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Re: What killed the vanning industry?
Reed #706099 March 29th 2016 2:12 am
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Originally Posted by Reed
When you take away that market, most people are happy to get by with a small SUV or crosover.


Or a stupid freakin Corolla/Prius frown last night a friend of mine took me for a ride in his new Honda City. By the time we got back I literally got sick just by being in the passenger seat.


1989 Chevy G20 Starcraft Van (restoration in progress).
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Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #706121 March 29th 2016 2:52 pm
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I don’t think you can narrow it down to one single cause. Got my license in ’78 and was into muscle cars at the time. Bought my first GTO for 800 bucks, sitting next to a gas station with a for sale sign on it. Memories of sitting in line for gas (odd/even license plate rationing anyone?) were still fresh. Muscle cars and land yachts like Caddy’s and Imperials were a dime a dozen. So there was a monetary factor.

As a kid when one of the Mom’s took us kids somewhere, we all piled into her station wagon (seems every driveway had one growing up) and off we went. The wagon fell out of favor around the same time a guy named Lee Iacocca came up with a “mini” van driving the final nail into the coffin. Suddenly here’s a van that fits in your average suburban garage, hauls kids and the occasional sheet of plywood, but gets better mileage and takes up less space than the station wagon or full size van. It appealed to a wide segment of the market that previously split its purchasing power. Full size vans began to revert to their original role as transportation for tradesmen.

We used to have a thing called the “generation gap” back then. It still exists, it’s just not labeled as such. What kid wants what their parents drive? I’d say most don’t so they looked for cheap rides and the ricer cars began to appear. Every generation has their “thing” that defines the era in which they exist. When everyone wants in on the action, there is demand for a product.

Muscle cars came about from the industry noticing the hot rods where guys dropped big V8 engines into Model A Fords. The auto manufacturers saw the demand and decided to cash in. When everyone was building custom vans, the manufacturers came out with their own versions. This appealed to those that wanted the look, but maybe didn’t have the time or talent needed for to building their own to reflect their individuality. They just wanted to belong.

For a long time, the convertible was king for the single guy to be seen in. When guys started wearing long hair, they didn’t want to get to the disco looking like a wind blown mess, so convertibles whose sales had been waning as the ‘60’s wound down, finally called it a day (temporarily in hindsight) in 1976. There were also rumblings of impending roll-over standards for cars, so safety legislation reared its ugly head one more time. No demand for a product, dump it and produce what is in demand at that moment. Enter the air conditioned personal luxury cars. Exit the drop top.

Vans are still around and are experiencing a resurgence both in folks like us working on them and in the media with guys like Count’s Kustoms doing a build of one recently. I’ve seen them play prominent roles in TV shows. I think in the end they were a product of their time and as the world moved on, less and less people cared. The public mentality had shifted. For the most part people today treat driving as a chore and a car as an appliance instead of an expression of individuality and freedom. Trends do repeat themselves though. The 2014 SEMA show featured a shag-alicious 1970s-themed Scion xB, so who knows what the future holds.



Reese

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"I got cuttin' torches and a welder, whaddya mean it don't fit!?"
Re: What killed the vanning industry?
Reed #706215 March 31st 2016 9:51 am
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Originally Posted by Reed
Note those portholes are flat and not in the fancy shapes. Those are easy to make out of glass, which the new ones are. You cannot buy the older plastic portholes new anymore.

Those swivel bases on ebay are old.

Maybe newer seats like those mentioned for the Sprinter have passed newer safety tests. but for about ten or 15 years you could not buy a new vehicle manufactured with swivel seats (except for motorhomes).


None of the above are the reasons for decline in vanning.


Tucson-it's a dry heat...like an oven
Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #706305 April 01st 2016 6:45 pm
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I believe that vanning and van accessories died out for 2 reasons, one, the government restrictions and 2, a lot of us went by the way side and started to become more a part of society than doing what we enjoyed and wanted, don't get me wrong there is still a lot of interest in vanning, but not as it used to be, the demand for the custom stuff died around the early to mid 90's, the market went dry so to say, as with any thing else it's about supply and demand, if there is no demand, then there is no supply, that is why we need to support the few companies that still sell some accessories, such as the truck and van suppliers that are still out there, I work in retail sales and this happens all to often, just my 2 pennies

Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #706310 April 01st 2016 9:09 pm
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Wow i can't believe that i am hearing this. Vanning is far from being dead. yes that can happen in 25 years from now, We are all getting older and losing some as i write this. but Vanning right now is in full swing. We may have older vans and we are putting the money into them to keep up with the times. Gas prices can go up to $10.00 per gallon and i still will attend van shows. Maybe not as many as i do now but still like vanning and that is what it is. As for van shops i know of three shops that are doing van parts fiberglass and a couple have other cool things for your van. check out Truck & Vans in Calif. and Custom Van .com and there is also Mark Hann out there doing fiberglass. Not that they are doing anything for the newer vans which would boast there market. I own two vans one is a 1999 chevy conversion and my other is Called Free Spirit which is now in the body shop getting a complete makeover. I would like to get a few things for this two vans and so far these shops are not listing. Maybe someone one will wake up and see that the newer vans want cowls, visors, and more. So keep on Vanning and will see you all down the road.

Lew
Free Spirit
Spirit In The Wind
Nova Vans
Southeast Van Council

Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #708231 May 05th 2016 4:18 pm
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Wait... The van craze is over?

I finally get my van and it's too late?
It figures.

LOL!


[Linked Image from farm3.staticflickr.com]
Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #708254 May 05th 2016 10:57 pm
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Is just starting again, it's coming back lol yay cheers

Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #708264 May 06th 2016 7:54 am
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I sure hope it's not dead. My parents say that I'm the next generation to pass the torch to. I think it's just the stereotypes that make some people not want to own a van. You know, the whole child molester and abduction stuff. If I take my van out I get younger people like me saying "How many kids you got in the back of that thing?" but then I get the older folks saying they appreciate seeing a young kid driving a boogie machine for his first car.



Outlaws for Life, gentlemen.

1973 Ford E-300 SuperVan
Re: What killed the vanning industry?
TQ89Chevy #711288 July 11th 2016 2:41 pm
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I have also gotten mixed reviews about my van. When camping I had a older gentleman say to me he loved his old Tradesman and had lived in it off and on for a couple of years.

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