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Old Blue
11 years ago
Looking around at classified adverts on this site, the Samba and elsewhere, there are a lot of Ovals for sale, and it would appear that supply of these Beetles is well in excess of demand, even to the point that they seem more readily available than the early rectangular window cars. Another point I've noticed is how often some cars have a short period of ownership then are put up for sale again. Frequent change of ownership does nothing for a car's history file, and is not attractive to some collectors.

In contrast, Split Window Beetles are far less prolific, with few offered for sale, in fact there are more wanted adverts for them than for sale ads. 1940s Splits, like early cabrios are now the cars of dreams and very difficult to acquire unless you have won the lottery. The problem with Karmann cabrios and Hebmullers is that the asked prices are above what they are actually worth when compared to some of the prestige non-VW classics available.

1964 on Beetles, those with the large window area and thinner window pillars (like my 1968 Beetle, Old Blue), are of course plentiful, if not as desireable, but even here values of all are climbing. No more £300 drive home 1970s anymore.

When we get to the VW Type ll Split bus/transporter, there are always a good few on offer, but the bloated prices asked for them mean that they are advertised for months on end and often fail to sell.

My VW dream is to acquire a Split Beetle, but I fear that values of these are going to continue to climb, because as indicated above, demand appears to be in excess of supply. This would also seem to make them the wise VW investment, as their values are not yet where the Cabrios have reached.
1956 VW Beetle, 1962 Morris Minor, 1968 VW Beetle (Old Blue), 1972 Morris Mini, 2005 MGTF

Blue, blue, Electric Blue, that's the colour of Old Blue!
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pre67vw
11 years ago
I agree 100%
Rob Amos
Happiness is a stock VW
ste VW agen
11 years ago
Hey Mr. Blue!

Well - Said! :beer:

For 30 Years (since 1982) I've stored my OWN '56 Black , original , 1 - 0wner (prior to me) oval in a dry barn in North Carolina. I had told myself that I would roll it out and restore it to it's former glory one day after becoming rich & famous.

Well, I'm famous now for the wrong things, and rich only in life's experience, but I decided anyway in September of this year that I would return to that barn and pull her out into the sun once again, and tow her to Metalkraft in Cincinnati to begin that loooooooooooooong - delayed resto :omg: My plane tickets (from Hong Kong to Washington D.C.) were in hand, and my anticipation was keen! But then ................ who would have guessed ............ :shock:

A SPLIT came my way! Ugghhhhhhhhhhhhh !! (and a sunroof to boot!) What to do? THIS split had also been in a barn in New York for 44 years, and was similarly complete and original, but much more rusty! I had to act FAAAASSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT So I agreed and sent a BIG wad of dollars to the owner before ever laying eyes on the treasure! THERE WENT MY OVAL MONEY!!! :wink: :cry:

Soooooooooooo ......... I DID indeed hire a rig and DID indeed pull an old Beetle out of a barn and towed it to Metalkraft, but it was the SPLIT instead of my own beautiful "Barn Find" Oval!! Indeed we ALL dream of owning a split, and this dream is becoming ever harder to fulfill .............. so when the opportunity came up to recover and restore a beautiful, solid, low - milage oval, or go on a wild goose chase and buy up a rusty old split .................... and become bankrupt AGAIN, you KNOW what choice i made!!

You would have too! :thumbup: :lol: :beer:

Meanwhile, i DID pull out 'ol '56 from that Barn, but just long enough to put new wheels and rubber on her so that "maybe" next year, i can give Mark yet another project!

Keep on dreaming those "Split Dreams" cuz they ARE still out there .............. but don't give up that nice oval UNTIL the split window is in your grasp! Nice, complete, stock ovals are NOT that plentiful :wink:

Pics on the way ........

Mr. Barn Find - Ste VW e




I Ha VW e a Dream!! (Well ...... err, Many!)
1) '49 Hebmueller (project)
2) '51 Split Sunroof (project)
3) '56 Oval Ste VW agen (project)
4 & 5) '67 Kabriolett x 2 (projects)
6) '18 K Gold Split Pendant around my neck since 1976 (complete & original)
GKL 7
11 years ago
The fact that there were 10 times more Ovals than Splits manufactured, wouldn't have anything to do with any of this,would it?
ste VW agen
11 years ago
Split Decisions ??????????

Hmmmmmmmm :?

 Split Dreaming Oval.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.  Split Dreams 2.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.
I Ha VW e a Dream!! (Well ...... err, Many!)
1) '49 Hebmueller (project)
2) '51 Split Sunroof (project)
3) '56 Oval Ste VW agen (project)
4 & 5) '67 Kabriolett x 2 (projects)
6) '18 K Gold Split Pendant around my neck since 1976 (complete & original)
Rich Oakley
11 years ago
There have always been a lot more Ovals for sale than Splits, this is nothing unusual, but I do have to agree that there seems to be more Ovals for sale at the moment than usual.

Interest in the rarer stuff has sky-rocketted in the past few years and hence prices likewise. If only I'd had the foresight to buy that Heb I got offered for £8k in 1994...
47 Beetle, 56 UK Karmann Cabriolet, 56 UK Beetle, 57 UK Type 2, 59 UK Beetle, 66 UK Fastback.
chrisbug91
11 years ago
I agree with the comments mentioned. Also there seems to be a significant lack of good stock original small big window and 60's beetles on the market for a while now, I remember a few years ago there used to be a fair few. I might just be looking in the wrong places though, at least on the classifieds on here there seem to be more ovals than later cars.
1975 1300 (1 family owned)
GKL 7
11 years ago

If only I'd had the foresight to buy that Heb I got offered for £8k in 1994...

Rich Oakley wrote:





You must have been about 10 back then Rich.:wink:

I paid £1400 for two splits back in the eighties:( (But then a pint of beer was about
50p)

It's everything,not only Volkswagens,i'm afraid.
pre67vw
11 years ago
This car seems to have been for sale forever...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1957-Oval-VW-BEETLE-Golde-Sunroof 

Yes there have always been more ovals than splits, but I think there are more ovals around now than 20 years ago - they used to be fairly rare but I guess more have been imported or restored. Same with split screen vans, there are way more around now.

Split beetles are more desirable to collectors for sure, but I think in reality Ovals are more 'usable' classics.
Rob Amos
Happiness is a stock VW
GKL 7
11 years ago

This car seems to have been for sale forever...

pre67vw wrote:




Rob,take a second read through that advert.
I think it's obvious why it's not sold.
(e.g 1303 wiring loom,no engine,later seats)
pre67vw
11 years ago

Rob,take a second read through that advert.
I think it's obvious why it's not sold.
(e.g 1303 wiring loom,no engine,later seats)

GKL 7 wrote:



I read it, it's a project. Nothing done to it that can't be undone and you could end up with a very nice car.
Rob Amos
Happiness is a stock VW
GKL 7
11 years ago

I read it, it's a project. Nothing done to it that can't be undone and you could end up with a very nice car.

pre67vw wrote:





Yes , but when there are SOOOOOO many Ovals for sale,why would you choose that one.
AW
  • AW
  • pre67vw Junkie
11 years ago
It would be ok as a start point to sling it down the strip at the Pod etc :omg:




Andy W
chrisbug91
11 years ago

I read it, it's a project. Nothing done to it that can't be undone and you could end up with a very nice car.

pre67vw wrote:



I read on another site that it is beyond viable restoration, the dash has been completely welded up I think.
1975 1300 (1 family owned)
rudolf hucker
11 years ago
The Oval is my old car......................Ok when I sold it. The new owner seems to have put special effort into ruining it. Like so many do!
Old Blue
11 years ago

The fact that there were 10 times more Ovals than Splits manufactured, wouldn't have anything to do with any of this,would it?

GKL 7 wrote:


Yes, you have served to underline my point.

With a good number of Ovals officially made for the UK market as opposed to zero Splits and few early ('50s) Cabrios, coupled with the large amount of private Oval imports in recent years there are just too many available here when you take into account the tiny proportion of the population interested in collecting vintage VWs. Then take from that the proportion of them not wanting an Oval, but a Split Window Beetle or a Cabrio and there is an excess of Ovals here. I think that good RHD UK Ovals will still be saught after and attract a good value, being so useable here and of course rarer than their LHD counterparts. Having said that, the Samba seems to be awash with Ovals too.

Also, I think that it is a shame that the fruits of Last Triumph's fascinating recommissioning of his Oval has now seen the car back up for sale so quickly. I really think that cars that change hands too often lose some of their mystique, and consequently some of their collector appeal.
1956 VW Beetle, 1962 Morris Minor, 1968 VW Beetle (Old Blue), 1972 Morris Mini, 2005 MGTF

Blue, blue, Electric Blue, that's the colour of Old Blue!
Old Blue
11 years ago

Interest in the rarer stuff has sky-rocketted in the past few years and hence prices likewise. If only I'd had the foresight to buy that Heb I got offered for £8k in 1994...

Rich Oakley wrote:


Yes it certainly has. I wish I'd bought the 1947 Split that was auctioned here by Sotherby's about 10 years ago.:(
1956 VW Beetle, 1962 Morris Minor, 1968 VW Beetle (Old Blue), 1972 Morris Mini, 2005 MGTF

Blue, blue, Electric Blue, that's the colour of Old Blue!
Old Blue
11 years ago

Yes , but when there are SOOOOOO many Ovals for sale,why would you choose that one.

GKL 7 wrote:


I agree. Take into account all the hard work and effort required, plus the expense and it'd be wiser to purchase a good original car. Because at the end of it all the restored car will be just that - a restored car. £5-£8k should still secure a really original and excellent Oval.
1956 VW Beetle, 1962 Morris Minor, 1968 VW Beetle (Old Blue), 1972 Morris Mini, 2005 MGTF

Blue, blue, Electric Blue, that's the colour of Old Blue!
Old Blue
11 years ago

Hey Mr. Blue!

Well - Said! :beer:

For 30 Years (since 1982) I've stored my OWN '56 Black , original , 1 - 0wner (prior to me) oval in a dry barn in North Carolina. I had told myself that I would roll it out and restore it to it's former glory one day after becoming rich & famous.

Well, I'm famous now for the wrong things, and rich only in life's experience, but I decided anyway in September of this year that I would return to that barn and pull her out into the sun once again, and tow her to Metalkraft in Cincinnati to begin that loooooooooooooong - delayed resto :omg: My plane tickets (from Hong Kong to Washington D.C.) were in hand, and my anticipation was keen! But then ................ who would have guessed ............ :shock:

A SPLIT came my way! Ugghhhhhhhhhhhhh !! (and a sunroof to boot!) What to do? THIS split had also been in a barn in New York for 44 years, and was similarly complete and original, but much more rusty! I had to act FAAAASSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT So I agreed and sent a BIG wad of dollars to the owner before ever laying eyes on the treasure! THERE WENT MY OVAL MONEY!!! :wink: :cry:

Soooooooooooo ......... I DID indeed hire a rig and DID indeed pull an old Beetle out of a barn and towed it to Metalkraft, but it was the SPLIT instead of my own beautiful "Barn Find" Oval!! Indeed we ALL dream of owning a split, and this dream is becoming ever harder to fulfill .............. so when the opportunity came up to recover and restore a beautiful, solid, low - milage oval, or go on a wild goose chase and buy up a rusty old split .................... and become bankrupt AGAIN, you KNOW what choice i made!!

You would have too! :thumbup: :lol: :beer:

Meanwhile, i DID pull out 'ol '56 from that Barn, but just long enough to put new wheels and rubber on her so that "maybe" next year, i can give Mark yet another project!

Keep on dreaming those "Split Dreams" cuz they ARE still out there .............. but don't give up that nice oval UNTIL the split window is in your grasp! Nice, complete, stock ovals are NOT that plentiful :wink:

Pics on the way ........

Mr. Barn Find - Ste VW e

ste VW agen wrote:


An interesting dilemma 'ste VW agen', but realy an easy choice - and you made it.

I'd love a Split, especially a 1940s built in Germany under british direction. That would help my Jewish descent wife warm a little to having a Beetle. There is a really nice looking 1948 on the Samba, but at 49,000 Euros, and who knows if all the wings and panels are original just by photos. Then I'm not sure if it is too late to have been built under British direction. I think VW was handed back to Germany proper early 1948.
1956 VW Beetle, 1962 Morris Minor, 1968 VW Beetle (Old Blue), 1972 Morris Mini, 2005 MGTF

Blue, blue, Electric Blue, that's the colour of Old Blue!
GKL 7
11 years ago


Also, I think that it is a shame that the fruits of Last Triumph's fascinating recommissioning of his Oval has now seen the car back up for sale so quickly. I really think that cars that change hands too often lose some of their mystique, and consequently some of their collector appeal.

Old Blue wrote:




I've actually owned the car longer than LT.
I didn't see you bleeting and moaning when he sold it.

TOO Many Ovals? Simple,just leave it to the idiots who slam them and knock them to hell AHEM!!
They'll soon work their way through them.



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