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Campy Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2005 Posts: 4933 Location: Chico, CA
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Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:13 pm Post subject: The good, the bad and the ugly, and the missed deals |
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Good deals?:
1) 1958 walk-thru for $150, no bumpers or camper interior, front seats included, two engines, one of which was a good 1500 or 1600 single port engine;
2) 1963 walk-thru for $400, included an unused rebuilt transaxle with a 1967 center-section, front seats and bumper, no engine;
3) 1958 bus body on a four-wheel drive jeep chassis for $600 with a good running Buick V-6 sticking up through the cargo floor halves, pressed style front bumper, and front and rear seats included. This could be a good or a bad deal, depending on how you want to look at it.
4) A man used to work on VWs way out on the Sierra Nevada foothills, behind his mother's house. The name of his little venture was Volkswagen Graveyard. I first went out there about 22 years ago and bought a frontend from him for my bus; there were about seven old buses out there underneath oak trees. He didn't live at his mother's house and he was very hard to get a hold of but, years later, I heard that he had closed the business and I was eventually able to talk to him and get him to tell his mother that I was coming out to get bus parts. I went there three times over about a five year period and got things like a bumper, a lot of king pins and link pins, spring plates, and doors; the things I traded for them were worth about $30.
Missed deals:
1) 1965 bus parked by hwy. 99 about 25 miles from Chico near Redbluff with a price of $1,000 or offer on the foresale sign. I didn't buy it; a friend of mine bought it months later for $500 and he said he got it running, and its engine and transaxle worked good. Oh. I almost forgot: he removed the panel from each front door and found an envelope inside and at the bottom of each door with a total of $1,500 in them;
2) I looked at a pretty good 1955 bus that hadn't been driven for a number of years and had been stored outside. He wanted $1,500 for it without the engine, $2,000 with the engine. His mother had painted its interior and exterior an ugly pink color. I didn't buy it but changed my mind some time later but it had been sold;
3) About one year ago, I was at my local paint store when I heard a man tell the employee that he had picked up a 1949 VW (type I) that had been stored in a barn for years but was complete. He said it had the things that you stick out when you are turning (semaphores), and he didn't know anything about Volkswagens and wondered what he should do with it, cut it up? I told him that it was worth more not cut up, said that I would buy it, and gave him my telephone number. I should have gotten his number because after ten days of not hearing from him, I went back to the paint store and told the same employee that I wanted to contact him so I could buy the car, and he said that he had already sold it for $100. I always wondered if he were a few years off on the car's year.
Bad deals:
I can't think of any, except for the times I bought sheet metal from W.W. and the spare tire cover I recently bought over the internet that the seller claimed only needed cleaning. When I got it, I saw that about one-third of one side had been cut out.
My neighbor's cat used to piss on my new, replacement sheet metal for my buses. I never noticed it right away but when I did it was too late: the metal had become rusty. The cat pissed on a wall inside one of the buses I had been restoring. Cat piss must be strong; it ate through the epoxy primer and caused the metal to rust.
In the bus I was driving, I was looking at the 1963 camper I wound up buying and, because the ground was muddy, I grabbed the coveralls that were in my bus so I could wear them while I was underneath the bus--guess what? The cat had pissed on it. There is no smell worse than cat piss. |
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58doubledoor Samba Member
Joined: March 17, 2003 Posts: 136 Location: Melbourne, FLA
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:08 am Post subject: |
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Sounds like your neighbor's cat needs to be introduced to Korean cuisine |
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Jerry J Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2004 Posts: 1257 Location: Portland, OR
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:46 am Post subject: |
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I must be blind or people must see me coming. I've never come across a screamin' deal.
My new-to-me bus turned out to be $400 less than what I had planned so I guess that's ok. But I just got a quote on the repair of the vent hole that the PO had cut in the roof at $1200!!! I'm looking for another body guy.
And yes cat piss is horrible! _________________ Jerry
'58 Bug
'63 KGhia
'67 Squareback
'67 Standard Bus
'60 Single cab |
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howiesfamily Samba Member
Joined: March 31, 2004 Posts: 858 Location: Panther City, Texas
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:45 am Post subject: |
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A few years ago, a guy I went to school with told me his dad was ready to sell his 65 21-window. Newly rebuilt motor, no rust, new top, new rubber, no front seat. (milk crate drivers seat). By the time I got over to his house, he had sold it for $2000. _________________ member of: Fort Worth Aircoolers Gang |
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Levonbenelli Samba Member
Joined: September 28, 2004 Posts: 1171
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:04 am Post subject: |
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good deal: nearly complete, fairly straight, kind of rust free 61 flipseat that came with HAzet spare tire tool box- $600
Missed deal- lowlight ghia, nearly rustfree, ready for paint and complete, running- $500. _________________ Wanted: flipseat parts: rear jump seat, folding chair, cups |
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BUCIOBATISTI Samba Member
Joined: April 17, 2002 Posts: 6956 Location: San Diego, California, USA
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:27 am Post subject: |
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I've got a long list of deals I've missed over the years. Here are a few...
1. 1960 23 window, original paint, factory safaris, turnkey, complete, all 3 seats in original upholstery, no rust Texas Bus, back in 1988, $3000. I didn't buy it cause I didn't have any extra cash.
2. 1965 Standard Microbus, Walkthru, original paint, original owner, all 3 seats, owners manual, had a big dent in drivers door and a dead battery, $200. Said I'd take it, shook hands, went to the bank to get the cash and by the time I got back the guy (old man) had agreed to sell it to someone else for $350. I didn't respect him so opted against the bidding war and walked away. That was about 1991 or so.
3. 1958 Double Door Walkthru Panel with ambulance fans. Complete, extremely original and correct, and it was the Catalina Island Girls Club Bus with logos and all. It was a dead Bus, been parked for years on Catalina accumulating loads of rust, I passed on it at $200 cause it was so rusty. It had the bumpers, crank apron, taillights, crankstart handle, tool roll, you name it. That was about 1990.
4. 1955 Non Barndoor Wolfsburg Kombi, original paint, original owner, original key, all 3 seats including 6 leg middle, both bumpers, bubbles, reflectors, 36hp, crank handle, etc. No rust, unbelievable time warp garage kept Bus. It was $3000 asking price back in about 1991. That was a huge amount of money for a Bus back then and it was for sale for months before someone bought it.
5. 1954 Kombi. Turnkey, complete minus rear seats, ugly paint but super solid. Running, driving, registered. $2000. That was around 1988 and it was in the Auto Trader in San Diego for a while before it sold.
6. 1958 European (semiphored) Westfalia. Complete, turnkey, very correct including 36hp, bumpers, etc. It had rusty rockers and didn't sell for the $1100 asking price for months. That was about 1988 as well.
7. 1967 Kombi. Original Velvet Green paint, original owner, all 3 seats in original upholstery, complete Bus. It had just had a dealer rebuild on the engine with a $1300 receipt and about 1000 miles since it was done. The lady that owned it hit the back of a pickup truck and bashed the nose in pretty good. The asking price was $150. Don't know what the hell the reason was I didn't bring it home. That was about 1990.
I could go on all day but I'll spare you that those are some of the better ones I recall. _________________ Please check us out on Instagram at @holygrailgarage
That's the best place to see the latest things we are up to as well as catch an occasional sneak peek of our latest car and parts listings! |
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mynameismud Samba Member
Joined: October 23, 2002 Posts: 5923 Location: Middle of a corn field
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:52 am Post subject: |
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BUCIOBATISTI wrote: |
I've got a long list of deals I've missed over the years. Here are a few...
1. 1960 23 window, original paint, factory safaris, turnkey, complete, all 3 seats in original upholstery, no rust Texas Bus, back in 1988, $3000. I didn't buy it cause I didn't have any extra cash.
2. 1965 Standard Microbus, Walkthru, original paint, original owner, all 3 seats, owners manual, had a big dent in drivers door and a dead battery, $200. Said I'd take it, shook hands, went to the bank to get the cash and by the time I got back the guy (old man) had agreed to sell it to someone else for $350. I didn't respect him so opted against the bidding war and walked away. That was about 1991 or so.
3. 1958 Double Door Walkthru Panel with ambulance fans. Complete, extremely original and correct, and it was the Catalina Island Girls Club Bus with logos and all. It was a dead Bus, been parked for years on Catalina accumulating loads of rust, I passed on it at $200 cause it was so rusty. It had the bumpers, crank apron, taillights, crankstart handle, tool roll, you name it. That was about 1990.
4. 1955 Non Barndoor Wolfsburg Kombi, original paint, original owner, original key, all 3 seats including 6 leg middle, both bumpers, bubbles, reflectors, 36hp, crank handle, etc. No rust, unbelievable time warp garage kept Bus. It was $3000 asking price back in about 1991. That was a huge amount of money for a Bus back then and it was for sale for months before someone bought it.
5. 1954 Kombi. Turnkey, complete minus rear seats, ugly paint but super solid. Running, driving, registered. $2000. That was around 1988 and it was in the Auto Trader in San Diego for a while before it sold.
6. 1958 European (semiphored) Westfalia. Complete, turnkey, very correct including 36hp, bumpers, etc. It had rusty rockers and didn't sell for the $1100 asking price for months. That was about 1988 as well.
7. 1967 Kombi. Original Velvet Green paint, original owner, all 3 seats in original upholstery, complete Bus. It had just had a dealer rebuild on the engine with a $1300 receipt and about 1000 miles since it was done. The lady that owned it hit the back of a pickup truck and bashed the nose in pretty good. The asking price was $150. Don't know what the hell the reason was I didn't bring it home. That was about 1990.
I could go on all day but I'll spare you that those are some of the better ones I recall. |
man- after reading that list i want to kill myself for you.. _________________ Even YOU can prevent FIRES!
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ChrisP Samba Member
Joined: December 24, 2003 Posts: 39 Location: CO
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:58 am Post subject: |
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Good Deal - when i moved a couple years back, an elderly neighbor lady had a '61 original paint ragtop beetle that her husband bought new that she offered to sell to me for $100. She decided that after she got a new car (a Kia!?!?) she could let the old beetle go to a loving home. This car was very nice and original - og paint, working saphire radio, etc.
Missed Deal - (see above), when i went to pick the car up a week or so later, the engine had caught fire and toasted the back half of my new project. I was heartbroken. _________________ 1967 Beetle convertible Yukon Yellow |
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BUCIOBATISTI Samba Member
Joined: April 17, 2002 Posts: 6956 Location: San Diego, California, USA
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 11:58 am Post subject: |
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mynameismud wrote: |
BUCIOBATISTI wrote: |
I've got a long list of deals I've missed over the years. Here are a few...
1. 1960 23 window, original paint, factory safaris, turnkey, complete, all 3 seats in original upholstery, no rust Texas Bus, back in 1988, $3000. I didn't buy it cause I didn't have any extra cash.
2. 1965 Standard Microbus, Walkthru, original paint, original owner, all 3 seats, owners manual, had a big dent in drivers door and a dead battery, $200. Said I'd take it, shook hands, went to the bank to get the cash and by the time I got back the guy (old man) had agreed to sell it to someone else for $350. I didn't respect him so opted against the bidding war and walked away. That was about 1991 or so.
3. 1958 Double Door Walkthru Panel with ambulance fans. Complete, extremely original and correct, and it was the Catalina Island Girls Club Bus with logos and all. It was a dead Bus, been parked for years on Catalina accumulating loads of rust, I passed on it at $200 cause it was so rusty. It had the bumpers, crank apron, taillights, crankstart handle, tool roll, you name it. That was about 1990.
4. 1955 Non Barndoor Wolfsburg Kombi, original paint, original owner, original key, all 3 seats including 6 leg middle, both bumpers, bubbles, reflectors, 36hp, crank handle, etc. No rust, unbelievable time warp garage kept Bus. It was $3000 asking price back in about 1991. That was a huge amount of money for a Bus back then and it was for sale for months before someone bought it.
5. 1954 Kombi. Turnkey, complete minus rear seats, ugly paint but super solid. Running, driving, registered. $2000. That was around 1988 and it was in the Auto Trader in San Diego for a while before it sold.
6. 1958 European (semiphored) Westfalia. Complete, turnkey, very correct including 36hp, bumpers, etc. It had rusty rockers and didn't sell for the $1100 asking price for months. That was about 1988 as well.
7. 1967 Kombi. Original Velvet Green paint, original owner, all 3 seats in original upholstery, complete Bus. It had just had a dealer rebuild on the engine with a $1300 receipt and about 1000 miles since it was done. The lady that owned it hit the back of a pickup truck and bashed the nose in pretty good. The asking price was $150. Don't know what the hell the reason was I didn't bring it home. That was about 1990.
I could go on all day but I'll spare you that those are some of the better ones I recall. |
man- after reading that list i want to kill myself for you.. |
Thanks Paul, I appreciate the gesture. How about this one...
1962 15 Window Deluxe. All original, original paint, all trim including vent trim. Sealing Wax Red and Light Beige Grey, remains of a mohair headliner, all interior panels, but no rear seats. Super solid, some surface rust above the drip rails, straight and nice body overall. Somebody cut a hole the size of the bottom of a trash can in the cargo floor, no idea why. That hole, plus the fact that it was about 3 hours from home made us decide to pass on the whole thing and just buy the parts we wanted off it instead of paying the full $200 asking price and taking the entire Bus home. That was back in about 1991 or so. _________________ Please check us out on Instagram at @holygrailgarage
That's the best place to see the latest things we are up to as well as catch an occasional sneak peek of our latest car and parts listings! |
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pyrOman Fire Master
Joined: July 21, 2003 Posts: 12406 Location: Over 2002 posts deleted!
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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My previous bus was a "great" deal for just $400!
Okay, that was in 1987. Shot motor & tranny with absolutely no interior, but after 14 years, seven motors, five trannies, untold thousands of dollars, and 2 countries, the "end product" was, well, at the end. So it was cut up!
Take them for what they're worth and enjoy them while they last! _________________ Some people are so busy being clever they don't have time enough to be wise. |
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mynameismud Samba Member
Joined: October 23, 2002 Posts: 5923 Location: Middle of a corn field
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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sheese- funny how buses have stopped growing on trees..
my good find was $500.00 for the rusty-ass sandgreen / palm green sunroof standard from last year. think i made a little over 2X my initial expense back- enough to get my '56 kombi+ trailer cost + middle seat . not a bad investment of cash and time. _________________ Even YOU can prevent FIRES!
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P-Dub Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2002 Posts: 1064 Location: Oh, hi!
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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Just look in the classified adds of Hot VWs proir to '95 or SOTO newsletters. They all seem like smokin' deals now. |
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Campy Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2005 Posts: 4933 Location: Chico, CA
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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The large autowrecker here in Chico, which is now out of business, used to have up to six split-windshield buses in the yard; some would be worth restoring, now. This was late '70s and '80s. The same thing at an autowrecker in Santa Rosa I was at in 1977. There didn't seem to be much demand for old buses, then. They weren't even that old back then. |
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eh0s Banned
Joined: June 25, 2003 Posts: 760 Location: Splitsville, AB, Population = 1
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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mynameismud wrote: |
sheese- funny how buses have stopped growing on trees..
my good find was $500.00 for the rusty-ass sandgreen / palm green sunroof standard from last year. think i made a little over 2X my initial expense back- enough to get my '56 kombi+ trailer cost + middle seat . not a bad investment of cash and time. |
Come now. I think you've seen better deals than that
How about those 3 BD's in ON?
Missed Deal: Auction in Winnipeg for 2 Barndoors (went for cheap) ouch.
Best deal: 54 Barndoor ~$3000 (very recent). _________________ Cootra |
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Lind Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2000 Posts: 9913 Location: idaho
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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2005 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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I have had plenty of good, bad and missed deals. here are a few highlights.
a friend of mine pulled a rust free, straight original paint 88,000 mile westy out of a field for $200. nine years later, I gave him $8k for the bus which I felt was a good deal.
I had a rust free original paint '60 standard that had a bad nose. I bought it for $300 and then sold it for $900.
the first time that I ever went parts hunting, I bought a fairly rust free '55 barndoor panel for $300. then I sold it a year later for $750.
slightly rusty totally straight original paint '62 walk through 15 window for $400, put an engine in it and brakes on it, then I sold it a year later for $2000 (still regret selling that one, but it was at the same time that I was buying a straight rust free walk through 23 for $3500)
a week ago I bought a bus out of a farmers field, which interestingly enough was inside city limits in boise, idaho. I am used to having to travel great distances to get these field buses.
buses that I have parted out:
I bought a very rusty, but fairly complete 23 window for $200.
parted out another rusty complete 23 for $100
severely wrecked 60k origina mile '60 standard for $50
'64 sunroof standard for $50
I could go on and on. my owned splittie count is up to 53. I would say that not all of them were good deals, some were great deals.
as for missed deals, I have a pretty good one from just today. actually it started yesterday. a good friend of mine called me up to ask if I thought a certain bus was worth buying. it was one that I had known about for ten years. a totally straight, comple, dry original paint '62 standard. the guy who owned it swore that he would never ever sell it. ten years down the road, him and his wife are getting divorced, and the bus was too big of a thing for either of them to get so they decided to sell it. my buddy was wondering if it was worth buying at $2000. I told him to buy it without hesitation. he then told me that he was only planning on reselling it. (he has a too many VWs already, including an original paint 21 window bus). I told him that if he wanted to sell it, then I would double his money in a heartbeat. he was agreeable to that, and he went over today and bought the bus and drove it home. he called me up and told me that he had good and bad news. the good news was that he bought the bus. the bad news was that his wife loved it and took it away from him. so I almost ended up with another orignal paint standard. I was not bummed out at all, because they will provide a good home for the bus and keep it in totally stock condition. he actually gave the sellers $250 more than the asking price just because the bus was so nice. it was an interesting milestone because that was the last locally "known" nice orignal paint bus in boise idaho that was not in the hands of VW collectors. there may be others hiding in garages, but I would doubt that there are any more really nice ones hiding in boise. kind of end of an era. when I really got into it, I made a list of the nice original paint buses in boise. there were eight buses on that list. in the last four years, five of the eight have come up for sale, and I was lucky enough to buy four of them. _________________ .
Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
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Trevor Reis Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005 Posts: 120 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 9:47 am Post subject: |
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I missed the chance to buy an all original 63 standard minus the vents a year ago for a 1000 dollars. Earlier this year got out bid on a 1960 23 window locally for 4000 was kind of bummed after that. Thats all i have come across being into it for two years now |
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EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69801 Location: Phoenix Metro
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Campy Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2005 Posts: 4933 Location: Chico, CA
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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Lind must hold the record for most old VW buses owned by one person.
For years, here in Chico, I used to see a 21 window bus either downtown or parked near Bidwell Park under a carport. It was unrestored but not bad looking. About three years ago, a man I know told me that he and a sheriff (the sheriff looks for old buses while he is on duty patrolling in Butte Co.) bought the bus for $4,000 and sold it to someone in England for either $7,000 or $8,000.
Before I bought my 1963 walk-thru bus from him for $400, a man I know here in Chico had bought a 1958 (its I.D. nos. were for a 1957) panel bus with a real good body from someone in Butte Co. for $700. It had a big stub axle transaxle but its engine was bad. I was interested in buying it from him but he wanted to get it running and get at least $2,000 for it. I decided to tell a friend of mine (the same man who found $1,500 in the old bus) about it and he wound up buying it with the bad engine for $1,500, getting it running, and selling it for $4,000. |
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rustybus Shasta Snow Trip Newt
Joined: November 24, 2002 Posts: 919 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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Campy wrote: |
Lind must hold the record for most old VW buses owned by one person. |
You'd probably be surprised how many people around here have owned that many buses. I know we've had over 30 at one time (OK, one or two were type 1's) and that doesn't seem to be unusual for the people I know Of course Lind is one of those people I know. I sort of wish I had kept track of how many total I have owned. I'll have to see if I can backtrack and figure that out sometime. _________________ Richard
www.rustybus.com www.shastasnowtrip.com |
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Beanery69 Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2003 Posts: 343 Location: Greeley Co
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 10:37 pm Post subject: Best Deals |
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Was driving up the Mountains here in Colorado saw a 21 window bus at the local lumber yard, turned around and left a note, Got a call 2 days latter..Drove out to take a look got a second owner 1964 21 window walk thru bus all seats and interior intact, Working gas heater, Roof rack, manuels and even the Guarentee card from the Germany dealer for the gas heater... I asked how much she wanted told me $800.00 RAN to the ATM and have owned her ever since, That was 1986... Drove her home and a couple months latter went to the SOTO meetin Anaheim, I finally started to do her resto, Has a little rust on her!!!! That or a 1959 Beetle Vert orginal owner 118,000 miles, Fuel gauge, Recliners and windshield washers.....1800.00 Bad side was it got rolled about 6 months latter in Las Vegas New Mexico on her way to Phoenix..... Bad day there |
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