I'm not sure whose law I'm following.  I paid $2700
for my Syncro in 2000 and towed it home. I've spent
about $20k on it since then but never driven it.  What
does that make me?  On second thought I don't want to
know...

Tom
1986 Syncro Westy 2.5 TDi (coming soon)

--- Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET> wrote:
> I guess that we are an anomoly to "Wilders Law".  We
> purchased our 87 Westy Syncro on August 1st, 2003
> and promptly drove it 3500 miles to our home in
> Anchorage.  We had two mechanical failures on the
> trip, the alternator, and  clutch.  Since then we
> have replaced the transmission( thanks Daryl at AA
> Transaxle), which we knew was going bad when we
> purchased the van. It has also received basic
> tune-up parts, belts, front brake pads, AM/FM CD
> player, two oil changes, one coolant flush, two
> transmission oil changes, and approximately $100.00
> worth of misc. parts.  We added a rear facing
> jumpseat for $175.00 plus shipping.  Total
> expenditures above purchase price are approximately
> $4500.00, and I am probably guessing high on that.
>
> Mark in AK
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
> Date: Friday, March 11, 2005 10:54 am
> Subject: Wilder's Law
>
> > At 09:22 AM 3/11/2005, you wrote:
> > >Are you suggesting that "Wilder's Law" says more
> about people
> > than Vanagons?
> >
> > Now that you mention it, it kind of DOES say more
> about the nut
> > behind the
> > steering wheel than the vehicle. Logic would
> dictate that (say) a
> > $1000Vanagon would require more work to get it "up
> to snuff" than
> > a $10,000
> > Vanagon. Wilder's Law, though, says that the more
> you spend
> > initially, the
> > more you will spend later. What this indicates to
> me is that the
> > amountnecessary to bring the vehicle up to
> "satisfactory"
> > condition is entirely
> > dependent on the new buyer's financial state. I
> propose a
> > corollary to
> > Wilder's Law: "Vanagon owners will tend to spend
> the most their
> > disposableincome will allow on their Vanagons".
> It's probably
> > something to do with
> > this strange contagious  mental illness that is
> spread via
> > ownership of
> > rear-engine VW's. If you'd asked me a year ago
> what I thought of
> > old VW's,
> > I'd have said "Not much; sounds like a lot of
> trouble I don't
> > need". But
> > here I am, pouring thousands of dollars into a 14
> year old van and
> > wishingI could spend MORE! I expect to reach the
> $10,000 mark
> > ($2100 purchase
> > price included) before I reach the 1 year mark in
> July. I am
> > clearly sick,
> > but I couldn't be happier.
> >
> > John Bange
> > '90 Vanagon "Geldsauger"
> >
>

http://www.TomSinclair.com

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/