Are Split kombis over priced??

I thought this would be interesting. I love those cars and would like to own one but not @ $20+k, thanks but no thanks
Raf

[Edited on 26-5-2003 by karmannghia60]

[Edited on 27-5-2003 by karmannghia60]

i love kombi's :bounce :bounce :bounce

$20k+!!! You can have mine for $19,999 😀😀😀

If you are talking

splits - yes!

Bays - getting that way

Air cooled vanagons - great buy!

They are worth what you want to pay!

N!:thumb

You can easily spend $20K on a nice straight Kombi and then rebuilding it properly so that everything is put right. I speak from personal experience!

And yes it's worth every penny. Kombis are brilliant - I would never go back to a Beetle now.

You can still find really nice late '70s Kombis for around $5 or $6k, but they might need some work. Rattier ones are cheaper but need more work again.

'80s T3s are also cool as Barry says, as there aren't as many of them around (they were only called Vanagons for the US market). They are much better in physical and dynamic terms than a '70s T2. '60s T1s look cool but I'm not interested in owning one.

Well, ask the buyer and it's always too dear. Ask the seller who's just spent $40k to restore it (that's with labour thrown in for free) and it's way too cheap.
When you consider, if starting with a sound Kombi you will part with up to $40k to do a split, and $20k to do a Bay PROPERLY. You'd be lucky to get half your money back on each when selling.
So in short NO.

I look at it slightly differently. When I get to the $20k mark on my Kombi (VERY soon) I will have a great all purpose vehicle with enough spares to keep it on the road for the next 5-10 years, and still have a reasonable re-sale value. What would $20k spent else where get me? A claped out old Landcruiser?, A new asian import? Niether will last as long, have any resale value or be as easy to source parts for!

And for Bays (I know your asking about split's) you can buy a complete running bus's for ~$400 if you look out for them. I know, because I have one, and have passed a few up!

But as others mentioned at the end of the day they are worth what ever the seller is willing to part with. Market forces.
😀:thumb

[Edited on 27-5-2003 by Andy]

What is this poll about ,who cares if you dont want to spend the money, if you dont you dont buy it stupid!!!
Same could be said about Karmann Ghias, I wouldnt pay more than $5000 for one but I would pay a hell of a lot more for a good split,

It is personal taste and we are all differant otherwise we would all be driving bloody Hyundai's

Cheers
Dave

Why are you getting personal about this Dave? Its just a pole Mate. Chill out and don't insult people by saying they are stupid. You have a problem I think

I agree with Dave, what is the point of this post....Thsi forum lately has been split kombi bashing....Anyone who puts one up for sale for more than 5 k get grilled by members. Get with the times. there are not many splitties out there....the ones that are on the road are either dead or brilliant...there is nothing in between....The cost money to do up and supply and demand dictates the price....Why do u think they are going overseas? Because they are so cheap over here that people can afford to pay freight to another country...

Why does the issue of split window price keep coming up on this web site?????? Get a life and get over it......they are now expensive.

p.s what do u get for 20000 these days?? A shitty rice burner that will depreciate 15000 in 4 years...geee thats what i want....not

I agree to a certain degree, But there aint too many 69 auto notches around either, and they cost heaps to do up, But yet no one wants one for 5 grand for a real nice one! There have also been a number of ads that have had no pics or very bad pics, and then asking quite a bit for these splits, yet cant back up the price with pics! I love splits and Would love to own one, and I know I will pay a big price for one, but some ppl are asking big money for these cars, that are really not worth it! As I said in my earlier post, They are worth what you want to pay for it!
Also, you have to look at the practicallity of the car, and how much you can spen on a car! 20K for one person might not be much, but 20K for another might be a years worth of repayments for their house! Each to their own!

N!:thumb

PS everyone chill out!!!!

well its supply and demand, not many splits, lots of ppl want them. simple 😀

and yes i really like splits

not overpriced at all. keep the price going up up up. the bloody things are as rare as hens teeth, and ive only got two of those. worth a small fortune they are, he he he. chill out you guys.:vader

I go for overpriced.
After all they are just an old truck.

I love my '57 dearly, but when it's finished it will still be a slow, uncomfortable, old truck.

Rarity is a matter of opinion.
Barndoors are, mid '50s so-so, 58 onwards are not.
It's the same with oval beetles, if you want one you can get one.
There is a difference between collectability & rarity.

Read the posts on this forum.
I'll go as far as saying 85% of people who own a split bus have changed motor, box, suspension & brakes to the later bay gear.
So they have a split body, but, it's not a split kombi.........😎

Market forces is the whole thing. The seller wants as much as he can get, the buyer wants to spend as little as possible (ignoring emotive decisions like "I must have that bus at any price", in which case the seller has you by the balls). There are x buses on the market at any time and y buyers. Where the amount z people are willing to sell and z people willing to buy at price $g, you have the selling price. There is nothing more to it. Plain old capitalist economics.

The kombi is a very cool car, which means the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts. Not literally as it costs $40k to build a $20k car, but you know what I mean. Splitties are old trucks that sell for a lot.

But, as others have said, take $20k and see what else you can buy with it... Other people here have looked only at modern cars. What about other classics? 70's Benzes in mint condition sell for way less than $20k. Fiat Spiders in concourse condition? Anyone price one of those? MG's? Sure there's no other bus with the same appeal, but there are a lot of classic models out there, and many can be bought for less than an old VW kombi.

heh but you cant put a mattress in the back of any of those other cars!

Over priced? I just bought one for a slab of VB stubbies.. I wouldn't have thought that that was too hefty..

the prices all come down to fashion. split kombis are currently fashionable, so it becomes a seller's market - lots of buyers, not so many kombis to go around, so prices go up. it won't last forever!

ovals were fashionable not that long ago, but not fetching as much now..

in the early 90's people were paying $250,000 plus for a good dino ferrari (was $15k brand new in 1975). they're still popular but nowhere near as expensive...

who knows, the next fashionable model demanding huge prices could be the type 3 notch... just get that jamie oliver wanker in one and take a few pictures, that will get the prices up!

[Edited on 28-5-2003 by hool]

I've just got my Volksworld mag and in the sales there an ex-aussie split in there for 10,000 pounds.
Just thought I'd relight the fire.

Just keep your eyes open .. You'll be suprised how many classic cars you can pick up for bugger all ... I guess right place right time

When I saw a splitty sell for $10,000 dollars U.S. which was $20,000 AUST at that time when I was at a vw show in sacremento I thought "what the? did I miss a meeting?" this was nothing special as far as a split kombi was concerned just a 64-65 kombi as far as I could tell and it wasn't in any great condition just on the road. So when I came home I hunted down mine and bought it for a fair but not ridiculous price. feeling good that I have secured my piece of motoring history before they become like old MGs.
But on the same day as I saw this kombie sell I was offered a Karman ghia with no motor for US$150 and it came with heaps of parts too, I considered it but then chose not to as It was too much hassle to get it home and converted etc.
Because of the aussie dollar value our kombies are sitting ducks and will end up being bought and exported to the USA and england cos all theirs rusted a long time ago.
My father has had many MGs throughout my life and if he had held onto half of them he would be a rich man.
The same 53 model TD that he bought for $150 in the early 70s recently sold in the same sort of condition it was when he bought it for $27000, and he has had more than 15 similar cars, most with similar stories. I would love one today but they are all out of reach now because they are all way too expensive and I am sure that the same fate lays ahead for the humble split screen kombie, after all its an undeniable Icon of the mid 20th century and you must understand that people forget that thses cars are not coming back once they have gone they will never come back. so if you think you would like one, dont stuff around because life is not a dressed rehersal for the real thing, It IS the real thing, At the end of my life I want to look back with as few regrets as possible, I already regret not jumping on the deal I was offered in 1987 of an original 69 model Mazda R100 with the original 10a rotary motor {seized } still with the plastic covers on the interior trim, today that same car would fetch $10,000 easy as these Rotary mazdas in original condition are much rarer than Split screen kombies as they were not made with the same longevity in mind, this is also why I have a 74 mazda RX3 which started life as an 808 {piston version} as the Rotary version is already hard to obtain as they have been cheap peformance through out the 90s as imported rx7 motors came onto the market the majority of the not very plentiful cars were then tortured with over powered and under braked street life. I think that the answer to the original question is no they are not overpriced as it is the nature of marketing, {supply and demand} that dictates the price, add to your calculations the expanding population that also dream of owning a piece of motoring history competing for the remaining stocks of these vehicles.
And thats all I have to say bout that.
Thats not true.
Cheers Tony
😎

I think splits and kombis are about to go up in price even more as soon as vw release the new retro one.

Pricing on old cars is based on what someone wants to pay for it. if the price is too high you keep the car. You can buy an early 911 Porsche for under 20,000

How can youse say a splitty is JUST a truck, thats like saying a beetle is JUST a car.

Unfortunately it is that atitude that makes the prices high.

It IS just a truck & a beetle IS just a car!!

Just because I'm a VW nut doesn't mean I worship the ground they leak oil on.

We keep the prices high ourselves.
No one outside the VW fraternity would give you half a pack of chewy for an old truck with a top speed of 80kph.

Only we would................😎

Yeah but I wouldnt pay much for a commodore either! Its all about taste!

N!

Overpriced !!!! Nah underpriced more like it. should be at least $10,000 more for all the work in the buggers!! he he he:bounce

Seams the majority believe they are worht quite a lot
Cheers
Dave

all i know is that those that think the splits are slow, uncomfortable trucks... need to head back to the bar for another drink.
mine is now four wheel discs with no reduction boxes and will happily sit at greater than any aussie speed limit and stop quicker than a lot of others trying to keep up for a look. my bench seat is not only retrimmed and comfy... but it also allows the lil' woman to snuggle up on those romantic highways under the southern cross, and as pointed out earlier by someone.... i can carry a bed if it all becomes to much. couple this with good sound and a set of safari's i have a cross between a commercial vehicle/ sports tourer/ shaggin wagon/ convertable/ exotica car....

shit my value has just improved on by another 5k....

i love my splitty😀😀😀

:kiss

Well trendsetters,after having had a 61 split for sale on this forum for many weeks I didn't get the impression that you lot thought they were worth much at all.
During that time it can be seen that many were interested in checking it out, but believe me, very few actually made serious offers.
Dave, Ol mate, you could have had this excellent restorer for a very good price but no offer came from you ya dreamer.
Everyone was pissing there pants about paying "$1000" freight to get it to the east coast when in fact it was less than $600.
I am happy with what I got for it and am satisfied that new owner will really enjoy restoring and living with/in a vehicle that they have desired for ages. :beer

for curiosity and interest sake.. lets us know what you sold the bus for kalkombi.

maybe shed a little light on the subject. it could give some prospective and or bench mark to others who are either looking or selling. it could even end all the bulls&^%.

and in case you would all like to know, my
"cross between a commercial vehicle/ sports tourer/ shaggin wagon/ convertable/ exotica car.... "
was purchased for $800. and after a lot of work and in my opinion a little rip off here and there buy some i would have spent around $30k.... not exact sure of what figure as i found it better not to keep track for the sake of sanity and coupledom

and yes i would think of selling it for the oportunity of the owning the '55...

I'm sorry mate but it's not for me to say.

why not.... you sold it. it's not secret mans business. i dont understand what it is that makes it all so secret under the table backdoor stuff...
i mean is it because certain people are wanting to drive the price up or worried about bringing the value down. are you afraid that you sold too cheap or that maybe you got away with a super top price... deals done, you said yourself that you are happy. so why not assist other vw fans with there decisions on what to sell/buy and how much.( you are a vw fan are you not)

if its not up to you, then let us know who purchased it and ill ask them.

i'll ask another question... why dont we just ask a price and be done with it.. why is it that everything needs to be 'aw put in your offer and i will think it over...'

this is not all directed at you personally kalkombi. i do feel though that you are just adding to the whole suspicion thing on the value and costs that we all as AUSTRALIAN vw fans are trying to understand, b4 the UK and US buyers take over.

so come on stand up. be good to your fellow dubber ( you said you wanted to restore it... ) tell me how much. i wont make judgement or anything like that. i need to know for the purpose of making an educated decision on my next purchase.

and for my 2c to any one else... i believe the best way to sell something is name your price and then negotiate until both parties are happy... it might even weed out tire kickers and time wasters and also help by not wasting a buyers time if your not honest that really deep down you want $40k for it. be a man or woman. ask what you feel is fair and then work from there. you never know you might get your price you might not but be brave be open and be honest about it.... but above all it would be a nice proper way of conducting business and yourself.

hey DAVE... it sounded like you were the highest bidder but didnt like the transport costs so missed out...... maybe if youre reading this you would like to let us know what it is that you offered....

Well put twoguns.
One of my pet hates with the Buy & Sell
Few people are on here for the wrong reasons for mine. If you want to go fishing them get a fishing rod.
If you genuinely want to sell "what ever" then name it, show it and price it and leave contact details. And reply to U2U's.
How many would place an ad in the Trading Post stating what offers with no contact details ???
And dont say offers then get all bent out shape when someone makes an offer, but it's less than you want. Most here know what things are worth!
My 2c worth

I love how people on here bitch about someones price they have placed on an item for sale.
I wonder if these people ring up everybodys ad in the trading post?😉
If you don`t like the price don`t buy it and keep your opinion to your self. simple:thumb

i agree with that bugboy. people shouldnt be intimidated to post a price. and those that arent interested shouldnt bitch about it.. but also people who are genuinely wanting to sell should be upfront about it and make it easier for all concerned. i dont understand what makes it all so difficult. i would rather buy thru the forum from fellow enthusiast....

I think most people on this forum have a passing interest in just about everything thats for sale here. Thats because most of us are VW enthusiasts. I'm always looking either for specifics or just casually.
Its good to get a feel for what stuffs worth for the future maybe.
The ones that really s*#t me are the blowins, with items for offer. Dont contribute in any other aspect, and disappear just as quick.
I agree that anyone who has done the right thing and included all details for a buy sell should not be subjected to close srutiny or negative comments on the price or item. As Bug Boy said if you don't want to buy it or have anything positive to say then move on.
More 2c worth. Expensive night😉

Two guns...Deep an meaningful,alot said,well said,could
'nt have put it better myself.

Well I didnt make an offer and I havent made comment on this bus, so some one is a bit confused,
All I have said is the majority of people who have answered this poll believe splits are the best.
Cheers
Dave

And Kal Kombi
Why am I a dreamer when you admit I didnt make an offer,
It is obvious who is dreaming, are we a bit slow or something as no-one knows what you are on about.

I have a 57 kombi, i paid $1500 for it 2 years ago and am too scared to keep records on the money i have spent so far, and it still needs bodywork, paint, interior, etc.
My mate Shane is selling his 55 and has been placed on this site for $30k but I convinced him to try and sell it here in Oz and know it is open to offers, Obviously there is a limited market for something in this condition so he wants the highest price to save it going overseas

[Edited on 2-6-2003 by 57kombi]

[Edited on 2-6-2003 by 57kombi]

sorry dave... i read wrong. i thought you missed out only on transport costs....

does anyone know who bought the dessert bus and for how much.....
i hope it wasnt another that has gone os.

I admit I do have gripes at prices people want for parts or vehicles. I.E damages parts or wanting $10k for a bus that needs restoring,.
People think they can go and find a split in a field and then get $10.000 for it by placing it on here.
These people are wankers and dont know how much it costs to restore a bus.
My mates 55 cost him a couple of hundred dollars and he has spent $30.000
That doesnt include his time.

How can you restore a vehicle when the initial purchase price is in the thousands.
If our mate from W.A. said he sold it and then the purchaser had to pay $600 for transport, how much does this bus owe the new buyer already?
You can still buy splits that need full resto for unber $1000.
I bought a split that just needed an engine, O.K. it was rough but it drove and it only cost $100. that was 1 year ago
Just my view
Cheers
Dave

i also find it interesting that kalkombi's only interest in this forum was to sell his apparent dream project.....

would love to know what the outcome was... maybe dakdat got it...



[Edited on 2/6/2003 by twoguns]

Actually Twoguns, you've proved my point.

You,ve modified it to make a reasonable ride.
Why did you do that??

Because they are a slow old truck....😀

[Edited on 2-6-2003 by Spook]

Lets see how many people I can upset.

Split kombis look cool. But they drive like a beetle only worse. So I will stick to my type 3's and T2's. Maybe switch to a caravelle later on.

TWO GUNS
quote
"and yes i would think of selling it for the oportunity of the owning the '55... "
and quote
"but also people who are genuinely wanting to sell should be upfront about it and make it easier for all concerned."

Well then how much? , I genuinely desire to own a splity like yours .MITCHELL😎.

To Dave,
In an earlier post you wrote that you would pay a hell of a lot more than $5000 for a good split which for my part read like you are looking for one, so I was curious as to why I didn't hear from you regarding the bus thus my lighthearted
comment.
Regarding the comment by Grey57 about Blowin's, If the Blowin sells an item to a fellow VW enthusiast in Australia, is that not considered a contribution to AussieVeeDubberdom and does that make all champion one star learner dubbers potential Blowins in that particular cliquey groups minds.
For my 2c worth i believe the only two ways to know what ones splitty is worth is to sell it or have it valued by an insurer.
thanks.
Chris

Thats what I luv about this forum Chris , everybody gets to express their views and spend thier 2 cents.

You have a fair point and I hadn't looked at it from that angle.

Still maintain my view on the courtesy of selling tho. Item , Price and contact details.
Cheers
Dean

hey spook... if you look at all these vw's. alot have been modified. i put disc on my beetle to help it stop. sway bars to make it handle better. people convert to irs... lets face it they are all old. i think there are a lot of vw's that although people are saying they are orig... they have mechanical mods. i remember going to the tip once with a bus FULL of rubbish from a house i have. anyway i tipped the scales at 1.9 tons the bloke at the tip was chuffed. at the time i had the original 1200cc, reduction hubs and four wheel drums. the bus pulled up henry parry drive (those who live or know gosford will know) no probs. her lil' heart was pounding, but as i went over the hill my heart started as i just wasnt slowing. that was when i decided to upgrade when i did the rebuild.
i would think that the only thing that would come close to a split would be a layed down, de-chromed, empi fitted, sound induced, nos propelled square back notch.... of course in matt black or maybe grey this time........😀

waltermitty... as for mine being for sale. refer my post 'my matt black beast'... sorry to get you wet around the chaps.

and kalkombi. i think that you've proven to me that you were not an enthusiast and that you merely came across an oportunity to buy and sell a commodity at a profit... best wishes to you. the forum is for the benefit of sharing with your fellow dubber. you seemd to have demonstrated a lack of this.

To Twogums, Self appointed forum guru and VW zealot,
That sounds distinctly like a judgement to me, yet another contradiction.
If being a VW enthusiast means selling at a loss I guess I'm not one, by your definition.
Here is something I'd like to share with you for free.
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." Albert Einstein.

brilliantly said Albert KALstein.

OK. so are we all done yet? can we move on? close this thread? There was once a time when VW's were the car of peace loving hippies.

exactly

yeah i really am a big fan of split kombi's, but in stock form a bay is much much better to drive as well as safer. Plus you can pick up bays for dirt cheap right now...

If money was no object i would have a split.

It's not really a question of money being no object.

If you went after a restored barndoor or samba, then yes, your talking big dollars.
If you find a '57 thats been used to store the firewood for the last 20 years, that's incredibly negotiable.

As an owner of both a "bent" & a split, the bent is far superior to the split.
But then, it's meant to be.

Sort of defeats the purpose of upgrading if they're not.......😎

hmm if money was no object I'd get myself a T5 V6 that had been given a custom workover by oettinger(POA).

Or possibly a porsche turbo($300+K)

But then an AMG modded merc ($154K) would look nice wrapped around my butt too and only half the price.

Who am I kidding a Honda S2000 is half that again and still well and trully a wet dream.

Halve that again and I could restore the oval and trade up on yet another mitsy lancer.

Aaaah yes, i'm still dreamin. I'll be driving my $400 kombi for a while yet.

They handle and ride better.....



(actually this is a name used by some in the US to describe bays - the term largely grew out of discussion likes those above and 'fat chicks' was the split drivers answer - ie yes they do but do you want one?).

I apologise for the boderline political correctness of this comment - I offer it as a piece of information only.

RobK

[Edited on 4-6-2003 by splitbusaustralia]

now i am larfing....😀 fat chicks... i think i like 'bentscreen' better.

Watch it Rob, the way the forum is going they will hang and quater you for comments like that.

Cheers
Dave
what is politicol correctness?????:jesus

i have sold 4 split buses in the past year and i sold the first 2 for $800 the next for$1000 and the last one for $2000 ,all to people on this forum and all now restoring them, there happy i hope i,m happy there getting restored rather than sitting in my shed ,if you want splits i can find them don,t worry
david:o:o

Hehe, haha, what a topic!

I don't get it though, why would you bother getting upset about what price someone wants for something? If you reckon it's too much, don't buy it or negotiate. Seems reasonable to me... isn't it? No splitty-bashing, or person-who-bashes-splitties-bashing.

I love splitties! I saw one sans-motor for a grand the other day... One day I'll own one. I will.🙂

Peace!
Aurel

This post is over one year old. Time flies

It will keep resurfacing.

And Im still no closer to getting mine on the road.

Cheers
Dave

I thought "over priced shoe boxes" were WRXs !
.......even though I paid the same price as a rusted out bug for my splitty, I'll put about 20k into it anyway.....
😎😎😎

Splits are iconic - globally - and getting rare, thats why they are expensive. They are representative a specific time in the 20th century that changed the world, and people identify with them because of that, and the fact they were common. This is why they pop up in advertising all the time - they are sooooo appealling."Bent" windows will end up in this league too.

Other common defining iconic vehicles are probably porsche 356/911, citroen ds, 57 chev, mgb, mini cooper s, e-type jags, etc etc....australian specifics are the SLR5000, GTHO, Sandman and the mighty P76

Ghias are rare, gorgeous, but not iconic

beetles are as common as muck (not dissin the beetle tho')

type 3's rock - the best driving car vw ever made, but alas not iconic

My splitty is noisy, slow, smelly and pretty much crap, but I've been driving it every day for 10 years and I wouldn't have anything else because it makes me happy and calm when I drive it.

peace love and mung beans
BB

Splits are iconic - globally - and getting rare, thats why they are expensive. They are representative a specific time in the 20th century that changed the world, and people identify with them because of that, and the fact they were common. This is why they pop up in advertising all the time - they are sooooo appealling."Bent" windows will end up in this league too.

Other common defining iconic vehicles are probably porsche 356/911, citroen ds, 57 chev, mgb, mini cooper s, e-type jags, etc etc....australian specifics are the SLR5000, GTHO, Sandman and the mighty P76

Ghias are rare, gorgeous, but not iconic

beetles are as common as muck (not dissin the beetle tho')

type 3's rock - the best driving car vw ever made, but alas not iconic

My splitty is noisy, slow, smelly and pretty much crap, but I've been driving it every day for 10 years and I wouldn't have anything else because it makes me happy and calm when I drive it.

peace love and mung beans
BB

bump

beetles are iconic. they are the only reason there is Volkswagen at all.

Hehe, i like how the yanks also call superbugs "fat chicks" too.

Are they overpriced? In some cases yes, definitely yes. In other cases, no.

The old I sunk 40k into it why shouldn’t I ask 30k is a crock. Money poured into something doesn’t make it worth more. If an original rust free bare shell is worth $X, is a bare shell that has had $X multiplied by 5 of rust repairs worth more? Absolutely not.

Price will be determined by many factors. The desirability of that particular model at that particular time and a person with that particular taste being around will decide the price the market will bare.

Then there are people who are in control of hordes who are simply trying to gouge enthusiasts because they can.

overpriced old truck?



$120,000 and reserve not met...

I got my 66' Splity in 98' for 2 grand, one year later I was seeing lesser vans for 5K, I was quite a glad lad.

and now wow,