VW Type 2 Camper resto - how long/pricey is my piece of string?

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VW Type 2 Camper resto - how long/pricey is my piece of string?

31 posts & 27 voices | Started 3 months ago by chipps | Latest reply from Mike_D

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chipps - I work here

My girlfriend has a VW Type 2, bay window campervan. V-reg I think.

She took it to the local garage about five years ago for a new recon engine fit and some bodywork. Long story but she then ran out of money and it's sat there for for years. Surprisingly, when she reapproached the garage last year to see about paying for the engine fit, the guy still had it safely stored and was happy to carry on where she left of. That's the good bit. The idea was hatched for him to do it up so that she could sell it to recover the cost of the engine and bodywork.

Trouble is, there's all sorts of issues with the body, as you might expect, and it's needing a ton of work. On the plus side, it's getting a virtually bare-metal restoration. On the minus side, it's going to cost a fortune and is going to end up costing way more than it'll ever sell for... Especially if you go for a mirror-finish paintjob and new interior...

At what point does she get the garage to stop fixing it and start trying to sell it? Basic MOT and flatted filler with no interior? Or put the brown '80s interior in and primer it? Or spend £10K more on a mirror finish respray and custom interior, and try to sell it for £20K?

I can't say I'm a VW fan, so I'm not even that keen on doing it up, swallowing the £10K it's already going to take to get it even on the road and keeping it.

All advice/stories of woe welcome

Posted 3 months ago #
wwaswas - Member

Have a chat with Dom at Kinesis - he's getting some work done on his and the place doign it will probably be abel to tell you more about the economics of what you;re planning as they sell them too.

Posted 3 months ago #
swisstony - Member

General rules are whatever you think for time and cash, then times by three. Oh and you never sell it for more than the restoration costs so it's got to be a labour of love rather than to make money.

Posted 3 months ago #
muppetWrangler - Member

If its a purely financial decision, pay for the work to date, sell it as it is and walk away.

Posted 3 months ago #
Mike_D - Member

At what point does she get the garage to stop fixing it and start trying to sell it?

I'm going to go with "right now" That thing about it costing more than it'll sell for applies as soon as you start spending.

Posted 3 months ago #
wheeliejim - Member

I have nightmares about things like this.

Posted 3 months ago #
GlitterGary - Member

Just get a Fiat Panda.

Posted 3 months ago #
chipps - I work here

I can get a Panda once the thing's out the way.

Mike_D - that's my kind of thought so far.

Posted 3 months ago #
Mike_D - Member

Is it worse than this one?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1971-bay-window-vw-camper-project-/230734128233?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item35b8d36469

Posted 3 months ago #
trail_rat - Member

fix up to keep / get personal gratification of driving the vehicle

sell to sell if moneys the thing

dont fix to sell unless doing the work your self and its the work part of the fixing up that you enjoy as oppose the driving it !

Posted 3 months ago #
thomthumb - Member

you won't make money unless you do all the work yourself.

can't you sell it as is and pay the garage what's owed?

Posted 3 months ago #
alexpalacefan - Member

Get rid mate, this could easily cost you LOTS of money!

APF

Posted 3 months ago #
cr500dom - Member

Cut your losses and get out of it....

Either as a project, or just do enough to get it MOT`ed and rolling again as that will generally fetch a higher price than a total project.

It`s never worth doing, but its easier to justify the spend if its your hobby and you enjoy the restoration

(Spoken as a man who has a 250hp RWD Opel Kadett, as the latest ongoing project. With probably 5 figures invested in it, and its still not finished)

I could have had a nice 911 for what the Kadett owes me, but anyone can buy one of those

Posted 3 months ago #
ART - Member

If its a purely financial decision, pay for the work to date, sell it as it is and walk away.

Easily the most succinct and wise words spoken. Your string would need to be endless. My bloke is in the trade, a welder and has restored these - he would say the same.

Posted 3 months ago #
Steelsreal - Member

depends what the base van is and what the interior is...

Is it a camper, what type etc. If it has some interest, and even an original brown interior could be interesting, it may be of more value as it is, rather than trying to get it done "quickly"

As it is quite late for a bay window, it probably will not have much interest for the "enthusiasts" unless it is a double door microbus with a factory sunroof...

try Volkszone or earlybay for opinions, and in my opinion, if you do get it fixed, get it done "properly" otherwise it will not be worth anything

Posted 3 months ago #
uselesshippy - Member

My brother inlaw does these for a living. Money pits, great to own if you fix it yourself, if not get shot of it.

Posted 3 months ago #
dave_aber - Member

Wow. Someone paid £700 for that eBay one!

Never ceases to amaze me how much people will spend on VWs. I know they are all kewl and that, but £700 for something that's almost 100% rust?

Posted 3 months ago #
Marko - Member

Just get it crushed/recycled.
One less of these planet shagging piles of poo is a good thing.
Why oh why do people bother with these heaps?
Hth
Marko

Posted 3 months ago #
Junkyard - Member

what they say you will never make any money unless you do all the work yourself and they are crap as well

Posted 3 months ago #
tron - Member

Sell it as it stands.

I'm still mid fettling a MK2 Golf GTI. It started out as being not too tatty - tiny patches of of surface rust, no shell issues, just ready for a respray.

Swapped one of the doors for a better one, found some welding that needed doing on the inner wings. Baring that, most of the car literally needed a flat down and prime before paint.

I'd not be surprised if just in the spraying kit, paint and prep materials if it stood me at a grand, and I did everything myself bar the welding, which was done by a mate.

Lots of the interior is still out of the car, and there's right old list of niggly jobs, which always seem to occur if you take a car to bits and put it back together. Just paying someone the going rate to sort out the niggles would be a very, very dear job.

Money wise, the best thing you can do is sell it now. If it's not been baremetalled all over, DIY the interior back in, simply because that proves to a buyer that it's all there.

Posted 3 months ago #
nealglover - Member

What camper conversion is it ? Some are worth more than others.

Anyone who is willing to buy it and finish it off themselves, would probably prefer it to be running and the rest left as it is. That way they can see that it's not been bodged, and problems hidden.

I certainly would prefer to buy an honest restoration job, untouched. rather than a half finished project with the possibility of hidden issues.

Personally, I would say that if you don't actually want classic campervan, and you dont know anything about them, then I wouldn't even start doing anything to it !!

It will be a complete money pit, and if you skimp and do it on the cheap, it will be obvious. Then it won't sell.

Why not offer it to the garage owner to clear the debt ??

Get away free and clear, and with your bank balance intact.

Posted 3 months ago #
PeterPoddy - Member

I had a '72 Bay in the 90s. I spent £2k on it back then in 3 years, and didn't even start on the bodywork. It would be very, very, very easy to spend £10k on one.

Which is a crackers amount of money. No 2 ways about it.

But you could EASILY spend that on a secondhand Eurobox TDi which in 3 years will be worth £5k

The bus will hold it's value far better.

But that's not why you should buy, restore or run a Bus. Do it because you want to, because you love it, because, quite simply, there's nothing to touch them, not new, not old... Nothing even close.

Posted 3 months ago #
Mike_D - Member

but £700 for something that's almost 100% rust?

I think I'd be a bit nervous about winching it onto a trailer. Wouldn't be surprised if only the bit with the cable attached made it on

Posted 3 months ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

My view - don't touch the interior or finish. get it MOTed if yu can without too much cost and then sell - that might be the way to get the most value for it for the least outlay

Posted 3 months ago #
dazz - Member

I've restored several cars & campers in the past, doing everything myself, painting, welding mechanics apart from the interior (wife to the rescue there)& there's barely any margin in it for profit, so I'd sell as it is. People buying VW campers are usually enthusiasts & don't mind, some vw perverts even enjoy the whole process & can build/restore to there own tastes.

Posted 3 months ago #
ginga - Member

I have two of these at the mo, a runner and a non runner which is in storage waiting for me to start working on it. Unfortunately I spend so much running the good one I haven't got time or cash to do up the other.

If its a V reg I doubt it'll ever be worth 20k no matter what, that sort of money is for splitties and occasionally an original early bay up to 72/3. You'd have to spend 20 to get 20. Personally I'd get rid for a decent price - obviously depends on the condition but renovation projects still fetch good(daft) money and get a van that does more than 25 mpg and doesn't need constant maintenance, oh and has a decent heater....
Have a look at http://www.kieftenklok.nl for top prices of buses.
Having said all that I'll never sell mine.....although I understand Marko!

cheers.
Ginga

Posted 3 months ago #
nwilko - Member

if you cant DIY and have any classic car you need to have enough money to never have to ask how much it will cost..
to restore a Bay to decent usable standard (ie MOT bits and basic paint / window rubbers to stop it degrading further will easily take £6k.
Problem comes with stopping yorself from justifying that the interior / pop top really needs replacing which you can easily spend another £3-5k on..
If the van owes you nothing now blowing £10k on a resto should be recoupable in a sale..
Problem is above this price most people want to have a straight van that they have evidence of the resto on and a perfect interior / exterior, if you need to later sell for £15-£20k to recover your costs your van will have to be perfect. their are plenty about where ppl are having to sell to cover costs / finance where they got carried away..

Posted 3 months ago #
konabunny - Member

Wow. Someone paid £700 for that eBay one!

Kinell. I can only assume that some ~~nutter~~ enthusiast bought it to strip it of the plastic/metal bits inside (speedo, steering wheel, whatever).

Posted 3 months ago #
shaggy - Member

You know I've been looking at VWs...
IMHO: If it doesn't cost much to get a MoT or get it running, do the work necessary then sell. Otherwise sell or let the garage have it depending on the bill. As MD points out, in a round-about way, eBay could be good for you and B.

Posted 3 months ago #
one_happy_hippy - Member

Had mine a decade, never worked for more than 3 months at anyone time. Must have had 10k+ by now, needs at least another 5k thrown at it.

As said before, if you can't do the work yourself you'll never make your money back on them.

They are simply a black hole for money, unless you love them then get it to a saleable point and let it go.

Posted 3 months ago #
Mike_D - Member

How far gone is it? If it's a long way off running/MOT you'll probably get the best return by stripping it and selling the bits, if you can be arsed/have the space. People are always on the lookout for complete interiors, even (sometimes especially) brown 70s ones. Similarly pop-tops, windows, all sorts. Recon engine will be worth a bit. And for the leftovers, scrap values are pretty high at the moment

Posted 3 months ago #

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