Date:         Tue, 07 Nov 95 12:47:54 EST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         hal roth <HDROTH@brownvm.brown.edu>
Subject:      Re: VANAGON digest 680: EV & EV Camper

I'd like to follow up on some of the items discussed by Robert Tomaselli in
his very detailed response to Dan Herbert about the EV Camper.

1. $31,500 US is roughly 45,000 CDN give or take a few G's. If that sounds
bad, think of what the exchange rate would have been if Quebec had separated!

2. The extended length EV Camper (Riatta?) is not the only camper available
in Canada. There is also a regular length "Eurovan CV Camper" which seems to
come with many of the same features that Robert details. It "starts at" $34,995
Canadian, a fair piece of change cheaper. I found out about it through a home-
page set up by Southgate VW in Edmonton (403-435-4821). Incidently, they also
list a 7-seater GLS model (=93 EV MV??), a 4-seater CV model with a 2.5 litre
diesel engine, and a Transporter Panel Van (starting at $20,995).

3. Robert, your salesman may have lied to you about the crash test results, but
the situation is more complicated. First, the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration crash-tested a 93 EV CL (base level $16,000 model) and the
results were not encouraging. While the driver's body was protected reasonably
well, the head was not: measurement of 1296 (500 and below is excellent, 1000
-500 is ok...). Passenger's head: 663. Result: "46% or greater chance of ser-
ious injury for driver; 21-35% chance of serious injury for passenger.
There are many possible reasons for this other than the structural integrity of
the van. Perhaps the seatbelt retractors didn't work properly. In 1987 or so
a SAAB 900 had a similar problem that did not occur when it was retested (at
SAAB's request) a year later.
These crash tests are of course done in an artificial situation. There are
other more reliable measures. One of these is the statistics compiled by the
Highway Loss Data Institute, an insurance industry sponsored company that
gathers stats about every auto accident in the States. Their data on the 93
EV is more promising (but also rather equivocal). The 93 EV finished in the
Top Ten in two apparently conflicting categories: a. greatest number of claims
per model; b. lowest cost/claim. This looks like there were many claims of a
non-serious nature filed. So the EV was more likely to get into an accident
and less likely than average to get into a serious one. I'd be curious about
what people think is the cause of this odd confluence of stats. My guess is
that many EV drivers were first time van drivers and weren't used to the
dimensions of the van thus leading to many small claims filed for damage
caused by the driver of the EV alone.
By the way, this Institute listed the Vanagon as second to the Volvo 740 in
fewest serious injuries/accident (=lowest cost/claim) for 1988-92.
THere are also real world first hand reports to consider and I have one to
present. A friend of mine totalled a 93 EV MV by losing control at 55 mph
on a rained soaked curve of an Oregon highway (she fell asleep). The van
flipped over three times forward and landed on its roof. My friend climbed
out the smashed windshield with minor abrasions and a sore back.
The crash tests Robert's salesman was probably referring to were the ones
done by VW themselves and they're not published.

4. 95 is not just the third year the FWD design has been around. Joel lists
EV's going back to '91 (non-US models). So the design has been around for
at least 5 years and probably more. Rumor has it that the EV was developed
for the Bundesposte and has been around in that form for more than a decade.
Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor?

5. I understand that EV Synchros ARE being produced but are not being imported
to the US at this time. Rumor has it (again) that some Canadian dealers may
have them.

6. Extended warranties are not a bad idea with the EV, if you can get one for
dealer cost. The VW plans are expensive, but I got a cheaper one through
GE Capitol (yes, that's General Electric getting into the money biz) for
$435 in May of '93 that extended the 2 year bumper-to-bumper warranty to
6 years or 75,000 miles. I filed two claims on it so far and they have been
settled quickly to my satisfaction. The only problem is that the dealer who
now works on the van doesn't know from this warranty and I have to do the
paperwork myself. Didn't have to with the dealer I bought it from.

Lunch break's over.

Hal Roth