Price difference between Beach and Ocean

[soulstyledevon]

Well there is a 2012 beach with 55k miles up for £33,990 on autotrader, so he might have lost a tenner, or approximately £1.67 /year for the last 6 years.

I was offered £25k last year by a dealership on part ex for a new one.
I would guess £28k is almost achievable on the secondhand market...?
If the T6 wasn’t showing signs of roof corrosion, I would probably have one

 

[Max-Felix]

Bought my 10,000 mile, one owner truly immaculate '63 plate Beach privately in June 16 (so still under warranty) for £30k with £750 of extras included which we sold on. Sold the Beach after the summer for £30,500 and thought that worked out pretty well.

But nearly two years on it would probably cost me £32k or more to buy it back now with a shed more miles and wear!

It's all nuts - a bloody van with a seat that folds down and a cheap fabric roof and they want £60k+ for these things now new.

 

[kave]

A Caravelle, without the "Cheap fabric roof" with most powerful engine, DSG and 4motion and metallic paint starts at 54.000£.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Yes it’s all going bonkers.
After my T2 I bought a T4 4 years old, 70000 miles on the clock one owner. £4700 from main dealer.

Converted the van for £3000. That was everything with the exception of a poptop.
It’s was a cheap way to escape on the weekends and enjoy my outdoor pursuits. Get my head down fairly comfortably and brew some tea.

£60-70k for a converted builders van is borderline ridiculous.
Infact, I now call them The Chablis Wagons.
It’s changing the face of camping. Look how much some campsites are these days.

Bought my 10,000 mile, one owner truly immaculate '63 plate Beach privately in June 16 (so still under warranty) for £30k with £750 of extras included which we sold on. Sold the Beach after the summer for £30,500 and thought that worked out pretty well.

But nearly two years on it would probably cost me £32k or more to buy it back now with a shed more miles and wear!

It's all nuts - a bloody van with a seat that folds down and a cheap fabric roof and they want £60k+ for these things now new.

 

[Bellcrew]

Yes it’s all going bonkers.
After my T2 I bought a T4 4 years old, 70000 miles on the clock one owner. £4700 from main dealer.

Converted the van for £3000. That was everything with the exception of a poptop.
It’s was a cheap way to escape on the weekends and enjoy my outdoor pursuits. Get my head down fairly comfortably and brew some tea.

£60-70k for a converted builders van is borderline ridiculous.
Infact, I now call them The Chablis Wagons.
It’s changing the face of camping. Look how much some campsites are these days.

Markets are peculiar things, some restored T1's have sold for over $200,000, willing buyer/willing seller will always be the the only criteria for actual value.

 

[thehorse]

The pricing is crazy, but while I wouldn't dream of spending £50-60k on a new top end BMW/Merc etc., due to the residuals I can kind of justify it with a Cali as I know I'll lose less in depreciation than I would if I'd bought a Fiesta.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Markets are peculiar things, some restored T1's have sold for over $200,000, willing buyer/willing seller will always be the the only criteria for actual value.

True.
But 60 years old and classics, limited good ones around these days.
T5/6s are everywhere, grossly overpriced and I can’t fathom why. No more reliable than any other marque these days

 

[Max-Felix]

My first camper was a 1990 T3 bought used in '94 and very clean - I had a brand new (budget) Leisuredrive conversion done by the factory, all new - bed, hightop, fridge, cooker, water, electrics etc and total cost was £8900.

From a quick online 1994 to 2017 money comparison:

A simple Purchasing Power Calculator would say the relative value is £16,250.00. This answer is obtained by multiplying £8,900.00 by the percentage increase in the RPI from 1994 to 2016.

If you want to compare the value of a £8,900.00 Commodity in 1994 there are three choices. In 2016 the relative:
real price of that commodity is £16,250.00
labour value of that commodity is £18,080.00
income value of that commodity is £19,110.00

Sure vans have come a long way but even so costs now for a basic VW camper factory or otherwise are very silly.

As someone else noted above though the only thing that makes buying one a sane decision is the depreciation stats - or appreciation in many cases thanks to VW's constant price rises. You still have to find/beg/borrow/tie up the money of course.

We will buy one when we retire but for now I will just continue to buy one in July and sell in September as we only ever use it over the summer.

 

[Bellcrew]

My first camper was a 1990 T3 bought used in '94 and very clean - I had a brand new (budget) Leisuredrive conversion done by the factory, all new - bed, hightop, fridge, cooker, water, electrics etc and total cost was £8900.

From a quick online 1994 to 2017 money comparison:

A simple Purchasing Power Calculator would say the relative value is £16,250.00. This answer is obtained by multiplying £8,900.00 by the percentage increase in the RPI from 1994 to 2016.

If you want to compare the value of a £8,900.00 Commodity in 1994 there are three choices. In 2016 the relative:
real price of that commodity is £16,250.00
labour value of that commodity is £18,080.00
income value of that commodity is £19,110.00

Sure vans have come a long way but even so costs now for a basic VW camper factory or otherwise are very silly.

As someone else noted above though the only thing that makes buying one a sane decision is the depreciation stats - or appreciation in many cases thanks to VW's constant price rises. You still have to find/beg/borrow/tie up the money of course.

We will buy one when we retire but for now I will just continue to buy one in July and sell in September as we only ever use it over the summer.

Volkswagen Transporter 2.0 TDI 102PS Startline Van Swb 2014 £9990 + VAT,
On Autotrader today, plus a cheapo conversion from £3500 upwards, it can still be done and obviously there is a market for such vehicles. How much was a new Westfalia in 1994 even though they never did RHD?

 

[Max-Felix]

It's a fair point and the vans have moved on a lot in spec of course. But I don't think you'd get a company to fit a new roof/windows/bed/furniture/floor/gas/cooker/electrics/fridge/swivels/upholstery/lining etc for less than twice your £3500 figure. That's budget stuff too - when considering Cali vs custom build I've always priced up conversions at a minimum £12k with decent fitments all in. But all things considered the Cali always wins. And you don't have to buy new of course - the £26k 2006 Cali we spent five weeks in last summer was 95% as good I'm sure as a new one.

Having said that if I was a youngster now (as I was in '94) then I'd buy the van or similar and do most of the work to bring it in at an affordable price.

Best adventure we ever had spending the best part of 12 months on the road exploring Europe and the UK back then.

 

[Bellcrew]

It's a fair point and the vans have moved on a lot in spec of course. But I don't think you'd get a company to fit a new roof/windows/bed/furniture/floor/gas/cooker/electrics/fridge/swivels/upholstery/lining etc for less than twice your £3500 figure. That's budget stuff too - when considering Cali vs custom build I've always priced up conversions at a minimum £12k with decent fitments all in. But all things considered the Cali always wins. And you don't have to buy new of course - the £26k 2006 Cali we spent five weeks in last summer was 95% as good I'm sure as a new one.

Having said that if I was a youngster now (as I was in '94) then I'd buy the van or similar and do most of the work to bring it in at an affordable price.

Best adventure we ever had spending the best part of 12 months on the road exploring Europe and the UK back then.

I know what you mean, we lived for 6 months in a T2 Holdworth conversion bought outside Australia house in 1977, cost less than £1500 and sold for more, happy days.

 

[Barbara]

I have a beach because it was more flexible. I would like better heating and a cooking surface indoors when raining. I have to move things around to set up the table inside. However I have carried a motorbike inside by taking out bench seat and using the small seats. I normally travel with the bench seat (I leave 2 other seats at home) and a bicycle inside.

I did pay less for a Beach less than a Ocean but it comes down to what you want to use it for. I looked at starting with a panel van but once a drove a California I was knocked. So much quieter and comfortable.

 

[frenchie]

To understand the pricing is easy. VW can ask what they like as some people believe all the Pcp ball. I know a few who are paying over £500pm in payments and then cheating on services etc. They become sucked into the dealership trap of always being in dedt to VW. It's not just VW, all the car manufacturer are at it. The bubble will pop big time soon.F

 

[Digger]

To understand the pricing is easy. VW can ask what they like as some people believe all the Pcp ball. I know a few who are paying over £500pm in payments and then cheating on services etc. They become sucked into the dealership trap of always being in dedt to VW. It's not just VW, all the car manufacturer are at it. The bubble will pop big time soon.F

Applies to all makes and models. My last Merc cost a fortune in servicing and as for Porsche!!

 

[MattBW]

Well there is a 2012 beach with 55k miles up for £33,990 on autotrader, so he might have lost a tenner, or approximately £1.67 /year for the last 6 years.

I've probably made some money then

 

[frenchie]

I purchased a 911 turbo when I was working full time in german, and boy did that eat money. But wish I still had it as its now worth 4 times what I paid for it new. But lets get real all these things are only worth what someone will pay for it. if you think its money in the bank, its not, its just a VW van and there is a factory making 1000,s of them. F

 

[Tuco]

Does the Beach version differ from the Ocean outside of the equipment? I'v mean the construction of the car itself. I know that the Beach version have hard plastics on the door ... or something else?

 

[WelshGas]

Does the Beach version differ from the Ocean outside of the equipment? I'v mean the construction of the car itself. I know that the Beach version have hard plastics on the door ... or something else?

I read somewhere that they are based on different base vehicles, possibly the Kombi and Caravelle.

 

[owen_h]

I read somewhere that they are based on different base vehicles, possibly the Kombi and Caravelle.

I thought it was the Caravelle and Multivan. In the T5.1 at least, not sure if things changed with the T6.
(The T5.1 Multivan was never sold in the UK)

 

[WelshGas]

I thought it was the Caravelle and Multivan. In the T5.1 at least, not sure if things changed with the T6.
(The T5.1 Multivan was never sold in the UK)

You’re probably right. I couldn’t find anything definitive when I did a quick search.

 

[Tuco]

Personally, I did not find anything about it, and sellers claim that the Beach version differs only with the interior design. I decided on the Beach version because it will be our family car used every day. I would like it to be as comfortable as in Multivan.

 

[Jonathan Duke]

All three..... Beach, Coast & Ocean start out with the same base vehicle.... Run thru the factory on the same production line, and end up in the same camper-hall, where they are fitted out with their interiors and options according to their model.

Chassis, engine & running gear all the same (unless upgrades/options selected.)

Things like wheels, flooring, dashboards, air-con / heating etc etc.... are all options. On what is essentially the same base vehicle.

 

[andyinluton]

All three..... Beach, Coast & Ocean start out with the same base vehicle....

Back in 2013 We had an extremely enthusiastic chap on here by the name of James with one of the early Beaches, back then there were certainly more differences between the Beach & SE , with different door trims, level of sound insulation etc

to quote James:

Beach is based on a Multivan Startline - Cali on a Multivan Comfortline

Even in Germany/LHD Markets - Multivan Startline comes with a Transporter Dash and Door Cards - in fact the only difference between the Multivan Startline and a Beach is the pop top. Multivan Comfortline gets different dash and door card (no dash for the UK).

You're correct the door cards are significantly different on on a Comfortline - no reason why the Comfortline cards shouldn't fit onto a Beach.

 

[Gazellio]

^ "in fact the only difference between the Multivan Startline and a Beach is the pop top" That may have been the case in 2013 certainly not true of my late 2017 Beach....

 

[Jabberwocky]

Well there is a 2012 beach with 55k miles up for £33,990 on autotrader, so he might have lost a tenner, or approximately £1.67 /year for the last 6 years.

I just love this stuff......