To build or not to build - Lateral-g Forums

mad68rs · #1 12-03-2007, 07:55 PM

Ive seen many cars on here that started off as little or bare shells, and even some that have been redone. My question is... is it better to build your car yourself? or get one already done? i just wanted to know what you guys think..

bucks69 · #2 12-03-2007, 08:35 PM

IMO but I guess it is totally up to what you want in the end. Do you want just a nice driver if so probably buy it. If you are wanting a purpose built car, it may be better to build it or have it built (depends on your talent, desire, and free time if you want to do it yourself). In my case I had an idea of what I wanted to start with so I inevitably just purchased a gutted shell and am starting there, I didnt see the need to cut up a good car to start, but starting with a good car has its positives also. It all boils down to what you want (reads how much money you have) that will dictate the path one takes. I think I totally talked around your answer like a good politician but i think you get the jist of what I am saying...

bmxmon · #3 12-05-2007, 01:53 AM

Generally its better to buy the most car you can afford. Remember you generally never get out the money you put into a musclecar, (as far as modifications go) so its the same for buying; you'll get more car per dollar than what you could build it for. (if buying from a private party) Though like stated before, its not real wise to pay extra for a modified car that has parts on it you dont plan on using.

mad68rs · #4 12-05-2007, 03:24 PM

Thanks Guys. I appreciate your replys.

fesler · #5 12-05-2007, 04:01 PM

I being a car builder will tell you what I tell all my clients, its better to build what you want. With that being said most of us have a budget when building a car so your best bet it to buy the most you can for your money and make sure when you are looking you either now what you are looking for or take someone along that will help you make a good decision. Then take that car and make the changes you can to it to make it your own, half the fun in owning these cars is the building process.

The nice thing for us is that we get to build alot of different cars and we help clients find them or they bring what they have found to us, in most cases they were better off building it from a junker then buying somethinig that was already built because of all the stuff that people hide out there today.

10 years ago you could buy most muscle cars from honest people just trying to sell a car. Today you have hundreds of people trying to make a quick buck on a junker that they have done a lot of shady work to. For example we had a client bring in a 70 Chevelle SS that he paid $30K for and it looked great but when we started digging we found lots of rust so we sent the car out to be stripped and when it came back we had to replace everything on the car look for yourself http://www.feslerbuilt.com/1970Chevelleshame.htm

Just make sure you take your time when looking to spend your money on a classic and if you know what you are looking for you can save yourself a ton of money and time on the build. There is nothing worse then having to start a project you think is almost done over. Buy a car that has all the body work done but no paint so you can see what you are getting you can find projects all day long that someone can not afford to finish and just needs to get out.

If you go on EBAY ask for a ton of pictures of the underside and inside everything, under carpet, inside the trunk, complete underside of car and if there is a ton of undercoating what are they trying to hide, if they wont take the pictures or tell you they cant there is something wrong with the car move on to another one.

If it sounds to good to be true it usually is, so again take your time and get a friend with some knowlege or pay someone to look the car over for you, get it up on a lift and check everything out. It will save you a ton in the long run. I hope this helps you a little

mad68rs · #6 12-06-2007, 01:38 AM

WOW! that car was wasted. I worked in a body shop for a while and we had a car like that. A challenger convertable that the guy said was fully restored, and we blasted it and almost every panel needed replacing. Its crazy what you will find now a days. But all your guys information has been very helpful. Thank you

jjarky · #7 12-06-2007, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mad68rs

Ive seen many cars on here that started off as little or bare shells, and even some that have been redone. My question is... is it better to build your car yourself? or get one already done? i just wanted to know what you guys think..

I think it first depends on if your made of money or not. And then if you are actually going to build the car "yourself" or have someone build it for you. I agree with some of the other posts, you never know what your really getting until you tear it apart. So if you spend good money on a "done" car, you should probably enjoy it the way it is, maybe a few bolt-on parts. But if you want to be different and make it your own you should look into doing it yourself. If you have plenty of $$ and can pay someone to build it for you and don't mind losing thousands when you have to move it then thats the way to go. If you have to stick to a budget and have the resources to actually do it "yourself" then I think thats the way to go. You'll have better luck getting your money back out of it when its time to move on. Especially if you keep the build tastefull and it appeals to the masses. You need a good vision of what it could be, so you don't give up. It can start to feel impossible when you drag that piece of junk home and start tearing it apart. Either way, good luck with your project. They all start out as ideas.

BC69 · #8 12-06-2007, 08:44 AM

Although my situation is a bit different then most, I think knowing what the car started out as and seeing what the finished product maybe months, maybe years later is a great feeling.

Nate_ERC · #9 12-06-2007, 09:16 AM

If you're going for a BIG (read expensive) build, you can save a TON of money by just buying a done car. As long as it came from a reputable builder, and you know what you are looking at, and looking for, you shouldn't have too many problems. The other advantage to just buying a done car is this... IT'S DONE! You don't have to wait for it, or stress about it going over budget, or loose sleep over deadlines.

That being said; if I was going to drop a small fortune on a car, I would rather build something totally unique. So I would say it depends on what car you are after. If you want a pro touring camaro, or mustang, or cuda, etc... Just buy it done, but if you want something really out there, you probably will have to get it built.

rwhite692 · #10 12-06-2007, 09:44 AM

By "better", what do you mean, exactly?

If better = less expensive, then it's a no-brainer: Just do your homework, know what you are buying, and buy a finished car and enjoy it; there are also often many "nearly finished" cars out there for sale as I'm sure you have seen, as well as finished cars that may be a few years old now and in need of freshening/updates and if you are just starting out, this may be a good option for you as well, since you can enjoy the car and make incremental changes / improvements as you go.

In my case, I build cars as a hobby and it's my "therapy" program. I get enjoyment out of "the thrill of the hunt" for cars / parts / knowledge, the work on the car itself, the friendships made along the way, and the ability, when the car is done, when people ask, to say "I did it".

I could just buy a finished car, but for me personally, that's not what it's all about. When they are done, it's almost anti-climactic for me, and I start to scheme up a new project...