Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2015 10:42:31 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: van comparisons {was (Friday NVC) When Euro hits parity}
Modern reliability.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
On my last trip to Florida in the 2004 motor home, I had the exhaust pipe break which melted a taillight and started a small fire in the bedroom closet. The day after that I had the right front tire blow out requiring a tire and wheel replacement, and on the way home the right front brake decided it didn’t want to release. To add insult the front brakes were replaced by a dealer last September.
So far Fun Bus has only been towed home once and that was recently. Turned out the coil failed. I was only 25 miles from home. Lazy I called Coach-net and they flat bedded my home. Yes I have had breakdowns including the broken 4th gear now but overall the Westy has been very reliable for us.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: mcneely4@cox.net [mailto:mcneely4@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 11:44 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM; Dennis Haynes
Subject: Re: [VANAGON] van comparisons {was (Friday NVC) When Euro hits parity}
---- Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> I think VW knows that until they have products that truly compete with
> the Ford or Mercedes van or trucks there is little sense going for the
> American market. As for campers most folks want fully featured units
> including toilets and showers and enough room to be comfortable. As
> you start heading North of $40K there are a lot of choices beyond a van with a pop up tent.
But what some of us want is a van with a pop up tent, maybe just a scooch more room, but that's not essential. Showers and toilets? Nope, not me, not needed. But I would like modern reliability.
mcneely
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Stuart MacMillan
> Sent: Friday, March 20, 2015 12:38 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: (Friday NVC) When Euro hits parity
>
> VW has a limited product line in the US, and their biggest problem
> here will be meeting the ever increasing CAFE fuel economy standards,
> hence the introduction of the very expensive e-Golf Who's going to
> buy this for $34,000? And, the subsidized $299/mo lease is only
> available in 10 states and DE.
>
> CAFE means selling more fuel efficient cars to bring up the fleet
> average, and bringing in vans without a subsidized electric or hybrid
> high mileage car to offset them won't help. I think that's the main
> reason we won't see a van any time soon. Or maybe we'll see only TDI vans!
>
> Compared to #1 Toyota with the Prius, a bunch of gas sippers
> (including the tiny 37 mpg Scion iQ), two pickup trucks (at least one
> is essential in the US), their bread and butter Camry, and a Van,
> distant #2 VW has a long way to go. But I would like to see them try harder.
>
> Stuart
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
> Behalf Of Jon VO
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 8:38 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: (Friday NVC) When Euro hits parity
>
> Except the Eos, the Golf R, and the CC are mainly optioned versions of
> existing NA models, the California is not imported in any form.
>
>
> On 3/18/2015 8:39 PM, James wrote:
> > Volvo has been way behind Toyota in reliability for the last five
> > years or
> so.
> >
> > Thing is, reliability or the lack thereof isn't the buying factor it
> > used
> to be, as overall automotive reliability is now so high - the
> 'average' in Consumer Reports now was the five star reliability rating of 15 years ago.
> >
> > And as to the idea that 'special low volume models aren't part of
> > that
> business model" - VW sells the EOS, the CC, the Golf R - all low
> volume, all to showcase the brand. Yet most of the public could
> hardly place a CC or an EOS if they were challenged, when everybody
> knows the VW bus. Importing the California camper, with special trim
> lines to celebrate the camper, seems a natural.
> >
> > As the EOS and R have shown, a 'US federalised' model need not be a
> stopper. The handful of years they've sold the R on this side of the
> Atlantic, they've brought in as few as 400 per year, IIRC.
> >
> > James
> > Ottawa, ON
> >
--
David McNeely
|