Bus cost/prices/reality

[Basilbomb]

Every now and then I see an add for a bus that makes me puke into my mouth. Like over 60 grand for a restored splitty and so forth. Is anyone actually getting these prices? Is it just the odd cokehead rapper/rapper/celeb/rich old fart actually paying these prices? Is the market really that high? I see restored buses ranging from 20-65 grand and that kind of spread is of course ridiculous; there is a true market value and what is the reality?
with the cost of repro parts and bodywork does anyone actually make any money or are people just hoping they will be the next beany baby?

[VeeDubzz]

I see them listed at that price too so they must be getting those prices.

Too rich for my blood.
_________________
Steve
VeeDubzz in my past:
1968 Bug
1972 Bug (avatar pic)
1971 Westy
1971 Squareback

[2VWs1BMW]

lots of old money that worked hard in their youth, now have enough to pay for emotional purchases.

over a shorter term, I kept my bus in unrestored condition for 6 years, saved up, and now I can afford to restore it right. by my own hands. the above are paying for those hands.
_________________
- Brian -
'17 Alltrack
'99 ///M Coupe w/48k mi - Bimmerforums
'77 Westy w/156k mi

[david_594]

[Steve White]

I would expect a reasonably rare, and popular, model in a good color combo that was restored beyond new condition with minimal signs of wear to pull at least $40,000. Even doing 85% of the work yourself you can't restore much of anything to perfection for less then that these days.

There must be the odd mint survivor out there isn't there? It seems like the kind of vehicle that you would find very low mileage campers parked in garages every now and then.

[faster]

Split`s will allway`s go high 23 and 21 it`s the history. But if you got a clean Bay keep it. I got $14900.00 for mine two years ago and I sure there going to bring even more in years to come. Camper are hot and will be. Thank about it something the family can enjoy. Bays will and are bringing more and more money every year.

[Blaubus]

lets see. what is median income these days? 44K? does a restorer deserve median income for his skills? yes. does it take a year- full time? yes. is the car really worth that much? no- of course not IMO. but if you are so silly rich that you just wont miss 40,000 being gone from your bank account, then there is a car for you advertised here and there.

being average, like all the rest of us here, you will find that so many things (prices) in life will make you puke up into your mouth. for me personally, getting only 10K for a non-split bus that took me a year to restore is going to me puke up into my mouth.

[nebe]

[82-T/A]

[vw76westy]

everytime i see a bay window sell on E-*#$ i watch it & see what the final bid was .i notice that at "auction"
a complete good running bus in deceent condition is about $5-6k
more if its rust free
less if has dents
more if its origanal
less if it has funky seats & carpet in back
when it comes to westy you can double & triple that.
these are auction prices im sure that having the time to offer it somewhere like samba or pomona swap meet where you can see the bus in detail will help sell bus for a whole lot more
ill go on to say that all vw campers are still very desirable to use & abuse to take to beach, fishing, camping, canoeing ,snowboarding,etc....
not just as a classic car
alot of these people dont have time to search for new cabinets because they are driving to grand canyon or cruising highway 1 in califonia to go surfing

so alot of them are willing to pay for all the hard work & time that it took to restore & make realible again

[82-T/A]

[Bully]

My bay has been for sale awhile on this site. Aside from a paint job done 5 years ago, its all orginal. I've replaced parts with parts from other vw's over the years. No rust issues, things work. No one cares though. As soon as I mention that it has 200,000 miles and needs an engine rebuild, so it will pass smog in CA everyone runs away.Like she has a disease. It drives great, I drive it all over. Next Spring I am taking it up to Washington State, so I can register it there and sell it, without having to say it won't pass CA emissions. As far as getting any offers over $3000 I have to be dreaming.I've seen beautiful bays on ebay get offers of under $5000, and easily just the body work is worth that. Makes me puke. Mine is listed as a campermobile, according to the org. dealer papers. So, I don't think very many bays get the money they are worth, especially on e**y.

[Blaubus]

[Wildthings]

It is easy to add up the numbers and get 20-40K in repairs and upgrades.

$6000 Jake Raby engine
$1500 Tranny rebuild and clutch
$1100 new tires and wheels
$8000 body work and paint
$1500 all new bushing, ball joints, etc on front and rear
$5000 all new interior
$1000 good sound system
$600 brakes
$1500 new heater boxes and flappers and other heater parts.
$200 replace all cables and hoses.

This is $26,400 if I added right and you have to throw in a few thousand for the original cost of the van and any profit the seller will get. It is great to be lucky and find a van for $500 that is mint inside and out, but not everyone has to time to chase every lead that comes their way, many would just like to write a check and end up with a dependable ride that will take their family to the lake every year for a decade.

[Redd73]

well bully, you also live in southern california where it often seems you cant turn a corner without seeing a vintage vw. i paid 4k for mine in the midwest (it spent its life in cali/nevada). its a 73 westy with a 2.0 replacement block and probbably close to 200k on the frame around 15k on the new motor (unconfirmed due to broken odometer). i told a lady who was talking to me about it in rocky ford colorado what i paid and she about shit. i laughed at her and told her she really didnt get it. there simply ARENT bays or splitties in the midwest in very large numbers. what would have been at least a K or more than i would have paid on the west coast it was quite a bit less than what ive seen busses in worse shape go for around here.

the other issue is so many of the good rust free busses are on the west coast so even if you could get 5k for it from someone in the midwest its impractical to fly out and drive it back and/or ship it. especially when you never know if the person is representing the bus correctly. i could buy a one way ticket to southern cali to pick up a bus only to find out it was a piece of shit and basically be out the cost of a ticket there and then out the cost of a ticket back. on short notice that could easily be around 2k for nothing.

im honestly suprised how cheap a lot of busses go on the samba. im also suprised how high a lot of them go considering what you could get that was comparable. i dont see a point, as a driver, to buy a low mileage og paint bus for 3 to 5x more than what i could get a daily driver with an overspray and high miles. then again im also learning to do a lot of the work myself.

in the end though these suckers are only worth what we can get someone to pay for them. sometimes people have way more money than brains so they pay outrageous prices for these vehicles. that doenst seem to be the norm though from my observations and especially isnt going to be on the west coast.
_________________
"...theres nowhere to go but everywhere." - Kerouac

------
73 Westy 2000cc w/dual solex (engine code GE) + aftermarket AC

[vw76westy]

i totally agree with dansvans its either complete & ready to go or its not
hey bully if the bus runs good maybe your airflow box needs to be adjusted mine was a gross pulluter but that was all it nedded done
if then passed smog & its a camper with the cabinets you should have no problem selling for 5k [ready to go]

also only someone who was planning on keeping that bay for a long loooong time would drop 6k for a engine & therefor not be for sale
& if it was im sure it would have a price tag to match the size of eng

[Desertbusman]

As far as I'm concerned, there is only one practical way to go about it. Find a solid, rust free complete bus that hasn't been monkeyed with. Don't pay any attention to the condition of the upholstery, window seals (all seals), paint, tires, whether the engine runs or not, brakes, etc., etc. Don't plan on using it anytime in the near future. The closer to the original condition the better. Don't be concerned that it needs a lot of work to get it in good shape. Avoid one that has had much work done to it. As the majority of repair work that has been done is probably inferior quality and has hurt it, not helped it.. Get the mindset that everything mechanical and everything cosmetic on the entire bus will need to be restored, replaced, renewed, etc. before it will ever run and look good and be dependable. Then get to work and do it. Don't touch anything mechanical unless you do it by the books. And don't get the false idea that, for instance, putting in a rebuilt engine is going to make it wonderful. It won't. Because a good engine is no good unless everything else associated with it is also in good shape. Cables, lines wires, etc. When you have gone thru every single part, item, nut & bolt, then it starts to take on a whole new character. It's the one little item that you don't pay attention to that will be it's weak point. And don't get the idea that it can be your daily driver while you are restoring it. It just won't work out. The bottom line is that it will probably cost around $5,000 for parts. That's not the best quality parts, but reasonable quality parts. (No Gene Berg stuff). And then a few hundred hours of your time. 3 or 4 hundred dollars for minimal tools. And some labor costs for machining, sandblasting and so on. But do it all good once and then take good care of it and it it should remain in good condition for many years. Be enjoyable and dependable and hold a good value in the future.
_________________
71 Superbug
71 Westy

[cc79westie]

Well spoken...and perfectly logical.

[Blaubus]

[Redd73]

its also not a good idea to buy a beater to restore with the intent of making a "profit". just beacuse you put X dollars into a vehicle you are restoring that does not always (usually) equate the vehicle is worth X dollars when you are finished.
_________________
"...theres nowhere to go but everywhere." - Kerouac

------
73 Westy 2000cc w/dual solex (engine code GE) + aftermarket AC