Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

47p2 · Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 2009 Location: Glasgow

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ROVER
One of Britain's Fine Cars

ka · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 600 Location: Orkney.

Probably not, but as with anything, items are worth how much the next person will pay for it!
I would not pay,(even if I had it) £12m for a Ferrari, but as an investment, and not a vehicle, sounds a fair bet.
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KA

Better three than four.

Rootes75 · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:05 am Post subject:

We spent the weekend with relatives down near Launceston in Cornwall, last night on the way back to Somerset (a trip of approx. 100 miles) we counted/passed 18 VW campers travelling on the opposite carriageway. That's not all though, we gave up after about 30 miles as the kids did get quite bored of camper spotting!

They are so common.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

Bitumen Boy · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:35 am Post subject:

At least if people are wasting their money on these they aren't pushing the prices of other, nicer, more usable classics into the ridiculous bracket Smile

lowdrag · Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 1600 Location: Le Mans

Rewind to 2011. It was the same then

A fortnight earlier I had bought a Samba for £25,000, one that had spent most of its life in a museum and was in superb condition except for a rusty rear valance.

clan chieftain · Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Posts: 2041 Location: Motherwell

The VW camper is a rot box that you cant swing a cat in. I don't see why they command such prices.
The Bedford CF Landcruiser is a much roomier and better looking camper for a fraction of the price. Cool

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Rootes75 · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:43 pm Post subject:

Being biased towards Rootes vehicles I'd go for a Commer PA/PB camper, a lot prettier in my opinion.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

Peter_L · Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:51 pm Post subject:

Vehicle likes and dislikes, each to their own. I have never had any desire to own an older VW.

US TV show "American Pickers", Mike loves VW's. In this clip he finds a nest of them, including the rare 23 window version.

Maybe the guy who has it buried on his lot should have thought about restoring it 10 years ago when there may have been a chance of doing so.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=umdT4SNr01E

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7074 Location: Derby

There must be hundreds of these camper vans sitting garages waiting to be finished, although maybe not the Samba 23 window model. It seems to me that many people who take on the restoration of a VW camper do so with the intention of taking their family away on holiday and enjoying some classic motoring at the same time. What people fail to realise, at least in the beginning, is the sheer amount of work that is needed to bring what is usually a rust bucket, back to health. By the time the restoration is finished, the kids have grown up and no longer want to take holidays with Mum and Dad...

While the mechanicals are straightforward enough in their original form, the temptation is to improve on them. The 1200 cc flat 4 boxer engine while acceptable in a beetle, is quite hopeless in a fully laden camper and a more powerful engine, often with a turbo charger is substituted. Then the suspension up graded, the ride height lowered, the reduction boxes on the rear wheels discarded and many other alterations made and the bills mount up. The degree with which these vehicles disintegrate entirely of their own accord is truly spectacular. The biggest problem being that after a while, there is nothing to weld to and by the time the amateur realises that he is out of his depth, and the van has to be sent to a bodyshop, the game is up.

I wouldn't pay a lot for a "fun" vehicle like this but they can sometimes appeal to guys with deep pockets and if a good one becomes available the competition between them can, as we have seen, leave the rest of us shaking our heads in disbelief. Interestingly, these "investments" always seem to come back onto the market again - presumably to show a profit Question

DanH · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 6:47 am Post subject:

I grew up with the VW Kombi as a family vehicle, my father owned a succession of them including a couple of double-cab pickups. They were a pretty good machine, taking us away on annual holidays, hauling all manner of things around and getting Dad back and forth to work every day. WQhen he was buying them in the 80's and 90's you could still get a pretty good example for reasonable money. It only seems to be in recent years that the prices have become ridiculous, with even complete wrecks commanding big money.

I have seen restored split-screen Kombi's sell here in NZ for over $50,000!

Rust was the issue that forced Dad to buy another one in every occasion, he only wishes now that he had stuck them all in the back of the shed rather than selling them!

For such a common car I can't understand the prices. There are equally nice old vans around if you are in the market for one. My choice would be a Morris J-Type.

Dan

colwyn500 · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 1745 Location: Nairn, Scotland

This sort of question crops up so frequently these days because in the UK, at least, people can invest in classic vehicles and then pay no capital gains tax on the increase in value when they sell. I don't know if that applies in any other countries.
Obviously the VW is cramped, but unless you buy one of those creations which are as big as an ocean liner, all campers are relatively small.
You can't swing a mouse in mine. Very Happy

I just want slightly more comfortably camping (fortunately).
As for underpowered..I have 903cc. Rolling Eyes

DSC_6176 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr

DSC_6265 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr

clan chieftain · Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Posts: 2041 Location: Motherwell

I was having a look at your flickr photos. By heck that had some serious rust. Cool

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Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22778 Location: UK

15 or so years ago, erindoors took a photo of a split-window VW (probably a camper) on its side, abandoned, in a wood in northern Portugal. I'm beginning to wonder if I should have gone down there with a trailer Confused

It probably wasn't a Samba, with all the extra roof windows, but would probably have been restorable.

RJ
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colwyn500 · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 1745 Location: Nairn, Scotland

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7074 Location: Derby

A true but sad story. A neighbour of mine had spent every spare moment over a number of years restoring a split screen camper and had made a really good job of it; I mean really beautiful and correct in every way. It was sprayed in two tone blue and looked like it had just come out of the showroom.

The guy's son had just passed his driving test and borrowed the VW to show his friends. Exactly what happened, I don't know but the lad clipped a kerb and turned it over. A wonder that no one was killed but the van was badly bent.

All the father would say was how lucky the son was to escape with minor injuries but he must have felt sickened by the way the camper had folded up.