Just watched a youtube video of a 63 splitty that sold for $195,000 at an american auction! WTF. It may have cost the owner 100k to restore but that is one hell of a return. Sorry dont know how to do the link thing so you will have to look up 'worlds most expensive kombi'

The value of something is what ever it costs to purchase it. So if that is what it sold for, then that is its value. It is irrelevant what it cost the previous owner as that has nothing to do with what someone is willing to pay to now own that item. If I trip over a gold nugget and then sell it for 1 million dollars, then that is my good fortune, my actual cost is not relevent. Stockbrokers have been bundling up dodgy bits of paper and selling it for a fortune for ages now. My2c

http://m.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=a05hYEqF_Dw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%...

Yep the only way to set prices is a term called "what the market can bare". If you cant move a product at a price you have set then it is overpriced! Successful people in business Know how to set prices and will keep "their" customers happy to pay what they are asking!

Cost? Can anyone guesstimate?

Here is a rough one from me.

$30,000 Purchase original van ?
$20,000 Buy all parts ?
$20,000 Have all reconditioning done ?
$100,000 Body & paint labour 1000 hours plus at $100 per hour, materials etc

So if $170K was spent, it would not make much profit once the auctioneer takes a percentage.

The owner shure as shit looks like he made more than 30k. Must have been mexican labour 1000 hours at $15 per hour

Wasn't just a Split Window but it was a 23 Window Deluxe Samba Bus, different model Split Windows sell for different prices with Barndoors and Samba's being one of the highest in value.

sounds like XY GT type of scam too me cause no splitty should be worth that kind of money

Only if you paid someone to do it. Might be an inch of bog under the pretty paint. the usa is after all quite well known for having no shortage of garages offering $99 paintjobs. Considering old car values in the USA where you can buy a really nice Ghia for a couple of grand, I'm sure it would have cost next to nothing.

I am sure this was discussed on The Samba over12 months ago
Nice but not the original colours it came with.
Most are missing the point, yes its a 23 window Deluxe, but its only worth what someone is willing to pay "on the day"
There was obviously more than one person at the auction who wanted it and didnt know what they normally go for as better were available cheaper.
It doesnt matter what it sold for, the buyer is happy otherwise they would not have paid that much, the seller is happy as he didnt expect it to get that.
Both left that auction happy, whats wrong with that?
It did not push prices up as there are still nicer vans cheaper on the samba.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=469295 

I bet the new owner was disappointed when he drove it, the're not very nice to drive unless your prepared to IRS and ball joint them and that would maybe reduce the value of the car.

Maybe the body work was done on the cheap in Mexico, so there might be more profit in it, wonder how long it will look good for if that's the case?

Even expensive quality paint jobs can have problems

"Restored" cars have always been a good way to wash money, I'm just surprised at the amount of people that have their head in the sand

Can you imagine going home to the wife and telling her that you just bought a kombi van!
Her -"That's nice dear"
You - "$200,000.00"
Her - (insert what you like here)

^ Awesome, wouldn't get a complaint from me!

Remind me of a friend who bought a Tirana A9x on the side of the road for 8k in the 80's it turned out to be the last ever built. He kept it in his garage and sold it a few years back forb$195k

Gimme the bus over the torana anyday

Like all the GT Falcons that are over priced, there are not that many left because they handled like a dray and killed a lot of people, same as the Torana, it is obvious that quite a few people were biding on the kombi to get it to that price and they thought it was worth it.

The owner in the blue shirt looked like he had a good day. Good for him!

Nice colours!

If my memory is correct which it usually is not a 23 window samba sold for $230,0000 in the US a couple of years ago,
so at $195 k not to bad

Quote:

Originally posted by Imac If my memory is correct which it usually is not a 23 window samba sold for $230,0000 in the US a couple of years ago, so at $195 k not to bad

How many drag and race cars still run k& l and swing axle , good on the guy for getting what it went for at auction all the complainers are just jealous ha!

I drive a split everyday with straight axle , have driven and built many with k&l and IRS , end of the day not much difference between them , as miss vdub said don't own them for creature comforts

I''m with Ash and Klaus......When I want comfort I take the family car, but most times you'll see me cruising in the split.

As for the sale every car make has it's pinnacle, and the attitude of bloody old oil dripping kombi has know changed. I don't see my dubs as investments and I couldn't give two sh%ts what people pay for their dubs.