I wrote:

>>Buying a van in Germany, and presumably other continental countries, means
>>big bucks. They have stiff inspection criteria, so most vanagons have
>>already melted away. Prices are out of sight for used cars, as the eastern
>>european market (and Balkan and Near Eastern) holds a steady demand for
>>used vehicles.

And Thomas Schuster responded:

>This is not true anymore. Prices have stabilized over the last two years.
>
>There are also still lots of vanagons driving around there.
>
>T.S.
>
>83 vanagon

To which I respond:

The prices of used vehicles in Germany which I saw this past July were
enough to make your head turn. New or used, they were out of sight. To
someone living in Germany prices may have seen to have stabilized, but
people on this side of the ocean have to translate those prices into
dollars (US) or dollarettes (Cdn). At the time I was in Germany one Canuck
buck got you one mark, take it or leave it. And at that exchange rate,
German used buses were double the going price over here.

The Brit prices seemed pretty fair; but as TS pointed out, selling is
another matter.

Maybe it would behoove some list member who is resident in Europe to put
together a little bus exchange -- nah, probably do one or two cars a year.
Wouldn't be worth it.

Neil

Neil Wigley
U of Windsor
<wigley@server.uwindsor.ca>