T6.1 Beach in UK

[Camperfamily]

Not an announcement, but a question. With the seeming flurry of Beach purchases over the past few weeks, what are the prospects of VW changing their mind about offering the T6.1 Beach in the UK?

 

[2into1]

If sales drop as recession bites they might reintroduce it.

When the decision to drop the Beach was first rumoured I did a quick poll here to see what sort of % of total sales Beaches were responsible for. From memory it was over 50%.
It seemed madness then to drop the Beach and it's not looking any better now.
They had two clearly differentiated models. Now they have two very similar products fighting for less than half of the old sales.

 

[Camperfamily]

If sales drop as recession bites they might reintroduce it.

When the decision to drop the Beach was first rumoured I did a quick poll here to see what sort of % of total sales Beaches were responsible for. From memory it was over 50%.
It seemed madness then to drop the Beach and it's not looking any better now.
They had two clearly differentiated models. Now they have two very similar products fighting for less than half of the old sales.

Agree, it doesn’t make sense to drop it in favour of introducing the Coast.

 

[tuono001]

I hope they decide to bring it back as in the future I would be looking to update from my t5 beach. Part of the reason I won't do it now is that the majority of dealer beaches are such poverty spec. I'll stick with my well specced t5 thank you.

 

[Jay20cali]

I don’t get why they offer different vans and also different specs to different countries ?
Why not do all three?
give people a choice
I have always had se/oceans but I also owned a T4 multivan like a beach without a pop top .
This was the perfect every day van load shifter camper we loved it .
it’s a shame vw limit what the sell in the uk!

 

[tuono001]

Agreed. They all come out of the same factory and built from new, so fitting a specific spec is easily done on the production line.

 

[Borris]

If sales drop as recession bites they might reintroduce it.

When the decision to drop the Beach was first rumoured I did a quick poll here to see what sort of % of total sales Beaches were responsible for. From memory it was over 50%.
It seemed madness then to drop the Beach and it's not looking any better now.
They had two clearly differentiated models. Now they have two very similar products fighting for less than half of the old sales.

I believe that Vw's atitude towards California model hierarchy and their corresponding pricing strategy may have something/everything to do with this decision.

I believe the following factors have to some extent been responsible for the demise of the UK Beach:

1. Sales of the California in the UK have been dropping year on year for the last two years. Putting prices up isn't going to improve matters.
2. I believe that VW has always viewed the Beach as merely an entry level California. The first step on the aspirational ladder to owning the top of the range Ocean.
3. In my view the Beach has always been way overpriced. A well specced Beach can cost as much and in some cases more than an Ocean with similar features.

We wanted a decent spec and the list price ended up at £65,793!!!
4. The introduction of the Coast is probably an attempt to boost sales figures by making a full fat Cali, albiet a more basic one, affordable to more customers.

If they can't raise prices of the Ocean by much, if at all, then the new more basic Coast model will obviously have to cost less. If that was their reasoning then with the Beach being overpriced then the only thing to do is to make it cheaper or throw it overboard.

Having made the decision not to import the Beach, they will lose a lot of potential customers. I really don't think they fully realise or care that most Beach owners are not aspiring Ocean owners. The Beach is a completely different concept that suits a whole different customer base.

I may be wrong but it's for these reasons that I don't think they will import the Beach anytime soon, if at all. If they do they will have to adjust their pricing structure or drop the Coast.

 

[WelshGas]

It could be that the Ocean and Coast benefit under the recent DVLA registration change ie: lower VED and not paying the over £40,000 OTR tax for 5 years.
Whereas the Beach does not and can not fulfil the DVLA requirements of a Motor Caravan and will remain M1, Diesel Car Body Type MPV and hence higher VED and Luxury Car Tax.

 

[soulstyledevon]

The Beach became to expensive...!

When I looked at changing mine, the Ocean worked out about £5k extra with a lot of extra stuff over the Beach.

I think when I first purchased a Beach back in 2011 or 2012 can’t remember exactly. The price difference between Beach and Ocean was about £10k-£14k depending on spec.

A Beach at £55k or £65k makes no sense.
I may as well buy a well specced Caravelle and bung a aftermarket roof on and still have change in my pocket...

 

[Borris]

It could be that the Ocean and Coast benefit under the recent DVLA registration change ie: lower VED and not paying the over £40,000 OTR tax for 5 years.
Whereas the Beach does not and can not fulfil the DVLA requirements of a Motor Caravan and will remain M1, Diesel Car Body Type MPV and hence higher VED and Luxury Car Tax.

TBH I have read and re-read the VED tax changes and I still don't fully understand them? I'll just have to wait until the VED demand comes through the door.

 

[WelshGas]

TBH I have read and re-read the VED tax changes and I still don't fully understand them? I'll just have to wait until the VED demand comes through the door.

It won't change for vehicles already registered only newly registered vehicles.

 

[Borris]

The Beach became to expensive...!

When I looked at changing mine, the Ocean worked out about £5k extra with a lot of extra stuff over the Beach.

I think when I first purchased a Beach back in 2011 or 2012 can’t remember exactly. The price difference between Beach and Ocean was about £10k-£14k depending on spec.

"A Beach at £55k or £65k makes no sense.
I may as well buy a well specced Caravelle and bung a aftermarket roof on and still have change in my pocket..."

Yes, the Beach had become too expensive. It was almost as if VW were punishing Beach customers for wanting to buy one. If you wanted a good spec then they really rubbed their hands with glee. Further more VW seemed to put much more effort and emphasis on marketing the Ocean whilst treating the Beach as more of an afterthought. That approach even seemed to permeate down to our dealer sales team when I purchased our first Beach. I recall that when we collected our new SE 180 4motion we received red carpet treatment whilst collecting our new Beach a few months later was much more a case of - Here are the keys. Its out there in the yard.

You say "A Beach at £55k or £65k makes no sense.
I may as well buy a well specced Caravelle and bung a aftermarket roof on and still have change in my pocket..."

You may be right but again it's not so clear cut. In this case, the price tag quoted was the list price for a factory order. Few people actually end up paying the list price. Never the less a well specced Beach is still über expensive even with a healthy discount.

The dilema facing many prospective Beach buyers is caused by lack of choice. There were plenty of basic Beaches but very few with a decent spec. So for them and I include myself, it was a case of pay up or loose out. In our case, we unsuccessfully looked for a Beach with something near our preferred spec, so it came down to replacing our previously well specced Beach with either a pretty basic one or ordering from the factory. The dealers had a number Beaches when we were looking but as usual they were nearly all virtually bog standard spec.

Undoubtedly the Ocean makes much more financial sense but that misses the point. For many people, the Ocean just isn't a viable alternative.

Converting a Caravelle can be done and maybe within that budget but you would end up with a conversion. A non forum friend of mine has just such a Caravelle conversion and quite frankly it isn't very nice. The roof conversion is difficult, complicated and the result is messy and untidy. The ceiling in a Caravelle has ventilation ducts, grills and numerous lighting fittings.

All that would have to be moved and re-routed using non standard parts. Other aspects of the Caravelle would also need dealing with e.g lack of front swivel seats, parking heater, window blinds, Multiflex , VW Comfort mattress, picnic table, picnic chairs and their stowage, electric hook up, leisure battery etc etc. Then there's the depreciation angle too consider. So I doubt if it would be a realistic alternative.

Since there aren't really any real alternatives on the market our decision was that if we had too factory order for the first time in our lives, we might as well get exactly what we wanted. As it turns out it was a good move despite the price tag. Less than a month later VW stopped T6 Beach production and a little later they annouced that they weren't going to sell the Beach in the UK anymore. Since high spec beaches sell in a flash I have no doubt that we did the right thing. We will lose money of course as everyone does, but over the time we own it I believe it will prove to be a much sounder financial purchase than that of a conversion.

 

[Borris]

It won't change for vehicles already registered only newly registered vehicles.

Yes I'd gathered that. It does seem rather unfair to those that paid the short lived sky high rates though. As the DVLA don't usually make changes retrospectively, it looks like they will have to continue paying those eye watering annual renewals.

 

[BeagleMum]

TBH I have read and re-read the VED tax changes and I still don't fully understand them? I'll just have to wait until the VED demand comes through the door.

Yesterday we paid £475 tax same as last year.

 

[MattBW]

If sales drop as recession bites they might reintroduce it.

When the decision to drop the Beach was first rumoured I did a quick poll here to see what sort of % of total sales Beaches were responsible for. From memory it was over 50%.
It seemed madness then to drop the Beach and it's not looking any better now.
They had two clearly differentiated models. Now they have two very similar products fighting for less than half of the old sales.

Especially as a twin slider or one with the kitchen slide out unit would have perhaps tempted me to upgrade too.

 

[soulstyledevon]

@Borris good points.
Agree about the converters. So many rubbish ones out there. I think i could count the worthy ones on one hand. Its an absolute minefield.

Im sure there's a market for a Caravelle with roof, parking heater and leisure electrics as that's geared towards driving with the occasional camping set-up.
Would suit a broader range of people. Along with 4motion and the bigger engine.

 

[Tomato]

I have bought a twin slider 6.1 Beach as liked a big bed and having the option of not leaping out of the back into traffic in the UK.

HMRC view should be more favourable as an essential commercial vehicle...

 

[Borris]

@Borris some points.
Agree about the converters. So many rubbish ones out there. I think i could count the worthy ones on one hand. Its an absolute minefield.

Im sure there's a market for a Caravelle with roof, parking heater and leisure electrics as that's geared towards driving with the occasional camping set-up.
Would suit a broader range of people. Along with 4motion and the bigger engine.

I agree. Actually, that was how I ended up with a Cali, by first looking a Caravelles. I wanted a LWB Caravelle with the bed pack etc etc. Somehow over several years the search morphed into Cali buying. It's a shame as the T6-1 Beach in either form is almost exactly what you have described.

 

[Tomato]

LHD matters less when you sit higher up

 

[Borris]

I have bought a twin slider 6.1 Beach as liked a big bed and having the option of not leaping out of the back into traffic in the UK.

HMRC view should be more favourable as an essential commercial vehicle...

Did the left hand drive cause issues with insurance? Also where did you buy your T6-1 from?

 

[Big Ron]

Some interesting info in this thread, very helpful.
I’ve got a 2014 180 DSG SE, done 54,000 miles and it’s still lovely, just lovely.
Was thinking of going newer over last few months....but was horrified by the Ocean prices. Started looking at Beach (even though I was in ‘the other’ 50% that preferred SE/Ocean), and was still horrified by the price.
The cash price has been made more affordable by long term/commercial finance deals but I do wonder as to the future of VW Campers.
Its a great way of life, know I can keep mine, and will now but....£65+k for a camper van, really? How big will this market be once the golden-handcuffs pension generation have come/gone? Is it UK being left behind on wage/cost equation? Even when I say it fast it sounds like a mind-bogglingly silly amount of money.

(btw...no attempt at a thread hi-jack, I’m not really too sure about protocol on this....sorry)

 

[Tomato]

Some interesting info in this thread, very helpful.
I’ve got a 2014 180 DSG SE, done 54,000 miles and it’s still lovely, just lovely.
Was thinking of going newer over last few months....but was horrified by the Ocean prices. Started looking at Beach (even though I was in ‘the other’ 50% that preferred SE/Ocean), and was still horrified by the price.
The cash price has been made more affordable by long term/commercial finance deals but I do wonder as to the future of VW Campers.
Its a great way of life, know I can keep mine, and will now but....£65+k for a camper van, really? How big will this market be once the golden-handcuffs pension generation have come/gone? Is it UK being left behind on wage/cost equation? Even when I say it fast it sounds like a mind-bogglingly silly amount of money.

(btw...no attempt at a thread hi-jack, I’m not really too sure about protocol on this....sorry)

Interest rates are low, heading lower;

Did the left hand drive cause issues with insurance? Also where did you buy your T6-1 from?

No problems on insurance but have a collectors car/ trade policy that works out that I cant drive all of the cars at the same time. LHD no issue but only 90 days cover abroad.

Will post details of dealer when it arrives, very happy so far, great service great deal. As I said in another post I sent 45 emails, very few main dealer replies, all specialists replied only one guy picked up the phone and he got my business.

 

[Tomato]

Sorry phone went flat..thought it hadnt posted...how do I delete a post please...?

 

[AlisonF]

Sorry phone went flat..thought it hadnt posted...how do I delete a post please...?

Should be sorted now.

 

[Borris]

Interest rates are low, heading lower;

No problems on insurance but have a collectors car/ trade policy that works out that I cant drive all of the cars at the same time. LHD no issue but only 90 days cover abroad.

Will post details of dealer when it arrives, very happy so far, great service great deal. As I said in another post I sent 45 emails, very few main dealer replies, all specialists replied only one guy picked up the phone and he got my business.

I think the dealer infornation and your T6 - 1 'purchasing proceedure will be of interest to quite a few on this forum. The T6 Beach is a popular vehicle. The number of owners on this forum taking the opportunity to snap up the last ones has been noticeable recently.

On your other point, I too have several collectors cars but have never managed to drive them all at the same time.