The Return to Analog and What it Means for Vintage Volkswagens

Stirring amongst younger generations is a cultural shift from digital to analog: from downloaded songs to playing vinyl records; from taking smartphone photos to film cameras; from owning heavily computerized vehicles to older, simpler cars. It's not just a theory, either. Check out these statistics:

• Vinyl Surpasses $1 Billion: Vinyl record sales in the United States topped $1.04 billion. This marks 19 consecutive years of growth for the format, up from an all-time low of under a million records sold in 2006 (source).

• Classic Car Desire: According to a Hagerty "Future of Driving" survey, 60% of Gen Z drivers express a desire to own a classic car. This nearly doubles the 31% of Baby Boomers who share the same interest.

• Ownership Spike: 32% of Gen Z and 30% of Millennials already own or have owned a classic enthusiast vehicle (source).

So what does this mean for vintage VW's? Well for one, it probably means that more people will be driving old Volkswagens, which carries, as most things in life, positive and negative nuances.

The positives are that VW history would be further preserved, the VW community would grow stronger, and there would be more Buses, Bugs, Ghia's, Things, Vanagons, Rabbits, Jettas, you name it, on the road for us to admire and be inspired by.

The negative side is the potential increase in price for vintage VW's and their parts. If demand goes up and vehicle supply continues to fall, that makes for higher prices.

I personally feel excited by the fact that more young people are seeking out vintage cars. I think we're all a bit fatigued by technology and yearning for a break.

I picture a young couple taking a drive to the local coffee shop in a Java Green painted 1965 Beetle, its rebuilt 1200cc engine happily clacking away in the crisp morning air.

Keep an eye out for more vintage VW's on the road!