Date:         Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:25:09 -0800
Reply-To:     Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Nathaniel Poole <npoole@TELUS.NET>
Subject:      Re: [T2] New VW Design Chief
In-Reply-To:  <907798.85097.qm@web61215.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

The essential problem with small, camperised vans is that they really aren't
a good fit for anything -they are a mongrel of compromises, and these days
would be ridiculously expensive. I doubt you could get one under 60 grand,
and what do you get? An overpriced minivan jammed with camping gear that
gets used at best infrequently, and yet takes up space that could be used
for hauling soccer teams. So it fails at being a great minivan. My '80 seats
fewer people than the wife's echo, almost the smallest car on the raod. And
as for camping, it is much smaller and more cramped than anything else on
the market. Yet you still paid over 60 grand? You can get a 2006 23' Tioga
for $49,000, which has a hell of a lot more room and amenities.

The only reasons we have such a passion for these vans is that they are
funky, cheap, romantic and easy on gas. Instead of paying 60 grand for a new
Westy I would probably buy an Echo for daily driving and a small RV for bush
trips. Not that I would ever blow that kind of money on any combo of
vehicles.


Nathaniel

On 1/26/07 6:11 AM, "Kevin H. Roberts" <bopsax@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I was just wondering how well our busses sold compared to other brands in the
> day?  And why VW doesn't think it's profitable to make campmobile-type
> vehicles anymore.  Have costs gotten so high that they've priced themselves
> out of the market?  I don't think so.  Just look at RV prices these days.
> When I was in that nice campground in Gulf Shores, I had to laugh that most of
> those vehicles cost over 100 times what I paid for mine.  And I slept just as
> good as they did.  Some of them were no doubt over $200K.  I dare say there
> are more of our vehicles still running around than similar vintage vans of any
> other brand.  But did they really compete when they were new?  I'd be
> interested in looking at the stats.  Surely somebody at VW should be able to
> service a market they pioneered and turn a profit.  JMHO....KR
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> The fish are biting.
>  Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>     To UNSUBSCRIBE send any e-mail to: type2-unsubscribe@type2.com
>      To email the admin for list help only: type2-admin@type2.com
>    For additional commands send any e-mail to: type2-help@type2.com
>  Donations help keep the list going. http://www.type2.com/donate.html
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>