Date:         Tue, 10 Oct 1995 13:53:38 +0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         wigley@server.uwindsor.ca (Neil Wigley)
Subject:      Vans in europe?

Wendell Hovey asks:

Does anyone have any information about buying a camper in europe, using
it there for the summer, and selling it at the end of the summer?


Yes I have information. There is talk about buying vans at Schiphol
(Amsterdam) from people who are about ready to board their planes and are
desperately trying to find a buyer; contact Tim Smith about this one.

Buying a van in Germany, and presumably other continental countries, means
big bucks. They have stiff inspection criteria, so most vanagons have
already melted away. Prices are out of sight for used cars, as the eastern
european market (and Balkan and Near Eastern) holds a steady demand for
used vehicles. Have you ever seen a shot of Palestine without a white
Peugeot 404 in it? Wonder why?

I ran into a couple of Aussies driving old -- as in 1976 or so -- campers
from the UK. They paid in the neighborhood of 3,000 quid and hoped to dump
them for a similar amount. Of course it helps to have a place to stay in
the UK while you're shopping.

It seems the UK vehicles aren't subject to the stringent safety inspections
that might be found on the continent. And perhaps the RHD discourages the
shipment to the eastern countries.

UK subscribers, add your two bits worth!

Neil

Neil Wigley
U of Windsor
<wigley@server.uwindsor.ca>