This hobby has turned for the rich only
 

I am at the point of aggrevation. All the 2nd Gen camaros that I have found that are in restoring cond are priced out of site. These people are trying to retire of the sale of an old car. I don't expect to find one for $500 or something but $5000 is ridiculus for a car that is going to need another 30k worth of work. I have seen cars right now on ebay that need frame rails, rt & lt qtrs, fenders and everything else with a reserve of $6500!!! That is unreal, does this idiot think some is going to pay that?!?! It is almost to the point that only the rich can enjoy the car hobby. I'm not that old and I remember when the average guy could build a nice local show piece or a nice driver without getting a second mortage on his house. This hobby has pushedout the average guy like myself and now I have to admire from a far, it's just sad. I used to love working on cars. I guess I will just have to pick another hobby that the average guy can do like collecting stamps. Have fun guys because I am ending my search for a car to build. I really do appreciate all the info and suggestions that were given to me on this site. You guys seem like a great bunch of people.

shoot.. youre buggin.


come get this

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1087289001.html


or this!

http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54012

bam!

I just bought a CHERRY project 68 mustang damn near ready for paint... not one spec of rust INCLUDING a 400 hp 351 with less than 5 hours on it, custom 5 speed trans... ect. All was missing was a hood, trunk, and interior...

$3k.:thumbsup:

Dude, start getting into the 74-81 Trans Am's, and Camaro's before it is too late. Prices are low and rust free street legal cars can be had for around $3000.

I agree that classic car prices have gotten a bit ridiculous compared to 13 years ago when I first got into this hobby. But if you are going to spend $30k-$35k to build a car then is an extra $2k-$3k for the initial purchase really a big deal? Just spread the extra cost over the couple years it will take to build and look for deals on parts.

You can also negotiate people down also.. Money talks :thumbsup:

I agree that the late 2nd gen F-bodies are still real reasonable to buy.

I have to say that if I didn't buy my '69 almost 20 years ago, there is no way I could afford to buy one now.

Totally not for the rich
 

This hobby is what you make of it. You can spend 6figures or build on a budget. My last car was built by myself in my garage for less than $45,000.00. And I used some really nice parts.I traded labor for the rusted out shell I started with. This latest camaro is a $500.00 car. I have been hard at work searching for the parts I will need to build a nice car. On this car I am going to build all the suspenion parts my self. My budget is 20,000.00 For the whole car.So I am working every angle I can to get deals on the parts I need.That whats makes this the greatest hobby in the world.Scott.

Maybe it would help if you didn't have champagne tastes on a beer budget... :shrug:

If it makes you feel any better i spent 15500 on mine and will prolly put a 100 thousand into it befor i die :lol: there is no instant gratification in this hobby keep looking youll eventually find something:thumbsup:

IMO The cost of a car build now is equivalent to where it was 5- 10yrs ago. Comparing the value of dollar vs dollar from one era to another is about the same. (Im talking parts, not fuel) In todays economy there are some great deals out there on cars and parts. Your not looking hard enough.

These cars are built over time with funds contributed over time. The rich can just get them built quicker or you can take out that 2nd mortgage you mentioned but find I bank that will give you one!

Don't get discouraged! There are great deals to be had if you're patient and look in the right places. www.searchtempest.com (formerly Craig's Helper) is how I found mine. I was looking nationwide and ended up finding a great deal on my 70 Camaro an hour away! It took me months to find that car and it took me years to find the bargain 70 Nova I had before that.

The other comments are right on though about investing more for the purchase of a nicer car that'll save you much more than that over the course of the build. Also, like Steve said, be realistic about what you can actually afford. It's very easy to get discouraged when the entry fee for a top-value, project car SHELL is double what a lower-value respectable driver is.

Plus, it's always cool to do a non-mainstream car. It'll stand out! :thumbsup:

That's kinda my problem. Although I already had the car. Then again, beer budget might be outta reach for me at the moment too. I;d say I'm at the stealing water out of the garden hose budget still.

Yeah there is cheap rust free cars out there look hard and everywhere.If you want one bad enough you can even go out of state to get it.I been looking for a 78-81 trans am for a while every one i find it a t top car or rusted but i don't give up easy.Yes some people ask some high crazy numbers for cars are not worth not even half that.There has been a 3rd gen camaro for sell here for months first it was 10 grand now its 7,200 but its really work like 3 grand maybe 4.Its a 383 and a fresh paint job.Or you see a car on 24s or bigger for high dollars i laugh hard at those adds.

I was under the same assumption about the Pro Touring Car's. Way to much $$$$ for my budget. I decided to give it a go anyway. Prove that you can still build a sick ride for less than the cost of your first Home.

I scored a Rust free 1970 Camro for less than $3000. Going to pick it up this week. Got a 396 BBC engine with the car. Deals are out there. You just have to find them.

I mean really, what is the purpose of the full tilt auto cross/Open track style suspension on alot of these cars? Its all about a comfortable ride and killer stance. You dont have to spend $12000 on your front and rear suspension for that. I am not taking away from the cars that have it all. They are insane looking rides, but how many of them are gonna get beaten on hard?

Supply and Demand. The demand keeps going up and the supply keeps going down. That means prices go up. A lot. If you dont want to pay 5k for a project car, thats okay, somebody will. Does it suck? Yes. Can you do anything about it? Nope. So is it worth getting frustrated about something you cant control? I dont think so but who gives a rats @ss what I think. Cruise craigslist and see what you can come up with, ebay is not the best place to look for cars anyways, everybody thinks they have gold.

you dont have to spend what some people do to have a nice car. just do as much work as you can yourself and be realistic. I have had my car for about 15 years and have gone through many phases. just start out where you can and go from there. no one says you have to buy a car and put 100k into it the next day you buy it.

just my 2 cents

Supply and demand..... people throw these words around they actually understand economics.

Demand is going down down down for pretty much everything... haven't you noticed? They are desperate people out there who cannot afford play things like weekend cars and such because their ATMs (read: house equity) is gone. Long gone.

Keep looking and be resourceful. Don't just look at ebay, craigslist, etc. Look in your newspapers and all those little regional classified car mags like AutoTrader, etc etc etc.

Take a drive threw the country....you never know what you might see in or near a barn!

If budget is your primary concern, build a 3rd Gen.

Best performance per-dollar car you can build right now. Plenty of great parts out there, and you can get a good one dirt cheap.

You don't have to rich to enjoy this hobby, but it'd sure help!

This is a good call.

for the most part it is... but there are still plenty of people with money to burn... so demand is still going up per say, the supply is just dropping much quicker. That right at least?

I dont know what "plenty" amounts to, but the number of people willing to shell out money for discretionary items like muscle cars, or commit to an expensive build, has been decreasing by the day as our economy falls on its face. A lot of people are selling these types of cars out of necessity as food, mortgage/rent, bills, etc become harder to take care of. Millions of jobs have been lost recently, and you can bet not just a handful of those people have/had or were planning to have a muscle car. Well that is on hold.

I am an example of one of these people. I started a build 2 years ago when my business was doing well, and now it is not doing as well, so I may be forced to sell it upon completion. And one of the buyers I have been talking to who WAS looking for a 75-100k pro-touring Camaro probably is not in the market anymore due to the stock market falling off a cliff. There are many more examples of this....

As far as supply, sure, every year it becomes somewhat harder to find a decent 60s/70s muscle car to being a project with. But it's not like they built 100 Camaros/Novas/Chevelles/whatever every year. They built thousands and thousands of them and they are around..... you just have to look a little harder I guess.

But I will submit that demand is falling off a cliff along with our economy while supply slowly slowly diminishes.

Believe me....the deals are still out there!

Just yesterday I scored a 70 Duster with a straight body and rust free, it has a blown motor but the guy threw in a 360/727 combo. The guy just wants it gone so he said take it outta here $0.

I wasn't looking for a car at all, but I figured I would build it for my wife as she had a 70 Duster in HS that she loved.

Dude, that is a score!!!!

Yeah, It was quite a fluke, it just came up in casual coversation and I figured what the hell.

Guess I'll be looking for parts next weekend in Pleasanton...lol

This dude just got a 70 Chevelle for $1700. There are deals to be had.

http://www.pro-touring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53999

There is a local guy that I do a lot of work for. He deals in older cars and is definitely not your typical used car salesman. He's a real car guy and he has a 70 Challenger R/T in the showroom along with various other things. If anyone is in southern AZ, the drive to see their new showroom is worth it. The name is Richardson Motor Company. Just google it and it will give you contact info. He is really good on finding things. It's mostly older H.A.M.B. stuff but try him anyway.

ss1156 what exactly are you looking for? what year? does it have to be a camaro 2nd gen? or are you willing to go another route im located in san diego and due to the climate out here theres not alot of rusty cars and theres planty of muscle out here tell me what exactly you are looking for and ill help you search so shoot me that info on here or a PM and let me know your price range as well.

( Deliverance music playing in background )

You don't find stuff like this in FL. Both of these cars would be around $5000 to say the least.

This same cost/supply/demand debate could be applied to anything, really... Real Estate for instance...

Depends on what part. I sold a 72' camaro complete car, for $2K a few months back. You can find them, you just have to turn over lots of stones...

I really do appreciate all the info and advice, I really do. If anyone knows of any of these cars for sale that are in my budget ($1000 to $2000) please shot them my way. I am looking through that search site that someone put a link to (Thank you very much). I have put out the feelers here in my neck of the woods. I'm really pissed at my ex-gf that was gonna sell me her 72 Camaro for $900 that was all there just needed to be restored. I guess that is why I am disgusted. I found a good deal and lost it due to whatever her problem is, thats why she is am ex, and I am trying to find another. I would even entertain a 70-73 Firebird too. You guys here are really good bunch of people and I'm sorry if I went off on a rant. It just seems that this hobby is getting out of reach for and average working stiff like me. Oh I AM THANKFUL to be working believe me. Again, thank you for all your info and advice.....Mayo

As these guys have shown, deals are out there. Right now there is a solid 73 BBC RS Camaro in my garage that my friend bought for $3500. You might have to look harder than you are now. Plus what Mr. Rupp said about wants vs. wallet. A nice 70 Camaro is much more than an equal condition 75-81 car.

Also, I don’t know if you are looking to restore or modify (given you are here I assume the latter), but you may find it a lot cheaper to buy a solid 'done' car for $8000 than a total project car for $1000. I see very nice driver stuff, paint done, metal solid, all the time in the 5000-10000 range. Modify to your liking and you are good to go. Plus then you can go in stages, especially if paint is in driver or better condition.

Where are you? Update your location, you never know when someone else might see something and remember you. Happens all the time. Sometimes it is who you know….

http://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/cto/1087711883.html

heres one

Mayo,

$1000 - $2000 budget for an early 70's camaro? That's a bit unrealistic.

If you find a car in that price range, chances are it will be rusted completely through costing you twice as much to fix up.
You can't expect to build a PT project without having a realistic budget.
It's not about being rich, it's about having a plan and budget within your means.



Good luck with the project,

Rich

I have to agree....you are looking for a solid car for less than they were new. The economy is in the toilet but inflation still exists. At least your not buying a 1st gen. Prices still seem very reasonable on 2nd gens to me.

Don't forget about 78-87 A/G body. Still dirt cheap and can be made in to sweet cars.