How Much A Woody Wagon And A '65 VW Bug Actually Sold For On American Pickers
"American Pickers" has made an impressive amount of money during its 22 seasons on the History Channel, finding items viewed as junk, fixing them up, and selling them for a profit. While not every item they've found has turned out to be a moneymaker — unfortunately the Beatles memorabilia that Danielle Colby thought was valuable was fairly worthless — there have been far more items that have earned the crew their money back, and then some.
One kind of hidden treasure the crew of "American Pickers" has always seemed to have good luck with is finding valuable antique cars and motorcycles. In Season 12, Episode 3 ("Big Boy Toys"), Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz locate a 1950s BMW Isetta 300 in the care of a California couple, Al and Deb. After getting the car running and buffed up, and throwing in a dancing hula doll, Wolfe agrees to their price of $13,000, estimating the car's retail value is $18,000, which would mean a $5,000 profit for Antique Archaeology. And judging by similar Isetta sales, it may be worth more (via Bonhams).
In Season 9, Wolfe discovers a 1910 Royal Pioneer motorcycle — one of only four in existence. After much haggling over the price, Wolfe finally agrees to pay $55,000 for it. While that may seem like a boatload of cash for a century-old motorcycle, Wolfe's motorcycle-specialist friend quickly informs him that another Royal Pioneer recently sold for $92,000 (via Bonhams).
Given their history and love of antique cars, when the crew comes upon a Woody Wagon and a '65 VW Bug in Season 23 there is no question: they have to have them. But you might be surprised to know how much the two cars actually sold for.
The Wolfe brothers were able to talk down the price for the two cars
In "American Pickers" Season 23, Episode 6 ("Picking Frisco"), Mike and Robbie Wolfe head to a San Francisco hotel to check out a collection of classic cars the owner is looking to pare down in retirement. During their search, the duo come across a Woody Wagon and a 1965 VW Bug. Robbie is extremely excited about the Woody Wagon, which was the logo for the San Remo Hotel for 35 years. However, he is nervous about the condition of the wood. "You could end up dumping $50,000 to $100,000 in trying to fix wood," Robbie says (via History). Robert, the owner of the Woody, doesn't want to budge from $35,000. Although Robbie eventually gets him to go down to $28,000, Robbie still holds out hope that he can convince him to lower the price even further.
Elsewhere, Mike is all about the 1965 VW Bug, and thinks the one they've found is in great shape. "I used to love driving these cars, man, it was my whole life," Mike remarks while they're cruising around the streets in the Bug. Mike realizes the horn on the Bug doesn't work, but he loves the car and is willing to pay up to $7,000 for it. In the past, Mike has purchased a number of VW Bugs, including one from 1953 (via Antique Archaeology) and a variety from the so-called "Volkswagen King" in Season 13 (via History).
Robbie and Robert are still stuck on the Woody Wagon, with Robbie refusing to go beyond $26,000. Luckily, Robert is level-headed, and, in the end, he cuts a deal to sell both cars for a combined total of $33,000.