To buy a T5.1 Beach now, or to save up more and buy a T6 Beach later?

[Sunny1]

Hi folks,

First time post here and very appreciate of any support and replies. We've had a good browse of the site and have been reassured that we're very much on the right path generally!

We're a family of 5, potentially 6 if we're brave (or stupid) enough one day. We're looking for a large 7 seater and are attracted to a vehicle that we can also use for trips around the UK (hopefully some just a couple!). The Beach looks perfect for us.

At the moment we've got a budget of around £30k and we're due (virus depending) to see a 2013 Beach at a local VW dealer. It's relatively low spec with 66k on the clock, but it would suit our needs nicely.

The question is, before we proceed down this route, is it worth saving up and adding to the budget and buying something newer and with lower milage? Do you get better value in the long run for the extra £10k?

I know so much of this is opinion based, so I appreciate there's no definitive answer, but it'd be good to tap into some knowledge.

Thanks in advance, Sunny

 

[larrylamb]

Hi folks,

First time post here and very appreciate of any support and replies. We've had a good browse of the site and have been reassured that we're very much on the right path generally!

We're a family of 5, potentially 6 if we're brave (or stupid) enough one day. We're looking for a large 7 seater and are attracted to a vehicle that we can also use for trips around the UK (hopefully some just a couple!). The Beach looks perfect for us.

At the moment we've got a budget of around £30k and we're due (virus depending) to see a 2013 Beach at a local VW dealer. It's relatively low spec with 66k on the clock, but it would suit our needs nicely.

The question is, before we proceed down this route, is it worth saving up and adding to the budget and buying something newer and with lower milage? Do you get better value in the long run for the extra £10k?

I know so much of this is opinion based, so I appreciate there's no definitive answer, but it'd be good to tap into some knowledge.

Thanks in advance, Sunny

Hi Sunny and welcome. Sounds like you know what you are after, have you looked on the used volkswagen vans website? Just had a look and there are quite a few Beaches on there and probably better deals than the one you are interested in. There are T6 models from 2016/2017 with less miles for under £35k right up to ex demonstrators for 40k. I would be looking at those rather than the low spec T5 with 66k miles, if you can stretch a little bit more. Be worth it in the long run. Happy hunting.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi folks,

First time post here and very appreciate of any support and replies. We've had a good browse of the site and have been reassured that we're very much on the right path generally!

We're a family of 5, potentially 6 if we're brave (or stupid) enough one day. We're looking for a large 7 seater and are attracted to a vehicle that we can also use for trips around the UK (hopefully some just a couple!). The Beach looks perfect for us.

At the moment we've got a budget of around £30k and we're due (virus depending) to see a 2013 Beach at a local VW dealer. It's relatively low spec with 66k on the clock, but it would suit our needs nicely.

The question is, before we proceed down this route, is it worth saving up and adding to the budget and buying something newer and with lower milage? Do you get better value in the long run for the extra £10k?

I know so much of this is opinion based, so I appreciate there's no definitive answer, but it'd be good to tap into some knowledge.

Thanks in advance, Sunny

Are you planning on using it for Camping or just family trips?

 

[Borris]

Hi folks,

First time post here and very appreciate of any support and replies. We've had a good browse of the site and have been reassured that we're very much on the right path generally!

We're a family of 5, potentially 6 if we're brave (or stupid) enough one day. We're looking for a large 7 seater and are attracted to a vehicle that we can also use for trips around the UK (hopefully some just a couple!). The Beach looks perfect for us.

At the moment we've got a budget of around £30k and we're due (virus depending) to see a 2013 Beach at a local VW dealer. It's relatively low spec with 66k on the clock, but it would suit our needs nicely.

The question is, before we proceed down this route, is it worth saving up and adding to the budget and buying something newer and with lower milage? Do you get better value in the long run for the extra £10k?

I know so much of this is opinion based, so I appreciate there's no definitive answer, but it'd be good to tap into some knowledge.

Thanks in advance, Sunny

Hello Sunny,
I think if I were in your position I would have a hard look at all of the current Beaches for sale on the VW Commercial dealer web site. You say you were due to look at a basic 2013 van for £30k with 66k on the clock before the virus issue landed upon us. The thing is, VW Commercial have stock to get rid of and currently no customers. If a chap called Sunny were to contact them and make some very cheeky offers what's the worst that could happen? You never know, you could end up with a blinding good deal on a much newer vehicle for little more. They can always say no but my guess is that at the moment they will at least give your offer serious thought. Remember you are holding all of the cards.

 

[An-j]

Hello, we have a beach and it’s a great family car for days out. With 3, possibly 4 kids perhaps worth thinking about how much would you use the camping features? Would you want a parking heater for overnight heating on winter trips?
Depending on where you live and plan to visit, do you need an euro 6 vehicle to comply with low emission zones? This was the main reason we stretched our budget to 35k, as this got us a euro 6 T6 . As we intend to keep our van for along time we wanted the engine to be as up to date with emissions controls as possible.
Good luck with van shopping - if you don’t mind a basic vehicle there are couple of year old beaches for sale at motor point at 37k!

 

[Sunny1]

Are you planning on using it for Camping or just family trips?

We'd almost certainly be looking to camp as well, ideally with an awning eventually.

Thanks

 

[Sunny1]

Hi Sunny and welcome. Sounds like you know what you are after, have you looked on the used volkswagen vans website? Just had a look and there are quite a few Beaches on there and probably better deals than the one you are interested in. There are T6 models from 2016/2017 with less miles for under £35k right up to ex demonstrators for 40k. I would be looking at those rather than the low spec T5 with 66k miles, if you can stretch a little bit more. Be worth it in the long run. Happy hunting.

We hadn't looked there, that's definitely given food for thought!

Thanks

 

[Alied]

Does the 2013 you're looking at have an electric hookup connection? I think some of the earlier models didn't have this or it was an option. I stand corrected.

 

[WelshGas]

We hadn't looked there, that's definitely given food for thought!

Thanks

T6‘s are EURO 6 with regards to emissions unlike the T5.1 you have mentioned. This could be a factor in the future.

 

[2haw]

Personally I’d offer 35k for this. They may come down to 36.5? Worth a try.

Will always be worth 5 grand more than a 2013 Beach and will come with over 2 years of factory warranty left. It’s also DSG, is the 2013 one manual or DSG?

 

[Sunny1]

Thanks for all of your replies, you've all been very helpful!

Having read your responses and having had a think about it, we've decided to go 'all in' and add more to the budget. This is partly due to ridiculously cheap (and affordable) finance available to us at the moment.

For something we'll hopefully have for years and years, it should be a good investment for us, especially in terms of getting out and about and making the most of family time!

I'm always conscious about repeating topics from other forums, but just as a rough guide, are there any key optional extras to look for in addition to parking sensors that are top on our list? There seems to be a million and one different combinations, with not one vehicle having them all. Ideally we want a manual with seven seats, so that restricts us a bit.

Thanks all!

 

[Perfectos]

Go try the DSG you may be surprised how good it is !
Options are a purely personal thang, ask 10 people get 15 answers ( or more)
Think how you will use / drive it and what’s important to you

Good luck

 

[James Lewis]

Thanks for all of your replies, you've all been very helpful!

Having read your responses and having had a think about it, we've decided to go 'all in' and add more to the budget. This is partly due to ridiculously cheap (and affordable) finance available to us at the moment.

For something we'll hopefully have for years and years, it should be a good investment for us, especially in terms of getting out and about and making the most of family time!

I'm always conscious about repeating topics from other forums, but just as a rough guide, are there any key optional extras to look for in addition to parking sensors that are top on our list? There seems to be a million and one different combinations, with not one vehicle having them all. Ideally we want a manual with seven seats, so that restricts us a bit.

Thanks all!

Defintely try DSG. We were in the same boat last year when we brought our Beach and although we initially wanted manual, the automatic has been amazing and wed happily exchange our second car for DSG! Ive never really been 'into' cars but i love our california and, travelling in europe, the DSG just adds to the pleasure.

 

[Sunny1]

Go try the DSG you may be surprised how good it is !
Options are a purely personal thang, ask 10 people get 15 answers ( or more)
Think how you will use / drive it and what’s important to you

Good luck

Thank you Perfectos! We're not in a huge rush, with all thinks considered, but hopefully something will crop up soon.

I've read lots and lots of good stuff about the DSG - I'm maybe a bit pessimistic with the 'less expensive things to go wrong' approach! Are they generally reliable?

 

[Perfectos]

The DSG gear box is a master peice of engineering, VAGroup use the in every available configuration, it is simply a pleasure to drive with the DSG.
The gear box learns your driving style and adapts to it like a glove.
Be warned when you decide to try the Cali you will want to buy!

 

[Borris]

The options that come to mind on a Beach are:

1. Headlights - the standard H4s are abysmal. You can put better bulbs in but if you can find a Beach with the better H7s or better still LEDs then driving at night will be much safer.
2. Awning - most Californias have them but some do not. If you have to retro fit one it's a very expensive business. I had to have an awning fitted to a previous Beach and the bill for purchase and fitment was north of £900. An awning is very useful for giving shade as well as shelter from the rain. If you have an awning then you can turn it into an awning room, available from the club shop.
3. 3 zone Climatronic aircon - the Beach with all it's glass, is a big space to keep cool in the summer especially if you carry passengers in the rear. This option is superb at regulating vans internal temperatures as well as dehumidifying the vehicle. Useful if you have condensation or a van full of wet people or dogs.
4. Extra seating - you must work out how many persons you are likely to want to carry. Two extra swivel seats are an option on the three seat Beach. Best to buy one with the right number from the start.
5. Parking heater - if you are going to use your van in winter then this option is truly glorious. It's my personal favourite. The weather can do what it wants to outside and you and yours can be warm and dry around the clock. You can activate it remotely so on icy winter mornings your van will be defrosted by the time you are ready to use it.
6. VW Comfort mattress- some find it too hard but it is an essential element towards creating a comfortable downstairs bed. It provides a flat base onto which you can create you own preferred bed.

With the exception of number 3, all of these options can be retro fitted later but at considerable cost. It's often cheaper and easier to look for a van with these features already fitted.

There are other options that are very nice to have but IMO these are the basic options for keeping you safe, warm or cool as appropriate, comfortable at night and make your vehicle as practical for your needs as possible.

 

[Sunny1]

Hi folks,

Hope you're all well.

Thanks for your help once again. Your list was amazingly useful Borris and we're now very open to an automatic James and Perfectos. We've managed to find one that meets most of our needs, albeit with the poor headlights and no mattress.

It's a manual at the very top of our budget and the dealer is unable to either shift on price or include a mattress in a deal, so we'll probably hold fire now. As lovely as it is and with even with the apparent high demand, at just over £44k I would have hoped they could have moved a little. With all the uncertainty at the moment the last thing we want to do is over-stretch ourselves.

So far we've only really considered vehicles from dealerships, mainly due to the comfort of a warranty. Should we also be considering buying privately? There's a high spec Beach we've seen advertised that would be ideal, apart from the two extra seats we may need one day and it being the wrong side of the country!

Thanks all,

Mr & Mrs S

 

[Borris]

Hi folks,

Hope you're all well.

Thanks for your help once again. Your list was amazingly useful Borris and we're now very open to an automatic James and Perfectos. We've managed to find one that meets most of our needs, albeit with the poor headlights and no mattress.

It's a manual at the very top of our budget and the dealer is unable to either shift on price or include a mattress in a deal, so we'll probably hold fire now. As lovely as it is and with even with the apparent high demand, at just over £44k I would have hoped they could have moved a little. With all the uncertainty at the moment the last thing we want to do is over-stretch ourselves.

So far we've only really considered vehicles from dealerships, mainly due to the comfort of a warranty. Should we also be considering buying privately? There's a high spec Beach we've seen advertised that would be ideal, apart from the two extra seats we may need one day and it being the wrong side of the country!

Thanks all,

Mr & Mrs S

Don't "hold fire" for long. Beaches appear to be going fast if recent posts on this forum are anything to go by. So "get um while they're hot".

As for the second hand Beach, don't worry too much about it not having the two extra seats. These come up for sale quite regularly on the for sale section, often un-used.

 

[tuono001]

If the dealer is not prepared to do any sort of offer I'd walk away and sit tight. Like you say you're not in a rush. Chances are it might still be there in a month.
Why not try the private sale one with a video call and tour of the van. You never know it might be the right one for you and more chance to haggle on the price.
I bought our beach private, as it was better specced than any dealers at the time, when I viewed there were little things to haggle on with the price.
Does the private one have any extras that the dealer one doesn't?

 

[larrylamb]

Is the private sale vehicle still covered by warranty? peace of mind if it is.

 

[OGII]

Chances are it might still be there in a month.

Given recent Beach mania I'd say it will be gone long before then. No new supply & high demand is really kicking in, only the most hideous colour/low spec/ high mileage/outrageously overpriced will still be left on forecourts soon. When you read people readily saying they will fit aftermarket heaters etc. you get a sense there's not much choice out there. Down to 29 on the approved used VW search...

When will it be less than 20?

 

[Sunny1]

Hi folks,

We picked up our Beach on Wednesday and are incredibly happy with it. This forum has been a massive help, thank you all so very much for all of your time and advice!

 

[2haw]

Hi folks,

We picked up our Beach on Wednesday and are incredibly happy with it. This forum has been a massive help, thank you all so very much for all of your time and advice!

Congratulations!

So.... what did you buy in the end??!

 

[Perfectos]

We need the full story and Pictures.

Welcome to the Beach Club

And don’t forget to wave !

 

[BeagleMum]

Hi folks,

We picked up our Beach on Wednesday and are incredibly happy with it. This forum has been a massive help, thank you all so very much for all of your time and advice!

To the Beach club, wishing you happy & safe travels