What does it cost to have a car built at high end pro touring shop?

[AAQUINO11]

Just wondering what everyones thoughts and experiences were to have a car completely restored and modified at a high end pro touring shop like Detroit Speed, Roadster Shop, etc.



Anyone have any experience?

[Build-It-Break-It]

$300k

[raustinss]

yep was going to say 250 US and up

[USAZR1]

Guess I better start playing the lottery.

[Bad Bowtie]

My advice, find someone selling a quality built car because you will usually spend way more money than what you could ever get back out of it if you were to ever sell it.
Just my.02

BB

[sheck44]

I've heard rumours that starting prices are $300k for a basic build and then sky is the limit
Cheers
Steve

[Steve Chryssos]

a little more overtime...
/Steve

[nokones]

You will need to cash in A LOT of pop bottles, if there are that many pop bottles still left in the world.

[killer69]

I tell customers they start at 150 ish and then it is up to you and all the options you want to add from there. Since we build the suspension and chassis i think we can do them quicker than most. it all depends on how fancy you want it. how custom. how nice things like custom center console can be 5000-7000 buy the time the car is done maybe more. metal work?? OMG. after doing this for 15 years there is a ratio. it is about 1.20 in labor for every 1.00 in parts. it jsut seems to work out that way. so if you want the 25,000 ls what ever figure it into the build it will be 30,000 in labor. I know it doesn't cost 30,000 to install an engine but with all the other stuff. look at a Holley Dominator ECU they are what 4000.00 ish it will cost more that 4800.00 to install that part, so it all balances out in the end.

[minendrews68]

How much does it cost... ALOT! I've done a great deal of my build myself and I can't believe how much I've spent and still not done. And what's worth I've already started redoing things..

[76TA]

Well,

I started with a numbers matching 32,000 mile 400 4-Speed 76 Trans Am. I stripped it down to a rolling chassis, gutted everything. Had the thing completely media blasted. Rear mini tubs, Detroit Speed front Sub frame, sub frame connectors, a Strange 9 inch with rear ladder bars installed with an 8 point cage with a new trans tunnel for a T56

I'm roughly $22,000 in to it and still years away from even buying brakes and wheels to get the thing on the ground. I'd guess I might be able to wrap the whole thing up for a total of 85k? Maybe?

[cornfedbill]

Does anybody have a good method for convincing one's wife to sell the house to finance a car? Asking for a friend.

[Schwartz Performance]

I agree with Blake's philosophy.
Usually ends up 1/2 parts 1/2 labor. Get the parts cost figured out & double it.
Also depends on the car's original condition. We have 2 cars here now that were "ready for paint" that we had to redo the bodywork on.

We have 1 car just started on that looked like a decent restoration & the lower cowl behind the fender is rusted out. The build cost just went up!

-Dale

[Steve Chryssos]

Does anybody have a good method for convincing one's wife to sell the house to finance a car? Asking for a friend.

One of life's most valuable lessons..... Tell her that it is a gift for her, but engrave your name somewhere prominent.
Here's a How-To video:

[Alponcho]

It's easy for me to see why high end turn-key builds start at $150k. I'll have 80k in parts and materials in my 70 Formula by the time I'm finished, and if I were paying someone to do the whole thing, labor would easily be another 70k. I'm not doing anything very fancy either, so I can only imagine how things begin to add up once one gets into the realm of modifying body panels, etc.

[XLexusTech]

About 2.5 more then it takes to buy a car someone else paid to have done. ��. For example I know a camaro which has been featured on a few pro touring mags and sites ... cost 250k to build and went for just over 100 at auction...

[GoodysGotaCuda]

I have about $45k in my 'Cuda plus the cost of the car with $0 for my personal labor. Easy 6-figure if I tried to account for any of my labor. A shop would easily double or triple the investment.

[slimjim]

short answer is..A lot more than most people think, and you've got some good explanations here on why.
You asked specifically about Detroit speed and roadstershop, and I can tell you its even more... a lot of the current builds we're seeing from then are banking well past half a million, Mo's 2 cars by DSE were both supposedly 600k EACH and roadstershop take it to another level again, I'd love to know the final price of 'inferno' because the prices I've heard are impressive.

[alocker]

I'm lucky to live close to The Roadster Shop ( or unlucky because I want stuff I'll never be able to afford). I have seen a bunch of the finished cars in person and the quality/style/innovation is unbelievable. They have levels of build too but here is an example of where big $$$$ can be thrown around.

http://roadstershop.com/galleries/1971gto/

To re-create that front end in metal has to take forever. It would be the most expensive fender bender in history God forbid you ever rear ended someone driving that car. But it's cool and no one else has one.

I heard a rumor the black 71 charger was $800k. Not sure if it's true but I believe it.

[nokones]

Be aware that some shops will low-ball the estimate just to get you in the front door. Lets say they give you a figure of, lets say just for this discussion, an $80K figure for a stated amount of work. Be ready to pay more and don't be surprised that when that shop tells you that you already spent the $80K and the build is only a 1/3 done, what are you going to do? Just stopped, probably not, that would be a waste of money, and that shop will know that. You were had when you first walked through the door.

Check with others and see what their experiences were with a particular shop. People like DSE, JCG Restoration & Customs, and the other high end builders are usually more up front with you.