Demostrator Coast - Anywhere in the London/South Region

[Jenny H]

I definitely would just order now, it’s only a £500 deposit. You’ll easily be able to add or delete any options after your test drive this weekend. You are going to lose out if you have to pay the price increase. We “dithered” for ages and almost didn’t do it at all, but we ordered in the end and it’s a nice feeling now.

Ive only gone & done it!!

 

[Stu@rt]

Fantastic. Really pleased for you.

 

[Jenny H]

Fantastic. Really pleased for you.

Ahh thank you Stuart - it is all subject to the test drive on Sunday but Im hoping that's the last box to tick!
& obviously I have the safety net of pulling out if the 10% tax duty gets lumped on.
Given that the UK seems to be a priority at the minute I weighed up the fact that Europe will be the priority next year as they are having really long build delays, I then thought Id be disappointed if they withdrew the Coast option from the UK as really want the manual roof, I then thought there are definite options which are non negotiable so limit finding a 2nd hand one, then just got on with it, its all a big gamble & Im not a gambling person but what the hell

 

[Stu@rt]

Hey, I am sure you have done the right thing. I had no issues at all with the drive, so I am sure that will not be an issue at all. Congratulations!

 

[Jenny H]

Hey, I am sure you have done the right thing. I had no issues at all with the drive, so I am sure that will not be an issue at all. Congratulations!

Thank you please let us know how you get on with the conversions - I went through Martin at Tonbridge & he was so helpful with my 101 questions!

 

[Stu@rt]

Thank you please let us know how you get on with the conversions - I went through Martin at Tonbridge & he was so helpful with my 101 questions!

That's great to know as they are the nearest dealer to us. Is it too much of an imposition to ask the colour / options?

 

[Jenny H]

Of course not happy to share - Mojave, davenports, panorama roof, vinyl floor, climatronic 2nd heater, comfort lights, mattress, 80 tank, larger battery, tow bar prep, privacy glass, he price matched drive the deal.

 

[Stu@rt]

Of course not happy to share - Mojave, davenports, panorama roof, vinyl floor, climatronic 2nd heater, comfort lights, mattress, 80 tank, larger battery, tow bar prep, privacy glass, he price matched drive the deal.

Sounds awesome. Be sure to keep us all up to date of progress. Well done gain.

 

[Jenny H]

Sounds awesome. Be sure to keep us all up to date of progress. Well done gain.

Thanks - will do I think Ive gone for the creature comfort camping things as oppose to the driving dynamics!!!

 

[Rams66]

Congratulations Jenny. Sooo exciting!

 

[Jenny H]

Congratulations Jenny. Sooo exciting!

Thank you - combination of nerves & excitement at present - in such uncertain times it makes you feel somewhat guilty to be making such a big bold decision !!

 

[PhilR]

Fantastic news Jenny, as I’ve said on another thread. So pleased for you. If you’re like me it will be a huge relief to have actually got an order in now. Mojave looks awesome too. But I would say that

 

[Jenny H]

Fantastic news Jenny, as I’ve said on another thread. So pleased for you. If you’re like me it will be a huge relief to have actually got an order in now. Mojave looks awesome too. But I would say that

Ahh thank you Phil - yes I see we have the same taste!
Mixture of excitement & guilt given the current state of the world!!

 

[Jenny H]

Oh no! - I was kinda hoping you wouldn't ask, as I am sure my reply is bound to upset some people. It was my first "hands on" with a Cali and my first experience of a 6.1 too, as our previous experience had been of hiring a T6 conversion with a manual box.
So first the positives....
It drove really nice. I honestly think the 150PS would be ample for me and the DSG box appeared even smoother than the 9 speed auto of my SUV daily driver. Lovely driving position. Steering really light and make it feel quite "car like" to drive. So I wouldn't need another test drive of a 6.1. That box is perfectly ticked.

Now the bits that will upset some folks - so you all have my upfront apologies.
I was a little underwhelmed tbh and we now feel like we need to do some more homework. We just didn't like the look of it, either inside, or out and am struggling to put my finger on why, as I constantly admired many vans from afar. I wish they had left the dash alone. I think the comfort dash in the T6 looks much nicer than the 6.1 dash (Just personal preference I guess).The silver was certainly not working for me (Sorry silver Cali owners). And with no privacy glass, only seemed to make that worse for me too. Being able to see straight in (Especially the kitchen side) seemed to remove some of the Cali mystique. I am scared to say that neither of us liked the oak units either, it just wasn't working for us against the grey of the seats and the grey floor. Maybe the upgraded "yacht style" flooring would be a better match against those oak units, but that adds another £500 too.

So would I have bought that particular demonstrator, I am afraid not. The "wow" factor just didn't hit me. It just looked incredibly bland (For nearly £60k). All credit to the dealership, the lone Sunday salesman was busy, so we had about 90mins, unattended to open & close everything (Including the roof), so it was a really worthwhile exercise for sure. This particular van had dangling wires, where the control panel should be(Some troubleshooting going on, as there was a box of bits (Panel/surround/blind clips etc) floating around in the rear) with only 150 miles on the clock! I really hope it all goes back together nicely for the eventual owner. There were a few other niggles too, like the new/upgraded sliding wardrobe doors didn't close properly, without jumping off the rails. (Hopefully just a one off and not a 'feature'. And a drivers side windscreen blind that wouldn't sit nicely without rattling in my right eye/ear. That would have needed some attention too. Don't get me wrong, I know there will be issues with a vehicle of this complexity.

But where do we go from here? I am not too sure. As has been said many times before on here, used T6 Ocean (Around 1yr old) prices are still more money than a new Coast, so I think that makes it all a bit too pricey for us. I was really hoping that used prices would have started to come down a bit, now that the season had ended and the "staycation tax" had removed some of the premiums being paid. But I still am not seeing any evidence of that. We have CMC Reimo not far from us, so I intend to pay them a visit, just to take a look at alternatives with regards to interiors. But would I be brave enough to buy a conversion, I am not too sure.

Apologies to anyone offended with the above. I guess I have two tone Ocean ideas(preferably with a 5year warranty! I know I know), but with 3 year old Ocean or Coast money and as lots have said before, its all about the compromise. Being quite risk adverse, the search for us goes on.

I do hope that your trip to Guildford next Saturday helps with some of your questions. It was really useful to us for sure. Let us know how you get on. I for one will be curious to see how our thought processes compare.

~Braces for impact from those that I have offended

Hi Stuart,
Just back from my test drive of the Coast! So thought I would share my thoughts !!
It drove really nicely & easily - all round vision was good - I found the reversing camera confusing!
Funniest thing happened - I decided to pull off the road & take a better look - when I turned round I thought oh the camper lights are on - looked up to the control panel & pressed 1st button thinking that must be it only to be told Id made an emergency SOS call!! thankfully it told me to cancel!!!
Anyway once back I asked to try the manual roof as might need to do on my own - it was stiff to push up but easy to get down but not an issue.
I actually love the oak cupboards & seat cloth & have opted for the vinyl floor.
What was interesting was that they had the Ocean side by side to the Coast so I was able to visually compare the 2 differences, plus they had the Caravelle nearby so I could see the non digital dash.
Yes if I had the extra money I would like the 199 & 4WD, but an electric roof & electric door worries me for when Im going to be camping on my own, & I genuinely prefer the look of the cosier Coast interior.
Privacy glass definitely a must & Im not sure the VW option is going to be dark enough!?
Despite checking out my options whilst there I still am unsure about my choice of Comfort lighting & Climatronic that Ive added ! Im also dithering about adding all weather tyres as not having 4WD ?!
Also the salesman told me finance was 2.9% which confuses me as the deal I have is 3.6% !
Im still justifying to myself spending that amount of money on a vehicle but thats just me & would be the same even if I won the lottery!
Interested to hear if you went to the VW conversion place & what you thought?
All in all I did get the overall impression of good quality build & just must have a pop top once in my life, especially one with a big opening window!

 

[Stu@rt]

Hi Jenny, thanks so much for taking the time to feedback. Genuinely appreciated
I was sure that you'd be happy with the drive. I found it effortless and could easily see me soaking up plenty of miles with no issues at all.
Sounds to me that the dealership have still to resolve the issue with the control panel in that van. You will recall that when I drove it, it was removed with plenty of wiring left hanging where the panel should be. The panel and its surrounding were rattling around in an A4 copy paper box in the rear. I recall the salesman making a comment about it issuing false SOS calls, so that rang bells when you mentioned that. (So I think you can rest easy that it wasn't pilot error on your part) I guess that they have reinstalled the panel and not rectified the fault. I already feel sorry for the eventual purchaser of that vehicle. It undoubtedly will need a few trips back to the dealer, early doors for some extra attention. I'm glad that you had the option of comparing the vehicles side by side (And disappointed that we missed that opportunity!) Hopefully that gave you further confidence and validation of the choices that you have made. I think the flooring will work well alongside the Coast units. And if I am still phaffing when you take delivery (& I could be !), we are going to need to see some pictures eh?
Yesterday, we did visit the conversion company that's only about 8 miles away from us, but are no closer to a decision. I was really impressed with their sliding rail seat system and their roof too, but wasn't sold on the wooden cabinetry. The vehicle that we saw yesterday was new Ocean money too, which is beyond budget and 'risk adverse me' would still be concerned about robustness, longevity and residuals.

Thanks for the updates - really appreciate you taking the time. You must be genuinely excited that you now have a van looming on the horizon and that all the research has now paid off.

 

[Jenny H]

Hi Jenny, thanks so much for taking the time to feedback. Genuinely appreciated
I was sure that you'd be happy with the drive. I found it effortless and could easily see me soaking up plenty of miles with no issues at all.
Sounds to me that the dealership have still to resolve the issue with the control panel in that van. You will recall that when I drove it, it was removed with plenty of wiring left hanging where the panel should be. The panel and its surrounding were rattling around in an A4 copy paper box in the rear. I recall the salesman making a comment about it issuing false SOS calls, so that rang bells when you mentioned that. (So I think you can rest easy that it wasn't pilot error on your part) I guess that they have reinstalled the panel and not rectified the fault. I already feel sorry for the eventual purchaser of that vehicle. It undoubtedly will need a few trips back to the dealer, early doors for some extra attention. I'm glad that you had the option of comparing the vehicles side by side (And disappointed that we missed that opportunity!) Hopefully that gave you further confidence and validation of the choices that you have made. I think the flooring will work well alongside the Coast units. And if I am still phaffing when you take delivery (& I could be !), we are going to need to see some pictures eh?
Yesterday, we did visit the conversion company that's only about 8 miles away from us, but are no closer to a decision. I was really impressed with their sliding rail seat system and their roof too, but wasn't sold on the wooden cabinetry. The vehicle that we saw yesterday was new Ocean money too, which is beyond budget and 'risk adverse me' would still be concerned about robustness, longevity and residuals.

Thanks for the updates - really appreciate you taking the time. You must be genuinely excited that you now have a van looming on the horizon and that all the research has now paid off.

That's interesting to hear about the conversion option Stuart - for me I was also sold on the VW garages nationwide if Im on my own as well as all the fabulous advice on here of course!
I guess you may have scrolled through all the youtube vidoes regarding the California - tbh they are an excellent tool for discovering more about options etc & do give you a true feel of what youre buying I just wanted to see it all in the flesh & test it myself!
For sure I will post pics.
For now still a mix of excitement & guilt! with still the option of pulling out before arrival!!! Keep us posted.

 

[Rams66]

Well done Jenny. We were very close to getting a Coast but ordered an Ocean last week. Would have been excited to have either. Order has been 'accepted' by VW (not entirely sure why they need to accept my order!) Should get build timing this week, seems like Feb from other posts.

No talk of pulling out, you've got to be in it to win it!!

BTW I'm really not much into community forums but I can't stay off this one! Ignoring the ones where they are full of things that go wrong

 

[Rams66]

Hi Jenny, thanks so much for taking the time to feedback. Genuinely appreciated
I was sure that you'd be happy with the drive. I found it effortless and could easily see me soaking up plenty of miles with no issues at all.
Sounds to me that the dealership have still to resolve the issue with the control panel in that van. You will recall that when I drove it, it was removed with plenty of wiring left hanging where the panel should be. The panel and its surrounding were rattling around in an A4 copy paper box in the rear. I recall the salesman making a comment about it issuing false SOS calls, so that rang bells when you mentioned that. (So I think you can rest easy that it wasn't pilot error on your part) I guess that they have reinstalled the panel and not rectified the fault. I already feel sorry for the eventual purchaser of that vehicle. It undoubtedly will need a few trips back to the dealer, early doors for some extra attention. I'm glad that you had the option of comparing the vehicles side by side (And disappointed that we missed that opportunity!) Hopefully that gave you further confidence and validation of the choices that you have made. I think the flooring will work well alongside the Coast units. And if I am still phaffing when you take delivery (& I could be !), we are going to need to see some pictures eh?
Yesterday, we did visit the conversion company that's only about 8 miles away from us, but are no closer to a decision. I was really impressed with their sliding rail seat system and their roof too, but wasn't sold on the wooden cabinetry. The vehicle that we saw yesterday was new Ocean money too, which is beyond budget and 'risk adverse me' would still be concerned about robustness, longevity and residuals.

Thanks for the updates - really appreciate you taking the time. You must be genuinely excited that you now have a van looming on the horizon and that all the research has now paid off.

We saw a conversion company over your way Stu@rt. It was the first viewing of a van and we thought they did a good job. Having then seen the California there was no comparison really and all at roughly the same price.

 

[Jenny H]

Well done Jenny. We were very close to getting a Coast but ordered an Ocean last week. Would have been excited to have either. Order has been 'accepted' by VW (not entirely sure why they need to accept my order!) Should get build timing this week, seems like Feb from other posts.

No talk of pulling out, you've got to be in it to win it!!

BTW I'm really not much into community forums but I can't stay off this one! Ignoring the ones where they are full of things that go wrong

Ahh thank you & how exciting for you too, I must admit I had gone back on the configurator to price up an Ocean but thats the part Im most sure about that its a Cali Coast for me! The colour on the other hand is swaying a bit !!
I know Im the same but this forum is addictive isnt it!!

 

[Rams66]

For colours and black windows, the dealer suggested wraps and tints from a specialist. For the van colour you can buy white and wrap the bottom half for about £1,000 it seems if you wanted 2 tone. You can choose any colour you like!
Same for windows as long as it's Henry Ford black

 

[Jenny H]

For colours and black windows, the dealer suggested wraps and tints from a specialist. For the van colour you can buy white and wrap the bottom half for about £1,000 it seems if you wanted 2 tone. You can choose any colour you like!
Same for windows as long as it's Henry Ford black

Yes I love the look of the 2 tones but dont want to stand out that much so ruled them out.
Ive ordered Mojave with the privacy tint which I dont think is quite dark enough.

 

[Rams66]

Yes I love the look of the 2 tones but dont want to stand out that much so ruled them out.
Ive ordered Mojave with the privacy tint which I dont think is quite dark enough.

I thought Mojave was a great colour. We ordered the privacy glass too. I think it’s fine as you have to get really close to see in and even then it’s still quite dark.
Let’s us know your build week when you get it