KBrennan@AOL.com (A-OH-HELL.com) said: -------------------------------------- > However, I suspect that the reengineering required to get the Vanagon to > current US specs would be prohibitively expensive. Vanagon's don't have > 5mph bumpers (at least mine doesn't). Vanagon's don't have airbags (nor > their sensors). Retrofitting these would, I beleive, be too expensive for > VW to care. > Also, let's take a look at those SA Vanagon's again. I did a computation > a month or two ago (yah, the Rand has fallen since then, but the > comparison is still valid). The top of the line Vanagon was around $32k > US (if I remember correctly). Now, let's add in the airbag, and 5mph > bumpers. I'd guestimate at $38k, maybe even $40k. These numbers are not very close, Kim. At most 5mph bumpers (add a shock absorber to each bracket) and airbags (< $1k retail) would add $1,500 to $2,000 to that $32k (top of the line), for a total retail price of about $34k. Remember that the Rand has fallen, and we are talking about the top of the line model, so realisitically one could buy a 1999 Vanagon for roughly $25k-$34k in the U.S. These prices are about what folks are gladly paying for fancy S.U.V.s in the U.S. right now. I think that the numbers would work out favorably. Marty Wallace (10+ years of Cost Engineering...)
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