Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2002 20:47:19 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: VW obscene parts pricing
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
The pendulum swings both ways guys.
I find very nice looking BMWs, Jaguars, Mercedes, Saab and a few Porche
in wrecking yards that look like you could just drive them away. Same
goes for Japanese vehicles too. Even seen a few Rolls and Bentleys in the
recycling heap.
The things I never find is Land Rovers and Toyota Land Cruisers.
Once the engine / tranny repair bill reaches the value of the vehicle
they just get scrapped.
These high dollar road rockets don't hold their value after four years
and aren't special enough to warrant hanging on to them.
To say that a vehicle has enough charm or utility value to keep it living
for many years past the ten years planned obsolescence it saying a lot.
A goodly number of the hippies and dead heads that traveled in VWs back
in the 60s are now camping with St. Peter and his crowd. Those that
remain with us are cruising in Air Conditioned comfort and are not
potential VW buyers.
The wealth of America has caused a glut of cars of every type.
Consider this: Dallas has approximately 2,000,000 people and of those
there are two cars in almost every driveway. Then the fact 10% of the
vehicles in Dallas are on used car lots. Come on down boys its a buyers
market.
I looked at a nice 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck the other day for
$2995.00, I'd say that is a reasonable price. Once they hit that magic 36
month or 48 month birthday and the banks no longer finance them, the
prices drop considerably.
Most of the OEM vendors selling to VW sell parts for the older Vans,
Vanagons to International Distribution networks and they reach us through
FLAPS and List Vendors.
I consider my 83 Westfalia one of the best investments I've ever made.
Thank goodness that I seldom need a part that is exclusively VW dealer
controlled.
Stan Wilder
On Thu, 5 Sep 2002 17:41:08 -0700 Damon Campbell
<damoncampbellvw@YAHOO.COM> writes:
> The new guy is going to go out on a limb on this thread... i haven't
> been following it at all, but what couple times i have clicked on
> it, there have been rants that the corporate big dogs are raising
> the prices of our beloved volkswagen parts. This strikes me as a
> little far fetched.
> Sales figures for VW was about 88,540,000,000 euros, which means
> about 88,540,000,000 dollars. (
> http://www.volkswagen-ir.de/download/Q1_02/20020312_GB_2001_e.pdf
> )... What is that? 88.5 TRILLION dollars? Now exactly how much do
> you think these guys are getting paid to increase part prices
> significantly? Let's say they are getting paid $100,000,000 (insert
> Dr. Evil voice here) per year. They have just managed to raise the
> average price of volswagen goods sold by a whopping 1/10 of a
> penny.
> Now, i'm not a financial expert (my bank'll tell you that), but
> blaming the rich kids at the top for the prices of VW parts solely
> based on their salary seems a little, well, ludicrous.
> Just a thought...
> -Damon
> p.s. Question... in a european financial report, does a comma mean a
> decimal place, or another thousand of whatever? Either way, 1/10 of
> a penny, or a buck, the point is still the same...
>
> Jfp w/3 WBXs wrote:Hi John,
>
> When the VW Royals price themselves and their talents like BMW or
> Mercedes
> Royals, the price of our replacement parts become the same.
> Unfortunately
> while the BMW driver is willing to pay this obsecene cost for his
> snooty
> condesending transportation, the Vanagon driver is not. Screw this
> capitalism crap, the VWoA pricing policy is just another greedy
> support
> mechanism for "Royal", over-paid auto executives.
>
> Regards, John
>
>
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> '84 Westy
>
>
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