too far gone

[vintageracer]

In your first post, you mention to buy a "great done car", which is no where near $6,000 - 12,000 in realistic terms. A done car, is going to be well over double/triple that.

I said you will have an "Extra" $6000-$12000 to buy a better car. That automatically assumes you have some money saved to buy a car in the first place.

How much a "Done" car costs depends on an individual's wants, needs, desire and pocketbook. A good "Done" mid 80's PT'd Monte Carlo SS can certainly be bought for $12k-$15K max! Well at least all but the Prodigy Monte! Not so with a 1st Gen Camaro. Junk starter projects are still $3000-$5000 and we all know what they look like. Why start with one of those when $25,000 will buy a nice camaro. That $25K Camaro may not be a LS6 six speed with DSE suspension but it will still be a damn nice car. Those cars are only 2 years on my program. I'll bet most people on the "build it myself plan" spend more than 2 years of time building their car! Why not just save the money to avoid the heartache and accomplish the same goal in 2 years?

Right now I personally think that for every $1000 EXTRA you spend buying a "better" car in the beginning you are getting at least $2000+ worth of restoration work value in that more expensive car. The price of finished cars certainly has changed (dropped) but the price of labor, materials and parts continues their relentless climb upward. With the price of a finished car going down and the price of building a finished car going up the point where they meet in the "middle" should tell anyone that a done car is much cheaper and better expenditure of hard earned money right now than ANY project car you name. You work "hard for the money" (so says Donna Summer) to earn the money you spend on your car so why work hard again after you have spent your already hard earned money on parts and or labor on a project car that is not worth the sum of the parts and labor invested?

I understand that there is the pride of craftsmanship, personalization and all that. When it all comes down to it everybody I speak with at the events just wants to have fun with their car, enjoy the event and most important want to be with friends who have a common interest in cars. When it's all said and done you still have just as much "fun" with a $2000 car as the guy does with a $200,000 car! Maybe more so since your not worried about your car! The hobby is still all about the people. The cars just bring us together. Therefore in my mind the sooner you can get your car out to enjoy it no who matter built it or how you acquired it the better!