Stolen 1965 Volkswagen van recovered after 35 years

[underpants]

.

In this undated photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a 1965 Volkswagen van that was stolen 35 years ago from Spokane, Wash., is shown after it was recovered on Oct. 19, 2009, from a shipping container at the Port of Los Angeles bound for The Netherlands.
(AP Photo/Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Stolen 1965 Volkswagen van recovered after 35 years
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/06/california.stolen.vw/

The blue van, in pristine condition, was bound for Germany along with several vintage Volkswagens, Customs and Border Protection Port Director Todd Hoffman said.

The Arizona company that was shipping the van had no idea the vehicle was stolen from a Spokane auto shop in 1974, Hoffman said.

Customs and Border Protection agents routinely run vehicle identification numbers through the National Insurance Crime Bureau database for all vehicles being loaded on ships for export, he said. They recover stolen vehicles about once a week, but they usually are high-end late-model luxury cars, he said.

While it was likely worth just a few hundred dollars when it was stolen, the VW is now valued at about $27,000, he said.

Allstate Insurance Company, which paid the original owner for the loss decades ago, now owns the van, according to Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet.

[Odin2005]

1. One of my neighbors across the street has a green one. They are cute!

[old mark]

2. I bought one in '70 when I was in the Army. Paid around $800 for it.

Mine was red and white.
My then-wife completely destroyed it.

mark

[Shell Beau]

3. It looks to be in great shape!!

[Capn Sunshine]

4. I LOVED my VW van

It was during a time in my life when no one took pictures. Had a '61 with a full size bed, sink/wet bar, icebox,generator and kick ass sound system. It had the louvered windows. Plus it had a Porsche motor so it just zipped up grades that a normal VW would end up going 25. Of course, It also had the modified "VW" that was a peace sign, and I did the back window in stained glass, a landscape with sunset and "Have A Nice Day" (LOL!). Plus the bumpers were removed and replaced with carved ash. Totally Organic, man. Oh, and chrome rims w/ baby moons.

not me, but a very close approximation:

Picture this in Calypso Blue:


Nostalgic boomer surfer dudes like me are driving these prices. I could dupliacte my bus for about 15k. I think I spent 1800 for mine.
DUDE!

[Captain Hilts]

5. Cute, but don't drive it on a modern highway. nt

[edbermac]

6. They find the weed in the glove compartment yet?

:smoke:

[rcrush]

7. Its not mine I swear!

[MilesColtrane]

8. Does it still have the "Ass, Gas, or Grass - No One Rides For Free" sticker on the back?

[Xithras]

9. Wow, Kombi's are now going for $27,000?

I had a rust-free and good running 1965 21 window that I sold in 1996 for $12,000 (paid $4,500 for it two years before, and a collector literally stopped me on the side of the roadway and offered to buy it on the spot in 1996). I was told then that a fully restored 21 window was worth about $20,000, and that a fully restored 11 window Kombi (pictured above) was worth about $10,000. It's hard to believe the prices have risen that much.

--On Edit After Google---

Wow, I just found a 21 window that is virtually identical to my old 1965, right down to the color, that recently sold for $40,000. That's nuts.


http://www.nevintage.com/65herman.htm