First World Problems :)

[Digger]

The Ocean is the fully fledged campervan. It suits many and the Beach suits others. For the benefit of potential new owners best sdvice is ignore the "mine is better than yours" posts and decide for yourself. Both are excellent and you get which version suits your lifestyle. We can all go on about what fits the bill and I prefer to make my own judgements and decisions based entirely on my personal choices.
I think we are all fortunate in being able to afford any California.

 

[BikerGran]

Hi all,
Been looking at the forum for a while, and decided to join up.

• Buy a 5 year old van, expect some wear and tear. Will probably have roof bars and a bike rack. Will need to keep some cash set aside for potential big bills.

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Just another option - I bought a 9 year old Cali with loads of extras, it was a lot cheaper than a 5 year old one and I'm prepared for large bills but they haven't arrived yet after 2½ years of ownership. Oh and it does have the 3rd rail.

 

[Jay20cali]

 

[JotaBe]

About the 3rd rail needed to fit the 5th seat: I don't know in UK. but in Danmark is an optional, even in an Ocean. Actually the demo I tried at the local dealer's last week did not have it, and that was one of the first things that the salesman made clear.
As for the 4Motion, 100% sure that 3rd rail is not possible.

 

[ChrisB]

One thing you might want to consider is the 4 seat beach with left side low level storage. This provides you with the flexibility of a much larger lower bed. The rear double seat is the same as the ocean, but there are storage lockers along the left side that have a removable soft padded top. This configuration will extend your options massively. You should be able to get the 3rd rail on the floor with this configuration and this will allow you to fit the 5th seat on the few occasions that you need it. There seems to be plenty of them available to buy second hand. You have the basic configuration to increase the height the storage areas with simple (removable) fittings such as a fridge/cooker etc. Just google VW Beach 4 seat (images). Hope this helps