Listing snapshot
| Spotted | November 2022 |
| Asking price | $500 |
| Mileage | 41,078 on the odometer (true total unknown) |
| Location | Lake Worth, Florida |
| Listed on | Craigslist, private seller |
| Drivetrain | Air-cooled four-cylinder, rear engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Status | Ad expired. This page is our archive of the listing. |
We spotted this 1972 Volkswagen Bus Safari Camper on Craigslist in November 2022, for sale by its owner in Lake Worth, Florida, for $500. It was sold as a parts vehicle with no title. The ad is long gone, but we keep the record because it shows what a rough, untitled bay-window Bus was worth to a seller in 2022.
What this car was
A blue early bay-window Bus with a white raised roof, the conversion the seller called a “Safare” camper. According to the ad, the badge really is spelled with an “e”. The photos show faded paint, surface rust on the bumper and body, and a dash covered in debris.
The seller was clear that this was a parts vehicle or a long project:
- It did not run
- The title had been lost
- The interior had been stripped, leaving only the front seats
- It had spent about ten years parked in a field and the last two in a garage
- The odometer read 41,078
- Open to offers or trades
The seller also pointed out that Florida makes it relatively easy to title an old vehicle again, so a buyer who fixed it up could try to get it road-legal later.
Was $500 a fair ask?
For a buyer who needed parts, $500 was cheap. Original bay-window panels, glass, trim and the camper roof all have value on their own. Against that, no title, no engine running, a gutted interior and years spent outdoors make it a serious project. The price was basically the value of the parts.
A little Volkswagen Bus history
The bay-window Bus, known as the Type 2 T2, replaced the split-window Bus for the 1968 model year, with a one-piece curved windshield and a sliding side door. Early bay-window Buses like this one, built through 1972, have their turn signals mounted low beside the headlights. The rear-mounted, air-cooled engine stayed throughout. Many were converted into campers by outside companies as well as by Westfalia.
More cars from the archive
- Every Volkswagen Bus we’ve spotted, with asking prices
- 1970 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, another Volkswagen
- 1970 BMW 2002, another 1970s European car
- 1972 Opel GT, another 1970s European car
- 1972 MG MGB GT Coupe, another 1970s European car
