You guys keep track?

[tucknroll]

I honestly don't keep much because I don't want my wife to find out how much I have spent. if it's something big, she knows about that stuff but if it's decals or something under the hood, I just don't mention it to her.

[lloyd3]

I'm not obsessive about it, but I do want to keep track so I've got the big accordion folder with everything loosely arranged in it. I've had the car for almost 18-years now, so that folder is getting pretty big.  Off of the top of my head, I've got ~$45K in it so-far. My son is quite taken with the car, so assuming that we keep it another 18-years, it would be useful to have a record of the work that has been done.  I'm not sure knowing that number helps in any way, but it is a reference point.  If there is a lesson here, it's that there is nothing cheap about this game anymore.  The price of nostalgia seems to get higher all the time.

[Brock Lee]

I have a folders for each car, but never tallied everything up. What I find more interesting is seeing what I paid for some stuff. Recently I found a money order carbon for the grille in my 69. It was just the plastic fully restored in showroom condition. I paid $350 for it! I will take as many as I can get for that price now!

[bill440rt]

I stopped counting many years ago.
I've had my '68 since 1986, still have all receipts for everything I've done to it. Things have been re-done several times on it, changes here & there, etc. If I were to tally it up, it would surely surpass what the car is actually "worth".

The longer you hold on to a car, the less "return" you'll see on it. Of course, that's if you're "only" in it for the money.

[polywideblock]

have a folder with everything in it for each car ,just put the invoices etc. in there. have never taken the time to add it all up because honestly, I don't want to know 

[ottawamerc]

I kept almost all my receipts especially the BIG ones! I never tallied them up while I was building the car cause I was afraid to see what I was into. I had decided to just keep going on it because 1: I loved this car and 2: I wanted to see it done. After a year of completion I finally took all my receipts and tallied them up and I was happy to see that I had about $32K into the car including the $8K purchase price. I never calculated all the hours that I put into it my self, I figured that since this is my hobby there is not a $$$ value to that.

Scott  

[Highbanked Hauler]

Yup, I've had my car a little over a month now and I have already started a file.

   I have a folder on mine and it was finished in 97 and I still haven't  added it up

[Bob T]

I used to keep a notebook on my old Valiant Charger R/T and periodically add it up. With this one I have a big folder with all the import docs, compliance paperwork and receipts for parts and stuff, but I've never sat there and added it up, when I got over where I thought my twice extended budget laid , you get to the stage of just gritting  your teeth and wondering "will it ever end" Two years down the track in ok with it but didn't think I'd end up having that much in it.

Still, you can use it when you want or not, and I've done over 7000 miles in it so it get used and does great skids. There's plenty of people around here with 70k + worth of trailer boats or yachts that just sit in the same place on their driveways and hardly get used at all over the course of a year and that to me is a waste of hard won fun coupons.

[69wannabe]

I used to. I keep it in my head as a guesstimate. I do not wanna depress myself by knowing every penny.
the minute you start that, you might as well hang it up.

X2!!

[NHCharger]

First two Chargers I kept a file folder on anything I bought that I got a receipt for. Many cash deals at Carlisle did not involve a receipt. So I have a general idea.
On my 68 I'm trying to be a bit more organized just so I know how much my next project will cost in advance. Thankfully the wife has not looked in that folder

[TPR]

Yes.
I have collected all receipts since the initial purchase last year and I add it all up in an Excel document so I can keep track and make sure it doesn't get too far out of hand.
Don't ever expect to get my money back, but I like to keep a tally of expenses.
TPR

[toocheaptosmoke]

I have a folder with most of the parts I've bought for the car, excluding some things I paid cash for, like random hardware and $50 craigslist wheels.     Never added everything up, really don't want to.  I have kind of kept a running tally in my head, I originally wanted to keep total build to under 10k.  Right around the time I got the car running and driving I think I passed that, and still had things left to do.    Pretty much like has already been said, putting a price tag on a hobby can take a lot of the enjoyment out of it.

[twodko]

Lloyd3 and I are of like mind. Indeed, the price of nostalgia is not for the faint heart.
Speaking only for myself I wanted everything perfect. Perfect is hella spendy.

[troy.70R/T]

I used to keep track but like so many of you I also got scared how much I had into it and have never added it up. I don't want to know cause then I don't think I would enjoy the car as much.

[billfury]

I started counting and then got depressed when I hit the $8000 mark. Why did I get depressed? Because the car is still on the rotisserie lol. I bought two parts cars and all the chrome trim is NOS.I have a 72 Charger SE. You know how much chrome is on this thing. I got a mint R/T hood complete. NOS fender L/S, mint R/T taillights mint Rallye doors. This was supposed to be a quick paint job and have fun. Yeah right. That was 6, 7 years ago.

[Tilar]

I started keeping an excel spread sheet in November of 2007 and kept it up till January of 2010 and had $10,246.67 not counting the cost of the car which was only $400.  Prior to 2007 I had bought probably 90% of the interior upholstery and some other little odds and ends, and since then I've bought a 4 speed tranny and quarter panels and a lot more "small" items like the A/C dash vents and that sort of thing. I'm guessing I have around 14 to 15k in it at this point and I the only thing I've done is pull the engine and tranny and interior out of it and bought these parts.