From: dfulton@tagore.helios.nd.edu (david fulton)
Subject: Re: VW Truck Question
Reply-To: dfulton@handel.helios.nd.edu (Dave Fulton)
Organization: Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, University of Notre Dame
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 05:06:52 GMT

In article <92355.205710RHG@psuvm.psu.edu>, <RHG@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
|> I have a 1983 VW pickup truck that's getting up there in milage--115,000
|> or so--and I'm thinking of moving on.  But a peculiar thing happened the
|> other day.  I met a guy at an interstate roadside rest who admired the
|> vehicle and said that he had one like it but isn't driving it anymore.
|> He's saving it as an investment.  Then he added, "Yours is worth more
|> today than when you bought it."
|> 
|> Well, I'm certainly am looking at it through new eyes.  Was this guy
|> simply blowing smoke?
|> 
|> Rob

	The guy may have been blowing smoke, but I do believe good VW rabbit
pickup trucks are a good investment.  They may seem commonplace to you in
Pennsylvania, (doesn't VW have a plant there?), but I know in Michigan 
they are not easy to come by.  My dad has two, one of which he drives 
everyday, And I know he wouldn't trade it for anything.  A truck that 
drives  like a car, looks reasonably cool (cute anyhow), and get good mileage
 - who wouldn't want one?  He owns a Volkswagon parts/service facility, and 
I know that the people who still have pickups love them, and there are 
others looking for them.  My dad has sold a couple worn out pickups we had
to people who wanted to fix them up.  In the Midwest, rust claims most older
cars, so volkswagon quickly become valuable.  I myself can't count how many
people called up while I was working for my Dad wondering if we had any bugs,
rabbits, pickups, even type III's or ghia's for sale.  There is A LOT of money 
in  used rust free VW's.  Just look at the Net.  Do you see a newsgroup called
rec.autos.ford, rec.autos.saab, etc?  This group has generated tens of 
thousands of posts, and now we are considering splitting into two or more
new groups. (by the way, my vote is to split, even though I would probably
subscribe to both, since I drive a Golf, I am mostly interested in Air-Cooled
VW's.)
	 No other mass-manufactured automobiles have the continued largely
unexplained popularity of Volkswagons.  Personally, I believe a lot of the 
interest in Air-Cooled Volkswagons comes from people who had a bug in college 
in the '60's or '70's, but whatever the reason, there is no doubt about it,
VW's are hot.  Thinks about it, several national  magazines devoted to an
automobile line that is made up mostly of small, slow, relatively ugly,
uncomfortable, low cost cars?  If there wasn't something special about VW's
the newstands would be jammed with HOT YUGO's, GEO trends, etc. :-)  
	By the way, 115,000 miles is nothing for a VW.  Just ask people
on this group how many miles thier VW has, I bet you get thousands (at least
a hundred) of responses from people bragging about their miles.

					Dave Fulton

P.S.  DON'T READ BELOW IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY ADVERTISING ON THE NET

In case anyone is wondering, my dad is Don at Don's Sport Vehicle Sales in
Detroit.  I know I shouldn't advertise, but I honestly think he is one of
the most knowledgeable people around on VW's.  Since he has been open since
1968, he's a wholesaler of most Volkswagon stuff, and can get you some of the
best prices around on stuff for your water-pumper, air cooled, or dune buggy.
plus he ships UPS daily.

If you do call, tell him or my mom I say hi.
	
	Here's his address and number is :
	
	Don's Sport Vehicle Sales
	24514 W. Six Mile Rd.
	Detroit, MI 
	(313) 533-0711   I forget his fax number.
	Tues-Sat 9:00-5:00, Friday 9:00-6:00 EST

-- 
The moon may be smaller than Earth, but it's further away.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.vw