Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 10:08:04 -0700
Reply-To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: VW Camper Conversion Showdown
In-Reply-To: <BLU177-W2478438C1488D6B6047156E09C0@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
These are all modeled after our beloved Vanagon Westies (Vanagon content).
Safety standards killed the Vanagon (among other things), and we got the
Eurovan.
Unfortunately, VW got burned so badly on the Eurovan they likely won't have
a van option in the US until they make it here or in Mexico. Strong Euro
(I'll never understand why, given the Eurozone's terrible economy), import
taxes, US safety standards, etc. made them uncompetitive. In 2001 they
bumped the horsepower from 160 to 201 and dropped the price $4000 as a last
ditch effort to remain in the US minivan market, but gave up in 2003. Too
expensive and too few of the standard bells and whistles American's want (it
didn't even have cup holders). The EVC was converted here by Winnebago on a
partially finished stretch chassis to avoid tariffs, and it sold well, but
the end of the EV was also the end of the EVC.
The most realistic option to hope for is reasonably priced conversions from
Roadtrek, Sportsmobile, and Pleasure-Way on the soon to be arriving Ford
Transit platforms, but these companies will need to go back to their roots
to develop a basic "camper" conversion as opposed to the Class B motorhomes
they make now. If you haven't seen it, check out the Westfalia Nugget on
two different Transit platforms.
The reality is most Americans want Class B or larger motor homes and big
trailers, just look around any large campground. My son found his '87 Westy
this month because the owners tried it for a summer and just had to have a
bathroom. Or at least the wife did.
It must be a cultural thing.
Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
James
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 7:24 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: VW Camper Conversion Showdown
I've wondered this too, Jim - while we love our Vanagon, my wife in
particular doesn't like the steady, expensive string of maintenance to keep
it in good shape and on the road. She dislikes it to the point of plotting
with one of her German M.Sc. classmates how to get a new VW camper brought
to Canada - until we discovered that a private individual cannot import a
vehicle less than 15 years old into Canada anymore.
Anyway, with the help of said German friend, we worked out that the landed
cost of a new VW California Beach (current name fo the Weekender) would be
about $50k Canadian (depending on exchange rate, a little less in US$),
assuming buying one in Germany or France at MSRP and exporting it, with
container ocean freight and about $3K for homologation here (an estimate,
but a decent one). A full camper edition of the VW California would be
about $5k more, and the current 4 wheel drive set-up would also be about
$4k.
(IF you want to look for yourself, and can read a little French, here's the
VW de France webpages. Remember to deduct the French VAT from the quoted
prices - an exported van would not have to pay European sales taxes.
http://www.volkswagen-utilitaires.fr/fr/models/california.html )
At $50k, that undercuts the various van conversions available in North
America (GM van or Sprinter or RamPromaster based) by $30k or more. And,
really, $50k isn't that far above a loaded Chrysler Town and Country, Toyota
Sienna, or Honda Odyssey, which both push $48k optioned up, and you get
something that gets better fuel economy than the Chrysler, Toyota, or Honda
(admittedly diesel, but 4-5 mpg highway is not to be sniffed at), and, at
least in Weekender form, seats 7, sleeps 4, and will tow up to 2 tons. (The
NA rating will undoubtably be lower.)
If VW Canada would announce tomorrow that they'd bring them in, I'd put a
$10k deposit down the same day. The funny thing is, having done this
calculation, I've floated it past a lot of the people in campgrounds (and
elsewhere) who stop by our Westfalia to admire it/reminisce about their old
one, and many of them - perhaps a third - claim that they'd pop for $50k for
a modern version (but wouldn't buy an old one).
Gowesty continues to sell a small stream of re-built Westies for prices that
look that that import 'quote' - so I think there is a market that VW is
missing here in North America. The California would make a great
range-topper for VW, along with the CC and the soon-to-be discontinued EOS.
They wouldn't even have to change the name. (Though licensing a 'Westfalia'
sticker for it might be a good idea, marketing-wise.)
James
'91 Weekender
Ottawa, ON
> Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:28:26 -0500
> From: jim.felder@GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Re: VW Camper Conversion Showdown
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
> You'e right, it doesn't cost $8.00 a gallon. It costs more like $12.00
> a gallon once you figure out how much of your income tax goes to
> getting the oil to our shores. That can't be all of the story, there
> has to be a market for these convenient, well-thought-out things.
>
> Jim
>
> On Tue, Oct 28, 2014 at 6:44 PM, Stuart MacMillan
> <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Two reasons: Gas doesn't cost $8/gallon here, and few American's
> > will pay $100k for these when they can get a used motorhome three
> > times the size for half the price. It's why we keep putting money into
our Vanagons.
> >
> > Stuart
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> > Behalf Of Steven Johnson
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 4:27 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: VW Camper Conversion Showdown
> >
> > Why oh why aren't these offered in the US!!!?
> >
> >
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIUwrCRNj3M
> >
> >
> > Steven
> > 91 Westy
> >
=
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