Dear Curmudgeons, Blowhards, Diehards, and Defenders,

I've read some of these posts and private emails about how much I'm selling 
(correction: have SOLD my van for) and found many quite amusing and some rather 
insightful. Some, I'm not quite even sure what the point is, except that the 
writer is royally pissed and somehow offended that a Vanagon, of all things, 
could sell for so much money. Well hell, I think it's utterly insane that a 
home that I rent in Laguna Beach for $2000 a month could possibly be worth nearly 
$2million dollars should my landlady ever decide to sell it, but there you 
go. That's why we're moving away from Laguna. I wanna buy a house and I can't 
afford to do it here. I could mitch and boan about it til I'm blue in the face, 
but at the end of the day, I still can't afford a house here - so I'm going to 
Charleston, SC, where I can. 

And shit, a house won't even go anywhere -- unless of course, it's a Syncro. 

I've also watched with some surprise over the last few years as the resales 
on Syncros continues to climb -- witness what people are driving away from 
Gowesty and paying. Many curmudgeons and crusty die hards claim that these 15-20 
year old vans that people are "foolishly" paying top dollar for are somehow not 
worth it. Well, it seems to me that it's all a part of what the market will 
pay, what it will bear, just how bad do you want it and is a trusted mechanic 
willing to stand behind what's claimed about a van? And of course, is there 
anything else remotely like it on the road? 

Recently,   Steve Schwenk, who is always good for a strong opinion and with 
whom I have been known to respectfully disagree, asked on his Syncro.org 
homepage, something to the effect of: "Is the Syncro market being hijacked by 
profiteers?" 

If you recall, Steve put up a picture of the red syncro westy van that 
Gowesty sold for over $66 grand.   Was the dude who bought it a fool or a chump? 
Well, let's step back for a second here. Clearly whoever did this work, could 
afford it. Clearly, he could have bought a used Sportsmobile with more features, 
better safety and far worse gas mileage (and a non-stock 4wd system) for less 
money. Hell, he could have bought a nice new Land Rover for that money. I 
called Taylor up at Gowesty for a part and discussed the van with him and came 
away thinking that Luis, the purchaser, got a fricking bargain. Have you seen 
what the guys did with this van?? We're talking $66 grand for a full, nearly 
frame off restoration. Recaro seats, beautiful paint, all new drivetrain, all new 
warranteed motor, all new interior. I know it aint' got airbags or   ABS or 
any of that crap, but man, this thing is gonna put any G-Class Mercedes to 
shame. And you can cook in it or comfortably get on with gettin' down with your 
significant other. 

And   have you guys ever seen Steve S's van? That fricking thing is nice as 
hell. If he were to break down all he's spent on it, I guarantee it's a very 
pretty penny. If he sold it, he could clear $25K at least. BTW Steve, if this 
reaches you, I'm not trying to slam you, I'm just using your points to make my 
point. 

Bottom line: The Internet has created a market and interest group that was 
once too thinly spread to have any buying power or cohesion. And these vans that 
are selling for these "outrageous" amounts of money   because there are 
enough people using the Internet to create viable markets for products from Steves' 
springs to Tom's decouplers to Gowesty and Bus Depot's bewildering myriad of 
parts. These vans that are selling for top dollar are not stock and there is 
nothing else like them available for purchase new or used in 2005. Typically 
they have been made far better than stock with additions like lift kits, OME 
shocks, bigger brakes, bigger wheels, decouplers, front diff locks, bigger 
motors, beefier tranny's, bull bumpers and the list goes on. Man oh man, you should 
see some of the rigs in the parking lot at Europro in Costa Mesa right now. 
D-rrroooool. 

I'll admit it: I paid a lot for Veronica Fraga's van. Way more than it went 
for brand new. But here's what I got in return: A once-in-a-lifetime trip 
across America with my wife during the summer of 2004 in a fun, safe, reliable 
Adventurefalia. We went all up along the Lost Coast and when we got tired of the 
winding pavement, took a side trip along a stunningly beautiful portion of the 
hairball dirt road that goes to Shelter Cove. We climbed endless grades at 
60MPH with my hi-output waterboxer. Reaching the great plains, we once 
effortlessly passed a poor canadian dude in a stock Westy that was huffing to maintain 
50MPH against the 20knot headwinds . At a gas station later, he rolled in and 
simply asked me, "that thing doesn't have a stock motor does it?"

We bounced along the sandy beaches of Long Island and North Carolina and back 
through the desert southwest in the middle of the summer. Outside temps were 
around 110. Inside, a cool 75 degrees. On that whole long trip, I replaced an 
o2 sensor and a catalytic converter. Oh, I hit a rock on the road too and put 
a hole in a brake line that was easily replaced. That was the extent of my 
repairs in around 6000 miles of driving. 

In that reliable van, that I paid insane money for, I've also reported on a 
gutwrenching police shooting in Watts, so-cal wildfires, and once, laid low 
with a bad cold, I slept in it in a parking lot across from the Santa Maria 
courthouse while awaiting the Michael Jackson verdict. Feeling better later that 
afternoon with no decision in, I drove out to Pismo Dunes, aired down my tires, 
actuated the decoupler and the diff lock and proceeded to positively drop jaws 
and elicit smiles and waves while bounding through the sand. Far down the 
beach, I found a nice spot next to the bird refuge, slid open the hatch and fixed 
myself a cup of coffee while I watched he sun set. 

What's the dollar value of those experiences? Was it worth what I paid not to 
have to worry that my radiator was going to blow, if a bearing was going to 
seize, or my motor was going to throw a rod as my wife slept soundly in the 
back seat. Every fricking cent. And then some. 

Down here in Orange County, a fully dialed and pimped 60's era pickup truck 
body VW will fetch $40grand easy. I met a dude who had a beautiful '66 not too 
long ago -- helped him jump start the thing in a BOFA parking lot because his 
40K machine had a bad generator. He wasnt' unhappy. He loved it. It was a 
collector's item. Which is what a Syncro is -- especially one that is luxurious, 
pimped and capable. One time Ron Lussier said to me of his Syncro: 'I don't 
believe in mollycoddling it. You've got to use it. Otherwise, what's the point in 
having it?'' 

I agree. 

Per Syncro.org's opening copy, here's why these fricking vans are going for 
so much money, and why you can bitch all you want, but these vans have now gone 
from being relatively unknown curiosities to true, appreciating-in-value 
collector's items: The 4wd Vanagon Syncro Westfalia: a UNIQUE and WONDERFUL 
vehicle made in LIMITED NUMBERS from 1985 to 1991 by Volkswagen, STEYR PUCH and 
WESTFALIA Werke. The Syncro Westfalia PERFORMS WELL OFF ROAD, offers COMFORTABLE 
LIVING QUARTERS and has GREAT CHARACTER.� Can you say ADVENTURE!

Hell yes I can say adventure, and I can spell it too: S-Y-N-C-R-O. 

And I hope that Eric LeMoine, his wife and two kids will get at least half 
the enjoyment out of "Pound Puppy" as my wife and I have. And I hope I'll be 
able to continue to read entertaining posts on these lists as I covertly seek out 
my next Syncro investment opportunity. 

Chris Dixon