> I'm wondering what stats KBB would be using to set their average > prices, with so few of these vehicles being sold.
As I understand it, they have a fairly sophisticated formula that adjusts for local price variations and condition, and gives you a pretty accurate price for "normal" vehicles. It says my 1990 non-westy is worth about $2800, which is a pretty good guess for a vehicle with 210,000 miles. Mine's worth a bit more than that, but they only know that it has 210,000 miles, so they assume it has all the original factory parts that are ready to die. That's really the weakness of Kelley Blue Book: uses mileage as a "wear gauge". A meticulously maintained Vanagon with rebuilt engine and tranny and new hoses and radiator is worth significantly more. The "touchy" nature of Vanagon engines is such that there are only two kinds: those that have been rebuilt and maintained properly, and those that are about to die. KBB kind of averages between the two and quotes a price that isn't exactly appropriate for either. In the first two years I dumped about $10K in parts alone (I do my own labor) into my Vanagon. Nearly all the critical wear parts have been repaired or replaced. At 210K miles I have a better, more reliable vehicle than ANY of the ones I've seen for sale locally with ~100K miles. By KBB, I figure my Vanagon is the equivalent of a "regular" car with 60K miles on it. And when it comes to RARE vehicles, KBB is totally off the reservation. It says an '87 Westy with 100K miles is $6,600 or so, and that the "4WD" option only makes it worth $8,850! Basically, it's a good place to start. Try You might also poke around ebay, Craig's List, and theSamba just to get a range of what people are asking. -- John Bange '90 Vanagon - "Geldsauger" |
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