My mom bought a 1976 Volkswagen bus for $2,500 on eBay over a decade ago. Here's how it's skyrocketed in value thanks to a cult following.
Volkswagen
- My mom bought a '76 VW bus on eBay for $2,500 a decade ago. Similar cars now sell for 10 times that.
- The van's "cult following" has led some to buy vintage buses for as much as $150,000.
- VW says "van life" and a desire for "gentler times" reinvigorated it as a counterculture symbol.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Over a decade ago, my mom bid $2,500 on a beige 1976 Volkswagen Transporter bus listed on eBay.
It was her first time using the website, and she had no idea what she was doing. But the next day, she received an email saying the van was all hers.
Soon, "Jenny the Jam Van" would be shipped from Ohio to our small coastal suburb in Connecticut.
"I always wanted a VW bus. I don't know why," she told me. "When I drive it, people wave to me and smile. ... One time, even a 4-year-old flashed me a peace sign. How would he know what a VW bus meant?"
The seemingly universal love for Volkswagen vans didn't happen right away — the cars were introduced in the 1950s to transport workers and materials.
Hannah Towey/Insider
It wasn't until years later that it developed into a symbol for Woodstock hippies and California surfers. Now, social-media trends surrounding the hashtag #vanlife have reinvigorated the VW bus and the kind of life it represents.
"There's this intense cult following for these cars," Mark Gillies, a Volkswagen spokesperson, told Insider. "It means a lot of different things to different people."
For many, the bus reflects "nostalgia for a gentler time," Gillies said, a desire especially prevalent among Gen Z.
Experts say Gen Z's embrace of the past, from vintage fashion to old sitcoms, may be a form of escapism after a childhood rocked by 9/11, financial recessions, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
With millions of views on TikTok, van-life influencers live, work, and travel in decked-out buses and vans, sharing day-in-the-life stories and hiking tips along the way. The lifestyle has become particularly contagious over the past two years, and now reasonably priced buses are almost impossible to find.
In a recent trend, van-life nomads have pushed back against expectations of 9-to-5 office jobs, posting travel videos to the lyrics, "Yeah, fuck no, I go where I want to," from BoyWithUke's song "Two Moons."
"I'm too old to be talking about this, but there are younger people that just don't want to deal with all the stuff of modern life," Gillies said. "It's kind of redolent of hippie culture in the late '60s."
Despite belonging to Gen Z, I was not always a fan of Jenny the Jam Van. My mom would drive down to my soccer games, the engine puttering so loudly that every head on the field would turn to look.
While the van's peace-love mystique is great, my mom has spent thousands of dollars over the years to keep it up and running. When we first brought it to the mechanic, they found a metal coffee can connecting two of the engine's parts.
Hannah Towey/Insider
After paying for shipment, a shiny coat of bright-orange paint, rust protectant, insulation, and new parts — including a steering wheel, door handles, and windshield wipers — as well as yearly repairs, the van's price tag went up considerably.
But Jenny has proved a successful investment. Similar vans are listed online for about $30,000, quadruple what my mom has paid since 2010. According to Gillies, other classic models with additional windows have sold for as much as $150,000.
Every now and then, we'll find sticky notes tucked into the windshield wipers from people offering to buy it.
The persistent love for vintage Volkswagens has led the car manufacturer to introduce the all-electric ID Buzz, set to launch in the US in 2023.
The highly anticipated modern take on the VW bus "brings back fond memories of Volkswagen past, while promising a revolution in everyone's future," the company website says.
"I had so many different people — old geezers, young people, people on skateboards, just all of them thought it was cool," Gillies told Insider about a Buzz photoshoot in Venice Beach. "There's a lot of built-up love for the bus in and of itself."
As for Jenny, my mom said she'd never sell.
"Well," she added, "never say never."
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