There’s been a fair amount of chatter about flipping cars on the site lately, and this unusual find here on craigslist from Barn Finds reader Mark V. shows the art of the resale in action. It’s a 1959 VW Bus that supposedly competed in the Baja 500, a grueling desert race that takes place in the Baja, California peninsula – and was for sale for a lot less not that long ago.
How do I know this is a flip? Well, it’s a highly unusual vehicle that actually has a Buick V8 swapped in place of the anemic flat-four these air-cooled VWs originally came with. So, if you Google for words like “Baja 500 VW Bus,” it won’t be long before you find it listed on one of the bigger air-cooled sites, The Samba – where it originally sold for $750, a far cry from its current $4,500 asking price.
One of the best things about what Jesse and Josh are doing is that they’re making improvements to the cars they buy to make them more enjoyable for the next owner, and well worth any additional premium they may charge over their purchase price. That makes good sense. This Bus, however, is the worst kind of flip: the seller saw a deal, drove it home and then jacked up the price.
Of course, it’s difficult to find anything out about this Bus’ racing history in the Baja. What I do know is – after stumbling upon a website with hundreds of vintage racing photos – almost anything with the right equipment attached could race in the Baja. This AMC Pacer is one of my favorites from the era when racing was perhaps a bit more risky but also more entertaining! Almost as entertaining as seeing if this flipper has his payday.
Source: Barnfinds.com
