Date: Thu, 19 May 2005 00:17:08 -0400
Reply-To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject: Re: What is an original side tent worth? What is an original side
tent?
In-Reply-To: <11dcddf805051818245b0e2138@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> I have an oportunity to pick up a side tent here is the
> description by the current owner:
>
> "The tent as far as I know the tent was specifically
> designed for the Westy you have. Im sure that my dad got this
> as part of the package when he bought his van in 91'in
> Luxembourg. It is a stand alone tent so you can keep the tent
> set up and drive away for the day and stuff. It is just like
> the one in the photo attached to the last e-mail except it is
> maroon and grey. As far as branding goes I didn't see
> any...but I wasnąt looking for it. It is real clean though...
> If the van had come in a box my dad would have kept it."
>
> The photo he is referring to can be seen here:
> http://www.busdepot.com/images/parts/A0022.jpg
>
> Any thoughts on how much this is worth? Does the fact it is
> original mean anything? How can I tell its not just something
> aftermarket?
There were several Westfalia branded tents sold in Germany. Since he says
his looks like my $299 canvas-on-frame tent, it may be the Mahler Camping
tent, which was sold both under that name and under the Westfalia name. (The
latter featured the Westfalia logo prominantly on the front of the tent.) My
$299 tent is basically a copy of that tent with some updates. There was at
least one other Westfalia tent (which was totally different, and huge), but
it too had the Westfalia logo on it in big letters. I can't say for sure
that Westfalia never sold a tent without their logo on it, but if they did I
have never seen one. If his does not have the Westfalia logo, it may simply
be an aftermarket tent that his father bought at the same time as the van.
In that case it is probably worth less than you would pay for a new one
(i.e. $299 for my updated version), unless you happen to have a maroon Westy
and the color makes it worth more to you. If it does have the Westfalia
logo, it may be worth more to a collector just because of the logo. I have
seen actual Westfalia-branded Vanagon side tents fetch upwards of $600 in
good used condition, but they featured the logo prominantly on the outside
of the tent, which probably accounted for the high price.
I got a laugh over his typo in "if the van had come in a box my dad would
have kept it." I suppose he might have, but where would you keep a box that
big? :-)
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot, Inc.
www.busdepot.com
(215) 234-VWVW
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