In a message dated 9/15/05 12:34:03 AM, jbange@GMAIL.COM writes:

<< but no buyer who knows ANYTHING about Vanagons would think that his
modifications SUBTRACT from its value. You might find a few odd birds here and there
who are only willing to purchase a bone-stock low-mileage Vanagon, but most
of those looking to drop a princely sum on a Syncro Westy certainly aren't
going to offer LESS because he's got "modifications" like SA brakes and quality
aftermarket bumpers! These aren't collectors cars-- people buy 'em to USE them.
Besides, even assuming this "common knowledge" applied to such a utilitarian
vehicle, there's no WAY a price of $6,000 is anywhere near reasonable for ANY
syncro westy. >>

Hogwash?  Hardly.  What is odd, to me, is that someone would pay more for
such things as S&S headers, brakes for which he cannot walk into a NAPA store and
get rotors or calipers, gearing compromised by the choice of wheels,
mismatched upholstery,  "quality" after-market bumpers, oversized wipers (please shoot
me), seven, count them, seven horns and all the other mass added to a car
which can hardly get out of its own way to begin with.

No, not for me.  There are already enough horrors lurking within any used car
not to add a bunch of dubious modifications to the stew, especially a car
intended to be a driver.  I can only hope to find a bone stock van which has not
been tinkered with.

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 (there's that term again) that any time you try to sell a
car to a dealer, he's going to beat you to death.  And, ask a car salesman what
is the added "value" of DIY modifications to a car.

What does it matter, anyway?  In all too short of a period of time, you won't
be able to give one away.

George