All true. But it will be interesting to see, with these other choices
coming on and likely more to come, how the Vanagon hangs in there (or not)
in the rankings. It may be that the Vanagon garners 30% of the VW nostalgia
and 70% of the utility that people want and emerge at the top of the
van-life market, always holding their price up well. I don't know, of
course nobody knows. But it is possible that the Vanagon will hold the
sweet spot. If parts go away, then of course it is all over in fifteen
years. In that same time frame, anything not battery or hydrogen powered
and self-driving may be relegated to museums and scrapyards. But it is
equally likely, in my opinion, that new technologies will be compact and
powerful and ultimately render the chassis as almost irrelevant. Then, you
will be able to easily stick the newest technology into a Vanagon body for
a very up-to-date experience, in the way that you could put a very modern
entertainment center and computer inside an old radio chassis, the cabinet
being just for show. What might be the problem at that point could be
tires, it may all come down to tires in the end. Full circle.

Jim

On Thu, Sep 14, 2017 at 5:21 PM Stacy Schneider <vwcrewman@gmail.com> wrote:

> I wouldn't be surprised to see Go Westy start to morph to the other
> platforms for accessory items.
>       Lucas and Taylor are smart guys and always ready to seize an
> opportunity and see what's coming down the road.
>         Go Westy was a hole in the wall that sold like 3 different items
> like Pop Top seals.
>         In my opinion, the hobby would not be what it is with out them.
> Like em or loathe them they are grand setters who are not afraid to go
> forward and make a mistake now and again.
>         I make / repair a few Vanagon items and do OK as a hobby with
> them, but am always looking for my next breakthrough.
>         Hooray fir GW, for taking a bold step.
>
>                                        Stacy
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Sep 14, 2017, at 2:40 PM, Chris S <szpejankowski@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >
> > Vanlife euphoria is in full swing and Vanagon prices have climbed
> steadily out of the realm of everyday use vehicles for many. I would
> presume restorations are less profitable because of high cost of suitable
> candidates.
> >
> > Also, Vanagons do have competition now.  Used Sprinter vans are getting
> affordable. Dodge Promaster, Ford Transit series, to name few, are soon
> heading that way too.  Market will be more crowded in the near future.
> >
> > Chris.
>