Ex Demo advice

[Anthony77]

So, we're finally ditching the Seat Al Hambra and upgrading to a Beach (and I'm very excited about it too). Our local dealer has access to two ex demo models that more or less fit our bill. The main thing that I see they are lacking is auxiliary heater, but I get the impression this can be fitted afterwards. My preference would be the slightly pricier one, but I'd like to defer to your expertise to see if I'm missing something obvious!

The options are, this for £45,990:

VW California Beach 2.0 TDI 150PS EU6 BMT DSG
2017 67 Plate
4,000 miles
Bamboo Garden Green Metallic
Black Awning
Bluetooth Preperation
Cruise Control
Kutamo Cloth Trim
App-Connect
Car Net Guide
Detachable Towbar
Electric Folding Mirrors
Discover Media Navigation System
Front and Rear Parking Sensors
Rear Privacy Glass
Wi-Fi Preperation
7 Seats

Or this, for £48,990 and no miles, although I'd have to buy an extra seat as we need six seats minimum (I found one online for £550). Aside from the colour, the main difference seems to be that this one has a few more mod cons like climate control, sleeping mattress, parking camera and 17 inch alloys :

VW California Beach 2.0 TDI 150PS EU6 BMT DSG
Indium Grey Metallic
Black Awning
Rear Privacy Glass
Leather Multi-Function Steering Wheel
Discover Media Navigation System
3-Seat Rear Bench
3-Zone ‘Climatronic’ Air Conditioning (Climate Control)
17” Cascavel Alloy Wheels
Lights & Vision Pack
80L Fuel Tank
Bed Extension with Comfort Sleeping Mattress
Heated Front Seats
Heated Front Windscreen
Sliding Window in Side Door
Front and Rear Mudflaps
Electric Folding Mirrors
Front and Rear Parking Sensors with Reversing Camera
Cruise Control
Heated Front Washer Nozzles
App-Connect

 

[WelshGas]

So, we're finally ditching the Seat Al Hambra and upgrading to a Beach (and I'm very excited about it too). Our local dealer has access to two ex demo models that more or less fit our bill. The main thing that I see they are lacking is auxiliary heater, but I get the impression this can be fitted afterwards. My preference would be the slightly pricier one, but I'd like to defer to your expertise to see if I'm missing something obvious!

The options are, this for £45,990:

VW California Beach 2.0 TDI 150PS EU6 BMT DSG
2017 67 Plate
4,000 miles
Bamboo Garden Green Metallic
Black Awning
Bluetooth Preperation
Cruise Control
Kutamo Cloth Trim
App-Connect
Car Net Guide
Detachable Towbar
Electric Folding Mirrors
Discover Media Navigation System
Front and Rear Parking Sensors
Rear Privacy Glass
Wi-Fi Preperation
7 Seats

Or this, for £48,990 and no miles, although I'd have to buy an extra seat as we need six seats minimum (I found one online for £550). Aside from the colour, the main difference seems to be that this one has a few more mod cons like climate control, sleeping mattress, parking camera and 17 inch alloys :

VW California Beach 2.0 TDI 150PS EU6 BMT DSG
Indium Grey Metallic
Black Awning
Rear Privacy Glass
Leather Multi-Function Steering Wheel
Discover Media Navigation System
3-Seat Rear Bench
3-Zone ‘Climatronic’ Air Conditioning (Climate Control)
17” Cascavel Alloy Wheels
Lights & Vision Pack
80L Fuel Tank
Bed Extension with Comfort Sleeping Mattress
Heated Front Seats
Heated Front Windscreen
Sliding Window in Side Door
Front and Rear Mudflaps
Electric Folding Mirrors
Front and Rear Parking Sensors with Reversing Camera
Cruise Control
Heated Front Washer Nozzles
App-Connect

No 2. Especially if you will have passengers because the Climatronic gives you full AirCon in the rear. Standard AirCon does not.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

Cool!

The Beach is a brilliant vehicle..... Did you sleep in the Seat Alhambra? The comfort mattress in the second option is very expensive to purchase afterwards, and is a must have for "comfort" sleeping IMO.... As you've also said, the night heater is a must-have also.... You can have this retro fitted, expensive, but again a really great feature to have.

I'd go for the second one, and add the heater in your own time. However, for me, the expense of adding the heater and a tow-bar (which I need) would also need to be considered.

Prices seem to be on the way up tho, as my Beach, with heater and tow-bar, came in at under £44k, as a new factory order delivered in January 2017. Albeit, mine is a 150PS manual (not DSG.)

The heated front-seats and windscreen are also awesome this time of year.

All the best anyway, I'm sure either option will ultimately serve you well!!

 

[Anthony77]

Thanks! I would have liked the heater, but if I factory order it the van I could be waiting six months. And with four youngish kids, it's unlikely we'll be camping out midwinter (not sure my wife would be too keen either). The detachable towbar is a consideration for bike racks etc. Might see if that's the sort of thing they can throw in. They seem fairly keen for the business. Never slept in the Al Hambra... can't imagine that would be much fun.

And yes... searching around, the prices for ex-demos seem to be in the £42k to £48k range. I played around with configuring my own, with similar specs to the more expensive one, and the price was upwards of £48k... obviously prices have gone up.

 

[Hotel California]

Check if the front seats swivel.....!

 

[WelshGas]

Thanks! I would have liked the heater, but if I factory order it the van I could be waiting six months. And with four youngish kids, it's unlikely we'll be camping out midwinter (not sure my wife would be too keen either). The detachable towbar is a consideration for bike racks etc. Might see if that's the sort of thing they can throw in. They seem fairly keen for the business. Never slept in the Al Hambra... can't imagine that would be much fun.

And yes... searching around, the prices for ex-demos seem to be in the £42k to £48k range. I played around with configuring my own, with similar specs to the more expensive one, and the price was upwards of £48k... obviously prices have gone up.

Be aware, the Factory Fitted towbar is wired and programmed into the vehicle computer as the braking behaviour etc: is altered when it is in use. Can be retrofitted. https://www.hazzydayz.com/westfalia...th-genuine-electrics---supply--fit-5168-p.asp

Or PF Jones https://www.pfjones.co.uk/tow-bars.html


Cheaper towbar can be had which just wire into the rear lights etc. No computer coding and the Rear Parking Sensors and Rear Foglight not disabled when the towbar is in use, so can be a real pain to use.

 

[Max-Felix]

I cannot get over how much Beaches are now - our '63 plate Custard yellow sub 10,000 mile one owner was £30k when we bought it at 2.5 years old and I think the original owner paid about £36k for it new.

 

[Amarillo]

I would definitely go for #2 look for extra seat(s) online and have the parking heater added.


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[Max-Felix]

I would definitely go for #2. The three options, mattress, parking heater and upgraded air con make the extra worthwhile.

The parking heater is for much more than winter camping - you can preheat your car in the mornings, and August nights in the uk can be pretty chilly.




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I did not think either list a parking heater?

TBH I'd hold out for another with the factory heater if not, especially at that price level.

 

[Amarillo]

I did not think either list a parking heater?

Currently lying in the upper berth on the Ionian coast watching a film about sea turtles with my two boys having just seen a dead one washed up on the beach. I didn't read the post and specs properly before responding - reply now edited.

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[Anthony77]

Parking heater would have to be retrofitted on both.

Currently lying in the upper berth on the Ionian coast watching a film about sea turtles with my two boys having just seen a dead one washed up on the beach. I didn't read the post and specs properly before responding - reply now edited.

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Wow! wasn't expecting that.

 

[motacyclist]

Be aware, the Factory Fitted towbar is wired and programmed into the vehicle computer as the braking behaviour etc: is altered when it is in use

What effect does it have on the braking? I’m wondering because I only use ours for attaching a bike rack to and the braking could be adversely affected if the computer thinks there’s a trailer on the back .

 

[Elmo3]

Wow, I can’t believe how expensive a Beach is. I’d be wanting an Ocean for that money! There is a nice looking Starlight Blue Beach in the classifieds here at just under £40K. Might be worth a look and save yourself a few quid (I have no connection whatsoever by the way).

Whatever you choose I’m sure you’ll love it. Good luck!

 

[j3ggo]

Wow, I can’t believe how expensive a Beach is. I’d be wanting an Ocean for that money! There is a nice looking Starlight Blue Beach in the classifieds here at just under £40K. Might be worth a look and save yourself a few quid (I have no connection whatsoever by the way).

Whatever you choose I’m sure you’ll love it. Good luck!

Yes go with the starlight one.

 

[Collieboy]

whatever if its less than 90 days since registration likely on 2nd one get the extended warranty.
VW Liverpool seem to have the cheapest deals usually, watch out for something similar and ask you garage to match the price. Tend to be more flexible towards last half of the month

 

[WelshGas]

What effect does it have on the braking? I’m wondering because I only use ours for attaching a bike rack to and the braking could be adversely affected if the computer thinks there’s a trailer on the back .

Likewise.
Having excess weight to the rear of the rear axle, ie: a towbar bike rack or trailer, then the braking force on the rear is adjusted as is the Stability software. .
Some interesting reading. http://www.fyldecoasttowing.co.uk/docs/ESP - how it works.pdf

The fact that the towbar bike rack has no wheels doesn’t mean it does not have a significant effect on the steering geometry and braking just as a wheeled trailer would.

 

[Anthony77]

Wow, I can’t believe how expensive a Beach is. I’d be wanting an Ocean for that money! There is a nice looking Starlight Blue Beach in the classifieds here at just under £40K. Might be worth a look and save yourself a few quid (I have no connection whatsoever by the way).

Whatever you choose I’m sure you’ll love it. Good luck!

Thanks for all the feedback. Your comments on the price are giving me pause. It seems that automatics are marked up by about £3/4,000.... having always driven a manual I'm pretty agnostic about whether I should get one or the other. I've seen a few threads on manuals v automatics and get the impression it's a divisive issue!

 

[Amarillo]

Thanks for all the feedback. Your comments on the price are giving me pause. It seems that automatics are marked up by about £3/4,000.... having always driven a manual I'm pretty agnostic about whether I should get one or the other. I've seen a few threads on manuals v automatics and get the impression it's a divisive issue!

Tom's top tip: go to a dealer and test drive both and make up your own mind.


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[larrylamb]

Either the Beach demo prices have gone up or Ocean demo prices have come down. @2into1 makes your Ocean deal seem even sweeter.

 

[2into1]

Either the Beach demo prices have gone up or Ocean demo prices have come down. @2into1 makes your Ocean deal seem even sweeter.

I noted the phenomenon in early January (here) https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/price-difference-between-beach-and-ocean.22393/
That 67 plate Ocean in the first post of that thread was a real steal (as long as it wasn't the VAT trick).

Liverpool do seem to lead the line on pricing at the minute, but their price is the price. Not even mud flaps or mats thrown in to clinch a deal.

 

[Jay586]

I asked the guys at Liverpool about their pricing last year. They are not popular with other dealers apparently. The more they sell, the more they get allocation & incentives from VW. They wouldn't budge on the price of my van but they said I could sell it on as it was below market price, which it was looking around.

 

[2into1]

I asked the guys at Liverpool about their pricing last year. They are not popular with other dealers apparently. The more they sell, the more they get allocation & incentives from VW. They wouldn't budge on the price of my van but they said I could sell it on as it was below market price, which it was looking around.

They claim to have instances (may be B.S) where their buyers have driven new vans direct to another a dealer and sold them at a profit. Whatever the truth, they are a good baseline to try and get more local dealers to meet.

 

[Max-Felix]

Anthony, not sure what your experience is of campers but with four kids and two adults are you sure it will work for you? Having the fourth seat if actually camping in the thing is a right PITA.

TBH the ideal number in a Cali is two and even that is one too many sometimes!

We only have one for EU summer trips (two adults + 10 and 14) and that only really works as oldest sleeps in a tent.

I know there are many that get by with three kids but many of us couldn't...!

 

[Amarillo]

Anthony, not sure what your experience is of campers but with four kids and two adults are you sure it will work for you? Having the fourth seat if actually camping in the thing is a right PITA.

TBH the ideal number in a Cali is two and even that is one too many sometimes!

We only have one for EU summer trips (two adults + 10 and 14) and that only really works as oldest sleeps in a tent.

I know there are many that get by with three kids but many of us couldn't...!

Although I only have two children, I can see a Beach working for a family of four in a number of ways, for example Beach and tent with the smelliest children (or all four) in the tent. Upgrading from camping holidays in an Alhambra to camping holidays in a Beach is perfectly logical.

Depending on the ages of the children, shifting the extra seat to a pop up tent won't be a problem either: delegate and supervise.


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[Max-Felix]

Although I only have two children, I can see a Beach working for a family of four in a number of ways, for example Beach and tent with the smelliest children (or all four) in the tent. Upgrading from camping holidays in an Alhambra to camping holidays in a Beach is perfectly logical.

Depending on the ages of the children, shifting the extra seat to a pop up tent won't be a problem either: delegate and supervise.


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Smelliest children! Please don't edit it Amarillo! Funniest post in yonks.