Mercedes Benz was, together with Dodge, owned for a time by DaimlerChrysler,
and I believe the Sprinter replaced the Dodge Ram - thus acquiring a
ready-made market share.
You might like to ponder why the VW Crafter is made in the same German plant
as the Sprinter.
Or why the European Renault Trafic, Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro and Nissan
Primastar have such close resemblances to one another.
:-)
Piers
-----Original Message-----
From: John Hudson [mailto:OM4T@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 26 February 2010 13:17
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] Purchase of new mobile camera case & New photo
opportunities this year
Why in heaven's name would Mercedes Benz want to market one of their
products under the Dodge brand name ?
Never having seen one of these RVs I am bit surprised that a premier brand
would want to go down market to a less than a premier band for marketing
purposes.
jh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chuck Norcutt" <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Olympus Camera Discussion" <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 8:19 AM
Subject: Re: [OM] Purchase of new mobile camera case & New photo
opportunities this year
Congratulations. Stop on by sometime.
Chuck Norcutt
(now in Florida and surrounded by truly major RVs)
Moose wrote:
> I gues it may be time to 'fess up to part of what was engaging me
> enough that folks though I might be off-line a bit ago. I was engaged
> in serious GAS activities. Lengthy travel by motorcycle through India,
> or pretty much anywhere, doesn't attract me, but there are other ways
> to travel.
> <http://galleries.moosemystic.net/MooseFoto/index.php?gallery=Miscella
> neous&image=IMG_0282is.jpg>
>
> A lot of time has gone into this RV. When we were in Acadia last
> Fall, we talked to a couple with a neat looking van conversion. Sort
> of like a pop-top VW, but on a larger, more powerful Ford van. We've
> often talked about how we would like to see more of North America. We
> are blessed to have so many people with whom to stay in New England
> and a few other places, but we'd also like to see other areas, perhaps
> especially the rest of the West, at least at first.
>
> A few weeks ago, I followed up on line and discovered the world of RVs
> that are converted vans. As it turned out, an RV show was scheduled
> for the last week in Jan at the local county fairgrounds. So we
> wandered down and went through much of the show. After looking at
> endless alternatives. We particularly liked one brand for layout,
> quality of fittings and workmanship, etc. And, the dealer was selling
> a hardly used one for a customer for a lot less than a new one. After
> another visit, when I got to look at and test drive the used one, I was
pretty excited.
> it is in like new condition, with 6,500 mi on it, which is nothing to
> the Mercedes diesel designed for hundreds of thousands of kilometers
> of commercial use. But nailing down some numbers, it became clear that
> the total cost was almost certainly outside my comfort zone.
>
> When I was talking to my younger son about other things and mentioned
> we were looking at RVs, he was very interested. Unbeknown to me, he an
> his fiancee had been talking about how they would like to have an RV.
> In fact, they were planning to rent one for their honeymoon, for an
> estimated cost of $5,000!
>
> Sooo, we took them to the show that Saturday, showed them all around
> so they could get a feeling of what the alternatives are, then to look
> at the model we were interested in. They really liked it. They had an
> initial concern that it is really only for two adults and maybe a young
> child - and they have plans. ;-) Once I told them how it would easily
> tow a pop-up tent camper for kids, they got excited.
> <http://www.pleasureway.com/models_dodge_ascent.php>
>
> After some family discussion, some talk with salesman, etc., we worked
> out an informal, family joint ownership/use agreement. Nick's paying
> about half the initial costs and covering part of the monthly expenses.
> I made an offer which was accepted, got financing right there and will
> be picking it up on Thursday. I'll probably end up using a different
> financing alternative, but this allowed us to close the deal quickly.
>
> Should reliably get 20mpg. Some folks report 22. The basic chassis and
> drivetrain are designed and have been used in Europe for 20± yrs as
> commercial vans, so RV use should be no strain at all. Other than
> needing to be aware of length and height, it drives like a car. Zooms
> right up freeway ramps and is easy to maneuver around town.
>
> Of course, it was raining when we picked it up and has been raining
> off and on since. The kids managed an initial, two night jaunt to
> watch the BIG wave surfing at Mavericks. We were going to go to
> Monterey/Carmel the start of this week, but the weather was against
> us. Not that one can't travel in the rain, but we'd like our first
> outing to have pleasant weather. Maybe next week.
>
> We're in discussions about possible destinations for the spring
> through fall.
>
> A. Travelin' Moose
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