baddriver Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Summer 2000: My situation - newly married, just out of college, small house, big garage, 2 incomes, no kids. Plenty of spending cash, I buy a boat and a truck, then decide to buy a little 2 seater sports car to have fun with. I decide on a nice Z car, I'll drive it for a year, then, when I have it driving good and fixed up a little, I'll swap a v-8 into it, maybe next summer. Present Day: One income, one kid. plans for another. Wife is stay-at-home Mom. Bigger house, smaller garage. bigger house payment. No spending cash. Sold the boat, trying to sell the truck. Z has a beautiful paint job, nice aluminum rims. poly sway bar bushings, stereo, perfect interior. And still an in-line 6. All this was done before Alex arrived on 2-2-03. Realistically, there is no way I am going to come up with the cash for a manual tranny and an LT1 in the next year. I'm going to be driving an in-line six until my wife goes back to work. I might as well delete my account here and go back to zcar.com Anyone else where I'm at? I had, and still have, every intention of completing this pjoject. Anyone who saw before and after pictures of my Z would have to believe that I was serious about this car. It's beautiful. But it's not a hybrid, and likely won't be for years. I have come to accept this. So who else on this board is only a dreamer? Am I the only one? Even the jackstand racing guys are way ahead of me. Not only do I not have the car torn apart, I don't even have any serious plans to get started. If your in the same boat, this is your thread. Tell me about it, maybe I won't feel so bad. naw, I don't really feel that bad. I bought an AWD Talon to get me to work. Told the wife I needed AWD for winter driving. She knows better, but she let me think that I fooled her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Just squirrel a little away every paycheck...it will add up over time. I am close to your situation since we put a 1000 sq ft addition on the house and the 2nd mortgage that goes along with it. My Z is sitting in the garage with no drivetrain and rear sitting on blocks (sold the rear assembly with the drivetrain). I am starting to notice rust breaking through the paint on my 71 chevy truck, so I need to do body and paint on that before it gets worse, I have my 72 Opel GT coming home from the bodyshop soon that is screaming for a modern powerplant, plus I still need to do the landscaping on the back yard following the house addition (8 cubic yards of dirt to remove and lawn laid and sprinkler system installed)......so yeah, I know where you are right now!! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I don't have kids (yet.. the girlfriend kep saying she wants a baby.. ugh.. ) but also don't have a house.. I have a good job, and while it will pay more and more over the next few years (machinest apprentiship), it doesn't pay much right now.. I therefore live in an apartment, and have a small space/budget for my Z. It's at the same point as yours roughly.. body/welding done, painted, drivable and road legal.. but basicaly a stock car. I'm getting the engine rebuilt now.. because I want to be able to drive it next year. I'd love to V8 it, but I don't have the resources (financial/space) right now, and I can forsee that in another year or two, I will buy a house.. than most likely have a kid, and will end up.. where you are. I've found that 'the more you make, the more you spend' so really, it's a mater of trying to save a little bit here and there and wait.. It took me a full year to rebuild my Z.. on a budget of about $3000 in the end.. it's worth it IMO though.. also.. please dont delete your account and go over to zcar!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayAreaZT Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I'm in a similar situation so don't feel too bad. At least you still have your Z. I ended up selling my turbo 240Z and my wifes 240sx after moving into our new house. No kids yet but that can change fairly quickly. Mainly one income while my wife is still in school and a huge mortgage changes priorites a little. I had big dreams for the Z after finally getting my own garage but I decided to wait it out until I cash out my equity next year (value went up 50K before I even moved in). We have a R50 pathfinder now and I'm very close to getting a set of mud tires for it to keep me occupied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I have had an account here for the past 3 years even though it has been over 5 years since my Z had plates. 15 years ago I was single and living in an apartment in LA. I had a Z with every smog legal bolt on I could find, and still I was putting away $1000 a month because I didn't now what else to spend it on. Now I am married, single income, 2 kids, college fund, 401 K, house on east coast. Just finished putting the addition on this summer. I own furniture now (took care of that extra money!) Few more home projects and it will be time to work on my Z. I put the Z on hold the last several years partly because of money, but mostly because my kids were only going to be preschoolers for a few short years. Now that they are older (4 and 8), I will not feel as guilty about investing time in the Z. Kids start to get their own lives after they get older. In the mean time I have the project pretty well planed out. Bought some used brakes and a spoiler off this site. Built a workshop in the garage, including a workbench made out of pipe to practice welding. Have gotten all the necessary tools via the last 10 years of Christmas's and birthdays. You are way ahead of most guys. The paint and interior are the most expensive parts. Hell, just having a Z and a garage to work on it is light years beyond some. My advice is to set modest goals for the first hybrid. Drop a stock LT1 or even 305 in for starters. Should be able to do that for less than $2k. Once that is on the road, you can do the "damn honey, the thing burned a valve. It is going to be $1500 for a replacement set of 195cc CNC ported AFR's..." At least that is my plan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Here is my sad sob story. I bought my 280ZX about 4 years ago. It needed an AFM and a radiator to get running. I didn't want to put any money in it because I was planning a v8 and I needed to build a shop to work on the car. Well, the plans for the shop kept getting bigger, and funds kept getting smaller. My wife has finished her Masters Degree, and we have been going through infertility treatments for 3-4 years now, which can get expensive even with good insurance. The next step is probably the last for us will cost about $8000 (hopefully, you will not be hearing about my octuplets on the news ). So, the ZX is still at my dad's house about 70 miles away, hopefully, it has not rusted beyond the point of no return. I hope to start on it by my birthday (July 3). We will see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Having a nice paint/nice interior 240Z that you can drive and enjoy isn't a bad thing, it's good. A lot of the guys with their car torn apart in boxes, or trapped in paint hell, would love to be in your shape. Keep your car, drive it and enjoy it, and look forward to doing the conversion. Try and save a litle each month towards the conversion expenses, and maintain your Z in it's current shape. Nothing really good happens overnight anyway. Stay a member here and keep up with what's going on, we all need goals to look forward to. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdmz Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I was there with my first z. I drove it until it would not drive anymore - had big plans to restore it and on and on. Never had any money, time, garage etc...I hung onto the car for years thinking I would work on it. Never happened. Tried to sell the car a few time but it was so bad that I eventually gave it away. This time around I am a little better off. The kids are mostly grown and I have a little cash and time. So far this z looks way better than the first one ever did, but I have only driven this one about 100 yards. The v8 is still on the back burner but I should be able to drive it this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZHeadV8 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Went away on holiday for the new year, came back today to find my division at work has been shut down as of December 31st and I have no job - BUMMER ! Forget the food and the mortgage, how the hell do I get an LS6 engine now ?????? Will find another soon I am sure - I refuse to lay down and dream (big words, lets see if I can sort it !) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagz Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 You're not alone. I've got the big house, big garage (big mortgage), three kids with the oldest being one year from college($$). The wife took last year off and cut our income significantly, but is now back at work as a Unix Admin so, our income was back to normal for a month or two. However, I just walked away from a very nice, regular income as a systems development manager to become a partner in a very small consulting firm with no guaranteed level of income. In the middle of all this is my Z project. I've got the rolling chassis back on the ground, but the engine is still on the stand and the T56 is collecting dust on the floor. The Velo Rossa body kit is stored on the RV pad next to the house. I started the project several years ago and it seems I'll never get it done. Spare cash for the car is scarse these days. Most of the project money dried up a long time ago, but I try to squirrel away a little money here and there like Tim talked about. Every now and then I blow the dust off the car and make a little headway. I've entertained the thought of selling the whole project several times, but I can't seem to go through with it. Hang in there, be patient. Heck, it took Pete Paraska 10(?) years to complete his work of art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 240zJake Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Thats it I'm never having kids... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Yeah....remember...there is a whole lot of stuff that can be done with very little $$$ input....mostly labor, enough to keep you busy anyways. Like taking of little parts and cleaning, polishing, painting etc...... Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead Roman Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 duder my z is a daily driver and its a heap. Bad paint(no ruat though YAY) and 30 years of dents and dings all over it (NO RUST THOUGH). The rings are gone it smokes like a bastard everyone complains that i smell like gass and if i wantr to swap my new turbo motor in it absoloutley is gonna HAVE to be done in a weekends time in the near future. You have a freshly painted reliably runnings z that you obviously love. Just because its not yet a hybrid dont mean you aint one of thehybrid guys. itl happen stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 Yep, I'm a dreamer for sure (Auxilary will back me up on that one). I met Mike Knell of JTR back in 1991 and bought the first edition of the JTR V8Z conversional manual. I was convinced I was going to build a V8Z within a year or so. Well, I married later that year and never had the space or money to do it. Bought a house, saddled with a huge mortgage and had some kids, bang bang bang bang bang. I have all the parts now and the car as well, but I have been remodelling the house, which is turning out simply great, but I have no time at the moment. I will be selling the house this year for a bigger one in a cheaper area and buying a house that does not need a ton of work. I'll be in a much better financial situation and have more time!!! All in all, it has taken me all these years, yet I still dream. I want the dream to become reality soon. I have the need for speed Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dot Posted January 11, 2005 Share Posted January 11, 2005 I started out the same. One girl and a boy in the oven, small garage, small house, one income a mortgage the size of the national debt... and rusty Z with plans to put a motor in from a taxi. Just take it slow. It will come around. Now Two incomes Two kids in university. One working. Three in high school. That's right...six. Second woman. Big house Big garage full of junk and a V12Z. I have almost lost the car to financal woos a few times. Next month I will have had this car twenty years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartman Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 1989: My situation – single, self-employed, hitting the bars every night, Jaguar XKE, New S10 4x4 Blazer, New Honda v65 Sabre, no worries. 1995: Married, two children, two part-time low paying jobs, going back to school, house with mortgage, no car, old beaten up Suzuki Katana 650. 2004: still married, good job, mini-van, 4-door sedan, added on a new garage in my backyard and bought a 73 240Z. Present day: I’ve bought an LT1, T56, Q45 LSD, coilovers, new rims, disc brake conversion, and ton’s of other stuff that still needs to be installed. The story is, life changes…adjust. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. It took many years, but now I’m able to do something I always wanted to do. A nice unique sports car with a V8 and a six-speed, done the way I want it. If you really want to put a V8 in your Z, you can stash away a little money here and there and someday you’ll be able to do it. It may not be the time frame you wanted, but it makes it that much better when you’re able to finally able to swing it. Just hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baddriver Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 Hey guys thanks for the stories and the encouragement. I don't want anyone to think I'm depressed about this, or giving up on my Z in any way. I just had to finallly admit to myself that I was not going to get this project done, or indeed started, for years to come. Saving a little every paycheck is one way to do it, it just seems whenever I get a little saved, something else comes along that takes priority. I'm not really bitter about it, that's just the way life is. I just have to remind myself that I bought the Z because I wanted something to work on over the weekends. Driving it during the week is just a perk! The thing that kills me is that it looks, and even sounds, fantastic, but every time I step on it, I get smoke pouring out of the back, and it's not the squeeling tires kind of smoke. So I just drive it around easy, looking good and pretending I've got nothing to prove. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my frustration. When my wife goes back to work in a few years, we'll be set again and I can get all my projects done. Only now, thanks to Magnum Rockweiler, I also have to chop my bike. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aaron Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 A couple little tricks I have found to stashing away money. 1st, if you get paid by direct deposit, have $X put into your savings account each month. After a month or two you won't even realize it is missing, and the account looks better every time you get a statement. 2nd, open several bank accounts (just make sure they don't have a lot of fees). If you keep money in your house, you will either "borrow" from it, or it will go missing (I lost about $400 I had stashed for a weekend getaway when my house was broken into). If you keep all your money in just one account, it gets hard to remember how much you have "put away". My wife and I currently have 5 accounts: checking (for day to day stuff), savings (rainy day and vacations, etc.), my shop account (someday the hot rod account), her school account, and another account that we are not using at the moment. Those are the strategies that work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKDGabe Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Am I a dreamer? I guess that's all I am now... just watched the Z get hauled off a few minutes ago. At least you guys have Z's... The secret to saving money is to pay yourself first. You'll always work hard to pay creditors so PAY YOURSELF FIRST! The vast majority of people can cut back somewhere, just look hard enough and give it time to add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Olphart Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 You are fortunate to have a running Z; I bought a dead one from a barn, and have yet to drive it. I should have joined HybridZ as soon as I got the car, but instead lurked for a while as I've really no outstanding expertise to share; finally the nature of HybridZ's members convinced me to join and post, at least irregularly. Coming here has helped keep the dream alive... Once in a while it fades to where I'd rather just sit and read a book, but it doesn't die. Now that the bits are finally beginning to go back on the car (rather than all coming off), I hope to have a ratty looking slightly rusted 240 hybrid on the road sometime this year. If it is as much fun as expected, I'll begin to dream about paint and interior. Dreams are good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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