Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 17:23:06 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Update
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4 grand a year is Way high in my experience/opinion ( well at one well
known west coast shop, that wouldn't be nearly enough annually :-) )
but, 4 K will get you a semi-decent non-camper vanagon for sure.
A vanagon might burn more fuel than a jetta, but it's about 5 times more
useful/flexible.
Your plan sounds fine to me, and I don't know if you are doing repairs
yourself, or paying professionally for work, but even paying someone to do
the work, 4 grand year sounds high to me, unless you start with a vanagon
that has an engine/trans etc about to die.
and this is 2WD, right ?
Syncro's are a different story, and yes, they do 'like money' at times for
sure.
Here in Oregon, I have about a dozen vanagons, some project ones, some parts
one, and I save *every* last vanagon part. It does seem they are rare in
junkyards , I'll agree with that pretty much. But .........
I can supply great non-rusted non-camper vanagons just fine. I'm working on
7 project ones to sell, and have about 4 or 5 parts vans after those.
I would guess that in your area, most likely vanagons are loved, owned, and
saved, or parked in yards, and not so much in junkyards.
But we're saving and loving all of them that we can !
There is yet TONS of life and usefulness in them !
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Hineline" <hineline@HELIX.UCSD.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 3:27 PM
Subject: Update
> About a month ago I asked for opinions about whether I should get a
> Vanagon or a 1980s-vintage Toyota van.
>
> You all convinced me.
>
> However...
>
> My initial plan was to sell my GTI for about $5000, pick up a Vanagon
> for $2500 to $3500 (lots of them here), and do tires, fuel lines,
> coolant hoses, etc. The major flaw in this theory is that I've found
> the bone yards, where Vanagons used to be a dime a dozen, relatively
> empty. The theory is that this is partly a consequence of cash for
> clunkers, but it does give me pause.
>
> So my revised plan is to hold onto the GTI and open up a revenue
> stream for a Vanagon, roughly on the order of a $4000 purchase price
> and $4000 a year in repairs, replacements, and mods, for five years.
>
> Does that sound about right?
>
> Mark in Vanagon-filled San Diego
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