Price of van £5k (71 Ozzie postal panel van) getting it on the road, lowered front and rear on R9, late bay brakes, servo, 1641, twin carbs, electronic bits 'n' bobs for the motor, a good dose of welding, fat exhaust, recover the seats-R-R & buddy seat £1000 alone! puts me up to £11 k + mark and I am not really sure if that is right. Still needs the front welding the horn fixing and the insides doing.... It is difficult to find someone, bar yourselves to fully understand just what goes into these things, at the end of the day to Joe public it is just one of those vans...
There are a lot of people now with enough money to buy into the scene and sure are enough out there happy to sell them a way in... you only have to look at the ***** that will be in the 'for sale' section at Busfest, People put another £2k on just for the show and it sells... I work on the trade gate there and it is the same characters that turn up each year with their latest offerings.
Being as old as God's dog, my first bus '69 twin slider Devon' was £400 and if memory serves I sold it for the same some 5 years later, in much worse condition as I was poor and it was bodged... I think the demographic of owners has changed and not the scene, I have been fortunate enough to go through life without having to sell the bus to fund things so have been able to grow with it but to get into it now would be a mare.
T4's & 5 are packing out the shows now as the type of person that wants the scene but doesn't want to be flat on their back in the rain trying to change their CV joints and getting rust in their eyes is a different animal... van-west this year was a case in point, we went down and had a grand time, made better by the company and the beach but, I think there were only 50 or so air-cooled there the rest were builders vans, the trade stands also were great if you wanted some sort of fat colour-coded bumper or stainless steel drinks cabinet or electrical doohicky...
So to sum-up, yes they cost a packet and will forever do so and never be finished but.. when I am sat with friends by the fire with a beer watching people go by and smelling the BBQ's being lit in the evening or the hour when a lot toddle off to bed and there is a roll-call of sliding doors.. it is well worth the money, so who can blame people for wanting a slice ?
As for the scene, Tick these off if you will;
Trilby hat, regulation straw, rough edged.
Tattooed legs
Long shorts
wrap around shades
Dog with neck scarf
Radio flyer
Club sweat-shirt
list of bits to buy
Daft facial hair
Either too much money or not enough....
Hang-over.