Tandem Cycling - Telling Vintage of Santana Visa

Is there a way to tell the vintage of a Santana Visa? I assume there is a serial #, I honestly haven't looked, but can't find any information on the web on how to decode it if there is one..

My wife and I are probably going to purchase this tandem. So, assuming very good condition, XT parts, bar-end shifters, 7spd, sansin hubs and arraya wheels with wheelsmith spokes, a few paint nicks here and there, but in very nice condition, what might this be worth? Owner says "make an offer"

Any help would be happily accepted.

Jim

Sounds almost the same vitage as ours. We have all the above listed parts with exception of the bar-ends. We bought it new in March 1995, list $2395. Serial # PV 709. had the SACHS Ergo-Power shifters/brake levers installed instead of the bar ends. Miscellaneous items like cages, bottles, Vetta C-15 computer, Profile Airstryke bars, computer mount for the Profile bars, etc, etc. Out the door for $2265.17. Light metallic blue color (now, in nearly new condition). Now, for what it's worth? That's something you will need to weigh against new vs used and the value that the used one offers. Personally (we are not in the market to sell of course) I'd not take less than $1300 - 1400 for ours. Good luck I hope this helps you. We like the bike alot. It is comfortable and very "quality".

Ohio

Call and Email Santana with the serial number and they should be able to give you the info on when it was manufactured.

From their Web site: The best way to contact Santana is to call us at (800) 334-6136 or (909) 596-7570, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time. We love talking to cyclists, and have found that a phone call is usually the fastest way for you to get the right answer. If you would rather contact us via e-mail, we can be reached at:
info@santanatandem.com

As for establishing the fair market value, I've put together a tool and some other information that may be of some help. http://www.thetandemlink.com/usedhome.html

The tool runs off of the replacement cost so you'll just need to plug in the cost of a new Santana Arriva SE (previously the Visa) and the value of any extras that come with it. The rest of the instructions for the tool are on the referenced Web site, e.g., how to decide to use the high, mid, or low range, etc...

Found the serial, PV-201.. Thanks for the information.

Jim

Sight unseen . . . about $1,000 for an older Visa. Offer less, you can always up the ante . . .