People placing WTB notes on your Bus

[Split 66']

If your Bus sits outside where people can see it, covered or not, then you are used to finding WTB notes on your windshield. I keep them all, not to contact them to sell my Bus, which I've owned for 32 years now, but as a collection, or reminder. I have gotten over 30 of these 'WTB' notes in the last 10 years, but today I got one like I've never seen before:

First police officer in my collection.


Why do I never call any of these back?

1) Don't want to sell it - most important - no For Sale sign anywhere on it.

2) Most of these people want to pay you what it was worth in 1985, you tell them the actual number these are being sold for, and they look at you like you slapped them in the face.

3) NONE of these notes ever say how much they want to give you.

If you are going to put a note on my Bus, put how much money you think I would entertain, that's all that's going to get my attention, period. If a buyer can't be bothered to check market value, this non-seller can't be bothered to tell them, no.

Anyone else have a collection of these notes, or stories?
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[KTPhil]

I have only received verbals for my other VWs.

I could see someone leaving a note for themselves, and I agree with your response.

But maybe they "have a friend" and are just making the initial inquiry on behalf of them, so they can't speak for the buyer on price. You might reply "Mine is not for sale at any price, but one in this condition usually goes for $xx,xxx" and leave it at that. I would make the call with Caller ID blocking on, though. No need to disclose anything more about you or your Bus.

[Split 66']

I had one guy stop me on the way into my place, from a truck out on the road - yelling from 30 feet away,"Hey is that your Bus, do you want to sell it!?". I say "NO", guy then blocking traffic in the road yells "Let me give you $10,000 for it!!". It was difficult to make a loud enough PFFFFT! to be heard 30 feet away, but I made it happen. He might as well have said to me, "Hey dummy, I know you've done all that work and the hard times spent keeping that Bus, but let me sell it for more than I buy it from you for, you're an idiot right?" This was 4 years ago, for the Bus in my gallery.
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"OG = Original German" -- TheSamba.com dictionary

[Clara]

[crukab]

I park in front of a building next to the busy high-end Market where I work, it is our business offices & Bakery, people wander in and ask about my truck, usually they laugh & tell them it's not for sale, it happens 3-4 times a Summer, I've told the folks that work in that building to tell them I want $50,000, no takers yet...
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Tom

My Pops:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604100&highlight=
I know you will always be with me, rest in peace with no more pain. 8/13/14.....

In the yard right now:
'51 Dodge 5 window truck
'65 Bug
'66 Singlecab
'82 Rabbit Truck Diesel from CALI
'86 Doublecab W/T
'91 Vanagon carat/wolfsbrg.Tiico
'88 Dodge Ram pickup
'11 Jetta Wagon

[Lind]

I don't ever get notes, but I get people asking me to sell the bus I am driving from time to time. I tell them that is is not for sale, but what would they think something like it should sell for. They are usually at about 10%-20% of value.

Way more often, I have people tell me that my buses are valuable. Plenty of people tell me that I am sitting on a gold mine. My response is that they are worthless if I never sell them.
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Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
.

[EverettB]

I rarely get notes anymore but I have gotten them in the past.

I do get people asking me sometimes.
For some reason it's usually guys screaming "Will you sell it?" across a gas station from 2 rows over. This has happened a bunch of times.
I usually pretend I don't hear them because I'm not going to scream across other people to answer.

The best story was when I was in my '55 Kombi at a swap meet.
I had another Bus for sale at home and I put a for sale sign in the window with details on the other Bus.
A guy came up and seemed annoyed it wasn't the Kombi for sale.
He asked me how much I would sell the Kombi for (it wasn't for sale) and messing around I said "You can't afford it"
He went crazy and start screaming at me that I don't know what he can afford, blah, blah, blah.
I laughed and told him it wasn't for sale so it didn't matter.
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[Glenn]

[NUTSFORBUSES]

Yeah, I always get the "incremental guy". "Will you take 50K, will you take 75K, how about 100K?"
Like a test to see where I break. I love my bus, but I would not sell it unless his asinine offer exceeds twice the true value to ensure I make money and buy another Bus. One thing you can't buy is the Fun the Bus offers, even the troubles sometime, but a few Bus guys I meet are just in it for the novelty, to be "Hip". It just doesn't drive like a R Rover, Testicle, or Beemer, and why is that?

I know where I stand with most b/c I have an oil fan that runs when the motor is shut off, they say "Is that electric?" I say yes, look underneath, there is a special Belly Pan for the batteries. He will tell his friends he saw an electric splitty, but he will leave out he wasted my and his time.
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kaiser kills kids.com

[Pau]

Sorry, not a note but:

The day after a neighbourhood meal, somebody we know sent me a message telling how much I wanted for one of my busses because my wife said to her girlfriend to put an offer and I should be ready to talk.

MY WIFE!!
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Freedom for the Catalan Countries
Si ens destrossen les contrades alçarem les barricades !!*!!

[andre b]

I use to get notes on my 1959 double cab all the time..now people in town just either see me with it all the time and know its not for sale, and word spreads fast around town,plus they see me driving it so they don't even bother anymore.

but I still will leave a note on a car if it looks like its been sitting or if reg is out of date,

[matthew henricks]

As with others i used to get notes all the time but not any more. For the most part people want to share with me what my bus is worth i guess to make sure i am aware. Mostly at gas stations.

From time to time i do get strangers stopping at my home to ask me if it is for sale. You can tell they are flippers wanting to buy that "old bus"

Part of owning a bus...
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1964 Original Owner build Thread. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=702135&highlight=

Ambulance Fan's. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=627707&highlight=

Parts i am looking for:
64 bug nice used front/rear Black LHD floor mat.

[KTPhil]

[Abscate]

[vwuberalles]

Not my bus, but still a relevant story.. So back in the dark ages before cell phones existed I accidentally slid my 69 bug off the road. Minimal damage, but it was hung up on a sign pole and I couldn't get it free. I ended up having to walk to a payphone to call AAA, and when I got back to the car there was a note under the wiper. It said "Sucks about your bug, wanna sell it?" with a phone number. I didn't call them.
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1973 Superbeetle: 1st car, owned since age 12. Update thread --> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9919140#9919140
1967 Kombi: Owned since age 17, Dad's retirement project.
1966 Beetle: My new project. (SOLD) Build thread--> https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=678040

[dgsaz]

That's how I got mine. 1995, had to go to work the day after Thanksgiving, Scottsdale Airpark. Driving past the Waste Management offices, I notice a solitary split, alone in the parking lot. Not in a hurry to get to the job I looped through the parking lot, stopped and checked things out.

As I had just sold my boat, I needed a new hole to throw $$$ into. I had a 1960 panel in the late 60's and remembered a little. I left my card. The owner called a few days later and interviewed me as to what my intentions were with his bus.

I assured him my intentions were honorable and I would not be chopping it up for a dune buggy. The price was nice, just what I got for the boat. When I asked if he had the back seat he told me he had the entire Sundial camper interior at his house. The deal was made, the rest is history.

Yes, I still have it.

dgsaz

[NUTSFORBUSES]

[obus]

No one usually asking to buy the mango but i get the occasional "oh if it had xyz windows they get a ton for them at the auctions". At that point i nod and carry on with what i was doing.
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July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
66 21 window bus built 8/31/65 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=777273

[1970PAKombi]

Still fairly new to the hobby, but I had a cold call text message earlier this year, my first, I felt honored. No idea who the number was or who they were referring to - "Hey, my buddy (name I never heard of) said that you have a split window for sale. I have been looking for one for a while now. I can give you $10000 for it".

1. No idea who his 'buddy' was, I save all contacts VW related. 2. My bus isn't/wasn't for sale. 3. He didn't even have a picture of it to make an offer haha.

I also had my single cab at a mechanic the other year getting some tires. My mechanic whom I've known for 20+ years calls me and goes "I've had at 8 people stop today to ask if it's for sale, what should I tell them?"

[CanStan]