VW never held a position in the American Market with any product until
recently.
Unless VW comes up with an extraordinary vehicle that will hold its
value, has a really great warranty program and runs like a bat outta hell
they are doomed to just great advertising.
I firmly believe that VW has the potential of laying the world auto
industry back on its ear but with a Passat that sells for over $30,000.00
and for the V8 ad $10,000.00 more to that: wat has that 230 hp van got to
go for ?.
Rich people don't drive Volkswagens of any type (there are exceptions).
Hippies drove VW vans because they were cheap, the 55mph speed limit also
helped the older vans to survive a little longer.
I chopped up a half dozen Bugs and Beatles for dune buggies ..........
200$ cars.
All of these great vehicles require buyers and I'm not a buyer for a
$40,000.00 + vehicle; look around your neighborhood and see if a VW Van
would place any of your neighbors in the pier group that so lovingly
purchase popular vehicles to belong to.
Half of my neighbors are already upside down in a MPV, SUV, ATV or made
for the movies Pickup Trucks.

Stan Wilder
1983 Air Cooled Westfalia

On Thu, 13 Jun 2002 10:32:02 -0700 Ari Ollikainen <Ari@OLTECO.COM>
writes:
> At 10:12 AM -0700 6/13/02, Tromper wrote:
> >
> >Might even get to the point of looking up an old Aerostar or
> Astro..never
> >a caravan unless they build one that can carry people and stuff
> without
> >bottoming
> >out...though maybe mercedes will....nah... :oD
>
>         Mercedes already does...It's the Freightliner
> Sprinter...see:
>
>         http://www.daimlerchrysler-vans.com/Passenger.pdf
>
>         <excerpt>
>
>         With the Sprinter passenger van, you don't have to make any
>         trade-offs, because it can be ordered to meet the specific
>         needs of a variety of industries. Seating up to 10 people,
> it
>         offers a choice of 3 wheelbases and 2 roof heights coupled
>         with the comfort, safety, maneuverability and drivability
> of
>         a sedan.
>         Which makes the Sprinter passenger van the ideal shuttle
> vehicle
>         for every application.
>
>         GVWR / payload: 8,550 / 4,000 lb
>
>         Wheelbase: 118", 140", 158"
>
>         Passenger cabin heights: Standard roof: 64" / high roof:
> 73"
>
>         Vehicle heights: Standard height: 93" / high roof: 102"
>
>         Engine: MBE 600 2.7 liter turbocharged 5-cylinder diesel
>         Horsepower: 154 @ 3,800 rpm
>         Torque: 243 lb-ft. @ 1,600 - 2,400 rpm
>         Fuel system: Common-rail direct injection technology (CDI)
>
>         Transmission: Mercedes-Benz 5-speed automatic w/overdrive
>         Rear axle ratio: 3.73
>         Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion
>
>         Brakes: 4-wheel hydraulic discs with ABS, traction control
>         (ASR), automatic load sensing
>
>         Body type: Steel / unibody design
>         Fuel tank: 25 gallons
>         Airbags: Driver and passenger airbags, supplementary
> restraint
>                   system
>         HVAC: Air conditioning with automatic temperature control
>                 and filtration
>
>
>
>
>         � 2001, DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC, Huntersville, NC 28078.
> All
>         rights reserved (VT/M 6500 00101 13-01/0801).
>         DaimlerChrysler Vans LLC is a company of the DaimlerChrysler
> Group
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Dilbert's words of wisdom #18: Never argue with an idiot. They drag
> you down to their level then beat you with experience.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>        OLTECO                    Ari Ollikainen
>        P.O. BOX 20088            Networking Architecture and
> Technology
>        Stanford, CA              Ari@OLTECO.com
>        94309-0088                415.517.3519
>

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