Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2011 13:15:59 -0700
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: Splittie Sells For $198K at Barrett Jackson Auction
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The thing about Syncro's ..
and particularly special models like Westy's and Double Cabs ..those exotic ones..
they, like vanagons, have many special things going for them.
their AWD performance is awesome,
particularly for the era, no electronics even.
their size, shape, reputation, how many different types of engines will fit..
all that adds to their value.
and..the fact that you can't get them really ..
not new.
there isn't anything comparable
I do think 70K is kinda crazy for a high end say syncro westy..but you can put that many fancy and expensive upgrades and improvements on them easily.
Had one customer..
87 Syncro with SVX engine and tons of goodies.
He honestly had receipts $ 70,000 he's put into it.
you don't usually get that money back in a case like that.
haven't heard of that blue one now for a couple of years ( Reno NV is where it lived ) ..
I would guess that it finally sold reluctantly 35K ..just a wild guess.
I probably have a resistance to 'bling' ..
I far more highly value hard work, like people who find good deals on fancy wheels or whatever ..
where it's cleverness rather than cubic money that produced the fine machine.
yeah, show me something you made just awesome with cleverness..
like fine inline four, long-lasting gas engines that only cost 400 in the junkyard ..
and work really well.
that impresses me.
the 14K 1.8 turbo conversion ..that's 'nice' ....and impressive in it's own way ..
just not as impressive to me as the guy who got the crashed 1.8T Passat for say 1,600 and did the engine conversion very neatly himself with great workmanship ..
'art' ..that's it .
I am impressed by and value 'artfulness' in all endeavors.
I don't especially consider having gobs of money to produce something as being very 'artful' frankly.
you know I see a young 24 year old mother getting groceries in Marin County ..
with her baby in the back seat ..and it's a $ 130,000 new 911 Porsche,Cabriolet and I know other people are dying in mud, dirt, with bombs falling and their life expectance is about 26 yrs..
I am not impressed much by that girl in her lawyer ( or whatever ) husband's car..
or the car he got for her.
I would expect her to be embarrassed even by the excessive display of wealth.
but show my something that's super cool that you got by sheer cleverness ..
and possibly built yourself.....I admire that in spades.
oh sorry ..
'too political'.
I do think excessive wealth is immoral. Especially when others live in worse than doo-doo and they might never have a really decent large meal in their entire life, or they are so malnourished that to do so would kill them.
onward !
it's all good ..but man ...'sometimes', you know .
syncro's ..awesome capabilities..
and you can't get a new one. They are truly a world class vehicle.
heck..
guy in PA was going to let his go ( with Tiico engine ) for only 5K.
Unless it's rusted to death ..
that is a rippin' great opportunity for a 'regular poor person' to get into a syncro ..
their Dream Machine.
Just don't think for a second that syncro's don't 'like money.' They like money a lot sometimes.
----- Original Message -----
From: Don Hanson
To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans
Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 12:21 PM
Subject: Re: Splittie Sells For $198K at Barrett Jackson Auction
Geeze...I should 'sell short' on some of these...Maybe evendo some credit default swaps in case you dreamers actually get what you think you might for your clunk.....uh, classics..collector's items..whatever you want to call em.
Seriously, it seems that Synco Vanagons are headed towards Collector Car status they way people pay for them...Splitties have been there for years...
Don Hanson
On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 11:53 AM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
lol.
Even if someone was not happy with their van at that price..
they wouldn't want to admit it, having paid so exorbantly high a price.
they *better* like it at that price !
they HAVE to like it at that price, no choice.
well..
I was feeling awfully bold being just about to put my very cherry extra
well preserved 82 Sunroof Diesel Vanagon with fresh engine etc. etc. on
thesamba for the price that is on its original side window sticker, which I
have ..
and the salesman's biz card stabled to the owners manual too, etc...a super
well preserved extra nicely working quite origial sunroof DV with rebuilt
engine ( turbo head even ) at the $ 13,045 original price.
but now ..
heck ...should I make it $ 25K ?
and ...it is not *restored* !!!
I think restored cars look fake.
thankfully ..
