I was with a group of friends and one of them asked me how much I had spent on my Datsun project. Before I could respond, another friend spoke up and said: "Dude! You can't ask a guy that! It's like asking a woman her weight!" Funny response but has some truth to it. I spent a lot of money on my Datsun rebuild and it's still not done. And probably will never be done. People who heard what I was doing would often say "You're never going to get the money out of that car that you put into it" but I didn't care. That wasn't the point. I wasn't trying to flip it to turn a profit. I did it because I wanted to have a fun car and enjoy the process of tearing it apart, fixing it and putting it back together. I never include items that are maintenance items like oil, filters, etc. as part of my project since those will be applicable to any car. That's just the price of ownership. My opinion is that there is no price you can put on joy. Hobbies cost money but the true return is in peace of mind, happiness, satisfaction and pride in a job well done (or just done as is often the case with me!). Of course if this was an investment in which you planned to make money, that's a different scenario. In that case, yeah, this isn't an ideal situation. But consider this: your channel has offered some insight to others who may be considering a similar project and can help them make an informed decision. Or maybe some relative experience for another project you may planning for yourself. You have made an investment in knowledge. Another aspect that is priceless. If nothing else, you've created something that has entertained and educated me and your other viewers. For that, we are all fortunate. Don't get down! Take into consideration the skills and knowledge you've gained and count that as a positive. Weigh that against the money you've spent and if you're really honest with yourself, you'll probably find that it's a wash. Money is always going to come and go. Knowledge, skills, experience, etc. can last a lifetime.
Solid response! I didn't necessarily get into the car for the profit. I wanted to bring a different set of eyes to the channel. That was successful. I don't have many opportunities to start a new build (unlike channels such as @hooviesgarage) so I gotta make them count. The 928 has to stick around for a while yet, and the next round of this series is going to be bananas.
It was a bit rare, 928 SE sport.Original owner had spent a fortune on the engine with a fully blueprinted bottom end, high compression pistons, high lift cams and gas flowed heads. The EKK and LH ECU’s has custom tunes in them. Was rather rapid, and I wish I still had it. Crystal blue metallic with navy dash and black leather, manual transmission and an lsd. First job I did was sorting out the binding brembos on the front.
Thats not that much. 928s will continue to be undervalued as long as people continue to think that $18k for what you have is high. It’s not. It’s very low. A good paint job alone these days will cost that.
All cars are a labor of love and should never be looked at from a cost/value standpoint. Bought mine almost 20 years ago and have spent 3-4x on it. Enjoyed every $.
I've had my 928 for 22 years and have spent more than 5 times what I bought it for. Of course engine rebuild and trany were big costs. Right now almost all interior is being done by Brian in OK. But one thing that keeps me going is the smile on my face when I drive it and that I don't see myself while driving around. In fact I think I've seen one other one out in the wild as I have been driving around. These cars are love-hate relationship. Agree with the comment below "I will not ever get my money out of this build" so be it. Love my car so I will be spending more! Watching your Ferrari engine install and I hope it goes well.
How much is a fine bottle of wine worth? Or an oil canvas? I owned a 1989 928 S4 for 22 years and spent a good deal of money on the car (transmission rebuilds x 2, timing belts, water pumps, etc,). It cost $83,000 when new and I sold it for a fraction of that when I moved to Florida without a garage. It was worth every penny!! I loved the car. Get the car running, drive it, enjoy it, and when you are ready sell it.
I think is relative to your actual financial situation and the value it has to YOU in terms of enjoyment…regardless of what you were actually planning to spend. As a Corrado VR6 owner who basically restored one to make it really reliable (with a 3.6 Vr6 swap), i can certainly relate to your situation. But after spending 4x the car’s original cost fixing it up, and over 14k driven miles with it, i can honestly say it was worth it.
@@ThrottleGrotto and you say that not knowing that i own two running and driving ones lol. And yeah, waking up is an understatement…lol. Now the car “catapults” on to places at the road ahead lolol
I love videos like this. Im a numbers guy. Part of the fun of a project car for me is to stay within a certain budget. Ive been restoring/building cars for over 20 years now. One thing ive learned is come up with a guestimate budget, then 2.5x that number. Lol It always gets expensive. The way ive learned to keep some costs down if you like restorimg cars is to focus on one particularly model. My model of choice is a BMW E46 chassis. Im restoring a 212K-mile 2003 Mitsubishi Evo right now. Not only are new OEM parts expensive, many are being discountinued daily! 😢 I can only imagine what 928 parts availability is like! A 928 rebuild is on my list of future cars to rebuild one day. Im fully prepared for it to get expensive. Keep at it!
It is definitely the most challenging car I've worked on. Also one of the cleverest. And annoying.😆 The parts availability isn't as bad as you expect, and many parts are still available new. But that's at a price. There is a change coming soon to the car. And I'm excited to start phase 2 of this build. Thanks for all your comments and support!
@ThrottleGrotto I have heard that about the 928.... very tricky to work on due to the way it was designed. A 928 is on my list of cars to own. I will be going a different route than most though. It will be a challenge! No problem. I enjoy your content.
And karma got Future Jeff and gave him a free BMW. Btw. Old garage rule: meters and tool are not to be included, because they are paying for itself, well sometimes in the future
I don’t add up the price of my projects I just weigh the bag. I can tell you what a muscle car restoration and a house remodel receipts weigh. It’s not about making a profit it’s about the journey.
I paid $1700.00 for my 78 Euro......6K later, and it's no where near done!....... I'm expecting another 15-20K before I'm done!..... It's a pasha car, and just to recover the seats will set me back around 4K!........ Don't buy one if you can't afford it.....these are not Camaros or Mustangs and some parts are difficult to find, since they don't reproduce much of anything!...... Really doesn't matter to me though, as I work on this car for therapy purposes.... kinda keeps me calm.
I'm in at least double that, so don't feel bad. If you're in this to make money, then definitely not the car for a quick flip. That said.... Its money in the bank. These cars will continue to go up in price
This is a vehicle that (to me) feels as fun and comfortable to drive as when it was new(er) in the 90s. You probably spent hours of your time that is harder to quantify but if you really think about it how much would you pay for a "maintenance free" car like this today? Seems like quite a bargain.
you buy a car to drive, and it is not a unique and rare car to rebuild, there is no point in spending time on the car, if you bought it for 25k you would have been driving it a long time ago, I was also going to buy it for 6k eur and repair it but I won't buy a cat in bag . The car is brilliant, but difficult and parts prices are exorbitant.
Spot on. I bought a cheap one and have definitely paid the fee for doing that. Plus side is the repair experience, downside is the lack of driving it experience.
I was with a group of friends and one of them asked me how much I had spent on my Datsun project. Before I could respond, another friend spoke up and said: "Dude! You can't ask a guy that! It's like asking a woman her weight!" Funny response but has some truth to it.
I spent a lot of money on my Datsun rebuild and it's still not done. And probably will never be done. People who heard what I was doing would often say "You're never going to get the money out of that car that you put into it" but I didn't care. That wasn't the point. I wasn't trying to flip it to turn a profit. I did it because I wanted to have a fun car and enjoy the process of tearing it apart, fixing it and putting it back together. I never include items that are maintenance items like oil, filters, etc. as part of my project since those will be applicable to any car. That's just the price of ownership.
My opinion is that there is no price you can put on joy. Hobbies cost money but the true return is in peace of mind, happiness, satisfaction and pride in a job well done (or just done as is often the case with me!).
Of course if this was an investment in which you planned to make money, that's a different scenario. In that case, yeah, this isn't an ideal situation. But consider this: your channel has offered some insight to others who may be considering a similar project and can help them make an informed decision. Or maybe some relative experience for another project you may planning for yourself. You have made an investment in knowledge. Another aspect that is priceless.
If nothing else, you've created something that has entertained and educated me and your other viewers. For that, we are all fortunate.
Don't get down! Take into consideration the skills and knowledge you've gained and count that as a positive. Weigh that against the money you've spent and if you're really honest with yourself, you'll probably find that it's a wash. Money is always going to come and go. Knowledge, skills, experience, etc. can last a lifetime.
Best comment!
Solid response!
I didn't necessarily get into the car for the profit. I wanted to bring a different set of eyes to the channel. That was successful. I don't have many opportunities to start a new build (unlike channels such as @hooviesgarage) so I gotta make them count. The 928 has to stick around for a while yet, and the next round of this series is going to be bananas.
I had a 928 S4 years ago, and It did three things really well. Make me smile, drink fuel and empty my wallet!
That seems like you had a great 928 experience!
It was a bit rare, 928 SE sport.Original owner had spent a fortune on the engine with a fully blueprinted bottom end, high compression pistons, high lift cams and gas flowed heads. The EKK and LH ECU’s has custom tunes in them. Was rather rapid, and I wish I still had it. Crystal blue metallic with navy dash and black leather, manual transmission and an lsd. First job I did was sorting out the binding brembos on the front.
@@MrHuskyman30 I bet that was a great car. Sounds like it started in the right hands, unlike this one!
I thought you were going to make me feel better about what I’d spent on mine, you didn’t 😢
😂
Sometimes you win, and sometimes I lose😆
I bought mine for $7k. I spent $23k so far. I don't care. My estate can sell the car; I won't.
That's the long term strategy in play right there. Enjoying it until you can't
Thats not that much. 928s will continue to be undervalued as long as people continue to think that $18k for what you have is high. It’s not. It’s very low. A good paint job alone these days will cost that.
I definitely could have spent just that and not even had the car painted. When it's done, it should be a fun driver for a while that turns some heads.
All cars are a labor of love and should never be looked at from a cost/value standpoint. Bought mine almost 20 years ago and have spent 3-4x on it. Enjoyed every $.
I get that. But it's also nice to share with people what to expect with a job like this one.
@@ThrottleGrottoI @@ThrottleGrotto, just my $0.02@@ThrottleGrotto, including myself@@ThrottleGrotto
I've had my 928 for 22 years and have spent more than 5 times what I bought it for. Of course engine rebuild and trany were big costs. Right now almost all interior is being done by Brian in OK. But one thing that keeps me going is the smile on my face when I drive it and that I don't see myself while driving around. In fact I think I've seen one other one out in the wild as I have been driving around. These cars are love-hate relationship. Agree with the comment below "I will not ever get my money out of this build" so be it. Love my car so I will be spending more! Watching your Ferrari engine install and I hope it goes well.
How much is a fine bottle of wine worth? Or an oil canvas? I owned a 1989 928 S4 for 22 years and spent a good deal of money on the car (transmission rebuilds x 2, timing belts, water pumps, etc,). It cost $83,000 when new and I sold it for a fraction of that when I moved to Florida without a garage. It was worth every penny!! I loved the car. Get the car running, drive it, enjoy it, and when you are ready sell it.
I think is relative to your actual financial situation and the value it has to YOU in terms of enjoyment…regardless of what you were actually planning to spend.
As a Corrado VR6 owner who basically restored one to make it really reliable (with a 3.6 Vr6 swap), i can certainly relate to your situation. But after spending 4x the car’s original cost fixing it up, and over 14k driven miles with it, i can honestly say it was worth it.
Not many people brave enough to take on a corrado! a 3.6 must really wake that car up, though
@@ThrottleGrotto and you say that not knowing that i own two running and driving ones lol.
And yeah, waking up is an understatement…lol. Now the car “catapults” on to places at the road ahead lolol
I love videos like this. Im a numbers guy. Part of the fun of a project car for me is to stay within a certain budget.
Ive been restoring/building cars for over 20 years now. One thing ive learned is come up with a guestimate budget, then 2.5x that number. Lol
It always gets expensive.
The way ive learned to keep some costs down if you like restorimg cars is to focus on one particularly model. My model of choice is a BMW E46 chassis.
Im restoring a 212K-mile 2003 Mitsubishi Evo right now. Not only are new OEM parts expensive, many are being discountinued daily! 😢 I can only imagine what 928 parts availability is like!
A 928 rebuild is on my list of future cars to rebuild one day. Im fully prepared for it to get expensive.
Keep at it!
It is definitely the most challenging car I've worked on. Also one of the cleverest. And annoying.😆 The parts availability isn't as bad as you expect, and many parts are still available new. But that's at a price.
There is a change coming soon to the car. And I'm excited to start phase 2 of this build. Thanks for all your comments and support!
@ThrottleGrotto I have heard that about the 928.... very tricky to work on due to the way it was designed.
A 928 is on my list of cars to own. I will be going a different route than most though. It will be a challenge!
No problem. I enjoy your content.
And karma got Future Jeff and gave him a free BMW. Btw. Old garage rule: meters and tool are not to be included, because they are paying for itself, well sometimes in the future
Hey man true art has no price.
It's true. We don't really do it for the money, but the memories
I don’t add up the price of my projects I just weigh the bag. I can tell you what a muscle car restoration and a house remodel receipts weigh. It’s not about making a profit it’s about the journey.
You're definitely king of big projects. Receipts are usually a bad idea.
I paid $1700.00 for my 78 Euro......6K later, and it's no where near done!....... I'm expecting another 15-20K before I'm done!..... It's a pasha car, and just to recover the seats will set me back around 4K!........ Don't buy one if you can't afford it.....these are not Camaros or Mustangs and some parts are difficult to find, since they don't reproduce much of anything!...... Really doesn't matter to me though, as I work on this car for therapy purposes.... kinda keeps me calm.
Pascha and a euro is a good find!
I may be out of touch with the market, but I'd say 18k for a beautiful V8 Porsche, running but not running well, that is about fair
It's definitely cheaper than a similar 911, but it hasn't returned the fun like a 911 would yet.
@ThrottleGrotto just needs that mazarati engine and exhaust note :)
I'm in at least double that, so don't feel bad. If you're in this to make money, then definitely not the car for a quick flip. That said.... Its money in the bank. These cars will continue to go up in price
Definitely not the quick flip car of choice. But it's nice to be right side up in case something unable to be passed on comes along
This is a vehicle that (to me) feels as fun and comfortable to drive as when it was new(er) in the 90s. You probably spent hours of your time that is harder to quantify but if you really think about it how much would you pay for a "maintenance free" car like this today? Seems like quite a bargain.
I probably could have bought a really nice early 928 and enjoyed it, but I wouldn't have had the learning experience of the build
Well, the 928's are increasing in demand and price, so I don't think you're behind the curve...
The s4 and gts cars are doing that, and the early OB cars are gaining interest. The 81-84 cars are still the low fruit for 928 pricing.
Where’d you get the 928 car cover?
I got it from Amazon. just matched up the length with a cover that had some stretch to it, and free returns if it didn't fit.
you buy a car to drive, and it is not a unique and rare car to rebuild, there is no point in spending time on the car, if you bought it for 25k you would have been driving it a long time ago, I was also going to buy it for 6k eur and repair it but I won't buy a cat in bag . The car is brilliant, but difficult and parts prices are exorbitant.
Spot on. I bought a cheap one and have definitely paid the fee for doing that. Plus side is the repair experience, downside is the lack of driving it experience.