Mass syncro lust diminishing?

[Red Beard]

Some recent observations:

Out on the road for a month last Spring, I saw a LOT more van campers than I used to see, of all makes, but especially Sprinters. Van camping and van life are enjoying a moment in the spotlight.

I've been seeing more 4x4 Sprinters lately around town

There are a lot more syncros on my local CL than I have generally seen in previous years

Questions to ponder:
Is the 4x4 Sprinter making a significant dent in the Syncro market? Are we possibly at 'peak' syncro pricing?

[alijonny]

Let them have their Sprinter 4x4. I hope they don't get trouble from their local municipality for parking an RV on their property.

Some are cashing in on the Syncro "off the grid" craze, but I don't think it's going to change the want for a syncro. Next batch of Syncro owners are the ones who only could dream of owning one. I think maybe your area is saturated with syncros, but there are other places in the country that are bone dry with hungry enthusiasts.
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1965 Beetle
1990 Syncro Westfalia
1983 Westfalia

[PDXWesty]

There are a ton of campers for sale here in Portland, syncros and 2wd's, more than I've seen in years. I think people are trying to capitalize on the high prices right now, those who aren't particularly tied to there vans. Not that other vans are more desirable, but with the high prices, people would rather have cash than their vans.
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[DanHoug]

i've owned my 87 Westy for many many years. i like it, i spend too much on it, and it is cool. but i'd so buy a Sportmobile Sprinter if the cash was available. to spend as much for a beautiful Syncro Westy... well, i'll take power, reliablilty, mpg, warranty, and service. but that's just me. it will never be as cool as a Westy.

https://sportsmobile.com/penthouse-expandable-top/

-dan

[Red Beard]

[raoul mitgong]

Market correction for the people who like the idea of Syncro Westies but don't like to change their own oil?

-d
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84 Westy with a 2.1 (Groover)
86 Tintop Syncro (Crow)
86 Tintop Syncro to Westy project (Tom Servo)
91 Westy (Only the top 12 inches of this van (a burn victim))

[DanHoug]

yes, Market Correction for those who don't change their own oil....... and replace cap and wires, and fix grounds, and replace transaxles, and fix heater fans/cores, and refurb shift bushings, and repair rust, and replace coolant hoses, and redo throttle bodies/AFM, and fix idle circuits.. well, you get the idea.

the fact is these are now Classic Cars, most eligible for discount insurance as a 30 or more year old Classic vehicle. the hipster that buys a van and wants to head across county is still alive, but that person will likely learn some serious mechanical chops by the end of their journey. i think this is a wonderful thing, young people learning the organic basics of mechanics... checking for spark, compression, fuel. but the market truly does need a correction to reflect the amount of work nearly every van needs or will need.

-dan

[Tobias Duncan]

MSRP for a 4x4 sprinter is only 50k
Put another 30k into the interior and you have a serious camp vehicle.
Met a Boeing engineer in Baja this March who had done just that, pretty damn tempting and small businesses are popping up to help these guys with fabrication.

That said I think there is an army of instagram warriors just over the horizon who would love to get their hands on your westy.

[shagginwagon83]

I love syncros - but I feel like it is not worth the trouble. RB Components instagram page has me falling in love with the Sprinters.

I'm not against the ford econoline e350's either. Those are a lot more aggressive in my opinion.

I am graduating in 10 weeks and ill have BS in computer science. I plan on living the full time van life - working remotely - and making bank. A newer home with newer parts, more room, a shower, and a bathroom would be nice.
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[alaskadan]

Living in a tourist destination we see all the latest in rv technology every summer season. Sprinters are getting really common to see now. Its funny how many of them are looking at my syncro when we pass each other. Maybe a mutual respect sort of thing. Him knowing my van is cooler , and me knowing he has more power, hauling capacity, room, etc...

[WestyBob]

It's common for vanagons in general to be at highest sales levels in the fall and spring as people are unloading after a summer camping rave or finding customers at the beginning of new summer expeditions.

Short of a global catastrophe the vanagons in general and syncros in particular will likely sustain their value for quite some time IMHO.

I can understand the Sprinter platform for certain types of people and what they feel they need.

I'm just not into the appearance (too aerostar) and the awd offered in NA has limitations. I'm told in Europe they have available a more sophisticated and hands-on 4wd system but so far it's not being imported here.

[Merian]

too bad the Sprinter isn't the size of a Vanagon
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[scottz]

[bobbyblack]

Im not against the Syncro Vanagon. I am not against the Sprinter. I have a 2wd that gets me around, and I love it. One big reason I would shy away from a Syncro is the availability of the drivetrain. Also, I'd guess if I came into a large amount of money, I'd have a hard time deciding between a well sorted Syncro Westy and custom Sprinter..

I was out squeezing apples with friends on Sunday. The owner of the farm shown here just bought a Ram and trailer told me he liked how my Westy was put together. He had a Bay for years and years in the past. I didn't want to correct him on the 4X4 Sprinter option (thought there was only a 2WD) when he mentioned that was his main reason to get the ram/trailer instead. He would have his custom 4X4 Sprinter right now if he'd known, I am sure. For him, its not about the money (note the Kubota?)

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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[E1]

We've been out over 50 months and need to say something...

For all its hassles, our Westy brings us a constant stream of awesome people and great friends. That is priceless.

Not one of the literally hundreds of new friends have been in Sprinters. Not my decision, but rather theirs.

So if you want cool, genuine, real people in your life, keep the Vanagon.
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‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman

[WestyBob]

Actually what's diminishing is not syncro lust but the number of available syncros. Every year more return to earth. I suppose if people could convert 2wd to syncro at a rapid pace we could keep up

[BavarianWrench]

I'm not sure about purchase prices? Higher end vans seem to sit on the market lately. I have had more people stop me lately asking about my Syncro then ever. The interest is high and the people asking questions seem to knowledgeable, and have been doing a lot of research.

[ScottShelley]

I have to admit...I've gone to the dark side! But, I'm not giving up my Syncro's(I have 3) I bought and built a 4x4 Sprinter. It is comfortable, I can stand in it and I know that when I get in it to drive to Descend on Bend that I won't be worried about a thing. I do love my Syncro's though!

[davevickery]

I saw a lot more Sprinters on my last Moab trip too. The desert, the beach, and ski areas or National Forest Camps is where a Sprinter would be nice. But half the stuff I do in my Syncro you couldn't do in a Sprinter. I scrape branches as it is and there are a lot of trails that were cleared by Jeeps that we can fit under the overhanging branches. The clearance doesn't look that good either.

Here is the AWD Sprinter's version of offroading. They are just going up some rutted dirt roads and making a big deal out of it.


Link

[ScottShelley]