Mmm... I have a lot to say about that, but i won't say too much.

Nobody here can judge the GoWesty price, you didn't work on those van.
Even i I agree that it seem extrem at first to sell a van 90K! But it seem
that they have customers and good for them... so who care if they are
expensive! That is NOT your business/problem! Since i started my shop, i
went that way, restoration.... and i know better today about time invested.

It's a free country, you can sell anything for the price you want. People
pay way more crazy price for stupid thing so please!!! I sometime feel there
is a lot of jealous peoples on this list!

Another thing, this list is here to help mostly folks that want to try
working themself on their vans... and i guess, some that are... let's say...
more on a budjet, and that is more than fine, but don't judge the one that
HAVE money and wan to keep their van for ever!

Now, just go buy or find a similar van on the market... well, there is none!
So there is NO �quivalent that mean you can't compare prices!!!!!!!!!!

My van cost me 1500, i havested 20+K on it, cost price, so let say
retail-27-30k in part + 300 hours of labor at 45$ per hour, let say 14K. So,
we are at around 36-38K + gadget, that seem a fair price for a fully
restored 2WD Vanagon. In my case, i have the pictures to proove it, and that
is a big difference. Still, i buy A LOT from GoWesty and i respect them a
lot for being there!!!!!
http://www.benplace.com/85westy2.htm

Now, i'm finishing this one this week:
http://www.benplace.com/fabian.htm

Total cost should be around 24,000$ (paint job / body work, int�rior fully
restored, new 2007 Subaru 2.5L conversion with 1000miles on it) + the price
of the value of that van before restoration, let say 6 to 8K. So that van as
a value of around 30K. It's not even a full camper... so that guy must be
crazy??? Sure....

Now, my next big project is a US van from Colorado... yea, i'm in Montreal!
This guy is a member here so be carefull! It's an 87 Syncro. We (Hans from
Vanaru and me) have kind of stolen that project from GoWesty... but i won't
say more. This van is in great condition, very nice van to restored, our
goal and the customer goal is to give this van a new life and that for the
next 20 years. So it's a big project. Int�rior is in perfect shape, just
need a very deep cleaning

-SVX 6cyl Engine
-New upgraded Transmission and axles
-New/rebuilt Syncro system with added diff lock
-New everything underneat (Suspension, steering, big brake....)
-New paint job with lower black stripe
-Underneat coating
and a lot more stuff.

You will all be able to folllow that project day by day at this webpage:
http://www.benplace.com/87_syncro1.htm

I will see if i say one day the total restoration price.... not sure yet and
anyway.... who frigging care! it's NOT your van or money!

So if a guy love his van and he want to keep it for ever... well, if he feel
like investing a lot on it... GOOD FOR HIM!!!! (and for me... he he he).

All my life i sold... pleasure! Before, part time i had hobby shop, i was
selling 4000$ RC helicopter to weekend spending folks who had no idea how to
fly those... i had warned them of the difculty, they didn't care... next
monday, they had crash that helicopter behond repair.

That is crazy investment!

So please... have better aguments!

Ho, a last thing, i dare anyone here to come work with me for 10 days in a
row, 10 to 12 hours per day... working in the dust, grease... cuting,
burning, bruising and banging yourself all the time. You may now understand
the time, energy invested by folk who restore car/vans.

Shit, i have to charge more...

Ben ( i still have some corruptor blood... for the old timer here)
http://www.benplace.com/

On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:02:21 -0400, BJ Feddish <bfeddish@NETREACH.NET> wrote:

>I like ordering misc nick nacks from GoWesty that I cannot find somewhere
>else. Besides, they have it in my mailbox 2 days later and I'm on the other
>side of the country.  Today, for humorous purposes, I clicked on the
>Vehicles for Sale.  If I remember back a few years they used to sell these
>"restored" vans for "$22-25K" and we were all up in arms about their prices.
>Today I took a peak at http://www.gowesty.com/vehicles_for_sale.php and
>almost fell out of my chair.  An '85 for $29K, an '86 non-Syncro for
>$53,831.53????? An '87 for $63K?????  Is this for real?  I mean really, who
>has that kind of money to throw around? Geez, and we were bitchin when they
>were charging $25K.  Here's the real kicker, if you read their ad they say
>"Yeah we picked up this baby for $500 and with our markup you pay only $600
>but we can't sell it to you for that, it would not be your best interest."
>What?, it's in my best interest that they tack on $30K more for a motor,
>paint and detailing?  Geez. Who are these idiots selling their vans to
>GoWesty for a  couple hundred or a couple thousand dollars?  Every van they
>buy is usually WAY below what I could find the same van on eBay, the Samba,
>etc.
>
>
>
>Geez, I just noticed the 1990 Syncro Westy for $90K.  Some people have too
>much damn money out there in CA.
>
>
>
>Sorry, just needed to vent.
>
>
>
>Now back to your regularly scheduled list programming.
>
>
>Bryan