In a message dated 3/12/05 4:58:30 AM, jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU writes: <<Second, one would expect that the more the van costs to start, the less the repairs should be after that, since presumably the cheap vans are those that need more investment. . . . . . . Third, we need to control for where it was bought (east coast vans are more than west coast, due to lack of supply) >> Firstly, regardless of one's expectations, there is no correlation between the initial cost and the cost of subsequent repairs. Believe me, I have tons of empirical data which dismisses that assumption. But, there is a definite relationship between the cost of a van and the amount of shuck and jive the seller can exude. Secondly, speaking in the general sense, I have found East Coast Vanagons to be cheaper than on the West Coast . . . and nastier to boot. I would speculate that they are cheaper because they are a rarity or, perhaps, an orphan. Like any orphan, nobody wants them and that is what drives the price, not supply.
I recall the guy from whom I bought my last Syncro raving about being able to get four thousands more for it than I was offering if he were back in Oregon. I reminded, Toto, he wasn't in Oregon anymore. I got the van. He didn't get the four large. George |
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