Date:         Fri, 11 Mar 2005 12:51:09 -0900
Reply-To:     Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject:      Re: Wilder's Law
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I guess that we are an anomoly to "Wilders Law".  We purchased our 87 Westy Syncro on August 1st, 2003 and promptly drove it 3500 miles to our home in Anchorage.  We had two mechanical failures on the trip, the alternator, and  clutch.  Since then we have replaced the transmission( thanks Daryl at AA Transaxle), which we knew was going bad when we purchased the van. It has also received basic tune-up parts, belts, front brake pads, AM/FM CD player, two oil changes, one coolant flush, two transmission oil changes, and approximately $100.00 worth of misc. parts.  We added a rear facing jumpseat for $175.00 plus shipping.  Total expenditures above purchase price are approximately $4500.00, and I am probably guessing high on that.

Mark in AK

----- Original Message -----
From: jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
Date: Friday, March 11, 2005 10:54 am
Subject: Wilder's Law

> At 09:22 AM 3/11/2005, you wrote:
> >Are you suggesting that "Wilder's Law" says more about people
> than Vanagons?
>
> Now that you mention it, it kind of DOES say more about the nut
> behind the
> steering wheel than the vehicle. Logic would dictate that (say) a
> $1000Vanagon would require more work to get it "up to snuff" than
> a $10,000
> Vanagon. Wilder's Law, though, says that the more you spend
> initially, the
> more you will spend later. What this indicates to me is that the
> amountnecessary to bring the vehicle up to "satisfactory"
> condition is entirely
> dependent on the new buyer's financial state. I propose a
> corollary to
> Wilder's Law: "Vanagon owners will tend to spend the most their
> disposableincome will allow on their Vanagons". It's probably
> something to do with
> this strange contagious  mental illness that is spread via
> ownership of
> rear-engine VW's. If you'd asked me a year ago what I thought of
> old VW's,
> I'd have said "Not much; sounds like a lot of trouble I don't
> need". But
> here I am, pouring thousands of dollars into a 14 year old van and
> wishingI could spend MORE! I expect to reach the $10,000 mark
> ($2100 purchase
> price included) before I reach the 1 year mark in July. I am
> clearly sick,
> but I couldn't be happier.
>
> John Bange
> '90 Vanagon "Geldsauger"
>