I certainly hope you are right because i plan on driving these vans for as
long as i can, but with current energy conditons, we can't predict the
future.  i certainly would not be driving my syncro as often if I were
paying $8 a gallon of fue.  I do agree that there will be a certain
collector status to them, but then we are talking stock trailer queens, that
never get regular use like they were intened to be, what a pathetic end to
the westy!
i have several buddies who have been restoring and selling buses to england
for sometime that will argue this point to no end.  they believe we are at
the pinnacle. they already see baywindow prices falling as the aircooled
thing is dying a slow death.  its a bummer to think what will happen in the
not to distant future.  Deisel conversion would be a good short term
solution for longer life of these vans but again who knows what will
happen...
I love my vanagons and busses and hope that i will be driving them to the
grave, new cars have no character and really are not that much fun to drive,
but a space ship might cool ;)
jason

>From: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
>Reply-To: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: The two kinds of Vanagon owner..
>Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:22:48 -0600
>
>I have to respectfully disagree! Our vanagon campers will still  appreciate
>in value, not as daily drivers, but as collector's  vehicles.  This is
>because the hobby is not necessarily a rational  one, but a cult oriented
>one that will not be affected much by gas  prices, only one's ability to
>buy, maintain, & love, & this will rise  w/ inflation?  Look what folks are
>paying for houses now compared to  5,10, or 20 years ago.
>
>We are all nutz!
>
>Flame suit on!
>
>Tom B.-not sure bout non campers tho
>
>
>On Apr 25, 2007, at 11:01 AM, Jason Willenbrock wrote:
>
>>well,
>>like the housing market this will change.  poeple may not realize  it yet
>>but, now is the time to get what you can for these vans.  like it  or not,
>>right now it is a sellers market.  whether we want to admit it or  not,
>>with
>>rising energy issues, prices will crash on these prolly with in the  next
>>5
>>years.  these $50k syncros that get 16 MPG will be worth 5K.  Don't  get
>>me
>>wrong i love my vans but i also know that in the near future they  may not
>>make sense economically (do they make economic sense now?)
>>so i say let people get what they can now because in a few years it  will
>>be
>>a buyers market and we can all have any van we want for cheap, may  not
>>have
>>any gas to power them, but hey we can camp in our front yards!!
>>my 2 cents
>>jason
>>
>>
>>>From: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
>>>Reply-To: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
>>>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>Subject: Re: The two kinds of Vanagon owner..
>>>Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:42:57 -0500
>>>
>>>>
>>>>Ok I'm done ranting - Again I could be very wrong and expect a   beating
>>>>here
>>>>but it just seems to me that asking prices are very inflated.
>>>>
>>>>Later,
>>>>
>>>>Jeff Lincoln
>>>>
>>>
>>>Jeff,
>>>
>>>They're only inflated if the seller is not getting the asking  price.
>>>It's
>>>hard to tell from a classified ad�or even ebay�if the deal went   down as
>>>advertised.
>>>
>>>Jim
>>
>>_________________________________________________________________
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