Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2019 13:33:45 -0500
Reply-To: Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: For Ben T - Where has everyone gone?
In-Reply-To: <7D0DF589-3911-426E-B4BC-960F18CF6D48@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Thinking I joined about 8-9 years ago. Helped me out a bunch saving my
Westy from becoming scrap iron to become a cross country road tripper
On Wed, Jun 12, 2019, 12:50 PM Jennifer Rabbitt <
yoursocialconcierge@gmail.com> wrote:
> Here, here Mister Salmon
> Jen Rabbitt
> ’90 Veuve Tintop
>
> On Jun 11, 2019, at 1:07 PM, Mark Belanger <mbelanger@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> Got my '91 Westy Full Camper in 2000 after coveting one since '91 and
> joined this list soon after. As a result, I discovered Bus Depot, Vanagain,
> GoWesty and just about every other vendor I've used. Frankly, I'm not sure
> old POKSWGN would still be running without this list and the wisdom
> surfaced.
>
> Thank you all for you varied contributions.
>
> I'm not going anywhere.
>
>
> -MB
>
> On Tue, Jun 11, 2019 at 7:28 AM The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com>
> wrote:
>
> >> We’ve had a good run.
> >
> > I can literally say that the Vanagon List changed my life completely.
> > When I joined the list 25 years ago shortly after it started, I was
> "just"
> > a Vanagon owner hoping to learn/share tips on maintaining and enjoying my
> > Westy. I was astounded by the internet's power to bring like-minded
> > people together all over the world and made many friends in no time. We
> > had a real community! Of course today with social media that's nothing,
> > but 25 years ago it was not as common. In the process, I learned pretty
> > quickly that I wasn't the only one who was frustrated with the scarcity
> of
> > parts for my Westy and the prices/quality when I could find them. Before
> > long I was leveraging my experience as a buyer (in a different field,
> > high-end audio) to facilitate group buys for list members (poptop seals,
> > Bentley manuals), and it kind of snowballed from there. The Vanagon List
> > was a game changer. Until then the few retailers selling Vanagon parts
> > marked them up 200 or 300% because they could. Having a large community
> > under one roof gave us instant clout. There were no advertising expenses
> > and enough volume to negotiate with suppliers, so prices dropped
> > tremendously. This in turn pressured existing parts suppliers to compete,
> > resulting in better prices and quality throughout all channels. Today
> > Vanagons are affordable to keep on the road due in large part to the fact
> > that the Vanagon List existed decades ago. Even more instrumental, to
> me,
> > was the tremendous support and encouragement that I got from the List
> > Members (some of whom are still here today), without which I might not
> have
> > made the decision to give up a safe paycheck and take the plunge in the
> > first place.
> >
> > If on the day I joined the Vanagon List I could have looked ahead 25
> > years, I would not believe how such a seemingly inconsequential act could
> > impact my life. Of course no one thing determines the path you take, but
> > the Vanagon List certainly played a large part. My family has seen much
> of
> > this country and Europe from the windows and poptops of VW campers. My
> > children are more worldly for it and have a deep rooted love of travel
> and
> > exploration. I have met so many incredible people along the way and made
> > many friends, both through my business and my travels. I spend my days
> > doing something I love, having turned my hobby into my livelihood - not
> to
> > mention a dozen or so employees' families (some of whom have been with me
> > for 20+ years) which are sustained by a business that might not have
> > existed or succeeded were it not for the Vanagon List.
> >
> > I am also active on the Samba, the Vanagon Owners Group on Facebook, etc.
> > But none of them will ever have the impact on my life that the Vanagon
> List
> > did. If the day comes that the Vanagon List has whittled down to just
> one
> > remaining member, it will be me. :-)
> >
> > Ron Salmon
> > The Bus Depot, Inc.
> > www.busdepot.com
> >
>
>
> --
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Mark Belanger - mbelanger@gmail.com
>
| 
