Reaching the no turning back point

[deserthorizons]

Well I've just about reached the point where I have just about as much into my car as I could
probably sell it for which I think is around 12-13 thousand..... 
The car still needs alot.  Bumpers, valence, trunk lid, paint job just to name a few of the many things. 
Who am I kidding?

Thee are 2 ways to look at this..

IF the moment you drive off the lot with a new car it diminishes in value 20%..
and another 25% over the next year..
So you can go buy a new car for, say, $30,000 that in one year will be worth a little more than $15,000..
Then you gotta figure that for your '71 to be worth half of what it cost you,
you have to put at least another $13,000 grand into it..
If you don't want to work on your car, pay someone else to do it..


...or....................                     ..or..........................                              ...or......................                                           ...or......................                                                      ..or..........................                                                        ...or..................                                                                     ..or....................                                                                   ...or..............................                                                                                ...or................................                                                               ..or............................                                                                 ....or...........................                                                     ...or..................                                               .........or................................                                                    ..or..................                                                                 ...or.....................                                                          ...or.....................                                                       ...or.
 


you can sell it..  .

and I'll bet you wouldn't have any problem with getting $13,000 for it..
(with some of the basket cases I've seen on e-bay go for close to that..)


I bought a 1972 `Cuda 340 in '76 for $1950.00
put at least $13,000.00 into it and sold it in '84 for ~$2400.00

[ohio cuda]

I have an excel sheet on every car. Every time I go to NAPA, AutoZone and all other vendor part receipts are itemized.  I add in yearly insurance and gas but never track my time anymore. In the end all I can say is YIPES!!!!! 

[cudadave72]

You spiked my interest in the current market on Challys. Last night I went on ebay and it seems to me your car is worth way more money than 12-13k!! That being said most of us here will spend more $ on our cars than they are actually worth. I paid 26k for mine a year 1/2 ago and although its in great driver/weekend cruise in condition I still plan on going through the entire car over the next few years spending way more on it than its worth. To me building a car from the ground up you have no suprises when its done. I can tell you that eventhough the previous owner of my car was pretty straight forward I still found several issues with the car once I took delivery. I was told that the car had no rust. I found at least a half dozen areas that are questionable and a few of those are going to be problematic down the road. I was told the truck pan was solid and although it looked decent under 20 coats of spackle paint and a nice trunk mat it indeed needs replacing!!! This just goes to show that no matter how nice a car looks to be restored you just never know!!! Like several others have hit on it all boils down to how much you love your car!!

[360 'CUDA]

I don't have that much in mine.  Basicly I built a race car and had some parts and a nice rustfree chassis left over so I put together a street car too.
It's no show winner but people seem to like it and I did everything myself.

I'm putting a Camaro together that I bought parts cars for and sold the left over parts on Eblay.  The whole project cost $1,600 including parts cars and I made $1,800 and change selling the parts so I'm $250 or so up on the whole deal
It runs and drives nice with insurance and registration done. I just need to start paint..


I'm just saying you can put together nice stuff sometimes if you keep looking for deals.  

I'm not sure what I will do with the Chebbie

[Moparal]

I don't have that much in mine.  Basicly I built a race car and had some parts and a nice rustfree chassis left over so I put together a street car too.
It's no show winner but people seem to like it and I did everything myself.

I'm putting a Camaro together that I bought parts cars for and sold the left over parts on Eblay.  The whole project cost $1,600 including parts cars and I made $1,800 and change selling the parts so I'm $250 or so up on the whole deal
It runs and drives nice with insurance and registration done. I just need to start paint..


I'm just saying you can put together nice stuff sometimes if you keep looking for deals.  

I'm not sure what I will do with the Chebbie



You need to add the cost of the race car you built to the total cost.  Everything combined would be your total   I sold my 68 dart 499 bb for 14k , it was a race car with indy heads and stuff. I used that money to buy my 70 barracuda. If I didnt consider the racecar, then I only got like 3k in a 440-6 70 barracuda 4spd dana 60. Which I broke the trans mount on today about an hr ago

[71chmark]

I asked my wife if she would give me grief if I put more money into the car than what it was worth and she said she would give me grief no matter what I did.  I'm going to keep my car and not worry about how much I spend on it.  I could die at any time and if there is money left over then I won't have sold the car, I won't have spent to much money on it and it won't be my problem.

[cudadave72]

It looks like you have a great car to start with!!

[Moparal]

Hey, is there a difference in the turning point and breaking point when it comes to this post?  If I turn and reach in my back pocket too many more times, it will break me

[71ChallengerSE]

or maybe it s vanishing point



the money is the one doing the vanishing

[IMNCARN82]

When the time comes... I'll probably give my car away.  It means more to me than any money.

[Street_Challenged73]

I'd say go for it if it still gives you enjoyment whenever you're behind the wheel.  I know I have put more money into my Stealth than what I probably could sell it for in the current market, but it puts such a large smile on my face when I'm driving it (or when it's actually running properly..) and to me, that's worth more than the money I've put into it (and there will be more $$$ going into it soon).

[360 'CUDA]

(from moparal)
You need to add the cost of the race car you built to the total cost.  Everything combined would be your total   I sold my 68 dart 499 bb for 14k , it was a race car with indy heads and stuff. I used that money to buy my 70 barracuda. If I didnt consider the racecar, then I only got like 3k in a 440-6 70 barracuda 4spd dana 60.




I did add the total original price of the race car chassis to the total cost of the white car because I used the steel front end and grille off of it.  Then the race car got the glass front end.  No big deal, just a 12 second bracket car.

[LAA66]

 Just spend money as needed to keep her safe and reliable, and don't tell the wife anymore then necessary.  If you have to pack it away until money is available then just wait.

Think long term investment. And remember, their not making em anymore!

[Moparal]

(from moparal)
You need to add the cost of the race car you built to the total cost.  Everything combined would be your total   I sold my 68 dart 499 bb for 14k , it was a race car with indy heads and stuff. I used that money to buy my 70 barracuda. If I didnt consider the racecar, then I only got like 3k in a 440-6 70 barracuda 4spd dana 60.




I did add the total original price of the race car chassis to the total cost of the white car because I used the steel front end and grille off of it.  Then the race car got the glass front end.  No big deal, just a 12 second bracket car.

Lucky you

[bb71challenger]

I asked my wife if she would give me grief if I put more money into the car than what it was worth and she said she would give me grief no matter what I did.  I'm going to keep my car and not worry about how much I spend on it.  I could die at any time and if there is money left over then I won't have sold the car, I won't have spent to much money on it and it won't be my problem.

I can relate to this totally. My says she hates my car but she likes Mopars and E-bodies so it must be the money spent on them. She is always on me about how much I have put into it. I just deal with it. When I tell her she has a really nice car on her ring finger she shuts up lol.