Does the type3 hold resale value?

[SteveAR]

What's your opinion? If you build one will it hold its value or do you just sink money into it and are screwed when you want to sell it and start another project?

[notchboy]

[KTPhil]

Generally on almost any VW restoration, you will put more money into it than it is worth if you pay someone to do the work. If you can do bodywork, welding, paint, upholstery, then that's another matter. The Type 3 is no different.

They make great daily drivers, more finished, softer, roomy than the Bugs, and still don't require crazy pricing to find a decent one.

[SteveAR]

What if it's a rust free 65 rhd aussy type 3 and it needs a few body alignments , paint and maybe a new motor. These things seem to be the major things wrong with it. Bought the car for 3500 and I'm lookin to start fixing it up. What do ou guys recommend ?

[vlad01]

[DHanna]

[vlad01]

[blues90]

I think if it's all original with the repair records and not a lot of miles and kept in a garage with no rust or body damage it's would increase in value .

Also if it's restored and well done even if the seats and trim are a close to factory high quality after market products you are ok.

If it's been altered then you might get your money out if it's what someone is looking for .

If it's a wreck even if you do the work yourself and needs almost everything done over you could easily spend far more than you will ever get back. Parts are hard to find and cost a small fortune and this gets worse all the time.

I got mine in 85 and at that time I could find everything most even at VW dealers parts dept . Now some parts are just not available . Mines not in bad shape other than a few dings from idiots . Other than that which can be fixed it needs new side molding thank to people letting their door's fly open . I had the seats done but the drivers seat needs a new bottom cover because of wear at a few seams . The carpet needs new it has wear now. Due to the empi muffler the rear apron is dented and it does not have the stock muffler and pipe or rear heat exchangers . Everything works and I have spare glass and many other spare parts except the ones I need. I look at it as a reliable car and my only car . I've had a lot of people comment on it and many like it had a few offers and I do worry about what if I need this or that and can't find it no one has actually talked money in the offers. Now days any car over ten years old becomes go the the junk yard for the parts because they are designed to become obsolete this has been for a long time now.

It's the only car I have owned this long 35 years so all things considered it's been not costly at all . I was lucky no rust a few small dents and one pael had to be replaced I did the work myself .I was the second owner and I paid $650 for it and not that much to fix it up .

[notchboy]

[Bobnotch]

[vlad01]

its funny how RHD is worth more regardless whether its in a LHD or a RHD country.

here LDH is worth way less as no one want to drive LHD in oz. unless its a car that only ever came in LHD.
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[notchboy]

[Nate M.]

With the exception of many split window buses, split window beetles, certain ovals and some other rare early model VWs, virtually ALL the rest a person will likely loose money building/restoring.

You may get your money back out of it if you pass it to your kids and they sell it. I always tell people who come in for a restoration that with few exceptions, these cars are BAD investments. You'd be better off hopping into a time machine, going back to November 2008 and throwing all your money in the stock market. You'll get a similar result.

If you do it, it should be for the joy of building and driving your car with the intent of keeping it a long time. The only people who seem to come out ahead on building a car to flip have shows on Discovery Channel or TLC (and I think most of the math is B.S.)
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Nate M.

Squarsche build
Heavy Metal Affliction feature

For heaven's sake, put a type4 and a Porsche 5-speed in there. . . It's the right thing to do!!

[68vwfasty]

Nate, your sure right about those shows. They don't ever capture the labor costs which we know are always much higher than the parts. I'm not saying you can't make money turning cars. My brother and I did it for years. But we put in the minimum we could to make a profit. And rarely did collector type cars. Lost a ton of money on a Jag. But it was sure nice when we got done.

When I did my restoration I knew I was going way deeper than I would ever get out. But I also was building a car that I knew I wasn't selling.

Maybe someday VW's will get more love!

[raygreenwood]

I fail to see....unless you are in the business of restoring cars or flipping them....why the potential "resale" value of ANY ACVW has any bearing or consideration at all in the decision to purchase one.

These are not cars that are in the daily driver (whether you drive it daily or not), commuter, needs to be under warranty, family/business appliance vehicle category.

The only usefulness of potential resale value is when you buy a car for any of the above reasons.......
....and those reasons exist because your daily vehicle needs to be in presentable shape and appearance (business), needs to be utterly reliable for that morning commute, needs to be the car that is never down (for any reasons) because its still under warranty......and when the car has reached the end of its usefulness and is in reasonable shape....if you took care of it.....it has enough resale or trade-in value to allow you to bargain its value for a newer car in better shape or still under warranty to start the process over.

The question of whether and ACVW may be worth anything when you get rid of it...is somewhat fair....but that depends upon what you were thinking when you used the term "resale" value.

Unless you are refurbing with all NOS parts...or the vehicle is concors with original paint....you will rarely increase its value through ownership. Its a hobby vehicle.

Back in the late 90's to about 2000...I drove my 412 daily. It was my only car. It averaged 50-75,000 miles per year with no major failures....but required constant weekend maintenance to make sure it stayed that way....and when driving a car daily...the appearance and many parts wear out. there is little or no time for cosmetic restoration work.
So yes....and ACVW with the right maintenance can be driven as a daily driver.

However in the real world of life, with jobs and business....and this is not even having a family....it is not practical to do so. Ray

[EverettB]

[Air-Cooled Head]

[notchboy]

[Clatter]

I always lose 3-4-5X what i put into them, and that's doing all of my own work - not counting my time.

The ONLY people who get their money back out of any hobby car are the people who buy low and sell high.
And they do NOT touch the cars, save for a wash/wax or other very minor work

They take advantage of another fellow in a pinch,
Then wait to find the right sucker with money.

Case in point:
My Oval i pulled out from under a back porch in 1997.
Sunk about 10 years of weekends and $30K.
i could sell it now for $12 - $15K.

By bus i got in 1989(!)
Just the reciepts i had (a fraction), i counted, and it was around $48K.
Maybe i could sell it for what - $15? $17? $12K?

The Black Fastback Build is over $35K so far.
I'd have to pay someone to haul it away...

Asshole flippers have their place;
They take advantage of a brother when he's down,
And snake a sucker who doesn't know better.

There are two types of people on this world:
Those who lend a hand, and make the world better,
and those who lend a foot.

What do you offer to your fellow man, hand or foot?
That will determine how 'well you do' buying/selling.
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[Nate M.]