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1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation
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ccowx
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 10:49 am    Post subject: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

I have a friend that is going to be doing a restoration on a 1962 Westy for some family friends. He is a good mechanic with a good many projects under his belt and he will do a nice job. Right now the camper is in original paint, interior etc. It seems to have all original parts, with the exception of the engine, which has been replaced with something 6v cmompatible in the 60's.

Of course it all needs paint, tlc, etc, etc. and a general mechanical freshening up. Problem is, the guy doing the work is not at all a restoration guy. He is from the world of custom cars where you take off rusty bits and bolt on shiny new ones. He is already talking about putting on the wheel and tire combos you can buy from CiP1, for example.

I am not a vw resto guy but I am quite heavily involved in that world in other marques. In my opinion, the 62 westy is going to get the best resale value to a guy who is into stock. He will likely find a similar engine to the original and then redo everything stock, refinishing original parts as much as possible. Pulling off original date coded wheels, replacing fittings with repro stuff instead of rechroming, etc will lower the value of the vehicle substantially in my mind. Different if it was a 74 super beetle or had already been restoried with various parts once or twice already, but this is a time capsule.

Am I being overly anal here or is he about to knock $10 off the value of the finished vehicle, in a very well meaning way?

Thanks!

Chris
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Old Paint
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 11:08 am    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

Ask for an opinion, you've come to the right place, you will get many. In My Humble Opinion, the VW world places the highest value on originality. Just look at the ads and the whines and the forums. The community almost always points to keeping original. The shiny new parts are for the kids in the bug forum. These are not vehicles than can be transformed into modern driving vehicles.

If your friend is looking for top dollar keep it OG or at least advise them to keep all the original parts. A Camper with an original interior is a holy grail. A camper with a modernized camping interior is worth way less. It could be all mahogany done by a master woodworker, but I'd say you take away 50% of the value of the vehicle.
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ccowx
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 11:38 am    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

My worry is more about replacing EVERYTHING rather than going to the trouble to refinish it. The interior will be original but the wheels will not have correct date codes, trim pieces will be replaced with inferior repros(as most of them are) etc. At first glance it will be fine but it will not have the originality that brings the money on one of these.

My resto background is in the Musclecar world, and obsessing over date codes, NOS parts etc is the norm.

Thanks!

Chris
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AS350driver
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 12:09 pm    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

Depending on how nice the original paint and interior are, or could be if preserved instead of “restored“ or “customized” , these folks could be absolutely devastating the value of this Westy. Plus, they’re paying someone to do it, exacerbating their loss.
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Braukuche
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 12:19 pm    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

What holds true in the rest of the car world holds true for most vintage VWs and exponentially true with early Westfalias.
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ccowx
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PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 12:29 pm    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

Agreed! I will use this as ammunition for my pleas to at the VERY, VERY least save the original parts.

Chris
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Clara Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 9:21 am    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

If it is a nice unrestored bus with og interior and paint, just a later motor, chucking all that could devalue it by much more than $10, even by more than $10k.

Pics would help. "It needs paint" is a matter of opinion.

Wheels can be easily swapped over. Some people keep several sets of wheels. The wheel could be swapped back easily. Does it have 5 original to the bus wheels, in nice og paint? They are date coded. Maybe it has mismatched bug wheels on it.

What version of westy camper is it?
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hitest
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PostPosted: Mon May 10, 2021 9:41 pm    Post subject: Re: 1962 Westfalia: resto devaluation Reply with quote

If the builder's friends want him to customize it- let it happen. Maybe they just love this guy's work so much and money is not an object. I agree with at least sparing (I didn't say saving) the parts they take off. When that 'family friend' is sick of the bus in a couple years they'll take the expected loss and someone will get perhaps a good deal.
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'62 L390 151, '62 L469 117, '63 L380 113, '64 L87 311, '65 L512 265, '65 L31 SO-42, '66 L360 251, '68 L30k 141, '71 L12 113, '74 ORG 181

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