slownrusty Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I keep my pulse on everything Porsche and Datsun, I'm talking eBay, Craigslist, Autotrader, cars.com you name it. I just sold this little gem for a paltry $800...yes its not the prettiest face in the house, rust is all surface though, it runs flawlessly, brakes flawlessly and rides great and everything works...in fact if I threw my road bike in the hatch it would triple in value! If I did not own 6 cars I would keep it too. Then I see this incredible car on eBay for only $12,600 sold today for that price. If I had to take my blue car above and make it look like that orange eBay car, I can see an easy $20K vanish from my bank account not too mention the years of time and bustin' ass... So it makes me wonder and the million dollar question of the day to you my comrades of Z world...why bother build these damn things (yes you could say you are proud and impress your buddies and say your two hands and vision built it and you lost a girlfriend and pinky finger along the way) - but at the end of the day who gives a hairy?? ...For half the money you can get one already meticulously built, been pampered, ready to drive, no mental anguish, be further ahead in the finances department (significantly) and have more time to bull%hit here on HybirdZ and actually drive the thing? That orange eBay 240Z car makes me melt (understatement) what can you buy for $12K anyway...a 5 year old base Corolla? Don't even get me started on Porsches... Yasin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted June 11, 2008 Administrators Share Posted June 11, 2008 ...Yup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I build my cars because NO ONE else would do the things I do/have done, some are very clever, some well, they don't turn out so well, but great learning experiances. So I can't buy what I would want in a car, S30 or otherwise. I also enjoy making things, custom, odd combinations that no one has thought of, or has thought won't work. I have more satisfaction in driving a vehcile I've built than one that I've bought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Because it's fun. My car has enough sentimental value it'll never be sold, so resale value is a non-issue. Wrenching on my car is as much fun as driving it for me, as long as I do an equal amount of wrenching and driving, it's worth the extra money to do it myself. I think when people get bummed out is when they spend 95% of their time working on it and only 5% driving it, or even worse, it being under total construction for five years. Daily driving mine and getting to the track as often as possible really keeps me into the car. The longest it's been down in the three years I've been driving it is about one month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogriz91 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I have three kids and the car is and will likely be a money pit so I really agonize over any dollar that goes into it. In the end, i've had one since '86 and can't imagine not having it now so it stays, it's even the model year and exterior color I always wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Datsuns, especially, don't EVER add up your receipts! It's almost always cheaper to buy a finished or partially finished project. I think my second statement applies to all cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaggyZ Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Building one comes along without REQUIRED payments. I can stop building my Z anytime to stop spending money if I need to. If I buy a $12k Z in cash, that's a lot of money to be out at one time; I don't have that much money lying around, so I'd have to get a loan then I'd HAVE to make payments each month. Or I could save up for 5yrs to buy one like the orange one... but then I'd have no Z to look at for 5yrs and call my own - plus, I'd probably end up having to spend that saved money in an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I keep my pulse on everything Porsche and Datsun, I'm talking eBay, Craigslist, Autotrader, cars.com you name it. I just sold this little gem for a paltry $800...yes its not the prettiest face in the house, rust is all surface though, it runs flawlessly, brakes flawlessly and rides great and everything works...in fact if I threw my road bike in the hatch it would triple in value! If I did not own 6 cars I would keep it too. Then I see this incredible car on eBay for only $12,600 sold today for that price. If I had to take my blue car above and make it look like that orange eBay car, I can see an easy $20K vanish from my bank account not too mention the years of time and bustin' ass... So it makes me wonder and the million dollar question of the day to you my comrades of Z world...why bother build these damn things (yes you could say you are proud and impress your buddies and say your two hands and vision built it and you lost a girlfriend and pinky finger along the way) - but at the end of the day who gives a hairy?? ...For half the money you can get one already meticulously built, been pampered, ready to drive, no mental anguish, be further ahead in the finances department (significantly) and have more time to bull%hit here on HybirdZ and actually drive the thing? That orange eBay 240Z car makes me melt (understatement) what can you buy for $12K anyway...a 5 year old base Corolla? Don't even get me started on Porsches... Yasin Yup, it isn't really a money making deal when you start with something that rough and end up with something that nice in the end. As for the "other" cars don't mention them. The satisfaction of building one, driving one and just owning one is not somethng you measure with $$$. IMO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 You have to be in it for the "process" not just the outcome. If your not enjoying the build of the car your missing the best part. Everyone knows cars are crappy investments for the most part, this isn't new news. This just proves my theory that you should always start with as nice of a car as you can get your hands on. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 IVE ALWAYS hated doing body,interior and detail work on cars, but enjoyed building engines, so Ive always advised getting a project car in the best LOOKING condition you can afford before starting any project, because body,interior and paint plus rust repairs can get very time consuming and expensive. IVE been looking for a CLEAN 1965 pontiac tempest or LEMANS at a decent price (preferably with no or a busted drive train) at anything close to a decent price for years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strotter Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 The satisfaction of building one, driving one and just owning one is not somethng you measure with $$$. IMO of course. The doctor is right. For me it's the journey, not the destination. I want a great high performance car, sure, but even more I want to satisfy this need I have to resurrect things that have been abused, abandoned, discarded - with my own hands make them strong again, beautiful again, better than ever. Any idiot can buy things, but precious few can create them. It brings me pride to be one of them. Would you rather meet the guy that built the car, or the one who bought it? Heck, people spontaneously smile when they see my car; they come over just to talk, just tell a story, share some memories and shake my hand. That's something fantastic. There's nothing else I do in my life that can make strangers happy at a glance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Yasin, You're making a very fundamental philosposhical error: using logic to understand an emotional desire. This will lead to confusion, bewilderment, depression, and suicidal thoughts. The only cure is to go out and buy yourself a nice, $15,000 240Z. Its a very effective therapy and works every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I like the idea of a never ending project. Work on it with my son, he is 3 right now but I will still be doing something on it. I can stop putting money in it any time I want, when its not running I can drop insurece on it and in stock form I only have liablity on it. Plus NEVER forget, payments with interest makes it considerable MORE including full coverage! Also you then have to consider how much you may loose on the deal if, hopefull not, you get in a accident and the insurence company dose not see the same value as you do. On another note, how many still have problems crop up with extreamly well done work? If that happens to you, you will have to figure out what someone else did and etheir fix it or improve what was done in the frist place. Working on a car with an increadeble body, me no likey! I can just see it now, Post: I got this car a while ago and......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30TRBO Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Yasin, I hear ya man. I am building my 240Z and the 810 for.... ME! It’s my taste on what I would like in performance, style, looks etc.. I could give a $h*t what others think as I said I built it for me not someone else or their approval. Then I see this incredible car on eBay for only $12,600 sold today for that price. ...For half the money you can get one already meticulously built, been pampered, ready to drive, no mental anguish, be further ahead in the finances department (significantly) and have more time to bull%hit here on HybirdZ and actually drive the thing? That orange eBay 240Z car makes me melt (understatement) what can you buy for $12K anyway...a 5 year old base Corolla? IMHO, most people don’t have the coin to spend the $12K for something that nice especially in this day in age. I paid $3K for my 240Z in 1999 and in 9 years I probably have close to $18K or more too scared to add up the receipts and it’s not even painted!!! On my 810 I spent $600 on EBay and I have close to $3500 in parts and none of this includes body and paint which will be more coin. If I had the funds to pay for something like that I wouldn't want to ride on someone else's coat tails of what "they did" and here I come Mr. Money bags and take the credit of their work and their vision. I would never take someone's completed Z as #1 They are never done, #2 Why? I like having a project or two but long term projects just plain suck. I always tell myself to take your time and do it right the first time. Guess that's why I won Diamond in the Rough out of 150+ Z cars at the Richmond Z show last fall. We will conquer the mountain one day my brother!! I always tell myself I need to win the lottery, I guess I need to start playing it if I have a chance in hell to win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Cars can be bought and sold to make money. It's all in what you start/end with and the perceived value to buyers. I know a guy who buys & sells Z cars all the time for profit. He doesn't, however, build them. I have around $35k in mine. If I purchased a new car the way mine is equipped in 1992 for $35k it would be worth less than mine is worth now. I bought and built the car not to resell but to be my daily driver. It has done that admirably and that is how I have gotten my money's worth out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglist Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 The car hobby is rough. It is prohibitively expensive but also impossible to unattach yourself from. Here's my long winded experience. I had a '95 Integra GSR from 1999-2003 and it was the first car I had that I bought on my own and could afford to modify. I reworked the entire suspension to be fully adjustable, had every sort of suspension tie bar that was available. Big brake kits on the front and rear, minor engine work, tons of rare, JDM and Integra Type R parts and so much more to list. I paid $12,000 for the car with 33k on the odometer and put so much more money into it after that for parts (no labor except the clutch) and when I went to sell it in 2003 I only got $9000 for it. It was in better shape than when I had bought it. Taught me a big lesson though. I sold that car to get a 2003 350Z when they came out, I had fallen in lust. I bought the 350Z knowing it would take me awhile to be able to afford doing any modifications because of the hefty payment/my salary ratio (ha!). The 350Z was perfect for the first 2-3 years as it was better than my GSR in every way except for braking. I started to get the itch again, do small things to it here and there. It was unfortunately totalled in the rain/ice in december of '07...coming home at night and was riding on falken azeni's on my 350Z track wheels. Needless to say, dont drive on Azeni's when the temp. is below 42 and the road is wet and you don't see black ice even if you do have the traction control on. When that was totalled I had agreed to build up a race/project '72 240Z with my friend Ryan who had a rusty shell (with all new bushings/suspension) that he used as his daily in college and had been sitting in the garage for 2 years. I have always had a thing for Z's and we started stripping the car down, repairing the rust on the floors and body panels. I added up my receipts yesterday and added up the stuff I feel that we still need for our project to get on the road and be at satisfactory spot. It is overwhelming almost...I think I've already spent $4000 and I've gotten another $600 worth of stuff as gifts from my parents/girlfriend for christmas and my bday. The stuff I feel the car needs is another $5-6g's. I'm committed to this project in full and the car is going to be nasty when finished...I just can't wait. I would never want to buy someone else's project. The entire satisfaction of building a car is the sense of achievement when finished and the knowledge you gain when you are doing something you haven't done before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrel Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 yasin, you know you want it, plus it's probably within a few blocks from you. http://cosprings.craigslist.org/car/715558719.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Yasin, You're making a very fundamental philosposhical error: using logic to understand an emotional desire. This will lead to confusion, bewilderment, depression, and suicidal thoughts. The only cure is to go out and buy yourself a nice, $15,000 240Z. Its a very effective therapy and works every time. Agree 100%. I started a ground off on 85 Jeep CJ7. Got screwed on the body work. I had $8K in it and was so bummed about the body work I sold the whole thing for ruffly $3500. I didn't make the same mistake w/ my current Z. I paid $3750 for it. The guy I bought it from was owed money and took it on trade. The first owner had it for over 20 years and had over $16K in it. I was lucky to be able to speak w/ him and he went over everything that was done to the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow_Old_Car Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I do it myself, because it is the only way i can be sure that it was done right. You can buy someone elses project any day, along with there projects problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I do it myself, because it is the only way i can be sure that it was done right. And then the person who buys your car complains about how everything was done wrong. One person's "done right" is another person's "hack job". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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