************** REDUCED!!! was £29.500 now available at £28,500 ************
This is our private sale for our superb VW California Beach in metallic silver. We are based in East Sussex.
We are mature (i.e. getting older!) sensible owners and this is the 8th VW Camper we have purchased and enjoyed over the last 30 years including five T5/T5.1 Californias/Beaches. This is now for sale as the kids have grown and we move on to the next thing!
We particularly love the Beach layout as you don’t have a big wardrobe unit in the corner (which never holds that much) and this allows a full view all round with a great feeling of spaciousness with the bonus of a larger and more comfortable bed.
The Beach of course comes in two or three seater versions but unless you want to use it as a people carrier the two seater is a lot more adaptable with a much flatter bed and is fantastic as a camper or day van or all round general purpose vehicle.
This particular Beach has three big advantages; firstly a professional slimline kitchen unit (with sink, twin hob, water supply, storage cupboards etc) with a clip on sliding table - the whole unit is also easily removable if desired for more space. The slimline kitchen does not extend all the way to the rear so this still allows plenty of elbow/shoulder/head room when the bed is in use.
Second: it has the updated T6.1 fully opening canvas, this was factory fitted by VW as part of the common roof warranty work offered on all Californias. Most Beach models except the most recent did not even have a front window but this has the window and the fully opening front (please see pictures).
And thirdly: the VW factory fitted Eberspacher underfloor heater with integrated control panel in cab with timer and remote (great for pre-warming van in the morning or from bed at night!). This was a rare option on Beach models and really transforms this into a usable all year round (or all summer in the UK!) vehicle and a great winter day van for sitting inside cosy by the beach etc.
As well as the heater it has a very useful MCU electric hook up for 240v electricity for use at campsites to run mains appliances as required.
You have all the other useful official/genuine VW factory build California/Beach built in features - ie removable table in the sliding door, outdoor chairs in the tailgate, swiveling captain's chairs with armrests, numerous lights, built in black out blinds, privacy glass etc, etc.
We have had VW campers ranging from the lowest to the highest power engines and with both auto and manual gearboxes. This is the 118 bhp BlueMotion model which in our experience is a superb and very economical to run option with none of the well known issues associated with in particular the higher power self destructing twin turbo models. The manual gearbox is very slick and easy to use again with no DSG issues to worry about.
There are the usual VW features and many nice to have extras including parking sensors, cruise control, tow bar with electrics etc.
This is the second Beach we have owned in the last seven years with the BlueMotion engine and we have enjoyed many long trips over the Alps and Pyrenees and across Europe. It has no problem with two adults and two children and full with camping gear up and down the highest Alpine passes or cruising on the Autoroute while still being compact enough to access the tiniest French towns.
It is very economical at over 40 mpg as our average in all round use.
In general, despite being a 2012 vehicle it’s in really excellent condition with no dents, scrapes, parking dings - just the usual very minor stone chips and very light scuffs as expected on any used car/camper. It comes with a fold away bike rack too. The interior seats are in excellent condition being mostly covered in use. There is a brand new cab carpet. The roof has the addition of the well known ‘Bellows Bungee’ to ensure the canvas stays out of the mechanism when closing hence the new roof fabric is still perfect.
The vehicle has been fully cleaned inside and out, top to bottom and is ready for use immediately.
There is a superb folder of paperwork to go with the Beach, covering past MOT’s, service history including cambelt/tensioner/waterpump at 77,000 miles in May 2021, the complete roof fabric and VW fix in August 2020 and the HPI check when we purchased the vehicle. Also included is the full VW book pack with various owners manuals and the service book together with the factory remote for the VW factory heater.
The current MOT runs until July 2024 and was passed first time with zero advisories. I am happy to arrange a brand new 12 month MOT for the new buyer before collection. The last service was in July 2023 approximately 3000 miles ago. This was a full oil change service with the correct VW Longlife oil (also air, pollen filters etc) so the next oil change service will not be due until July 2025.
All in all it’s a really nice example of the Beach that drives very smoothly and is very much cherished and well looked after and we have had many happy trips in this camper - it has a lot of life left for the next new owners!
Viewings are welcome at any time and we’ll be happy to spend as long as you like going over the vehicle and explaining how everything works especially if you are new to VW Californias. Please make contact via eBay messaging and please do see our eBay feedback over the last 17 years. We will be very happy to pass the full registration plate to you so you can run checks but we did not want to leave it on the eBay photos.
NOTES: the VW wheel badges are somewhat discoloured - we have a brand new set of four now fitted but these did not arrive in time for the photographs. We have a custom solar panel that is quickly detachable from the roof rails and can be seen in some photographs. It is connected to a high spec Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 unit that also links to a phone app for monitoring and control. This always keeps the vehicle and leisure batteries in top condition - this is NOT included in the sale as we plan to keep it for a future VW camper but we can include it by negotiation.