Jim, I figure that once I get my first retirement business (chemistry and
toxicology consulting) established, I would get some venture capital, rent a
shop, hire some mechanics, and then buy old Vanagons, strip them down,
rebuild them with as new as possible components, etc., give them a good
paint job, and put them up for sale.  I have done about half the job with my
own '84 so I know some of the things to do.  Guess the big question would be
how much would people pay for a next to new Vanagon?

John in Macon, GA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Old Volks Home" <oldvolkshome@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 5:39 PM
Subject: Re: Are they still making the bus/Vanagon anywhere these days?

> Rob -
>
> Your "Dear Volkswagen" email/letter will fall on very deaf ears in
> Wolfsburg.  Even if each listmember from each VW-based list/newsgroup on
> the
> 'net was to petition them with this or a similar letter, that's just not
> enough market for them to ever consider.  Besides, only a third of the
> group
> of people I've just spoken of could even afford such a mandatorily updated
> vehicle, which would be around the $50K range.  Keep on dreamin' ;-)
> --
> Jim Thompson
> 84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
> 84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
> 73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
> 72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
> oldvolkshome@gmail.com
> http://www.oldvolkshome.com
> ***********************************
> On 4/8/07, Rob <becida@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> Dear Volkswagen,
>>         It has recently come to my attention that you are still
>> making VW Vans in Brazil.
>>         As strange as it may seem I believe there is still a market
>> for the VW 'bus' in the US/Canada, both the standard passenger model
>> & a camper model such as the Westfalia.
>>         Just how difficult would it really be to make an export
>> model in Brazil that meets the North American legalities? VW has to
>> already be making enough off the shelf parts to outfit a van for the
>> north American market and has a variety of engines that would work
>> well. It's just a matter of putting the Brazilian plant and the off
>> the shelf parts together.
>>         I'd like to urge you to give this idea some thought.
>>
>>
>>
>> Rob
>> becida@comcast.net
>>
>> With a '91 Subaru 2.2 in an '87 Vanagon in western Washington.
>