Are we spending too much on our Classics?

[rich.]

Its not about the money, its about EVERY MILE IS SMILE factor

Well it is for me anyway .

exactly!!

[1275midget]

IF i ever sell anything, then I'll have made money. Bought midget for 700 quid, plus say 2 or 300 pounds in parts and 800 on the K-onversion, it's now worth 7 grand. That is without factoring in having to pay a welder to do all the welding, dad did it for free (well, he got a perfectly working 75hp A-series for it)

Same with the Landy, though that only cost 150 quid to get thru an MOT and bought it for 500. It's valued at 1000.

Both are cheap on insurance and parts and tyres (apart form landy, but it doesn't use them up at all) and cost me nothing in tax.

Anyway, it's a hobby, and therefore doesn't have to make any sort of financial sense. And every time I drive either of my cars I have a massive smile on, which has got to be worth a bit, no?

[TerryG]

That's not a million miles from what i say to my other half when she complains about my MPG (or GPM) "I get more smiles per gallon in this than i would driving any modern car!"

[michael1703]

I never sell anything so any money invested in my own cars is worth doing in the long term, I dont keep a tally of what I've spent either.

On the other side of the coin, I run a classic car restoration business, I charge very fairly and often knock off a few hours here and there as I would rather the owner kept their car long term, it also gives repeat work the following year.

Its very demoralising getting people moaning about how theyve spent more than the cars worth, thats not the point.

Spend money on your classic wisely, keep the bottom undersealed, make sure there is no hidden rot in water traps,scuttles,wheel arches and that your brakes are in good health, Only then should you start thinking about a fancy paint job or uprated suspension etc.

Sadly, theres a lot of shiny rot boxes out there that dont have a very good future

[Joloke]

Some great comments here
I too see Things like tyres,Suspension,brakes etc as everyday maintainance and you should never expect to see an return on that i guess what im getting at is some of the labour costs on things we can do ourselves is getting astronomical

I think bodyshops are one of the worst

Thats why i think in some cases maybe if we used HVLP Spray Stations and coach enamel we could save loads

Lets face it years ago all cars were coach painted it was good enough then no reason why it cant be now

I also think we get drawn in by these glitzy catalogues where you can buy everything new i know i did it with the last car,on reflection i replaced things that could of been refurbished or repaired

I do agree though i too dont drink very often cars are my only hobby i just think why spend £10k paying proffesionals (who arnt always that professional) to do things we can sometimes do ourselves just as good if not sometimes better

[stagman]

with regard to the cost of bodyshops - it is a very labour intensive job and it takes a lot of time to get a decent result which has to be paid for. As for the overall cost of our cars just take the depreciation of a new car into account and we are quids in I reckon

[arceye]

Cars cost money, I can't say I have ever really turned a profit on one of mine, break even is about the best you can hope for if you do them properly, and thats if you do it all yourself. They are a hobby and a passion, and hobbies and passions cost money.

Regarding cost of work, if you want someone to do it for you, you have to accept the cost, shop around and get reccomendations but someones time equals money. It is not my real line of work, but as a hobbyist and and a timeserved fabricator welder I do quite a few welding jobs for people, all declared to the taxman and so charged at a sensible rate of around £15 an hour, and thats cheap in my opinion especially considering materials and electricity. Someone making a living from it simply has to charge more.

There are dodgy £300 pound patches to get through an mot and that isn't on, The problem is though, most welding jobs start out as "it only failed the mot on a little patch at the back of the sill", much face pulling ensues when you get the screwdriver and try to explain that the "little hole" actually means a complete inner and outer sill job in order to find something fit to weld to.

Yes, you can do it yourself, but you have to justify buying a decent welder and the time to practice, the safety aspects both to yourself and the end result and you see where the costs still rise, depends how often you envision the need to weld.

Paint jobs, its all in the prep, and again the costs are justified by people needing to make a living, but a small compressor, HVLP spray gun and a tin or two of Vapormatic tractor paint at £11 a bash will see a job that takes a shine if not perfect, I prefer it as the weather and road salt on the North coast of Scotland harms things so fast anything else is not worth it unless you store in a heated garage and use purely for shows.

I say go for it, do it all yourself and be proud of the end result even if not perfect as long as it is fit, but if people really want someone else to do it they have to accept that any business needs to cover costs and provide a living

[Luxobarge]

as a timeserved fabricator welder I do quite a few welding jobs for people...

Yeah, thought you might be, seeing the username

Agree with you - and welcome to the forum mate!

[arceye]

as a timeserved fabricator welder I do quite a few welding jobs for people...

Yeah, thought you might be, seeing the username

Agree with you - and welcome to the forum mate!

Cheers Luxobarge,
the worst is when you get it and people think its the drink....... still as I mature a little I tend to make sure my masks are fit and that I don't tack everything together without it just because its easier, you have to time the blink to match the arc and it doesn't always work

[Luxobarge]

as a timeserved fabricator welder I do quite a few welding jobs for people...

Yeah, thought you might be, seeing the username

Agree with you - and welcome to the forum mate!

Cheers Luxobarge,
the worst is when you get it and people think its the drink....... still as I mature a little I tend to make sure my masks are fit and that I don't tack everything together without it just because its easier, you have to time the blink to match the arc and it doesn't always work

Yep - the number of times I've done that - welded with my eyes shut! You still get burnt eyelids though eh? Oh my word, I've had serious arc-eye a couple of times, ended up having to stay in bed for a day or two last time - not good. Furtunately the optician said my eyes were fine in the end, so I got away with it but promised myself I must do something more sensible when welding. In the end I bought one of those electronic masks that automatically dims - I have to say the thing is brilliant, I always use it now and being able to see what you're doing has improved my welding no end!

Cheers