Help me decide ...

[Vandergraff]

Hi All
We’ve been looking for a decent spec used beach with 3 zone air con; just been offered a 2015 T5 (6sp manual 140, & quite a few extras) 80k miles, full VW S.H. for £32k
Prices have been so wild recently I have lost perspective on what’s a good deal..

Two concerns : euro 5 (would obvs be nicer to have Euro 6) and quite a high mileage (although been well looked after) - both of which might affect resale at a later date, especially if prices return to ‘normal’ ... been saving for so long I don’t want to make the wrong move now..

What do you think? bad time to buy still, or go for it ? Or save more and wait and see if an early T6 comes up after the summer for a bit more cash..

 

[SusiBus]

It is a really bad time to be a buyer, with asking prices getting higher and higher. I'd be tempted to wait and watch, Demand does drop dramatically once you get out of the summer season, but then, so does the number of people advertising their vans for sale.

With regard to a T6 rather than aT5. Having had both, I think the T6, not only having advantages of of the Euro 6 engine for emissions reasonss, it was a lot nicer drive.

 

[andyinluton]

The worst you are going to loose is £32k! even if the market totally slumped I would have thought it would always be North of £20k
The 140 is a robust engine. What are the extras? electric hookup was standard by that date I think , the essential ones would be the parking heater & parking sensors.
If its out of warranty get the seller to take it for the free inspection for the VW all inclusive scheme. They should pick up any faults & it would then be eligible for the Approx £30 / month all inclusive, warranty, servicing, MOT & recovery deal.

 

[Vandergraff]

The worst you are going to loose is £32k! even if the market totally slumped I would have thought it would always be North of £20k
The 140 is a robust engine. What are the extras? electric hookup was standard by that date I think , the essential ones would be the parking heater & parking sensors.
If its out of warranty get the seller to take it for the free inspection for the VW all inclusive scheme. They should pick up any faults & it would then be eligible for the Approx £30 / month all inclusive, warranty, servicing, MOT & recovery deal.

Thanks - haha yeah hopefully I won’t lose it all.. north of 20 sounds ok in a few years time but hard to tell atm I guess. Been saving for years and was only when covid hit that we could afford something - and then of course we immediately couldn’t afford anything again because of the huge price rise.. it seems prices are slowly coming down again now tho which is a good sign (for buyers!)

The one I’m looking at doesn’t have the parking heater, but does have the premium pack (sensors, 3 zone, xenon’s), hook up and some other extras. Seems pretty highly spec’d for its time. Just trying to gauge if it’s a good deal or if I should wait for something newer but maybe a bit lower spec for a little bit more cash..
I didn’t know about that VW all inclusive monthly deal - sounds good - is that available for all cali’s ?

 

[WelshGas]

Hi All
We’ve been looking for a decent spec used beach with 3 zone air con; just been offered a 2015 T5 (6sp manual 140, & quite a few extras) 80k miles, full VW S.H. for £32k
Prices have been so wild recently I have lost perspective on what’s a good deal..

Two concerns : euro 5 (would obvs be nicer to have Euro 6) and quite a high mileage (although been well looked after) - both of which might affect resale at a later date, especially if prices return to ‘normal’ ... been saving for so long I don’t want to make the wrong move now..

What do you think? bad time to buy still, or go for it ? Or save more and wait and see if an early T6 comes up after the summer for a bit more cash..

If it was the beginning of the year I would have said go fo it. But winter is approaching and it doesn't have the Parking Heater, another £900 , so I would wait.
If the world starts living with Covid and travel opens up then there will be a glut of campervans and motorhomes on the 2nd hand market.

 

[andyinluton]

From the VW commercial Vehicles web site - need to check if its under 6 years old, if it is, this looks a good way of getting a warranty on a 2nd hand van.​

​

All-in1 from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles​

We have taken away the need to plan ahead for the main future servicing and repair costs, by creating one simple care package that you can spread across 24 monthly payments. All-in from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles provides great value and significant savings overall, compared to pay as you go pricing. On average, drivers who go All-in save £1558 over 2 years2. All-in has been designed specifically for vehicles aged three to six years, with an engine of 2.0L or less and under 100,000 miles at the point of activation.
For just £34.97 a month over 24 months you will receive:

• 
  2 services (including one interim service and one full service)
• 
  2 MOTs
• 
  2 years' Warranty
• 
  2 years' Roadside Assistance

 

[Vandergraff]

From the VW commercial Vehicles web site - need to check if its under 6 years old, if it is, this looks a good way of getting a warranty on a 2nd hand van.​

​

All-in1 from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles​

We have taken away the need to plan ahead for the main future servicing and repair costs, by creating one simple care package that you can spread across 24 monthly payments. All-in from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles provides great value and significant savings overall, compared to pay as you go pricing. On average, drivers who go All-in save £1558 over 2 years2. All-in has been designed specifically for vehicles aged three to six years, with an engine of 2.0L or less and under 100,000 miles at the point of activation.
For just £34.97 a month over 24 months you will receive:

• 
  2 services (including one interim service and one full service)
• 
  2 MOTs
• 
  2 years' Warranty
• 
  2 years' Roadside Assistance

Ah - no it’s 6&1/2 so it wouldn’t qualify.. :/ Shame, that looks good

 

[Elmo3]

Bide your time and keep saving. We’re at the end of the summer season now. People will be jumping on planes as soon as they can. A wet week in the UK will soon lose its shine for many. I think the tide could turn quite quickly.

 

[andyinluton]

That’s exactly what was said same time last year. The only real slump was for a week or two round Xmas, other than that prices just carried on going up. There’s been very few new vans delivered this year so there’s no over supply.

Due to the versatility of a Cali I think people are more likely to hold onto it even if it’s not used for a fortnights main holiday.

If people are looking to get out of a Cali, if it’s been bought on the VW low deposit PCP deals they are reliant on the values staying high to be able to get out without having to put a shed load of cash in.

You might even find there’s more demand next year from all those people that missed out this year.

 

[Vandergraff]

Bide your time and keep saving. We’re at the end of the summer season now. People will be jumping on planes as soon as they can. A wet week in the UK will soon lose its shine for many. I think the tide could turn quite quickly.

Yep I am tempted - although I thought the same this time last year, and prices just went up if anything (!) Really confusing time to buy atm.
We also really need to replace our car which isn’t helping with a ‘wait and see’ approach - might need a car before another beach comes up ! (We’re going for a beach as it will work well as both car & camper for us.)

 

[Vandergraff]

That’s exactly what was said same time last year. The only real slump was for a week or two round Xmas, other than that prices just carried on going up. There’s been very few new vans delivered this year so there’s no over supply.

Due to the versatility of a Cali I think people are more likely to hold onto it even if it’s not used for a fortnights main holiday.

If people are looking to get out of a Cali, if it’s been bought on the VW low deposit PCP deals they are reliant on the values staying high to be able to get out without having to put a shed load of cash in.

You might even find there’s more demand next year from all those people that missed out this year.

Yeah that’s how I saw it last year too - really tricky to know which way it will go next ..
Do you think 32k for that spec & 1 owner is not bad ? Tbh I’ve seen worse spec for similar / more money this year, mileage usually lower tho ..

 

[andyinluton]

If you intend keeping for a while the vans are built for the mileage. I wouldn't want to start with 75k if I was going to do 30k a year in it. Just over 10k a year is sensible mileage - it sounds like its been used enough to keep everything from seizing up.

The most important thing with a beach is whether its got the right seats for you - 2 seater bench or 3 seater bench & do you need extra single seats.

At that price point, having things like new tyres, recent service/ cam belt change, a bike rack fitted are each worth £500 which is a fair bit in proportion to the purchase price.
Also check its Tax cost, some Beach were registered as cars , some as motor caravans & it can make a big difference.

 

[SusiBus]

Make sure you keep a very active eye on the ads, as good ones can sell in a matter of hours. I think this will slow down a little in the autumn period, but as Andy said, there's still a shortage of supply. There will always be those that brought into the dream, and have now found that reality is a little different to their dream, and will be selling on this autumn.

 

[Vandergraff]

If you intend keeping for a while the vans are built for the mileage. I wouldn't want to start with 75k if I was going to do 30k a year in it. Just over 10k a year is sensible mileage - it sounds like its been used enough to keep everything from seizing up.

The most important thing with a beach is whether its got the right seats for you - 2 seater bench or 3 seater bench & do you need extra single seats.

At that price point, having things like new tyres, recent service/ cam belt change, a bike rack fitted are each worth £500 which is a fair bit in proportion to the purchase price.
Also check its Tax cost, some Beach were registered as cars , some as motor caravans & it can make a big difference.

Yep it’s got the right seats for us, has bike rack, cambelt and waterpump done recently (has full vw s.h.), wind out awning. Not sure on tyres, and is motor home on the v5 - guessing that is higher tax than if registered as a car ?

 

[andyinluton]

Yep it’s got the right seats for us, has bike rack, cambelt and waterpump done recently (has full vw s.h.), wind out awning. Not sure on tyres, and is motor home on the v5 - guessing that is higher tax than if registered as a car ?

Should be about £265 for tax I think so not too bad. If everything else is right no harm in making a lower offer….