Great post Eric, I hate to talk $$ involving a hobby. But the fact remains if a vehicle has a low perceived value, than only someone who loves the car will
spend time and money on it. He or she would be speculating as to ever recouping their investment. On the other hand the opposite should apply.
Personally i'm thrilled that coachbuilt VW's have become expensive, 30 yrs. ago these cars were backyard derelict's, worth a fraction of what it cost to restore them. If they are now out of reach of the average VW nut, I'm sorry, you don't get champagne on a beer budget. For decades these cars sat rotting in the hands of the under/capitalized, thank God a few have survived.
In case anyone is unaware, it cost just as much to restore a car like Rometsch as it doe's to restore a more exotic Maserati. Powertrain not withstanding.
If older VW's have become more expensive, its a good thing- their perceived value has gone up like everything else. If they were cheap, I still be hacking
one up to suit my pleasure. I bought a 55 oval for $50, and made it into a baja bug,( "guilty as charged"). We used to dispose of 36hp motors in a local
landfill, when you could still do that, ( I'll burn in Hell for that").
I think the true value of a vintage VW, is the pleasure it bring you. Something money alone can't buy, stores don't sell what you can get, when you share
your car with others.
I used to tell people, if my Rometsch burned to the ground. I would have already gotten far more out it than it cost to build. When we did finally exchange
the car for $$, the price really didn't matter that much. We had sold not a vehicle for transportation, we sold a vehicle to satisfaction.