Guy bought a cheap 1980s Volkswagen but is left distraught when having to pay $10,000 in repairs
- The Volkswagen Caravelle is an iconic 1980s campervan
- One TikTok user recently decided to buy one his own
- Unfortunately, it has not gone well at all
Published on Mar 08, 2025 at 10:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Mar 03, 2025 at 8:18 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Who doesn’t love a Volkswagen from the 1980s?
The Golf, the Scirocco, the Cabrio, and the Beetle all evoke strong memories for certain people.
Unfortunately, this guy is not one of those people.
A video went viral on TikTok recently, and it’s not because of the nostalgia vibe.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Old Caravelle campervan leads to heartache for owner
One TikTok user, named Bodhi, recently took to the platform to talk about his car.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t for the positive reasons that you might have been hoping for.
Bodhi explains that he recently purchased a 1988 Volkswagen Caravelle. Sounds reasonable enough, right?
Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends.
Bodhi, with his head literally in his hands, then proceeds to show screenshots of the repair bills for his car.
And it does not make for pretty reading.
The first repair bill comes in at a whopping $6,486.65. Ouch.
The second of the bills comes in at $2,954.57. Double ouch.
The third and final bill comes to $2,731.67.
That makes a grand total of…$12,172.89. That’s gotta hurt, right?
Volkswagen views: people offer their comments
As always with the Internet, people were quick to jump in with their feedback on Bodhi’s conundrum.
One of the most-liked comments said:
“Never buy an old car unless you can work on it yourself. I’ve saved myself tens of thousands by doing my own work.”
One comment agreed, adding that, for a much lower cost, you can buy your own tools and use the Internet to fix your own car.
Some other comments were…not as kind. Shock.
One user said, “Those mechanics took you for a ride.”
@bodhijako “Buy an old car” they said, “it’ll be fun” they said
♬ original sound –
To his credit, Bodhi was very open in his response. “Yeah, one of them did. The other is fixing all of his mistakes.”
Thankfully, one person actually offered some constructive advice.
“Top tip, if you if they ripped you off and you can prove that the work on the car didn’t fix the issue, you can lodge a transaction dispute with your bank. I got $1,800 back. Worth a try,” they advised.
Overall, it seems that there’s one big takeaway from this whole experience – buy a newer Volkswagen; it might well be cheaper in the long run.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
