I see a zillion auto restoration projects on craig's list and other classifieds that get started and abandoned. I thought we could discuss the reasons why so many people lose interest in what once was their dream car. I know what my feelings are. I'd like to here some of your opinions.
Why so many auto restoration projects get started and never finished ?
- Thread starter 68Nwprt
- Start date
67Monaco
Go Woke, Go Broke.
Life tends to get in the way.
Fratzog
Old Man with a Hat
People go into projects without understanding the costs involved. The wife then puts her foot down and says get rid of that pile of scrap!
For me I had to have a 70 Polara Convertible. I spent almost twenty years looking for the right car. I gave up when it wasnt showing up, and I couldnt wait so I pulled the trigger on a project that was loaded up with options and the wrong color. A few years into it and the rightest car I had seen to that point shows up and in my color. So I buy that car and bump the project. A few more years go by and another car I have to have shows up . I buy that car and again, the project gets put on hold.
As mentioned above life gets in the way and the project sits. Then another car shows up and I have to have this one because this is as close to the car I was looking for all along. In those 30 plus years this is opted as close as I have found to my original desired options......
Project car gets sold. 13 years and a lot of cash into it and I never once drove it. I took a loss on it but in the end it all worked out right for me and the car........Fortunately for my project car it sat inside most of those 13 years, so many cars arent so lucky
As mentioned above life gets in the way and the project sits. Then another car shows up and I have to have this one because this is as close to the car I was looking for all along. In those 30 plus years this is opted as close as I have found to my original desired options......
Project car gets sold. 13 years and a lot of cash into it and I never once drove it. I took a loss on it but in the end it all worked out right for me and the car........Fortunately for my project car it sat inside most of those 13 years, so many cars arent so lucky
moparnutcase
Senior Member
I'm going to say money,or lack of it, number 1, and taking to long/lost interest number 2.
68plymouth383
Senior Member
I think most people believe fixing up a car, and restoring it if you can call it that is easy. They drag out every tool they own get a couple guys over, and within a weekend the car is in a thousand pieces initially they think they're doing a good job by starting from the ground up years go by and it becomes an eyesore. They now have to try and sell this basket case of a car that ran and drove when they bought it. So they started with a running and driving car and now have a pile of parts that they've lost half of.
I think those are the number one and two reasons. Number three is the difficulty of the work involved as Fred mentioned. After that parts availability....
I think people also get to big of a basket case and are completely overwhelmed. For me it needs to be in a dry heated garage and accessible whenever I want to work on it. If you buy and it sits in the yard it will probably rot there.
68plymouth383
Senior Member
I don't think it's so much loss of interest. I think it's a skill/ability factor. I think people believe it's easy.
How many ads do we see" lost interest " or " found another project " which means the same damn thing...
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
[h=2]Why so many auto restoration projects get started and never finished ?[/h]
Rust.
Rust.
68plymouth383
Senior Member
I guess it's easier for people to say they lost interest than it is to say I don't know what I'm doing...
68plymouth383
Senior Member
I have a friend that has started many projects and never finished them for many reasons. He just sold three 90% done projects in the last year. These were easy to finish projects too. Very easy without a big outlay of money. This guy makes good money, no kids etc. He even has a shop that most of us would kill for and the ability to do the work too. A couple of these cars were sitting for over twenty years.
Rwc
Senior Member
I would bet it lies in the very beginning. Why they have the car they have. If it is because they thought it would be valuable and desired by many others they get discouraged easily. If it is THE car they can stick too it. They are shooting for the car they want and aren't worrying about profit. They just keep putting in thr money and effort in to get the car of their dreams.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
I just had another thought.
They saw all these guys at Dairy Queen with their catalog restored Chevys.
They saw all these guys at Dairy Queen with their catalog restored Chevys.
I did one once. Didn't and still don't give ah ratz azz how valuable it waz or will ever be. 22 yearz from acquisition to firing it up for the 1st time. Now after total 30+ yearz I'm not sure I've got another 20+ to give to another one? Doez anybody 'sidez me know or care that Mother put 255 digitz in her little digital dash podz? I'll settle for 150+ ah bit. I don't need the 2nd 100 digitz to give me ah rush, lol
Landyacht
Active Member
Building a Rat Rod would be a good alternative for someone without allot of time and money. You don't have to be a paint or body expert and you don't have to put in the money and effort in hunting down restoration parts. You just improvise.
KcImperial
Active Member
Too many people expect perfect cars without realizing the time, effort, and money involved to make everything factory correct. They also usually start with a vehicle that doesn't justify spending tens of thousands of dollars on. I'm not a purist and I still struggle with parts or tech help when adapting parts to make them work. I can't imagine how it must be when every thing has to be a certain predetermined way.
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