Explain 23 window bus values

I was looking up VW single cab values and somehow got on 23 window bus. Why are these things so valuable? I don't understand.

http://www.oldbug.com/rap23.htm

http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/lotdetails.aspx?ln=363.2&aid=423

$217,800!!!

Those buses are extremely rare these days and it's a 95+ point resto, judging by the description.

And yes, old VW bus values are a little nuts these days.

Rare+retro hip/cool+people who grew up with them now of age to spend = skyrocketing prices.

There is no explaining the air-cooled VW price bubble.

The 23 Window bus has always been among the most desirable models, but people have gone crazy over this stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand

Easy, some of those hippies went on to be very sucessful people, now they are all old, bored, and have more money than they know what do with. So why not drop giant piles of cash on a perfectly restored 23 window bus and try to recreate the 60s? Eventually their drug fogged memories will clear up, they will get more period correct, ratty buses, and the market will stabilize. Just like muscle cars a few years ago.

I've asked myself that question for a few years. It even trickles down to the silly Westfalia Vanagons being worth far more than the sum of their wheezing, rusting parts. I've decided there are air cooled VW people...and everyone else.

I went to college in the late '60s in a 13 window bus. Other than the obvious mobile-party deal, I hated that thing. Eventually the 50 HP engine lunched and we stuck an old 36 HP motor in it........whereby it sucked even more.

I'm really amazed at the prices of these things today. We had an all air-cooled VW show 1/2 mile from my house about a month ago so I went down to check it out. The buses seem very popular and they're either rats or pristine. I took some shots....you can see all of them HERE

Also, here's some samples of what I saw that day:

one reason they are badass period look at those pictures

93EXCivic wrote: I was looking up VW single cab values and somehow got on 23 window bus. Why are these things so valuable? I don't understand. http://www.oldbug.com/rap23.htm http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/lotdetails.aspx?ln=363.2&aid=423 $217,800!!!

well i guess the price on the single cab just went up

They're REALLY cool and really RARE in restored condition and the hard parts haven't been reproduces as yet, so they costly as Hell to restore/repair.

It's the VW part of the equation that's misleading. They haven't been cheap in years and the aircooled variety were SO abused that none are left. Those that do remain, you just have to pay for. Like any old rare collectible.

When a someone asks us for a built up engine and they get the quote, they always say, I mean ALWAYS say, "Can't I just grab one out of the junk yard and have you re-do it. And we ALWAYS get to respond, "Sure, lemme fire up the time machine for ya !" And then laugh our asses off ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

They're worth what they're currently worth, get used to it . . . .

One of them stopped by me yesterday. When it came time to get going again I almost didn't think he was going to make it.

We've gotten spoiled and you forget what low horsepowered, carb'd vehicles were like.

When I clicked over I was sure this thread was going to be something about some settings in Windoze called buses.

It all boils down to what you really wanted when you didn't have any money.

cutter67 wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: I was looking up VW single cab values and somehow got on 23 window bus. Why are these things so valuable? I don't understand. http://www.oldbug.com/rap23.htm http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/lotdetails.aspx?ln=363.2&aid=423 $217,800!!!

well i guess the price on the single cab just went up

I have no idea if he wants to sell it yet or not but to be honest, I doubt it will be much because it is ROUGH. Like maybe not savable rough. There is no engine. You can see the ground thru the floor boards and the compartment under the bed. There is little left of the interior.

have you seen what they resurect over on Samba. i have a friend going to look at that bus with the two split windows on top to see if they can be rebuilt. prices are insane on these and the market is not soft for them. i know a guy who just got 70k for one

Woody wrote: It all boils down to what you really wanted when you didn't have any money.

When I didn't have any money, all I had were air-cooled VWs.

I paid $15 in high school for a '63 Sedan with a thrown rod and had a running and driving car for under a C-note.

Two years later, I gave $400 for a split window Westy - scruffy but safe to drive. I wouldn't mind having that one back.

I had as many as 3 bay windows at at time and paid $100 for most of them, mix-matched together to keep one running. I lived in one for a summer.

This was back when long hair and an earring could still earn you an ass-kicking so you can adjust for inflation as much as you want. I loves me some VW, but I lived the life then. Today, I'd give $2500 for that Westy, not $40K.

The surfers around here these days seem to favor Jeep XJs and Volvo 240s which is sort of the same vein - cheap, rugged, utilitarian, common as dirt and did I mention cheap.

You can start hoarding them any time now.

Woody wrote: It all boils down to what you really wanted when you didn't have any money.

It certainly wasn't one of those things.

Just crazy.... I grew up in VW buses and vanagons. My parents didn't have much money so they were perfect for hauling us four kids on road trips. They were always pretty cheap back then and practically considered disposable. I recall an old roommate of mine had a pop-top camper with the sink and all from the mid 70's I believe. We drove around Seattle a lot in that thing during the mid to late 90's. Since he wasn't very handy, he always paid technicians to fix and tune the damned thing, until he gave up finally and had it crushed! I wanted to buy it from him but I didn't have a dime to my name (I was a bike messenger and the only thing I could afford was my bike ). I remember the day he had it crushed; he said that he got to watch it turn into a wrinkled cube, and he was quite satisfied about it too. Damn....

-Hamid

Did anyone else notice that $200k bus doesn't have clamps on the fuel lines? I know they came that way, but there would likely be at least a few more left if they had come with clamps on the fuel lines lol.

I just don't understand. They are old rattly air cooled VWs. I mean I don't dislike air cooled and I want to get a Beetle one day but for $70k I could buy multiple different Ferraris, or Porsches or a Jaguar E-type etc.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Easy, some of those hippies went on to be very sucessful people, now they are all old, bored, and have more money than they know what do with. So why not drop giant piles of cash on a perfectly restored 23 window bus and try to recreate the 60s? Eventually their drug fogged memories will clear up, they will get more period correct, ratty buses, and the market will stabilize. Just like muscle cars a few years ago.

This is in fact the correct answer. However, you have to appreciate the irony in a class of people who were once so poor that they had to drive Minvans who are rich enough to pay 200k in order to recapture the "good old days" when they were poor.

There is a lesson in there somewhere.

There is a split bus near me in someone’s front yard. The house looks like a foreclosure because it's a newer build, but already looking run down and the yard hasn't been mowed in months. I drove by a few times, but never see anyone there.....I guess my next step is to stop and ask the neighbors. I enjoy old air cooled VWs. My 60 Baja is slow, and really a deathtrap from a safety standpoint, but man does it have character.

Another appeal of the aircooled VWs, for me anyway, is the simplicity. My 944 turbo is such a pain in the ass to work on....I mean I really hate working on that car..everytime I get frustrated with it I just go wrench on that little VW.....it's almost relaxing in comparison.

aeronca65t wrote:

I will never understand the need for some people to put crap in and around cars at shows.

"A baby Bert stuff toy, of course it belongs in a perfectly restored VW van!"

RossD wrote:

aeronca65t wrote:

I will never understand the need for some people to put crap in and around cars at shows. "A baby Bert stuff toy, of course it belongs in a perfectly restored VW van!"

Could be worse, ever see a "time out doll"?

vw buses are an easy trend for me to not get caught up in