No, but Mk1/2 Escorts were and they go for insane prices these days. 2CVs are getting very expensive indeed, Morris Minor prices are on the up, nice Renault 4s are nudging £2k, Fiat 500s are out of my price range etc.

I will concede that VW price rises are the daftest of the lot though. There appear to be a lot of people out there with too much cash and no friends who will pay anything to get into a ready-made 'lifestyle' and 'social circle'.

Anyway, as long as they stay sky-high until I decide to get rid of my Split camper, I'm not really that bothered. I can't see myself ever owning that split Beetle I've wanted for 35 years, but I'll just have to accept it.

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Talking of crazy prices...

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110571388464&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123#ht_786wt_920 

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That interior is just Nasty:shock:

prices will go up due to demand and less of certain models available every year,barn finds seem to becoming less recently so fresh cars will eventually dissapear

i agree that ghias will up in price...i even think type3s and even fastbacks will go up as well as people look to over options to get into vws

its a bit like the housing market,many people have bgt there cars years ago for very little money and they have been very good investments.

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Houses aren't selling Si,and i think at these prices, and going up,some sellers will struggle to part with their VW.
Top,top cars are selling for these prices,but people are advertising lesser cars for top dollar.

As tasteful as a Turkish knocking shop.:roll:
...no offence to our Turkish friends of course.:wink:

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The exterior isn't great either! I wonder what they were thinking, maybe they should be checked out for substance abuse 😳

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I'm not been funny but my friend once drove to London with his Dad, in his works van. It happened to be an early T2. It took them 19 hours to get there due to a headwind!!!! In some instances they were in 1st gear going up hills. Now someone tell me that that's cool!

Some people want a T2 having never driven one. In the mid eighties we bought Mercedes 207 Diesel van, it would only do 55 mph uphill and 65 mph on the flat! It was a proper pain to drive and if it was windy:( When we swopped it for a T4 it was a 78 bhp revelation!

At least a 1200 Beetle is faster (just) than the 56 mph limited speed limit of HGV's and the like!

Me I'll stick to my T5, it's brill!!!!

My bone stock 1200 engine is good for a LOT more than 56 mph. :wink:

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Hi

I had a little blast in my 65 1200, with KPH speedo, and had 110 kph on a short stretch of road.

 IMG_2131.JPG You have insufficient rights to see the content.

If rarity = high price, does anyone want to buy my 60,000 mile from new RHD 412LE Variant?

Probably rarer than a split window bug these days......

:lol:

This is really going round in circles. Why can't some simply understand the pattern here? The more you want your ovals and splits, the more sellers out there who know this (through the internet and indeed enthusiast forums like this one) will charge higher prices. A trend or a fashion generates a market niche, it's a natural process, nothing weird about this. And even those trying to flog off some dodgy car for more than it's worth will naturally think that it's bound to gather interest since it's still from a breed of vehicle which is in demand. And yes, it's exactly the same as in the housing market, certainly in London anyway. So, don't be surprised...:wink:

Rob's your man.

meh!

I disagree! We've been through a recession (and might be going further into it soon) The housing Market has been very flat with a lot of properties losing value and yet VW prices seem to keep going up. Maybe VWs are better investments at the moment and that has pushed prices up but I don't think it's supply and demand. Ironically old VWs are less rare today than they've ever been, 20 years ago you would never see a Heb for sale anywhere, now there's usually one for sale on the Internet somewhere - same for a lot of other models also.

However, my original point was less about the actual prices and more about the effect of them on the hobby. It's now a fact of life that old VWs are expensive, but is that good for the hobby or bad?

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What colour is it?

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So we agree Rob, like I said, a concentrated demand for the same very specific models generated by a trend can only mean an increase in prices, even if there are apparently lots surfacing here and there through the internet.

Whether it's good or bad for the hobby, it's bound to happen. Trends and fashions push up prices. It happens at varying scales in all car enthusiasts' circles but not as much as in VW circles because it remains the most famous car in the world and no other car has affected cultures all over as this curious little insect on wheels. No other car can claim to have started its life as a sinister reminder of a pre-war enemy dictatorship's alarming industrial and technological progress, then be painted over with peace signs and flowers to carry hippies to Woodstock and finally reach maturity and assurance at the pinnacle of its fame by representing the cool chunky convertible for glamorous girls with Farrah hair in California! What a piece of history, which many, all over the world, will naturally want to own a share of!
Maybe it was a cheap hobby in the 70s and 80s but it was too early then to see what is now the bigger overall picture of this amazing 60-odd year-old film. Now we appreciate that and the hobby created around the myth has invited unavoidable potential for a market to supply and satisfy the needs of fans.
It's not too kind to our pockets now but already, back in the days when I bought good split window beetles for £2K/£3K throughout the 90s, I remember a lot of older enthusiasts reminiscing even better good old days when no one cared about these old clapped-out tanks that only a few anoraks like them would care to save from the graveyard for £50. So really, does anything change?:wink:

Anna?:d

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Yes James! Girls in glamorous California...and Kent!:wink:

Sussex actually...but who's counting.

She'll be cavorting on Southsea Common in her bikini on Sunday...don't worry pictures will be forthcoming.8)

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