How do you determine value?

[Bub]

Without resorting to Ebay.
Anyway...any thoughts? I check the classifieds for bus values but they're all over the board. Some decent busses for $3k, and some crappy ones for $5k.
Getting closer to perfect if you have $6k-9K.
I've found a couple other projects I'd love to mess with, I just need to figure out if the Dormo' needs to go- which depends on what its worth.
What do you guys think would be an okay deal for this thing?

_________________

[howiesfamily]

Looks very nice. If it was mine, I wouldn't part with it for less than $6K. But that may be too cheap in some parts of the country.

[miguelsanchez566]

aw man i really love your bus.....but alas you are all the way in washington and well i'm cheap. but best of luck!

[steponmebbbboom]

[pawesty]

[Phyllis]

From the outside and not really knowing the mechanics, I would say 5 grand. The engine however looks really clean. It all depends on the condition of everything- rust, servic, brakes, transmission, engine, upholstery. Go to Ratwell's site. He has a listing of what can increase your value and what might drop the value.
http://www.ratwell.com/technical/BuyingGuide.html
_________________
1971 Deluxe Transporter "Winston"
1970 Westy Weekender "Cornelius"
Andrew

[jerseyboy]

[Bub]

Engine:Rebuilt 2.0L 914 engine, 120 Hp. Runs perfect. 6k miles.
Trans: Original, excellent.
Brakes: Mostly New, excellent
Interior: redone...still rough around the edges in some places.
Gas heater works awesome.
New seals mostly all around.
Almost ZERO rust- just some surface rust.
And all the usual improvements: Drop spindles, fuel lines, straightened out wiring, alignment, tires, H4 lighting...etc etc...
_________________

[howiesfamily]

[Dead 1]

The value depends on what one is willing to pay. If your in the rest belt area of the US then the value goes up. If your in So Cal or Oregon then a bus like this is a dime a dozen.
_________________
"I reject your reality and replace it with my own"

"The American Dream - true enough because you gotta be asleep to believe it"
________________________________________
71, 1776 cc.

[Bucky]

[Amskeptic]

I personally would base my purchase price on how it drove. That lovely engine would feel like a waste to me, 4,000 rpm at 65 mph with a stock 002 transmission. NO WAY PAL, you should be doing a late model bus or better 75 mph at least.
With the quality engine and wheels you have, a decent little paint job would more than help you get a better price. Your bus cries imbalance here, like you lost your will, or it doesn't drive right, or *something* that explains why this beautiful engine and wheels comes with an exterior that was touched up with fingernail polish.
Colin
_________________
www.itinerant-air-cooled.com

[VWBusrepairman]

it's worth what you're comfortable giving for it. I paid $3000 for mine 10 years ago and people said I paid too much. I felt like it was a fair price, so I did it. If you want it and have the cash, do it.

Drink more beer, too.

[SlowLane]

If you're looking at maximizing your return (or more likely minimizing your losses), I'd suggest pulling out that engine and putting in a stock type 1, then sell the engine separately or put it in another vehicle. You'd probably get about the same price for the van, and still have the engine.

I see a DTM there, and I recall reading some of your posts regardng the adventure of installing that engine. I can't recall, is it a RAT-built, or RAT-inspired? Either way, you are unlikely to find anyone outside of the Samba community who will appreciate the engine for the work of craft that it is.
_________________
Present:
'81 Westfalia: 2L, manual. Originally Canadian, now Californiated
Back in the day:
'72 Super Beetle
'69 Camper Van - Corvair powered
'71 Window Van - Transferred Corvair from '69

"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." - Internet RFC 1925

"They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance." - Sir Terry Pratchett

[Adventurewagen]

Wow, very nice bus.

The engine, a clean straight body and the redone interior would do it for me on any bus. 6k seems high but fair and I'd maybe pay that for your bus if I was shopping around.

Unless you really need the cash I'd just try to hold onto it. I think Amskeptic is right that with a new paint job and some cleaning up it could go for alot more, but since its yours why not just keep it man.

I want my bus to be like yours when it grows up
_________________
63 Gulf Blue Notch
71 Sierra Yellow Adventurewagen

[Bub]

All good points. Kind of what I was looking for. As much as I know "VW"'s in general, I'm not a giant bay window fanatic. I love most of them for various reasons, but I wanted to see what the mainstream fans thought added value to a bay window.
I am NOT the kind of person who enjoys a car with super nice paint. Rust is my enemy, and I hate body damage, but a little use, some scratches and some patina really do it for me. I never look twice at a car with
'perfect paint'.
I'm thinking an nice coat of paint on the bumpers, I have a pair of riviera windows (50/50 sliders) some fog lights...etc.
I may rub out the paint a little and touch up the rusty spot by the drivers door. I may even clean and paint the stock wheels, and see how those look.
Annnd...what If I had a 6-rib trans to go in it? I may be picking one up this weekend.
We'll see.
_________________