I got a bone stock 1983 7 passenger Air cooled with a tired engine (stock 
though), sloppy transmission (stock though), and skinny little tires (stock 
though), for sale, say $12,000 since it's not a syncro. It also has one of 
them stock california little square boxes hanging off the exhaust system. 
Make that $13,000. Wait, I need to replace the vvoltage regulator in the 
dash... $12,975 is my base line offer.

Pass this on to the Pop Top Heavens Gate people. I'll be waiting by my 
phone.

tim in san jose

On 9/15/05, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> 
> > Please George prove me wrong, find me a top condition,
> > modified or otherwise, low mileage syncro camper for $6000
> > and I will pay you a $1000 finders fee when I buy it
> 
> I'll get in line for that one too, George! :-)
> 
> > As far as the dealer trying to low-ball the guy, that is why God
> > created used car dealers in the first place, so, as I said before,
> > what's the beef? It is common knowledge that any time you try
> > to sell a car to a dealer, he's going to beat you to death.
> 
> I agree with George here. What do you know - the used car dealer is acting
> like a used car dealer! Yes, they made up an excuse to lowball Chris
> ("nobody wants modified vehicles"), so they could buy his van cheap and 
> sell
> it high. And not just Chris. I've seen posts elsewhere from others who had
> the same experience - the year, model, etc. is "not what people are 
> looking
> for" when they're buying, but suddenly more desirable if they have one to
> sell. But why is this a shocker? Used car dealers are not known for being
> very straightforward or upfront about what your vehicle is really worth on
> the retail market. Of course if they bought cars for what they were really
> worth, and sold them for what they would really worth, they'd break even. 
> So
> they all play games - some less ethical than others - in order to buy 
> below
> market value and sell above it.
> 
> > There was no "standing bid" for a $6000 syncro westy!
> 
> Here's where things get much more murky, IMO. According to their email to
> Chris, "We contacted our list of buyers and we currently have a buyer at
> 6,000.00. The money is on file with us at this time." This goes far beyond
> just finding an excuse to make a lowball offer, which all used car dealers
> do. This clearly implied that they were not acting as a used car dealer at
> all - they weren't offering to buy the van themselves for general resale,
> but rather to broker the transaction for a specific individual who had 
> made
> a $6000 offer and even given them the money already. In fact their website
> also implies this, offering Westy owners free market appraisals and "free
> listings to our database of customers." Nowhere on their site do they
> actually offer to buy your Westy - just to "help buyers and sellers find
> eachother." If this is the case, and they really are finding $6000 Syncro
> Westies for lucky buyers, count me in! (Okay, I'll buy one from them and
> one from George. :-) On the other hand, if they are actually a used car
> dealer that buys Westies, then why not just say so, instead of going to 
> such
> extrordinary lengths to imply something else?
> 
> I don't know anyone at Poptop Heaven, so my comments are only relavent to
> what I have read. But I do know and respect Ken Wilford. I can't imagine
> that he would allow himself to be a participant in any ethically
> questionable business practices with any party. His reputation on the list
> has always been excellent, and deservedly so.
> 
> - Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com <http://www.busdepot.com>
> (215) 234-VWVW
> 
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
> 

-- 
Where ever you are, there you be. Unless you're driving my van, in which 
case, you ain't got there yet.