VW Kombi 1960 Deven Caravette

lyndon.craw, May 18, 10:05am
We have a 1960 deven caravette in our garage that a previous owner is interested in. We always thought that we would one day restore it. But it has been sitting there for around 15 years and has only been used as a kids play house. It is mainly complete inside and in ok condition elsewere. Our question is what would be a ballpark value! I could take a few photos and post them on here if that would help. Thanks Lyndon

thejazzpianoma, May 18, 10:50am
I would suggest really doing your homework on price as those split screen ones can be worth a fortune when restored. Price on yours will depend on what the rust situation etc is.
My advice would be to talk to your local VW club, there are likely to be a local member or two who would come out and advise you.

trogedon, May 18, 11:01am
You'd probably want to spell Devon correctly too.

richard198, May 18, 11:10am
Restored split screen campers have between $20 - $25,000 asking prices!
I owned an unrestored one in the UK about 30 yrs ago.

richard198, May 18, 11:15am
Best thing to do would get an estimate for revinning and take that off about $12,000 unrestored.

thejazzpianoma, May 18, 11:25am
And the rest!
I have seen really top examples go for 3 times that!

richard198, May 18, 12:38pm
Sold or asking! Most of these big ticket items sucked a big hole in owners wallet who are hoping to be repayed and rarely are. #8 link is close although newer than OP. How much you want to spend on restoration is endless money. That's why I never bothered with mine and just drove it.

waythe, May 20, 8:35am
it a bit of a hard situation for example if the old owner may only want to pay you a small amount for it say whatyou payed 15 years ago where they whern't worth much when now they can be worth big coin I would put it on trademe and let him bid

thejazzpianoma, May 20, 8:58am
The one in the link is tidy but the interior has been cheaply done and is not in keeping with the style of the vehicle. Its also just "tidy" and far from a pristine restoration. I think its likely good value for what they are asking though.

In answer to the asking/what they get question there was one on here a while ago that went for 55K that some may remember as it was discussed on the message-boards at the time. From memory it was $1 reserve hence us talking about it.

I also remember thinking at the time it was quite good value at that as I seem to remember another going for around 80K not long previous.

You are correct though, a LOT of money goes into those restorations and realistically you are lucky to get most of it back. Of course you can do it all yourself at less cost but you wouldn't likely get much of a return on your time.

lyndon.craw, May 21, 7:31am
Thanks for your suggestions.We have decided to keep it at this stage, and possibly restore it at a later date.

nicolaas3, Mar 15, 6:56pm
Extremely valuable as previously stated. They are all the rage and fashion at the moment. May not always be the case.
Restoration cost is also huge, as they are notorious for needing major rust work. Having said that there is a huge aftermarket industry supplying bits for them. Also becoming popular to rebuild as air-cooled hot rods as such.

If you're considering your own restoration at a later stage, plan to spend in the order of $20k on panelwork alone.