Just wondering, does anyone have any idea why older VW van/buses are going for so much money.
I currently have a 74 VW bug it's probably worth $3 to $4 K, if it was a 74 van/bus it would be worth 3 times that. And they have the same mechanicals. The older van/buses are worth a fortune.
any guesses.

Old hippies have new money.....

Big bucks for the bug oldies:

https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars-for-sale/1972-volkswagen-vans-for-sale

I do believe 'old hippies with new money' is the correct answer. No one would want one for the driving experience, that's for sure. We had three in Vermont, and they pretty much rusted before our eyes. Also had the cheap version of cruise control - my dad would use part of a concrete block to hold the gas pedal down. Top speed was about 60 mph.

That said, the visual appeal is awesome.

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"We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane" - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

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And "Little Miss Sunshine" gave a big boost....... akin to "Bullit" and "The Italian Job"


Nostalgia is very powerful in the old car market. And now that we can admit to what we did for the first time in my X car........

I still have my first car.. 1960 Landy

Peter C

Also the rarity of them. As Julian said they transmogrified themselves to rust

Herb

Added

I saw a beautiful one yesterday, an early split screen, swing doors model. Done in red, with Beer Doctor emblazoned on the side. Lovely vehicle.

Down here a good one costs $35 - 40,000.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-04-19 02:22 PM by ozieagle.

Couple of thoughts...

73/74 Beetles and Busses have different engines. Your Beetle uses a 1600 Type 1 "upright" engine and the equivalent year Bus uses a Type 4 "pancake" engine. Type 4 engines have gotten kind of pricey to rebuild properly lately and Subaru conversions on them are increasingly popular.

Busses are more expensive and more work to rebuild than Beetles. They are unibody, and bigger so more metal, paint, etc. They also were widely ignored and junked throughout the 80s and 90s...

The vintage VW scene is way more approachable for younger people, so you have more interest in the cars. More interest=more demand=higher prices. Busses are way more useful than a beetle or an MG. You can sleep in it, carry all sorts of stuff in it, carry more people, etc...

Most of the busses you see for sale are WAY overpriced and never sell for what they are asking. Private sales are very different. Not all busses are created equal and this is part of the pricing problem. A Westfalia camper is worth more than a standard transporter, but they look the same to your average Joe. Some people can't even tell the difference between a baywindow or a split window bus, kind of like a RB MGB versus a CB...

In the split window bus world (1967 and earlier) you have so many differences it's hard to keep track of if you aren't a nerd without a life like me.. There are 11 window standards, 11 window kombis, panels with no rear side windows, 13, 15, 21, and 23 window deluxes, single and double cab trucks, Westys, and then non-Westy campers like EZ camper, Sundial, Riviera, etc.

Beyond that there are small and big hatch busses, bullet turn signals vs fried egg turn signal busses, pressed bumpers vs slash/pointed white bumpers. Older pretty much means rarer and more valuable. And a whole other category of busses known as Barndoors that are pre April 1955 are worth considerably more than later models.

Values run the gamut across all of these differences. Add to it that the VW community places a lot of value on original paint vehicles, and they can be either stock height or lowered on aftermarket wheels, stock engine or big built up engines...you see what I'm getting at.

Plain and simple there are more people interested in vintage VW busses than there are bugs or MGs.

Attached is a picture of my 59 Kombi. I'm in love with it but it takes a certain type of person to want to drive one regularly... it's certainly not a sportscar..

Personally, I'm THRILLED, as I've been the owner of a (mostly) original 1970 Westfalia Camper since the mid-late 1980's. As i recall, I paid $1000.00 for it.

It's hauled stuff, and gone camping. I took it to Germany when I was stationed there with the Air Force. It's made the mandatory pilgrimage to two Grateful Dead shows on two different continents. Did I mention that it's hauled stuff? It stores stuff when it's idle, and transports people and things when it's not.

As long as I have it, I know that I'll never be homeless. It has a fold-down bed in back, a cot upstairs, a hammock up front, and a free-standing tent beside it. Sink, table, and icebox, too! How can you go wrong??? It's such a versatile vehicle that can actually be maintained by the owner.

In contrast, I've also had a 1979 RB Midget since 1985, for which I paid $750.00. Since it is not all one color (at the moment), it's probably not worth more than that to anyone else but me, and there's no signs that this will ever change.

I dunno, my 26 year old loves them, but won't commit to buying one. Not German, nor particularly rich. Spends too much money.

Herb

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I would love to get hold of one of these , but you pay about 15,000 here for one rusting in a paddock !!!

You really can't predict the market. 10 years ago you could pick up a VW Microbus for nothing, same with a ford falcon or a Datsun 260Z. Now they are worth a lot with prices rising. Sure there will always be the 55 to 57 Chevy or the Shelby GT that will hold prices but for the most part you never know. Who knows maybe one day a RBB will be worth a lot!

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"He rides 'er low on the hip, on the side he's got "Bound for Glory" in red, white and blue flash paint
He leans on the hood telling racing stories, the kids call him Jimmy the Saint".."And I said, "Hey kid, you think that's oil? Man, that ain't oil, that's blood"
I wonder what he was thinking when he hit that storm, or was he just lost in the flood?"

A radically modified one , albeit by shape only at that stage ....

Are you sure that that wasn't Donald Campbell's Bluebird?

Herb

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