Split window bus gold mine why are they worth so much

Thanks for sharing your insights. Even crazier is the single and double cab scene. Do you think any of this crazy money will trickle down to the humble(not splits or ovals which are selling high) Beetle? Chris

I have two project buses both walk through 67 & 64 ..I enjoy them it a great hobby love the challenge in restoring them when I'm done they get names and our members of the family that just happen to sleep in the garage..Worked on bugs this is the first time working on the bus..My 67 I'm 2nd owner had everything with it plus lots and lots of rust...Iowa snow and winters have not been kind to it...

i think this vw craze/market will drop when the old hippies die off - this new generation i believe will have no interest in these bugs or buses - maybe 'things' will hold value - just my opinion - good posts you do - thx - floridadave - 67sc and '73 thing -

your point of view is right on target, look back at the 57 chev craze then the top of the line muscle car sand the hemi craze they have all plateued and are way down in price this will happen sooner or later with the busses. T hen a new niche market will start with some vehicle fo ra few years and then a gradual decline will come about again,it then another make or model will replace the hot ticket item for a few years and then the never ending cycle will keep on happening as people try to buy back there youth, worst thing is that it makescars that were basically goodforparts cars become something people restore and that is where the cost sky rocket.every one should take a lesson from the people that restore Model A Fords there is not a massive investment to re store one ,parts are plentiful and they are an affordable ,driveable classic . there in for the enjoyment

Another great video... not going to say it's a dream killer...

I have a 79' bay window because I could not find a split window for anything close in my budget. From what i was told, the bay windows now are about the range the split windows were about 15 to 20 years ago. So I was told that the value of bay windows will eventually go up over the next 15 years or so. Just what i was told...

You make a point but the value is in the demand. Period. Deluxe's & Double Cab's are the most desirable that's it. Sure buyer be ware that's in all antiques. The bottom will never fall, sad but true. I always wanted a double door camper to put my Dormobile top on. Now I can't afford it. First world problems. Instead I'm restoring my 66 American camper with doors on one side, Wah. I payed $600 for it in 1993 and drove it for months before the motor locked up. payed $450 to have it rebuilt drove it for years after that including across the county. (From Atlanta to Seattle along the Pacific Coast to Ensanada Mexico & back). Then replaced the original motor & tranny and drove accross the county again and continued driving it until 2008. These buses have a high value for a reason. They are dam cool and fun to drive. The only way I would sell mine is if I had a double door camper.
If you are clueless looking for a bus get the Idiot Manual and look for RUST that's the killer. The Idiot Manual even tells you what to look for when buying a VW. You do NOT have to restore your bus to enjoy it. Just drive it. That's the BEST ADVISE YOU CAN GET. Read the book it's funny and will make you appreciate your Bus even more. Good luck.

Where is the deluxe trim on your bumpers? What's up with that fool?

A late 50's bus in the shop that did the turbo for my buggy had $42,500 spent on just the body and paint alone... obviously the owner didn't do any of the work: it's the most perfectly straight bus I've ever seen and all metal.

The point you did not make is that these are NOT rare cars, not even close. These will never be million dollar cars. Look at the last big Barrett and you saw completely incorrect 21's in 80's turquoise sell for much more than a fantastic mid 50's 23's in chestnut brown/SWR. Why? People at auctions see the bright and shiny and have more money than they know what to do with. Fad. BTW I own 6 splits. I still don't think they are worth it.

Why would anyone want to camp in a vehicle that is worth 60k or whatever you say it's worth?
Frankly, I enjoy watching the restoration process, but you couldn't pay me to drive (or ride in) one of these things. You hit or get hit head on, you're going to be a wheel chair. There is 5" and some pretty thin sheet metal between your knees and some car's grill and bumper. God help you if it gets windy while you're driving this thing.

A 1936 Cadillac cost $15,000 to re-chrome the grille. JUST THE GRILL. Car sold for just over a quarter mil. It was a ridiculously complicated job with like 40 parts that all needed to be sanded, soldered, copper plated, test fit, resanded and test fit again.

My window switch in my 1994 Isuzu rodeo (honda passport) suddenly looks cheap at almost $300.

I know a retired welder in AR. who re does cars. His favorite for a quick buck is taking a long bed 1962-66 C 10 and cutting 20 inches out of the bed and frame and welding it back together. He buys the longed for $500-1000 and after 2 weeks of hard labor its for sale for $5500 or so depending on condition. He might get a base model with a locked up 6 cylinder for $3-400, cut the bed and drop in a plain jane used 350 with a chrome dress up kit and some dumb ass will pay $10K for it because they think the old guy has owned it forever, and is stupid. He plays dumb but he's very smart and clever. His hobby shop has 8-10 cars in it at any given time and it has a full bath and a/c. He doesn't need the money but he loves the hobby and makes a good buck hustling older used cars in demand. Another of his favorites is making a Satellite into a Roadrunner by replacing the 318 with a 340 or bigger and buying all the correct Roadrunner trim including the bumpers. He bought one for $300 and it was rough, spent $15K and a year of his time and sold it for $35K.

Im in the VW restoration bussness and you are so right about the costs and the dreamers out there that I come across every day that still think they are back in the 80s when a restoration and paint was a couple grand ..those days are long gone.,,good vid buddy .

No idea , I do not understand it . There is a piece of property I know for sale with a Split bus in the woods ....damn bus might be worth more than the acreage lol.

I had a 63 split window in '69. It threw a rod and I sold it for 65.00 (about 450.00 in today's $$) They look cool but are horribly underpowered. To drive it on the interstate you had to check the wind direction first. Don't even try it in a headwind, and God help you if you hit an incline.

They shouldn't be worth that much. If they have the reduction boxes in the rear end they crawl down the road at 55 mph.

Not just demand, but the intersection of supply and demand determines a price. Many sold & verified prices (not just listings for sale) determine market value. Somebody with a lot more money than I have has a completely different perspective on disposable income, and is willing to pay more.......I wish I had kept my 66 Westy, but it is hard to predict demand decades in the future.

I’ve an Aussie made J&S bodied buggy for sale, it has a specifically built injected 1916cc turbo engine (not just a bolt on kit) crank, rods etc, 4 wheel discs, everything is high end, wheels cost $5,000, the whole buggy is gremlin free and idiots think offering what shitbox drum brake 36hp one’s are selling for is fair.. they have no idea.. same my Beetle, a 57 ragtop with Okrasa engine, body off nut and bolt restoration, the damn thing is better than new.. they’d rather buy a junker than do the math.

I saw that with 911’s.... People get wrecks and there are some really really sloppy “restoration” cars for sale. That would rot through in a heartbeat... they look good on the surface but are total basketcases

I just want a F*cking split-window!!Don't care about the rest(but a DC would be sweet),but finding one smack dab in the middle of the country,they are nowhere to be found,let alone all the "barn finds",lol

I have a 1960 double, double door panel bus, original engine and (get this) still riding on the tube tires it left the factory on. Picked it up in New Mexico in the '90's. No rust, desert bus. I also have a 1960 double cab pick-up, also from New Mexico, was a 'ballon chaser' vehicle. It was converted to 12 volt, and has a later engine. Love my busses.

l hope to get one next uear

Because they are really nice 🙂

I just love them, even though they are over priced. I remember 25 years ago how cheap they were???? What happened 😕

Last bus I bought was a 65 Dormobile. I paid 650 bucks for it

I have owned a bay window dual cab (70) for 25 years. All original parts. I just put $18K into the cab ( 2110 stroker). It’s a driver, not a garage queen.

A guy on the east coast has a bay window dual cab, asking $170,000. My neighbor buys Vanagons for $3k, gets $30K on resale. Mexican paint and chrome.