Is this a hobby to pay a shop $150K, show and sell for $75K?

Cars can be used for transportation, as status symbols, investments (usually not very good ones), or creative acts. Some of these are mutually exclusive. I like to customize mine as creative acts, and I've never made any money on any of them.

In fact, I could be the poster child for "buy high, sell low".

 

I think it all concerns what anyone wants and is willing to spend for it. The build is the important thing. Having it done right and attention to detail costs big money today. It's like any other hobby........what you have to spend and how you want to apply it towards your perception of the hobby.
Along with my drag racing fetish, I also collect old military rifles. Some are worth a hell of a lot........most are only worth very little.....but they all have a place in my collection. I just traded with a HAMB member here for an old sporterized Argentine Mauser. It's only worth around $150 or so in this condition, but I have found a few parts for it to get it back up and running in full military guise...not in an Argentine stock, which is nearly in the unobtanium status, but a converted Chilean/Peruvian stock which I now have looking for all practical purposes just like the Argentine. What do I now have invested in it?...Have not figured it all up, but with parts and shipping it must be nearly another $200..............Is the rifle worth $350 or more now?...most likely not...is it worth that to me now, why hell yes.........It's all relative to what you want and how it will please you............folks, life is short.........give it hell.

Mark

 

sup brian,by now ever one knows im the own who built the wagon on ebay, why there are sealing it? be found another one we are doing for 09 or 2010,but if you are building a car to make money on,sometimes you win sometimes you lose,i did the gable total cost 120k it sold for 450k win win win,for me its not about the money,I turned down 125k for my green merc im in it 40 or 50k i had it for 25 years i have 30k miles on it,it means more to me then money,dont get me wrong i could use the cash,but somethings are just not for sale,sometimes you win sometimes you lose

 

And he who dies with the most/best toys....


WINS!


Cheers, Glen.

 

We have seen one of the most beautiful cars built this year by one of the best builders building that is on auction right now and last I checked it was at $45K (reserve not met). I think even if that car went for $100K the guy is losing big $$.


Just curious, What car are you talking about?

 

Never mind, Figured it out. Thanks.....

 

some of these guys just have too much money...
Lets put it in perspective for us lower cl*** citizens..
You buy a car for $200.00
You lose interest, and sell it for $75.00, you lost $125.00, but now you don't have to think about it or look at it anymore- good riddance-, You didn't give it away, and somebody paid you to take it off your hands, which is better than throwing it away.

Now multiply this senario by thousands of dollars, and you can begin to understand the mind set of these gold chainers...

 

Hey Frank, give that dude my number

 

Oz, that is why its great to have you on HAMB. We know you are in it for the hobby. All of us like hearing what is coming out of your shop and hearing some of the insides of whats going on. I think when I heard of the Buick for sale I so shocked that people can have one of the best craftsman currently create the car of his dreams and the sell it so quick. If we won a car of our dreams to be built by a shop like yours I think 99.9% would want to be buried in that car.

Brian

 

I guess they can do whatever they want with their money, right. And not everybody builds cars to make a profit, but as mentioned they give job opportunities to some lucky, skilful members of this board.

 

$200k isn't even close for many of the high end cars. I can tell you about plenty with a million-plus into them.

 

Bring 'em on... they'd keep me in high cotton to do the stuff that I want too...

 

Hey it's a hobby. How many guys buy a $30k plus boat, depth finder, rods reels etc. etc. If you look at it , the fish they just caught may cost over $300 a pound. Or some guy that lays out a share fee, membership, lesson's , pro shop account etc. etc. to chase the little white ball. It's what they enjoy. Just like I like working on my Hot Rods. So if someone wants to spend $200k plus on a Rod it's because they want to. Not everyone has the time and talent to pull it off.

 

A hobby, by definition, is: "an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure."

The key word there is "pleasure". If you have a car built and expect a return on your "investment" you're not a very wise businessman. I think most folks that can afford to have a car built are in it just to see the results of their vision. The sale of it is secondary.

 

The dope dealers gotta' launder thier intake possibly?!?

 

This is as old as hot rods & customs themselves. Guys in the early days invested a couple grand in chops, paint and interior- and would go right out and sell the cars for $400 to $800 ALL the time. So actually- spending a lot of money at a shop- and selling for half of the investment is VERY traditional. Guys gave been spending BIG BUCKS to win a 2 dollar trophy LONGGGG before most of us were alive.

 

This makes a lot of sense to me Now if i could get my three kids thru their fourth year in college.Three more to go!!!!

 

Don't mistake "big money" for "big a**hole". Sometimes the two terms seem synonymous, but that's not the case. I work with folks who have the means to make exceptional cars happen and I can tell you that they truly get off on being a part of the process.

Worst case scenario; someone wants to play in this "hot rod" deal because it looks to be profitable. An expensive car gets built and everyone involved collects a check, it perpetuates our p***ion. That's not so bad is it?!

Fortunately, this simply isn't the case the MAJORITY of the time. In fact, I think we may have witnessed this now and "natural selection" (HA), will filter out the "soulless" situations, for the most part.

Granted, it's hard to watch a car, such as PHR's Project X, get turned into a corporate PR tool. But then again, it's the age we live in. Refer to the worst case scenario listed above....

Very long story, short. It's all good, and it takes all kinds to make it all go 'round.

 

For the ****ing record ***holes I'm a blue collar guy that works his *** off for anything he gets and I think I have every right to be pissed at the whole gold chain BS making anything old I buy cost me 2x what it should. BTW any man that buys a ****in kit car and tries to call it a hot rod is clown shoes.

 

Sorry if I got a bit over the top there but damn it just gets me sometimes. A good rule of thumb with cars in terms of building them is knowing were to draw the line and stop for the sake of the damn thing being tacky. I see a few street rods that can follow this line quite well but the vast number of them are just .... tacky as hell and seeing the prices for these things and how not right they are just kills me.

 

Some of these guys use these cars as business write offs. They use their business money to build a car for 200k, considering it "advertising", write off the 200k purchase. Then, when the next tax season rolls around, they sell their "***et" at 100k, and write off the $100k on their taxes as a loss.

Rich people can afford to do whatever they want...

 

I dont get mad about these things most of the time at all just been pissed about things over here in Boise and I guess it just overflowed to here.

 

Alot of it is called adoration. They will get to a show two days ahead of time to get the primo spot. They put easy ups to save spots for buddies that will show up three days later. They frown if you park your home built next to them. They're pissed if more people pay more attention to your cars than theirs. At the end of the show reality clicks in that spending all the bucks doesn't mean that they are going to get the attention or adoration they expected. End result after a few shows their cars are for sale. Dying egos cost money. Note: this is not always 100% true, but I have seen it happen in my years. If you don't build them for the love of it there is an empty spot in all of it.
Gary

 

I was showing my neighbor my caddy project when he came over to pick up an old chainlink dog run I had. When I was rattling off all the stuff I was doing to it he posed the question...

"How much will it be worth when you are done?"

to which I replied..

"Probably nothing because I'm gonna chop up the car to make it my own!"

The guy's jaw hit the floor because most people think about an old car as a goose that lays golden eggs or something when it is quite the contrary. I set my budget at 10 grand including the cost of the car initially. I will be lucky if I get out of this for under 20 grand and at the end of the day it will be worth s**** price because gas will be a million dollars a gallon.

 

HET GUYS! SHUSH! dont tell anyone but this whole hobby is an ego trip! as far as money? its still just numbers. When i started out it was a losing game, but somewhere along the line somebody made sum money, and some lost. the reason for things being cheaper bak in the day was our cars were a money pit, and you cudnt make a dime on one. I got out of it becuz I didnt know or think I could finish my duece roadster pile,[which would sell for billions now] were hardly anybody making parts, [well I did buy some nos 32 fenders from obsolete]. anyway not many of us were able or didnt know enough to do anything, and we mostly didnt hav any money. There always was some big bucks guys, let them play the game for thier own reasons, we know what money buys, and they usually spred sum bucks around. NAVARRO, EDELBROCK,WEIAND, on an on etc, also home builders, made lotta dough some didnt, they gave us some parts, and if they were lucky they made some bucks. As for myself if I had worked in the hobby and made a good living I would feel I accomplished my dream. signed, 'old blu collar rodder'.

 

Chasing a dimpled white ball with a stick around a piece of manicured turf gets you zero return on your $$$. Going to a ball game, a concert or pretty much any event gets zero financial return but you do get the memories. And how about Vegas?

At least you get something back when you sell your rod. Apart from that, isn't it about the memories, the fun, the frustration, the busted knuckles the involuntary blood donations, the creative process - whether as Director/Producer or hands on participant - the camaraderie and driving the thing?

Far too many of us are way too judgmental about how others should have their fun or spend their money. If it's their bag but not yours, so what? Don't tell me how to build my car or how to spend my money and I wont tell you what to do with yours.

We are all different and different things make us tick, so why not live and let live?

 

The last time I checked this was still a free country. Rich and poor alike can build cars anyway they like, no rules. I've always been on the poor side and one of my favorite things back in the day was to
go around to all the rich kids and buy the Hot Rod **** they tossed aside. Then put it on my car, and go beat them with thier Old Junk.

 

$150K is nothing to some people. Let them build and sell all they want, eventually making the hobby more affordable. Think about it, the more cars being built - the more cars will sit in the back of someone's garage right? Then when owners get bored of these cars they get p***ed on a little cheaper. And the cycle goes on...