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Subject:Re: How many Vanagons
From:Jason Willenbrock
Date:Fri, 13 Feb 2004 20:58:09 -0500
<html><div style='background-color:'><DIV class=RTE>
<P>well,</P>
<P>that explains why i rarely see 88 and 89 vanagons</P>
<P>jason<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;From: Joel Walker <JWALKER17@EARTHLINK.NET>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Reply-To: Joel Walker <JWALKER17@EARTHLINK.NET>
<DIV></DIV>&gt;To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Subject: Re: How many Vanagons
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 19:43:10 -0600
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; Does anybody know how many vanagons there are in the US.&nbsp;&nbsp;It's a
<DIV></DIV>&gt;finite
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; number and everytime somebody parts one out, it's one less.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm
<DIV></DIV>&gt;just
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; curious how many there are.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm amazed at how many businesses are
<DIV></DIV>&gt; &gt; flourishing by keeping these things alive.
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;i got these numbers from some book about vw buses, a long time ago ...
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1980 -&nbsp;&nbsp;150,805
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1981 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1982 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1983 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1984 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1985 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1986 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1987 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1988 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1989 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1990 -&nbsp;&nbsp;175,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1991 -&nbsp;&nbsp; 20,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;total 1,920,805
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;now, those mighty peculiarly even numbers of 175,000 are from the VIN
<DIV></DIV>&gt;range given in the book for that year. same with the very low 20,000
<DIV></DIV>&gt;for 1991 ... but remember, the Eurovan was also being produced in 1991
<DIV></DIV>&gt;in Germany. so that's probably about right. i'm not sure, however, if
<DIV></DIV>&gt;that number includes the Vanagons/T3s that were 'assembled' in Graz,
<DIV></DIV>&gt;Austria, as many 1991 models were. if your 1991 VIN has MG in it, it
<DIV></DIV>&gt;was assembled in Graz on the Syncro assembly line, even though it's
<DIV></DIV>&gt;not a syncro.
<DIV></DIV>&gt;and 175,000 might just be the limit of the assembly line in Hannover
<DIV></DIV>&gt;for a whole year (11 months, actually. as i recall, they kinda shut
<DIV></DIV>&gt;down the line for a month while most of Germany went on vacation, and
<DIV></DIV>&gt;some poor folks had to stay and get the assembly line set up for the
<DIV></DIV>&gt;next year's model).
<DIV></DIV>&gt;i do recall that the Millionth (1,000,000) Vanagon rolled off the line
<DIV></DIV>&gt;in 1985 ...and the six-millionth(6,000,000) Type 2 (all buses from
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1950 to ...)
<DIV></DIV>&gt;in 1986.&nbsp;&nbsp;the 175,000 per year agrees with one article i have that
<DIV></DIV>&gt;claims "nearly 500 Vanagons are produced every day ...", assuming
<DIV></DIV>&gt;you're running seven days a week (479/day).
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;imported into the U.S. ...
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1980 - 14,101
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1981 - 11,479
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1982 - 13,234
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1983 - 14,695
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1984 - 21,352
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1985 - 12,303
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1986 - 13,475
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1987 -&nbsp;&nbsp;9,401
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1988 -&nbsp;&nbsp;4,555
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1989 -&nbsp;&nbsp;4,466
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1990 -&nbsp;&nbsp;8,057 (vw had announced they PLANNED to sell 10,000 Vanagons
<DIV></DIV>&gt;that year)
<DIV></DIV>&gt;1991 -&nbsp;&nbsp;?,???
<DIV></DIV>&gt;total 127,118+
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;the book didn't have any numbers for 1991. assuming that it was
<DIV></DIV>&gt;roughly the same as for the previous years, percentage-wise, it would
<DIV></DIV>&gt;likely be a very low 6 percent of total vanagon output or about 1,150
<DIV></DIV>&gt;total. that seems way low to me, however, based on what i saw at the
<DIV></DIV>&gt;dealers around that year. maybe the u.s. got a much higher percentage?
<DIV></DIV>&gt;so the total of all vanagons imported into the u.s. from 1980 to 1991
<DIV></DIV>&gt;would be in the neighborhood of 130,000 to 135,000. that would be my
<DIV></DIV>&gt;guess.
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;so that means each one of us (with only one vanagon) has 0.0007692
<DIV></DIV>&gt;percent of all the vanagons ever sold in the u.s.!!!! :)
<DIV></DIV>&gt;
<DIV></DIV>&gt;unca joel
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