Tim
Inclined to agree with you there.  As another Rootes car owner, I cannot get
spares from anywhere new, there is always someone willing to remanufacture
on short runs brake pads / shocks / panels and on my model of Humber we are
talking 7-8 traced Worldwide.  One of the VW's appeal for me is the
abundance of spares when I first moved into Type 2 Air/C I was overjoyed at
being able to buy spares over the counter it's quite a novelty to me still!

New vendors are appearing all the time specialising in vans and not beetles
and with the volume around they will be around for a long time!  Also with
this volume and variety you do not have to consider preserving originality
for future generations.

David Clark (UK)
1985 VW Autosleeper VHT 1.9 2WD
www.soft.net.uk/vwt2oc
(see members rides)
1960 Humber Super Snipe Estate 3L
www.humberonia.freeserve.co.uk
1988 Fiat Uno 1.1L automatic (wife's)

----- Original Message -----
From: tim vb-o'brien <vbob@PRIMENET.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: 26 December 1999 01:01
Subject: Re: Vanagon futures?

> The last lists I were on before buying vanagons (the Alpine and Tiger
> lists) dealt with cars that hadn't been sold since 1967. 32 years now.
> The parts were hard to get but nowhere near impossible. There were a
> number of vendors who had parts remanufactured at various times for the
> needs of us crazy to own old English sports cars. And just think... the
> volume of cars actually made of those two cars (70,000 and something
> like 14,000) was so low compared to Vanagons. There will be people for a
> long time coming who make a living off us. Right vendors?
>
> tim (Merry x-mas to all)
>
> Keep the x in x-mas!
>
>
>
> JordanVw@AOL.COM wrote:
> >
> > In a message dated 12/24/99 2:10:31 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> > coyote@ANDROMEDIA.COM writes:
> >
> > << Since it's Friday, has anyone else been thinking about how we're
going to
> >  keep our Vanagons in the far future?
> >
> >  I often fantasize about retrofitting my Vanagon with a fuel cell
engine, or
> >  perhaps with a "Mr. Fusion".  Sometimes I think about how my Vanagon
would
> >  look with anti-grav modifications, floating about 4' above the ground.
> >
> >  I fantasize about this because I *don't* want to be driving the only
> >  poluting vehicle on the planet, but I also *don't* want to give up my
baby.
> >  Anyone else think about these things?
> >  >>
> >
> > i think the die hard vw fans who are still driving their vans 10-15
years
> > from now, will be probably running the inline 4 conversion in them by
that
> > time. After VW discontinues all the OEM factory parts, there probably
wont be
> > enough demand by aftermarket companies to keep stocking waterboxer
parts,
> > like the demand is for aircooled parts.  but who knows..
> >
> > chris
>