This hobby is EXPENSIVE!!!!

[nsmall]

Hello.  Really really, really love this site and your help out there.  So I have owned my Cuda for 16 months. Finally got a profile pic up, only took a year.     Bought it for 20K, somehow spent 16k on new parts and for the upcoming paint job which will be media blasted and done right...I hope.  By the time the car is done next (summer of 2017?) I will have 42k into it.  Way over budget, only 10k from what I expected   It is a rust free car, I have no regrets on the original purchase.  But I keep buying new parts, new glass, new this and that or restored this and that...that list is long.

My question is, does 42k sound crazy?  Its a 73 real Cuda, I have basically all OEM parts that are restored...for example a nice set of 70-71 front and rear bumpers and the 70-71 rear bumper guards I bought from tri city plating in Tennessee vs aftermarket parts.  That conversion and cost alone was $1200.

I plan to keep the car for a long time, I love it.  Not trying to flip it...OBVIOUSLY.  It has a nice rebuilt 340, rebuilt 727, rebuilt 355 SG (bust out another $1000 for that), great interior, oh nevermind, the new dash pad will cost me 700 UR or 1200 JD.  Dash looked great when I bought the car, the sun has already warped it and I leave the car in the garage...sigh.

Long story short...This hobby is EXPENSIVE.  Be gentle on me, I am a newb, maybe lesson learned was wait and wait and wait and wait and hope someone finished a car to my tastes as it never seems to end...the spending of $$$$

I know I am in over my head a little, just curious if that math sounds way off?  Remember to be gentle. Thanks

[rUNCHARGER]

Yup: I bought a properly painted A-66 for $20k, it came with a bunch of new parts so I thought great. Ended up putting another $20k into assorted stuff plus  a prebuilt engine into it so I ended up at $65k. Then a year ago I bought a properly painted R/T SE with a bunch of new parts, this time I ended up at $80k. Next car will be bought done or it won't have correct parts on it. I'm not rich so I can't do this anymore. Just the way it is. It hurts less if you keep them for a long time, inflation will make the numbers okay after a few years.

Sheldon

[1 Wild R/T]

It use to be fun, now there is still times when I enjoy it but not nearly as much fun as in the past....   I restored this in 1995-96... At the time including purchasing the car I spent about 20K...

[blown motor]

I bought mine for 15K and now I'm over 30K. I still have to do paint and body. I never thought I would get this much in it but I love it. No regrets here.

[roadman5312]

     Not a HOBBY, it's an ADDICTION. 

[turbostang7]

IMHO if you aren't upside down in the car by the time it is "finished" you didn't do it right.

[AARuFAST]

   Welcome to the addictive hobby that likes your wallet.

[anlauto]

What did you expect ?

[EbodyMod]

Welcome, if it makes you feel better i am over 40K i have done all the labor myself, and i am still in primer and engine is on a stand. it is a blast though

[GoodysGotaCuda]

I'm putting around $30,000 in my car [after the purchase of it] to get it the way I want it. About $5,000 is heading toward paint [not including some new sheet metal]. The rest is parts and my labor is free. I'm not expecting the car to be worth any less than my investment however, it is well appointed.

Start paying for labor and things get exponentially more expensive...

[360 'CUDA]

I do everything myself on my cars so they usually turn out OK but nothing like some of the other members cars on the site.   That being said I still get lots of compliments and extreme markup on Ebay when I sell. (not very often)

I didn't quite have $2000 spent on the white '74 and a little over $1000 on the red bracket car. It helps when you have friends unloading their parts and chassis cheap.

Funny thing is scam sites are still trying to sell my cars using my ads years later

http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=97433&country=us

[JoeGrapes]

When I bought my car back in '97 I paid 3k for it. I've done all the work on it myself so labor was free.  I have no idea how much money I have in the car. A few dollars here, a few dollars there, and over the years it adds up. But you're right it's got way to expensive for the average guy just starting out. Back then I was going to swap meets and you could pick up a rally gauge pod for $100 all day. Those days a long gone.

[Fern]

Say you buy a new challenger for 40k. In 15 years it's probably worth 15k. Now if you overspend on a cuda or challenger and are into it for 40k, in 15 years you will be ahead of the game.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Welcome to MOPAR disease.... I used to save and tabulate all my invoices and such.    Quit that long ago...    And there's things that I'd still like to do. Paints getting old, HEMI could use a fresh up, trim needs some work, I can go on......  As I've gotten older (60+) things are a little less of a priority at times, but I still get the itch. The fat lady ain't sang yet. 

[dodj]

If you like owning, driving and working on these cars, don't keep track of the $ and enjoy your car. If you are in it for the 'investment', the sooner you get out the richer you will be. lol.