Who said engine swap is cheap?

[280Zone]

Yep.

The wife says "make sure you keep your receipts so you will know how much your spending". "That way if you start spending too much, you will know to stop".

 

Uhh...ok dear....

 

I keep my receipts at work.

 

 

LOL, THATS funny, I don't care who you are.

[Michael]

Ah yes, the eternal debate on how much one should or should not have spent on his Z, whether it was worth it, and whether the money itself really matters....

 

If you spent $30K on your car but you enjoy driving it, if it attains the performance level that you desired (or higher), it is reliable enough to not cause incessant headaches, and if you feel proud as the designer/builder/tuner/owner, then I’d say that this is money very well spent.

 

If you spent $5000 but your car accelerates worse than a $5000 used Camaro or Mustang, then your money is wasted. If the car fails to meet your desires or expectations, again, your money is wasted.

 

Broadening the discussion beyond cars, I often find myself getting good deals on things that ultimately disappoint me. In that case they’re not good deals at all.

 

I have to some extent enjoyed my HybridZ adventure; it had its moments. I met clever and interesting people, whose company I value and whose advise I cherish. But in the proverbial “if I were to do it again” - well, I wouldn’t do it over again. My lessons were mostly lessons in humility. The pinnacle of every lesson is heaped atop a mountain of frustrations; every triumph is but the crown on a brow of failures. My plans were mostly self-delusion. My "good deals" were trifles compared to the thousands wasted on dead-ends. How would I have done it over again? I would buy somebody else’s nearly-complete project. Or I would just buy a new car. Is it “worth it” in the end? Well, it’s given me impetus to write some relatively interesting (hopefully!) posts. My wife says: “Honey , you fret so much over that car, you second-guess yourself so much! How can you enjoy it, how can you call it a hobby, when it gives you so much anguish? I wish you’d just hire a professional to build you a turnkey car! I wish that you'd just buy something ready-made, ready to go drag racing!"

[Guest Mike]

There you go again... over-thinking, Michael. You cannot apply logic to lust:biggrin:

[240zV8]

U can always go buy a new car if u want a turn key everyday practical car. But there's somthing about cutting up and getting ur hands dirty on ur own project that makes it worth it, especially when u see the results of ur own work. The biggest cost's are engine/trans, so if u can do most everything else (mounts, paint, metal work etc), u can make it really affordable and still turn out professional.

[Turbo Meister]

My wife says: “Honey , you fret so much over that car, you second-guess yourself so much! How can you enjoy it, how can you call it a hobby, when it gives you so much anguish? I wish you’d just hire a professional to build you a turnkey car! I wish that you'd just buy something ready-made, ready to go drag racing!"

 

Michael, you are looking at the half-empty glass.

 

"Anguish is just a natural step between Dreams and Success."

 

And in the long run you will revel in the fact that you met the challenge and triumphed.

 

Building and rebuilding, and rebuilding my Z was more fun than any other car project I had.

 

You will never appreciate a turn key car as much as a project car you suffered and anguished over.

Hanns

[jbk240z]

Yeah, anyone can go and buy a new or turn key car. But, there is something to be said for building your own.

[kcelectronics]

I dont know what the rate is in the USA but you drop about $5,000~$10,000 just driving your New car out of the dealers show room, and it just goes down hill from there. So it will cost you one way or the other. You will never get your money back, so you may as well enjoy yourself, no matter what car you own/love.

[Guest Mike]

kcelectronics... YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT!!

[VinhZXT]

I am not whining on the spending at all. I was just surprise that it costs an extra 3k for the miscellaneous stuffs to get the car to a point where it's drivable. I am actually enjoying building/customizing cars because I know at the end it will pay off. There is no better feeling when you drive the car you built out on the street and people just nod their heads and give you thumbs up. Plus I've been driving old zcars for the past 15 years and did all the works on these cars so I saved a ton of money comparing to buying new cars and maintenance. So I can spend 30K into my project if I have to and it still be OK because at the end with the look and performance it will spank a lot of newer cars out there.