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In April, 2017, a very rusty, non-running and incomplete 1962 VW Bus appeared on eBay and caused quite a stir. When the bidding ended, the sale number was $20,100 – all for a chassis number. Why so expensive? Because it was a ‘Samba’, in this case a 23 Window version. If the Golf Limited is the most highly prized of modern VWs, the 23 Window shares nearly universal appeal and, consequently, value. You see, unlike the super Golf, the Sambas most definitely aren’t unknown to the rest of the world, and for the last few years they’ve been trading for numbers that make their air-cooled brethren from Stuttgart jealous. They’re so unobtainable, in fact, that I generally ignore them. But when I saw today’s pristine example come across my search criteria, I had to take a closer look because of the outrageous asking price:
Boy, it’s been a bit too long since we looked at a Volkswagen Van. In fact it’s been over a year since I last looked at a Vanagon. For shame! Because while I often lament the lack of good 1980s Volkswagens to consider for these pages, there are predictably two models you can find at any time. One is the Cabriolet.
(crickets chirp)
Okay, admit it. While you tell your Corvette-owning friends that the Cabriolet was a travesty you’d never be seen in, they’re actually kind of neat and certainly have their place. After all, what other cheap manual German convertible can you buy….a Boxster?
The other model that’s ubiquitous with 80s search parameters is the T3. They occupy an interesting subculture within the German automobile ownership community. And once in a while, one pops up that I really take notice of:
Custom conversions can either go really well, or really poorly. Most of the time it is really poorly. But not today. What started life as a Volkswagen Type 2 factory single cab dropside pick-up is now a flatbed hauler with an extra axle thrown on there for good measure. Now before you get excited about that extra axle, it’s only along for the ride as it looks like only the second axle is functional. Once I started digging into the (sparse) information on this T2,  it was built and used to be a working car hauler — save for one big problem. So let’s check out this once Californian T2 that now resides in the Netherlands.
Pickups come in all shapes and sizes, from heavy duty brawler to car-based cruiser. The Volkswagen Type 2 falls somewhere in between, a definite workhorse but geared more towards light duty. While Volkswagen still sells plenty of commercial vehicles, we haven’t been privy to any in the US market since the early 1970s, thanks to your friendly government and a little thing called trade wars. This restored 1959 Type 2 Single Cab for sale in California comes from a time well before that legislation and looks absolutely amazing in metallic green sitting on mag wheels. Rarely do these VW trucks catch my attention, but this one has.
If it weren’t for trade wars, we might still be able to buy Volkswagen commercial vehicles in the US to this day. Every time I see articles on social media from Volkswagen touting new developments with their Transporter range, I pine for the days when you could still buy a Eurovan stateside. Sure, these vans always lurked at the back of the showroom, but I always marveled at how functional and sturdy they were. With everyone clamoring to buy SUVs this was an unorthodox choice for a people mover, but you still seem them on the road occasionally. Something about them still appeals to the inner anorak in me.
Dial back a few decades before the Chicken Tax came into effect, and you could spec a pickup body based on the old Volkswagen Bus. This 1964 Type 2 Double Cab for sale in Minnesota has an upgraded 12 volt electrical system, newly rebuilt 1600cc motor and wears a patina that wouldn’t make you shy using it for hauling duties.
