It is the first month of the year and for many car restorers, it is time to prepare for the upcoming huge vintage car events of 2013. A frenzy of activities is brewing on every vintage vehicle club wanting to show their latest creations or restorations. Rarity and the quality restoration craftsmanship share the top spot when it comes to the value of the vintage vehicle.
Though vintage car restoration is an exciting and educational activity, it also has its sad and dark spots. All the things that I am writing in this article is extracted from my very own experience and observation. I do not claim to be an expert in this field but I want to share with you what are my thoughts and beliefs in this area. Some of these beliefs are identical to those of my friends who are also involved in the restoration of rare vintage Volkswagen cars. Oh, my mistake—It is not a car. It’s a Volkswagen!
Every December while every other person in the continent of the U.S. catches a flu or fever, I dread a different type of fever virus—The VW bug and bus virus. This is a different type of “bug” because it infects both the body and the checkbook of a restorer. I say this because it is during the month of December when I feel the strong urge to purchase a rare VW bus or bug.
I have observed that during the months of November thru January, some old folks who own vintage VWs would start having the urge to sell their bugs or buses because they do not see the point of keeping it anymore or they just need the money. They would look at their VW and say, “I had fun with it for so long and now it is time for someone else to have fun with it and give it a good home”. For vintage vehicle lovers, the previous sentence is music to our ears. A number of these old owners do not know the real value of their vehicle causing them to price is way below the market value.
Since vintage cars are no longer in production, it becomes obvious that the supply can become a problem in meeting the demand. In the case of Volkswagens, the demand far exceeds the supply. This is a factor that drives the prices up every time the year rolls over because the supply will continue to decline as the ones with less rust and repair becomes depleted.
The high demand for these old cars is fueled by a large number of car enthusiasts who are fiercely competing against each other as to who will grab the best deals out there. This competition keeps everybody glued on the internet and newspaper. There are shops that actually pay people to hunt down collectable cars everyday in the internet and get leads to the whereabouts of potential VW projects.
The thrill of the vintage vehicle hunt is the soul of the vintage fever that I am deeply infected with. Whenever I log in the internet, an urge in me is triggered to find out what old VW just entered the market. For you to grab the best buys, you have to be vigilant and patient in spotting the vehicle or parts of your dreams. And when you spot that elusive vehicle or part, you have to be quick in contacting the owner and be ready with your money.
The first big event this year in southern California is the January 13th Pomona swap meet. It was my first time to visit the show and so I braved the freezing morning temperature by driving to Pomona at 5am on January 13th. When I arrived at the Pomona Fairplex, the temperature in the area was 29 degrees Fahrenheit. A lot of people had little carts so that they can load up with parts. The crowd splits right after the main gate with a portion of it heading towards the Volkswagen area while the rest heads towards a larger section devoted to classic American cars. The race to grab the highly coveted parts occurs on the first 30 minutes of the show. In the VW section, the parts from the 1950’s are the first ones to be snatched.
Hard-to-find parts are the hottest items which are grabbed once the seller puts out his/her parts for sale. For buses from years 1960 thru 1967, the parts that are sellable are the glass windows, window frames, steering wheels, seats, knobs and anything that gets worn out and needs to be replaced. Pre-1967 Middle seats are a hard-to-find item and it takes luck and money to be able to purchase one which is still in good condition. Unfortunately, no middle seat was on sale during the swap meet.
When I started walking around, I immediately spotted items like pre-1956 license plates and old signs for sale. I was tempted to buy them but I had to tell myself that there are other things that have more priority in my purchase list. I was hunting for pre-67 bus windows, emergency knobs, middle seats, steering wheels, pre-61 bus back hatch and 1950’s bug body parts. Unfortunately, I did not find a lot and the ones that I found are priced so high that I just had to walk away.
When I went through the vendors for the classic American cars, I was just hunting for vintage items like old gas pumps and other unique items. One guy was selling this rusty radiator front grill that came off of an early 1950’s Chevrolet truck. I was thinking it would be a good wall decoration. When I asked the seller how much he wants for the grill, he said $350. But he shared with me that he bought it a couple of months ago from another vendor at Pomona swap meet and he feels that he made a mistake buying it because he paid $300. He told me he wants to get rid of it and offered it to me for $150. We were quite apart on the price because what I had in mind was only $40. I can’t believe that this guy actually paid a lot for the item. Well, I am not too familiar with the value of classic American cars and its parts and so I cannot gauge its value.
I walked around the Volkswagen car parking lot and was attracted to one pre-1961 VW bus that was bought by a Frenchman who is a known pre-67 bus buyer. When the bus was bought, it was painted blue. The Frenchman sanded it down to its original paint which is light green. While looking at the bus, I felt that owning a good 1959 or older bus will finally settle my craving for early buses. I am thinking also that if I don’t buy them now, in a couple of years, the prices of these old buses will rise beyond my reach.
I drove home with only one vintage item in my hand and most of my money still intact. In my quiet time, I started reflecting if my strong craving for owning vintage VWs and parts is really something I need to be worried about. There had been VW hobbyists who spent hefty amounts of money just to complete their VW projects. The sad thing about it is that many of these projects when completed have a value that is below the amount spent on restoring it. Unless the vehicle or part came from ultra rare vehicles like the early 1950s bugs and buses, restoring vehicle can be detrimental to your pocket.
Some believe that only 1 out of every 30 vintage car restorers actually make money doing his/her craft. It takes an astute individual with an above average mechanical and metal fabrication talent to be able to pull off projects that can bring in profits when the project vehicle is sold.
Though vintage vehicle restoration is fun and educational, it has its dark sides and it is these pitfalls that I have to pull back myself and reassess what is really important to me. I think my craving for vintage items can never be quenched because it will always crave for more and more. I need to stop at some point and tell myself that I should be happy for what I already possess. There is no point of joining the competition among other VW hobbyists who has rare parts and highly-sought-after Volkswagens. I guess the solution here is to starve the vintage VW virus that way it does not overwhelm me.
This may sound crazy but I wonder if there a vintage vehicle anonymous group out there who meets and discusses ways on how to control their addiction?...I bet they meet at car shows and old auto swap meets.
Keep on buggin’ & bussin’
