KBrennan@AOL.com (A-OH-HELL.com) said:
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> However, I suspect that the reengineering required to get the Vanagon to
> current US specs would be prohibitively expensive. Vanagon's don't have
> 5mph bumpers (at least mine doesn't). Vanagon's don't have airbags (nor
 > their sensors). Retrofitting these would, I beleive, be too expensive
for > VW to care.
> Also, let's take a look at those SA Vanagon's again. I did a
computation > a month or two ago (yah, the Rand has fallen since then,
but the
> comparison is still valid). The top of the line Vanagon was around $32k
> US (if I remember correctly). Now, let's add in the airbag, and 5mph
> bumpers. I'd guestimate at $38k, maybe even $40k.

These numbers are not very close, Kim.  At most 5mph bumpers (add a shock
absorber to each bracket) and airbags (< $1k retail) would add $1,500 to
$2,000 to that $32k (top of the line), for a total retail price of about
$34k.  Remember that the Rand has fallen, and we are talking about the
top of the line model, so realisitically one could buy a 1999 Vanagon for
roughly $25k-$34k in the U.S.  These prices are about what folks are
gladly paying for fancy S.U.V.s in the U.S. right now.

I think that the numbers would work out favorably.

Marty Wallace
(10+ years of Cost Engineering...)

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