30k
3. T5 or preferably a T6

Should I go for a Beach or Ocean
Pros & cons of cooking/washing up facilities/ storage etc
If I want cooking facilities etc, do I buy already converted
Or do I buy a van & have it converted?
I'd be grateful for any thoughts

The vast majority of owners on here will be California owners, so will probably say Ocean or Beach, which are not conversions but are VW factory built. When you do the sums it doesn’t seem to be cost effective to have a van converted (unless you DIY), the California although pricey is often not that much more expensive than other “proper“ conversions.

 

[Duxdeluxe]

With a budget of 20 to 30 k I’m pretty sure you can rule out a T6 and pretty much just about every Ocean Check out the for sale section on here and also Auto Trader to give you an idea of prices

 

[TripleBee]

In that price range you'll be looking at an SE (ocean) from the T5 range (2003 - 2009) with at least 200 000km.
In best case you'll find a Beach from the T5 or T5.1 range.
T6 will indeed be higher in price.

 

[Velma's Dad]

I think it's been said above but my 2p worth...

For under £30k you'll probably want to look at second hand T5 conversions, with an SE-type layout (ie the kitchen range running along on one side of the van). Note that the T6 Ocean was called the SE on the T5 .

You will get a very nice converted van for £25-30k although it won't be a purpose built VW California as they hold their original value much more than conversions.

BUT converted vans tend to be manual gearbox so you may have to hunt around to find an automatic.

Compared to genuine California Ocean/SE, a conversion also will tend to have:
- Been converted from a lower spec if base van, so fewer 'toys' at the driving end although even the basic Transporter van is fairly well specified.
- Possibly only a 102bhp engine rather than 140 or 180bhp on a California.
- Quite often have twin 'barn doors' at the back, rather than a lifting tailgate. Slightly less practical esp when it's raining.
- Have the sliding door on the left rather than right - really makes no difference for most purposes.
- Depending on the type of pop-top roof fitted, it may nudge above 2 metres height even with roof down and hence be a squeeze to get under barriers at car parks, beach etc.
- Space at the rear in conversions is usually less ample/flexible than on a California as the 'rock and roll' beds used in conversions take up more space.
- May be LWB - which some people like of course although note that the extra space is normally in the living area not at the rear for extra luggage space, due to the seat anchor positions..
- May not have swivel driver and passenger seats (that is quite a big deal if not).
- Pop up roof will be manual - not an electro-hydraulic as on the SE - although that isn't really any disadvantage IMO, less to go wrong.

There are lots of other differences but plenty of people are very happy with conversions.

Good luck researching.

 

[westfalia]

There is a good one for sale at the moment on here.

VW California SE 174 Auto...

Beautiful VW California SE 2.5 174 Auto.. 62207 miles With All the Standard SE refinements + Upgrades. Extremely well cared for & maintained. Always serviced with by VW, all receipts and records. Must be seen to be appreciated. New MOT completed 12/03/20 so a full 12 months. Full VW history. Exc...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[B J G]

Not a California but looks interesting.

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ps be very careful when looking for a purchase as there are lots of scams about. They use photos from genuine vehicles and offer at a good price, insist on holding deposit etc then disappear.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Not a California but looks interesting.

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ps be very careful when looking for a purchase as there are lots of scams about. They use photos from genuine vehicles and offer at a good price, insist on holding deposit etc then disappear.

Does look a good package for the money. Although why do so many of these conversions have interiors that look like the inside of a dodgy stretch limo?

The pics through the rear doors shows one of the big drawbacks of a conversion, ie virtually no room for luggage/camping gear behind the RNR bench/bed. When we looked at conversions that was one of the most in-your-face drawbacks as far as our needs were concerned.

 

[Amarillo]

How do you intend to use the van?

How big is your family?

Pets?

Generally, the Ocean/SE suits couples (with occasional grandchildren) or smaller (one or two young children) families, often also used as a second car. The Beach suits larger families who can also use it as a family car.

 

[MOJO]

Thanks very much for the guys who have replied so far. Brilliant info & food for thought for me. I realise I'm preaching to the converted here, but I'm getting a bit obsessed with VW Campers ....... is it addictive ?

 

[MOJO]

If it helps, there will be just 2 of us, but I want to use it as the main vehicle as well

 

[pjm-84]

Whilst it may sound flippant also consider resale value. So whilst you may be able to buy a conversion cheaper it may cost you more in the long run. I had a few people scoff on the price I paid back in 2015 but consider nothing when they hand a similar price car back and lose 30k in depreciation over 3years. Ours has probably cost us £3.5k a year over 5years on paper. (However, the reality is far less as our summer holiday use to cost 5k).

 

[BeagleMum]

Thanks very much for the guys who have replied so far. Brilliant info & food for thought for me. I realise I'm preaching to the converted here, but I'm getting a bit obsessed with VW Campers ....... is it addictive ?

Welcome to the forum, yes in our opinion it does become addictive
Beach or Ocean is very subjective, there are devotees on both sides.
The best advice we can give, bearing in mind we are newbies as we have had our Beach for just a year is to soul search what you want from it, how you want to use it and how often.
Many questions to ask yourself but the basic ones for us were,
As an only vehicle or a second vehicle, how many adults, how many children & their ages, any pets, the downstairs bed in the Beach is wider, the Ocean has hot plate, small sink & fridge, wardrobe, but do you want to drive around with this all the time?
Do you already have any cooking equipment from camping you could use with a Beach?
There are many experienced owners from both camps on the forum who can offer you good advice. Good luck and enjoy your search.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Welcome to the forum, yes in our opinion it does become addictive
Beach or Ocean is very subjective, there are devotees on both sides.
The best advice we can give, bearing in mind we are newbies as we have had our Beach for just a year is to soul search what you want from it, how you want to use it and how often.
Many questions to ask yourself but the basic ones for us were,
As an only vehicle or a second vehicle, how many adults, how many children & their ages, any pets, the downstairs bed in the Beach is wider, the Ocean has hot plate, small sink & fridge, wardrobe, but do you want to drive around with this all the time?
Do you already have any cooking equipment from camping you could use with a Beach?
There are many experienced owners from both camps on the forum who can offer you good advice. Good luck and enjoy your search.

That's excellent advice. One important question to ask yourself is... do you really REALLY enjoy cooking and do you expect to do that most nights, in the van, when you are camping, all year round?

We have an SE (Ocean equivalent) and we do on balance like having the built in kitchen but in practice mainly use it for breakfasts, making coffee on the road, etc etc. In the evening we're much more likely to BBQ outside (in summer) or eat in a pub (winter) so for us there is only so much benefit to the kitchen facilities, most of the time. On the other hand the built in fridge is great even if only for keeping drinks and cold summer foods chilled (but of course you could carry a 12v plug in fridge in a Beach).

On balance we still prefer the SE/Ocean format BUT for us it's not our main vehicle. The Beach format is more of an MPV and a lot of folks find well suited to 'daily driver' needs... although it doesn't sound as though you need to transport youngsters... so again it shows how much it's a very individual decision.

The best advice is always to try renting a campervan for a weekend before you commit.

 

[Red wine lover]

We had the same 'needs'. Looked at lots of conversions but getting an automatic in that price range was the difficulty.
However last summer we did get a 58 california factory built, under 70000 miles on the clock. New tires and awning were on it, sold the winter tyres as we knew we wouldn' t need them. Also sold the bike rack as we needed a tow ball bike rack.
It had just been serviced a d it sailed through the mot. The only thing it needs repairing are its parking senses.
Yes, we have spent some money getting a rainbow black out and a safari room but we haven' t hit the £30,000 mark .
Can't wait to use her this year especially as we should have just finished 4 weeks travelling around Scotland!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Don't go anywhere near a conversion...
Long long list of downsides.
£30k should see you in a 2008-2011 Ocean. Keep checking back here for a used one. Im sure with patience you will find what you want.

 

[BeagleMum]

That's excellent advice. One important question to ask yourself is... do you really REALLY enjoy cooking and do you expect to do that most nights, in the van, when you are camping, all year round?

We have an SE (Ocean equivalent) and we do on balance like having the built in kitchen but in practice mainly use it for breakfasts, making coffee on the road, etc etc. In the evening we're much more likely to BBQ outside (in summer) or eat in a pub (winter) so for us there is only so much benefit to the kitchen facilities, most of the time. On the other hand the built in fridge is great even if only for keeping drinks and cold summer foods chilled (but of course you could carry a 12v plug in fridge in a Beach).

On balance we still prefer the SE/Ocean format BUT for us it's not our main vehicle. The Beach format is more of an MPV and a lot of folks find well suited to 'daily driver' needs... although it doesn't sound as though you need to transport youngsters... so again it shows how much it's a very individual decision.

The best advice is always to try renting a campervan for a weekend before you commit.

Good advice, and yes it’s sensible to hire before you buy. Yet knowing all that we didn’t we just knew we wanted a van & it had to be a California.
The debate for us was Ocean or Beach, after we decided Beach it was then a question of 2 seater or 3 seater in the rear. It’s not our main vehicle but we use it a lot for day trips which is brilliant as well as holidays.

 

[California4x4]

Good advice, and yes it’s sensible to hire before you buy. Yet knowing all that we didn’t we just knew we wanted a van & it had to be a California.
The debate for us was Ocean or Beach, after we decided Beach it was then a question of 2 seater or 3 seater in the rear. It’s not our main vehicle but we use it a lot for day trips which is brilliant as well as holidays.

What are the pros and cons of 2 vs 3 seat Beach in your opinion please?

 

[BeagleMum]

What are the pros and cons of 2 vs 3 seat Beach in your opinion please?

Main one we think is how many people you wish to carry. Most of the time we are 2 adults 2 dogs with the occasional 3rd adult. For us the 2 seater is ideal as we feel it gives us additional space, also in the 2 seater there is a fitted storage box, which if you wish you can remove. For advice re rear 3 seaters @Borris and @Amarillo are your experts

 

[Borris]

Hello MOJO,
Firstly welcome. As you are discovering, VW Californias are a drug which you become addicted to. I've owned both versions and I can tell you they are both absolutely superb vehicles.

If you have already decided on a Beach then as has already been said you will need to ask yourself the following questions:
1. How many persons am I ever likely to want to carry at any one time?
2. What uses will you require this vehicle to perform?

Unless you are buying a new one in mainland Europe there are two forms of Beach here in the UK. New Beaches are no longer available in the UK.

1. The Beach with the two seat rear bench and storage box. This version can accomodate another removable captains swivel seat in order to increase it's passenger carrying capacity to five.

2. The Beach with the three seat rear bench. The three seater bench version can have two further captains swivel seats fitted to increase capacity to seven persons. This version provides the most flexibility for future multi use ownership. It can be easily re-configured to perform a multitude of different roles. This makes it a superb family vehicle.

There are other differences but those are the two main versions. If you wish to know more then you only have to ask.

 

[MOJO]

Thanks Everyone.

 

[clarinetbcn]

Bed hight is lower in the 2 seat Beach bench, which means lower clearance under the bed extension, more head room if you want to sit up in the lower bed when the roof bed is in use. The surfaces of the seat cushions are flat: it's a bed which folds up into a seat.
Bed height is higher in the 3 seat bench, which gives more space under the multiflex bed extension, which can be adjusted long or short and moved for different seating combinations. The bed surface of the seat is contoured for seating and when folded flat needs a confort matress to smooth out the bumps.

For me the deciding factor is that about half of my trips are with 7 people and all our hiking/biking/skiing equipment. The rest of the time the two second row seats come out and I have the flexibilty to use the remaining huge space in different ways while still having seating for 5.

 

[Rich63]

We bought our California SE to use as a campervan, travelling & staying at new places visited and then moving on.
There's me & mrs @Rich63 and soon our 2year old grandson.
We find the SE ideal for what we want.
Is owning a California (of any kind) addictive? Try driving one for a day & see how many waves, (coded) flashing of lights you get. It's a very fine club to be part of.

 

[sidepod]

If you’re buying a Beach then, in my op, that’s a very expensive van with a bed in the roof. I’ve never understood why they’re so expensive for what you don’t get. If it’s a Beach then it may be worth looking at a Caravelle and having a roof conversion done? I’ve not done the sums but it may work?

As with all projects expect a bit of Mission Creep. Make sure whatever you get has a heater.

Conversions may appear a cheaper option but you simply won’t get your money back if you opt out.
It’s all been debated to death on here so just go with your heart. Go and look, they’re like houses, the minute you see it you’ll know it’s the one.