What to look out for when buying a used Beach.

[Borris]

So Roc1,
How did you get on?

I have bought three Calis including two Beaches from SMG Tonbridge. Unlike some of the disinterested and/or ill informed suits I've talked to in other VW Commercial Dealers, they are all great sales people at SMG. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. I've always received a healthy discount and some free extras. As you say, if you don't ask............

I know ones opinion of a dealer rests with the bod you end up doing business with but I genuinely feel that many VW Commercial dealers need a serious lesson in customer service. The only other dealer that impressed me was South Hereford Garages VW Commercial. The four or so other dealers were next to useless. I just walked away.

My advice is that if you like the van negotiate hard but keep it friendly. You may walk away with nothing but that I doubt. I've always dealt with Laine Watts. Lovely chap who likes Mrs Bs home made marmalade.

 

[bloomers100]

I have what people on here refer to as poverty spec 4 seat Beach with DSG, parking sensors, apple car play. The standard headlights are what we used to have before the cold white light of LEDs, I can cope with them, if you drive to where your headlights end you're doing it wrong. I have retro fitted a heater with blue tooth. In July last year they were throwing in £1500 of extras on approved used and I got the bike rack and lower comfort mattress. The basicness of my spec suits an outdoor vehicle with two jack Russell's onboard. Its rugged, v low mileage and great to drive and I want for nothing and I still have change out of 40k just......

 

[Borris]

I have what people on here refer to as poverty spec 4 seat Beach with DSG, parking sensors, apple car play. The standard headlights are what we used to have before the cold white light of LEDs, I can cope with them, if you drive to where your headlights end you're doing it wrong. I have retro fitted a heater with blue tooth. In July last year they were throwing in £1500 of extras on approved used and I got the bike rack and lower comfort mattress. The basicness of my spec suits an outdoor vehicle with two jack Russell's onboard. Its rugged, v low mileage and great to drive and I want for nothing and I still have change out of 40k just......

Sounds great although not at all "poverty" spec.

The point is that the Beach is whatever you want it to be. It's flexibility is its main selling point. It makes the most superb general purpose family vehicle and is therefore very popular with those in the know. No two Beach owners will use it the same way or want the same spec.

I think you probably bought at just the right time. Given the numbers of members announcing that they have just bought a Beach recently, I suspect dealers must now be down to the last few. Since there won't be any more that sort of discount is probably now a distant dream. I should hang onto to it for as long as possible as my guess is that residual values on Beaches will remain very firm indeed. This is not a partisan statement but with the Coast now competing, I'm not so sure about future residuals of either kitchen model.

Enjoy your van.

 

[Roc1]

So Roc1,
How did you get on?

I have bought three Calis including two Beaches from SMG Tonbridge. Unlike some of the disinterested and/or ill informed suits I've talked to in other VW Commercial Dealers, they are all great sales people at SMG. They are very knowledgeable and helpful. I've always received a healthy discount and some free extras. As you say, if you don't ask............

I know ones opinion of a dealer rests with the bod you end up doing business with but I genuinely feel that many VW Commercial dealers need a serious lesson in customer service. The only other dealer that impressed me was South Hereford Garages VW Commercial. The four or so other dealers were next to useless. I just walked away.

My advice is that if you like the van negotiate hard but keep it friendly. You may walk away with nothing but that I doubt. I've always dealt with Laine Watts. Lovely chap who likes Mrs Bs home made marmalade.

Yeah good thanks. Went for it and collecting next week all being well. SMG Tonbridge (dealt with Martin) are great and you don't get all the sales BS that you hear at car dealers thank god. They knocked a bit off the van and are getting some cosmetic bits done for me at no charge. I maybe could have pushed harder but felt that was about it and at the end of the day it's the van I want and didn't want to lose out on it. I've now got to start saving for all the goodies! First up, seat covers, mattress and drive away awning/shelter. Fridge will have to wait until I can start working again

 

[Borris]

Yeah good thanks. Went for it and collecting next week all being well. SMG Tonbridge (dealt with Martin) are great and you don't get all the sales BS that you hear at car dealers thank god. They knocked a bit off the van and are getting some cosmetic bits done for me at no charge. I maybe could have pushed harder but felt that was about it and at the end of the day it's the van I want and didn't want to lose out on it. I've now got to start saving for all the goodies! First up, seat covers, mattress and drive away awning/shelter. Fridge will have to wait until I can start working again

Congratulations and welcome to the Beach club.

You seem to have your accessories prioritised. The first two are most important.

Good luck with the collection. It's a good idea to take a check list with you to make sure its bits and bobs are all there.

 

[2haw]

Yeah good thanks. Went for it and collecting next week all being well. SMG Tonbridge (dealt with Martin) are great and you don't get all the sales BS that you hear at car dealers thank god. They knocked a bit off the van and are getting some cosmetic bits done for me at no charge. I maybe could have pushed harder but felt that was about it and at the end of the day it's the van I want and didn't want to lose out on it. I've now got to start saving for all the goodies! First up, seat covers, mattress and drive away awning/shelter. Fridge will have to wait until I can start working again

The Edition??

 

[Roc1]

The Edition??

Yep!

 

[2haw]

Yep!

Nice one!

 

[TrevorH]

A white Beach is just the thing!

 

[bloomers100]

First up, seat covers, mattress and drive away awning/shelter. Fridge will have to wait until I can start working again

Go and use it for a weekend before you splash too much cash.

 

[2haw]

Go and use it for a weekend before you splash too much cash.

Not sure how that’s quoting something I’ve suggested!
I’d recommend the same as you... I’ve had a Beach for 4 years and other than a hook-up lead, a chill box and a few cooking bits, bought very little else.

 

[bloomers100]

Not sure how that’s quoting something I’ve suggested!
I’d recommend the same as you... I’ve had a Beach for 4 years and other than a hook-up lead, a chill box and a few cooking bits, bought very little else.

soz got in a muddle

 

[Michael1985]

Oh I’m sorry perfect os, I have and you get f@k all from them

The dealers at the moment dont seem fussed whether you are taking the vehicle or not. They don't budge an inch

 

[hirsty]

Yep!

nice one - I think the white Edition looks fantastic, have fun.

I've had my early T6 Beach 4-years now - only vehicle - and still delighted every time I look at it.

 

[OGII]

The dealers at the moment dont seem fussed whether you are taking the vehicle or not. They don't budge an inch

Interesting angle here from a Dealer's magazine. The quote VW California prices tracking upwards since lockdown.
Like a lot of journalism I'm not convinced the Cali is the best car to use as an example, it's used prices are always fluctuating seasonally, are generally solid and this year even more out of step with the general market due to staycation demand. It does seem to confirm what we're all thinking though...

Enjoy the new Edition addition.

Investigation: What is the latest with used car prices and is now a good time to buy a used car? – Car Dealer Magazine

Many car buyers are coming out of lockdown and finding that the research they’ve been busy doing into used car prices during the shutdown has been way

cardealermagazine.co.uk

 

[toeknee]

Be aware the 'nearly new' Beach Market was disrupted recently with Motorpoint and other retailers selling relatively poor spec 6 month old Beaches for £38k, which at the time was £6k or so cheaper than the approved dealers were asking. Some have responded, some haven't.
Well specced Beaches are rare so pricing is more of a lottery.

I thought the spec was reasonable. Parking sensors, privacy glass, sat nav, auto gear box. Only thing missing was parking heater which is very rare to find. The motorpoint ones were excellent value and only really matched by Liverpool official dealer. Unfortunately you will now be paying at least £3k more for a similar spec.

 

[Roc1]

nice one - I think the white Edition looks fantastic, have fun.

I've had my early T6 Beach 4-years now - only vehicle - and still delighted every time I look at it.

Thanks very excited!

 

[Esandar#1]

Well done Roc1. As a Beach owner of 3.5 years I think you will be delighted with your Beach... but I was interested to read some of our fellows Beacherz (!) views on accessories. I would agree not to rush out to buy until you have lived in it for a few trips and read around the most useful extras. No one has mentioned levelling blocks. Without a set of levelling blocks you are either sleeping on or across a hill, or just being very lucky to find flat pitches. The first 5mins of every camp is me pfaffing to get the van level, front to back, side to side (so pack a small spirit level too!) Then, with the VW Comfort mattress in place, I know I have a lovely comfy big double bed ready at the end of the night! I am in the process of blogging my priority list of accessories and when I have I will post a link somewhere on here. We never bothered with seat covers (no dogs just two boys) and have big std headlights and neither decision has ever bothered me. We do have a drive away awning but rarely use it and prefer to pack some old gazebo panels that I have adjusted to attach to the wind out VW gazebo which are equally useful in good or bad weather but roll up to fit in a camp chair .

And we have a series of 6 big clear Tupperware boxes 78cm x 18x 40cm that we pack everything into... and which can be stored under the van when you make camp!

Things that make camp easy are big winners for me!
Have fun!

 

[Roc1]

Well done Roc1. As a Beach owner of 3.5 years I think you will be delighted with your Beach... but I was interested to read some of our fellows Beacherz (!) views on accessories. I would agree not to rush out to buy until you have lived in it for a few trips and read around the most useful extras. No one has mentioned levelling blocks. Without a set of levelling blocks you are either sleeping on or across a hill, or just being very lucky to find flat pitches. The first 5mins of every camp is me pfaffing to get the van level, front to back, side to side (so pack a small spirit level too!) Then, with the VW Comfort mattress in place, I know I have a lovely comfy big double bed ready at the end of the night! I am in the process of blogging my priority list of accessories and when I have I will post a link somewhere on here. We never bothered with seat covers (no dogs just two boys) and have big std headlights and neither decision has ever bothered me. We do have a drive away awning but rarely use it and prefer to pack some old gazebo panels that I have adjusted to attach to the wind out VW gazebo which are equally useful in good or bad weather but roll up to fit in a camp chair .

And we have a series of 6 big clear Tupperware boxes 78cm x 18x 40cm that we pack everything into... and which can be stored under the van when you make camp!

Things that make camp easy are big winners for me!
Have fun!

Thanks, coming from a Kombi (which has been great. but was crazy money to have a decent conversion) I couldn't believe how much of a quieter drive the Beach was!

Was going to get e Comfortz mattress from the shop here but wanted to measure the length of the bed as they do two different sizes and wasn't sure which to get.

Our folks who are also vw campers kindly gave us a few hundred quid to put towards getting something for the van, so we put it towards a CFX28 fridge which are £560 on amazon at the moment. Already have a Vango Hogan hub so will use that as a shelter and area to put the stove etc.

I'll put a pic of the van here once we collect it!

 

[Perfectos]

Thanks, coming from a Kombi (which has been great. but was crazy money to have a decent conversion) I couldn't believe how much of a quieter drive the Beach was!

Was going to get e Comfortz mattress from the shop here but wanted to measure the length of the bed as they do two different sizes and wasn't sure which to get.

Our folks who are also vw campers kindly gave us a few hundred quid to put towards getting something for the van, so we put it towards a CFX28 fridge which are £560 on amazon at the moment. Already have a Vango Hogan hub so will use that as a shelter and area to put the stove etc.

I'll put a pic of the van here once we collect it!

Great choice of fridge / freezer, I have the CFX35, it’s a game changer, you can quite easily have enough food and drink ( Al Cool) for three days for a family of four: two +two (particularly as the kids don’t drink alcohol)

Very useful if you go off site do some shopping, no need to return straight away if you bring your fridge freezer with you, even with frozen food.

When I tent camped I had a 12v cool box, at best it would keep thing cool for a couple of days with freezer packs, which would cause a lot of condensation and standing water in the bottom,
the Compressor fridge freezers are light and day compared to a cool box. I have used my cfx35 for three+ days without hook up and no issues at all and very very little condensation, so consequently the food stays fresher longer.

It helps to pre cool the fridge to -10 degrees c before loading the food and putting in the van, when I; the van set the temp to 4 degrees C and it will slowly rise to that temp and hold a constant temp without the initial draw on the lesuire battery to pull the temp down to 4c

If I had to choose two non VW option for camping, it would be the fridge + charcoal BBQ , match made in heaven

 

[Roc1]

Great choice of fridge / freezer, I have the CFX35, it’s a game changer, you can quite easily have enough food and drink ( Al Cool) for three days for a family of four: two +two (particularly as the kids don’t drink alcohol)

Very useful if you go off site do some shopping, no need to return straight away if you bring your fridge freezer with you, even with frozen food.

When I tent camped I had a 12v cool box, at best it would keep thing cool for a couple of days with freezer packs, which would cause a lot of condensation and standing water in the bottom,
the Compressor fridge freezers are light and day compared to a cool box. I have used my cfx35 for three+ days without hook up and no issues at all and very very little condensation, so consequently the food stays fresher longer.

It helps to pre cool the fridge to -10 degrees c before loading the food and putting in the van, when I; the van set the temp to 4 degrees C and it will slowly rise to that temp and hold a constant temp without the initial draw on the lesuire battery to pull the temp down to 4c

If I had to choose two non VW option for camping, it would be the fridge + charcoal BBQ , match made in heaven

Thanks that's a really good tip to pre chill it. Arrived today the CFX28 and it looks great.
Spoke to the dealer today and van should be ready mid next week. Said he'd had at least 10 other enquires for it this week (as they haven''t taken it off the VW site yet) and they've sold all their Beaches. Sounds like I got in there just in time!

 

[OGII]

they've sold all their Beaches. Sounds like I got in there just in time!

Does that make the Beach the sought after Cali? Of course it does, rhetorical question

 

[2haw]

Thanks that's a really good tip to pre chill it. Arrived today the CFX28 and it looks great.
Spoke to the dealer today and van should be ready mid next week. Said he'd had at least 10 other enquires for it this week (as they haven''t taken it off the VW site yet) and they've sold all their Beaches. Sounds like I got in there just in time!

I may phone them up and see how much they are prepared to offer for mine!

 

[Roc1]

I may phone them up and see how much they are prepared to offer for mine!

Haha you should! Only 40 Beach Editions in the country I heard is that right?

 

[2haw]

Haha you should! Only 40 Beach Editions in the country I heard is that right?

They were meant to release 80 Editions in the UK, 40 Oceans and 40 Beaches.

I’m seriously thinking of selling as I can’t see us using it much for holidays this year. We’ve got a house project on going and may sell and just get a Kombi.

It’s due its first service and may book it in at SMG instead of my local dealer at Chelmsford!