Life's a Beach :-)

[LongBay Beach]

Hi all,
Well, after much debating, deliberating, and many sleepless nights (mainly thinking about the cost!) i've finally gone and done it. Last weekend I bought myself a Cali Beach
A few years ago I bought a T5 and had it converted into a camper, and for two years loved every minute of it. Then I had to sell it to fund the renovation of an old farmhouse we'd bought - I honestly cried the day the new owners drove it away, and I swore that as soon as the house was finished and I could afford it again (or not!) i'd be back in for another one.
Fast forward another two years, and despite the house renovation still not being finished I couldn't wait any more.
However, thanks to this forum mainly, I decided to go the whole hog and buy a genuine California this time. And as I'm not blessed with patience I couldn't wait until spring 2017 for a new one, so after much searching around I collected my ex-demo T6 Beach last week from VW Commercial Liverpool.
I've just got to convince my wife now that
a) seat covers are an essential and £1100 is reasonable (not going well so far)
b) the bike rack is a must, and £500 is reasonable (not going well so far)
c) as we are two adults, two kids, and two dogs, a drive away awning is essential and £700 is reasonable (you get it by now)
Looking forward to the journey.....
Richard

 

[T6 CFO]

Congratulations and good luck in your negotiations.


Mike

 

[theonecraw]

Congratulations and enjoy your new van (no doubt much easier than the negotiations).

 

[Kevthegas]

My T6 Beach was prebuilt when I bought it and has the light grey cloth. I had a quick look at seat covers and decided in a few years as a bit of a lift for the van I would get the seats recovered in leather.

 

[WelshGas]

Welcome - she'll come round in the end.

 

[Hotel California]

Welcome , let the good times roll-in!

 

[GillianC]

Hi all,
Well, after much debating, deliberating, and many sleepless nights (mainly thinking about the cost!) i've finally gone and done it. Last weekend I bought myself a Cali Beach
A few years ago I bought a T5 and had it converted into a camper, and for two years loved every minute of it. Then I had to sell it to fund the renovation of an old farmhouse we'd bought - I honestly cried the day the new owners drove it away, and I swore that as soon as the house was finished and I could afford it again (or not!) i'd be back in for another one.
Fast forward another two years, and despite the house renovation still not being finished I couldn't wait any more.
However, thanks to this forum mainly, I decided to go the whole hog and buy a genuine California this time. And as I'm not blessed with patience I couldn't wait until spring 2017 for a new one, so after much searching around I collected my ex-demo T6 Beach last week from VW Commercial Liverpool.
I've just got to convince my wife now that
a) seat covers are an essential and £1100 is reasonable (not going well so far)
b) the bike rack is a must, and £500 is reasonable (not going well so far)
c) as we are two adults, two kids, and two dogs, a drive away awning is essential and £700 is reasonable (you get it by now)
Looking forward to the journey.....
Richard

So funny!!! I'm sure that your wife will come round when she starts going out and about in your new pride and joy!
Maybe look at Jackyards seat covers? They are a lot cheaper than that - mine were under £700 with the VIP discounts and they can be easily washed - Denise will also give you tips on which fabrics are dog friendly.
As to the bike rack and awning...good luck!!!!

 

[kave]

Congrats. Same problem here with the options

 

[andyinluton]

Inka waterproof covers to keep the mud & stains off would come in at about £160 for all seven seats. It might be worth getting the decent covers for the front seats only & use the Inka ones in the back where the mess is more likely.

Jackyards for 7 seats are over £1k and if id spent that I would want the inka ones one top to protect the covers!

 

[44Whitehall]

I had similar issues with a similar family set-up (just without the dogs and farmhouse). I ploughed-on in spite of not having my wife's agreement to getting a Beach (she wanted an Ocean).

The big roadblock for me was the Beach combined with a Slidepod kitchen. I was in the doghouse for a while for pulling the trigger but I'm now her hero - she loves our set-up and wouldn't want it any other way. She concedes that the Slidepod is a luxury but that the bike rack and awning are necessities.

Go for broke and get them both, and have a look at Slidepods when you have a spare moment.

Enjoy!