Ever regret building a car?

[VintageMusclecar]

For me it's not so much of a regret re: resale value, but more an enjoyment return on investment issue. I guess I just don't enjoy this as much as I used to. Then again, spending more time under a car replacing broken parts than I do behind the wheel probably has a lot to do with it.

[frankk]

I think the same thing is happening to me.........I don't enjoy it as much as I used to.

[njsteve]

I enjoy the tinkering aspect of it all more than the finished project. That was why I recently decided to replace the 6.5 diesel engine in my original owner 95 Suburban. I have never done anything major on a "modern" vehicle. I was always in fear of anything with a computer controlled system on it. But it was fun and exciting to pull that 1,000 lb hunk of iron and install a brand new assembly line engine, and be able to remove and replace all the fuel injection components from the old long block to the new one. I even bought the diagnostic program for my vintage windows XP laptop to set up the injection pump and retime it. (A guy in Sweden, of all places, reverse engineered the OBD-1 program that GM no longer supplies to its dealers to set the TDC timing). I got a great deal of satisfaction when it actually started up! And the ultimate leap of faith was then loading the whole family in it and going on a thousand mile vacation trip.

It was also cool to do the autopsy on the old engine and actually confirm the worn bearings predicted in the oil sample diagnosis...as well as the cracked block that was expected as well.

[novadude]

Originally Posted by earntaz

It always cracks me up when family/friends/etc. ask >> "when well it be done?" My response is always the same >> "when its done, its done -- not a second sooner". I learned many moons ago not to put a time schedule on some of these "projects" ... TAZ

I have a bad habit of trying to hold myself to a schedule on car projects. It really sucks all of the fun out of the "hobby" and makes it feel more like a second job. As we all know, everything takes 7x long as you think it is going to take when playing with these machines.

[Arrowsmith]

Speaking of regrets….I’m sitting here with my super low mileage Monte SS for sale. No good bites except for several ugly low ball offers. So the other day I pulled the car cover off of it, opened the door and sat in it. I said to myself: “Man what a great car. The paint, interior, undercarriage, engine compartment and trim is nearly perfect. I dig the way it feels when you sit behind the wheel. I dig the way it looks. I dig the way it drives. It really needs nothing aside from more power. It has the best potential of any car I’ve ever owned and I’m quite sure I’ll never find another one as good. So why am I selling it?”

I really couldn’t answer that aside from the fact I was really tired of working on cars. So I didn’t work on it all year. And after looking in the mirror, I decided I now really miss working on cars. In fact my wife is probably very tired of me bitching about it.

And I know I’ll regret it if I sell it.

[earntaz]

Originally Posted by Arrowsmith

Speaking of regrets….I’m sitting here with my super low mileage Monte SS for sale. No good bites except for several ugly low ball offers. So the other day I pulled the car cover off of it, opened the door and sat in it. I said to myself: “Man what a great car. The paint, interior, undercarriage, engine compartment and trim is nearly perfect. I dig the way it feels when you sit behind the wheel. I dig the way it looks. I dig the way it drives. It really needs nothing aside from more power. It has the best potential of any car I’ve ever owned and I’m quite sure I’ll never find another one as good. So why am I selling it?”

I really couldn’t answer that aside from the fact I was really tired of working on cars. So I didn’t work on it all year. And after looking in the mirror, I decided I now really miss working on cars. In fact my wife is probably very tired of me bitching about it.

And I know I’ll regret it if I sell it. There’s a solution: I’m going to keep it

Game On.

That's the spirit that makes this hobby worth it ... just enjoy it!!! TAZ

[olredalert]

----I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I generally enjoy the resto more than the finished product. With that said, I'm winding down on cars as I have boats to occupy my time.
---- I have had a few restos that didn't go well. One customer car comes to mind where everything that could go wrong did starting with an untrustworthy seller and an owner that bought the car sight unseen. It went downhill from there with two mistakes on choices of subcontractors on my part (engine builder, and body guy). I lost a good customer and a friend on that one and I had to work to get it off my mind......Bill S