§ V.01What a 1973–1974 Volkswagen Thing is worth
A 1973–1974 Volkswagen Thing sold for a median of $19,850 across 280 completed auctions from January 2016 to October 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 280 sales fell between $15,500 and $25,263 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $3,300 to $71,500.
Data as of 3 November 2026 · 280 sales · January 2016 to 29 October 2026 · auction results only
§ V.02What moves a car within the band
Within that band, convertible cars are the most frequently traded body style in this set (220 of 280 sales), and manual cars account for 244 of them. Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of the range is wide.
The spread by variant, printed in full above, is usually wider than the spread by year: a convertible at $20,000 and a sport utility at $18,250 are not the same market, and a single median that mixes them describes neither.
§ V.03Recent sales
| Car | Sold for | Date | Mileage | Sold by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing (Lot 38) | $17,500 | 29 October 2026 | 25,600 mi | Hagerty |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $20,500 | 29 October 2026 | 12,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $13,000 | 17 October 2026 | 46,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1973 Volkswagen Thing | $11,800 | 7 October 2026 | — | Cars & Bids |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $12,800 | 1 October 2026 | 87,550 mi | Hagerty |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $17,000 | 30 September 2026 | 10,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1,904cc-Powered 1973 Volkswagen Thing | $22,777 | 26 September 2026 | 46,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1973 Volkswagen Thing Project | $6,600 | 25 September 2026 | — | Bring a Trailer |
| 1973 Volkswagen Thing | $16,000 | 16 September 2026 | 63,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| Original-Owner 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $16,750 | 4 September 2026 | 68,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $16,000 | 21 August 2026 | 1,300 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $18,500 | 14 August 2026 | 49,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 2.3L-Powered 1973 Volkswagen Thing | $12,750 | 5 August 2026 | 74,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing | $43,000 | 29 July 2026 | 89,000 mi | Bring a Trailer |
| 1974 Volkswagen Thing Project | $3,300 | 20 July 2026 | 34,200 mi | Hagerty |
§ V.04Price by model year
| Model year | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $19,000 | 125 |
| 1974 | $20,000 | 155 |
§ V.05Price by body style and transmission
| Variant | Type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convertible | Body style | $20,000 | 220 |
| Sport utility | Body style | $18,250 | 26 |
| Manual | Transmission | $19,750 | 244 |
§ V.06Questions
What is a 1973–1974 Volkswagen Thing worth?
A 1973–1974 Volkswagen Thing sold for a median of $19,850 across 280 completed auctions from January 2016 to October 2026 (BidBetter, as of 3 November 2026).
The middle half of those 280 sales fell between $15,500 and $25,263 (the typical range), and the full range after cleaning was $3,300 to $71,500.
What affects the price of a 1973–1974 Volkswagen Thing?
Model year: by year, medians run from $19,000 for 1973 (125 sales) to $20,000 for 1974 (155 sales).
Body style: a convertible holds a median of $20,000 on 220 sales, against $18,250 on 26 for a sport utility.
Condition, originality and documented history move a car further than any single specification, which is why the middle half of sales spans $15,500 to $25,263.
Is the Volkswagen Thing 1973-1974 going up or down in value?
Down. The 28 sales in the 12 months to 3 November 2026 had a median of $16,250, against $17,375 on 42 sales in the 12 months before, a fall of 6.5%. That compares whichever cars came to auction in each year, not the same cars sold twice, so read it as the direction of the market rather than a rate of appreciation.
How many Volkswagen Thing sales is that based on?
280 completed auction sales, from January 2016 to 29 October 2026. The table above lists the 15 most recent, each linked to its auction record. The figures were last rebuilt on 3 November 2026.
What is the difference between the typical range and the full range?
The typical range is $15,500 to $25,263: half of all 280 sales fell inside it. The full range is $3,300 to $71,500, the cheapest and dearest sale that survived cleaning. The full range is set by outliers, so it is a boundary rather than a guide to what most cars bring.
Which body style holds its value best?
On this set, convertible is the most frequently sold at 220 sales with a median of $20,000. The highest median among body styles is convertible at $20,000, though it rests on fewer sales. Each variant's median and count are in the table above.
Do manual or automatic cars sell for more?
In this set, manual cars account for 244 of 280 sales. Too few cars of the other transmission type sold to publish a comparison, so this page does not make one.
Does mileage change the value?
Mileage is recorded for part of this set, not all of it, so it is not used to adjust the median. It is shown in the sales table wherever the auction record carries it, and you can see the effect directly by comparing rows.
How current is this figure?
Data as of . The figures are rebuilt from completed sales on a schedule, and the date above is the date of the last rebuild, not the date this page was loaded.
§ V.07Method and sources
What these figures are. Every number on this page is computed from completed auction sales of Volkswagen Thing cars built between 1973 and 1974. The median is the 50th percentile of the sale prices; the typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile; the full range is the lowest and highest sale that survived cleaning. Percentiles are linearly interpolated on the sorted prices.
What is excluded. Asking prices, reserve-not-met results, withdrawn lots and unsold cars are not prices and are not counted. Parts, memorabilia, literature, scale models and other non-vehicle lots are excluded. Sales not made in US dollars are excluded, so these figures describe the dollar market. Duplicate records are removed. Sales below a plausibility floor (5% of the median) and above a ceiling (10× the median) are set aside, because a $22 "911" is a data error rather than a cheap car.
What it is not. This is not an appraisal or an inspection, and it does not predict what any particular car will bring. Two cars built the same year can differ by more than the whole typical range on condition, originality, documentation and provenance.
The set. 280 sales from January 2016 to 29 October 2026, drawn from 12 auction sources, principally Bring a Trailer (203), Barrett-Jackson (37), Hagerty (10), RM Sotheby's (7), Hemmings (5), PCARMARKET (4), Bonhams (3), Cars & Bids (3), Autohunter (2), Broad Arrow (2), Gooding (2), Mecum (2). Data as of .
See the disclaimer for the limits of a valuation of this kind.
§ V.08Compare with
- Volkswagen Bus split-window 1950-1967 — $42,250 median · 247 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Volkswagen Bus bay-window 1968-1979 — $25,500 median · 395 sales · as of 3 November 2026
- Volkswagen Karmann Ghia 1955-1974 — $20,000 median · 399 sales · as of 3 November 2026
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