Resto cost v's resale price.

**wbute** · 22-09-2011, 04:58 PM

Just curious if the rest cost really should be reflected in the value of a restored car?

Personally I would not place the claimed value of the restoration as highly as seeing and purchasing a good survivor car that is in its working clothes with nothing hidden under fresh paint.

That does not mean I don't value and appreciate an excellent restoration though.

**HZSandman** · 22-09-2011, 06:01 PM

depends if you value the emotion connected with restoring it yourself. It is always going to cost more to restore than buy restored unless all the work is carried out by yourself. But if you hust want to drive a retored car regardless whether you restored it or not then buy restored.

Restore yourself for the fun and the sense of achievement. It is going to cost you.

**GTS** · 22-09-2011, 07:51 PM

My resto took about 2 1/2 years and cost somewhere around 25-30K ( I lost cost after the first 5K). It was the most frustrating, rewarding, agravating, disappointing, uplifting, depressing, exhilerating fun time I've ever had.

If I were to sell it I'd hope to break even just on parts.

The 25-30K was the cost to build without my labor for 2 1/2 years because you'll never get that back. That's the price you pay for doing what you enjoy and I never expect to make a profit out of a hobby.

Haveing said that, I'd be just as happy with an original survivor.......and it just so happens I've found a ridgy didge, one original owner genuine HZ Sandman. It's for sale and I'm "almost" sold on it......almost. Don't tell Mrs GTS

**wbute** · 22-09-2011, 08:10 PM

GTS seeing your rest from start to finish it is clear there is nothing lurking under that paint!!!!!

**sanman** · 22-09-2011, 08:22 PM

It just depends how collectable the car is. If its a 57Chev or a GTHO p3 you would generally get your money back plus some, if its a Camira, then forget it. In saying that, one day there wont be any Camira's left and the odd one might be worth a few $$$$.

I have two really nice EK's, for years they have been going nowhere dollar wise, I keep saying to my wife,"one day they will be worth a bit so we cant sell them". They are only now starting to creep up in value.

Geoff

**jennie285** · 22-09-2011, 08:36 PM

We spent so much on our yellow van it would make your hair curl...but we love it and don't care, once we started we were in so deep after soda blasting it was either loose what we had already paid or plough on through it..the fun we have had and the reward from people's comments and the whole restoration and to be able to say we did this together is all that matters...we had a shed find with the red van which is so original with all matching numbers and engine, which won't cost a lot to restore, and the HX ute similar not original motor, but body good so not much to restore compared to the yellow van....swings and roundabouts...if we wait 5 years and sell the red van we envisage that we should nearly come out on top and still own a van and ute...but maybe we won't sell anything....who knows..I must say we did make sure all numbers matched chassis...on all our sandmans

**adam perth** · 22-09-2011, 10:03 PM

i think the cost of a resto could be done for around $12K if you started with a good survivor.$5K of that on paint, $2K trim + the rest on misc stuff.

depends on how much work you do and what spares you have in the shed.

**HZSandman** · 23-09-2011, 08:46 AM

I have posted up my full costings for parts previously but when things like a ciggy lighter cost you $20 it adds up very quickly.

**playwme** · 23-09-2011, 07:53 PM

Not at all. Like Adam says , if you have the bits and the body is good then there's no reason you couldn't do a good job for a very reasonable price. That doesn't make the vehicle worth that much less than something that has cost a lot more. Knowing what Jen and Rods yellow van owes them makes me curious on what the cost breakdown for that resto were (not that you guys have to share that with us). That was a resto that required a fair amount of bodywork, rust repairs , sourcing of original parts, full rebuild of all mechanicals. However, I'm fairly confident that I could do mine without reaching into my pocket for 1/3rd of that cost, but it wouldn't make mine worth a 3rd of theirs.
Things like
- no rust and very little bodywork needed
- car is already fairly complete.
- all parts needed can be pulled from the 9 others I have without devaluing those vehicles (apart from consumables).
- time spent working in a panelshop has given me a few very good contacts for painting, supplies and mechanics.
are going to make the whole exercise a lot cheaper than someone who has started with a bare shell, needs to source every part individually, finds nasty rust,gets ripped off by a spraypainter, rebuilds his engine wrong the first time etc.