If you had to do again?

[UH60L]

I was lucky, in that I bought a project...that was dirveable.  If I had it all, to do over again, I'd still buy it, but I would wait on putting it in the body shop until I could better afford to do so.

I let my emotions ge the best of me because my dad died, and I wanted to do it as a tribute to him. My dad was 43 when I was born, and he served in WWII in the army.  We didn't have much in common, except that we both enjoyed watching the Dukes of Hazzard and M.A.S.H. togeather.  I joined the army, and work on helicopters in a med-evac unit (hmmm  M.A.S.H....), and always wanted a '69 charger......

Over 4 years later and now I can't afford to finish it.  May be several more years before I can.

It was dirveable and I was enjoying taking it to cruise-ins and car shows, and now it just sits in my garage and makes me depressed because I can't finish it.

Funny how sometimes TV or movies can have such an effect on you......(could of been hanging out with dad too....)   

[myk]

I drove my Charger home in '94 after I bought it.  I drove it daily throughout college and some other stuff for a few years.  What I would've done differently is waited for the year that I truly wanted, a '68.  As a matter of fact, there was a gorgeous, red '68 R/T with cragars, stripe, black vinyl roof and a 4 speed that was in show quality shape for $5K in my neighborhood but I didn't buy it because the Charger I have now was selling for $2500 and I didn't want to save up for the better car.  Ah well.  Live and let live...

[440]

I would have done it 20 years ago when cars and parts were cheap and plentiful and a decent paint job didn't cost you 20K+.

[UH60L]

I would have done it 20 years ago when cars and parts were cheap and plentiful and a decent paint job didn't cost you 20K+.

You got that right!   

[RallyeMike]

I am doing it again. And again, and again, and again, and again........

...but i'm definitely slowing down.

[Brock Lee]

My car has a ton of sentimental attachment. But if I had to do it over again, I would have bought one that needed a little more work that was a R/T. At the time I passed up an R/T that was $1K more that had a great deal of work done, but was in pieces. In retrospect it was the better deal. But I guess the years I got immediate satisfaction are worth something.

[doctor4766]

But I guess the years I got immediate satisfaction are worth something.

That's a bit like skanky women vs "the marrying kind"
You know they're not around for the long haul, but fun to drive while it lasts...

[Cooter]

I think too, part of the problem with restoring a Classic car, even a Charger, is the fact that Many will join a forum/club dedicated to only those cars. Well, inevidably, there is one or two in the club that IMO, "Over-restores" his/her car. Then, everybody else tends to want to try and duplicate that level. As if those 1968 doors on a 1970 Charger is gonna be noticed by ANYBODY in your home town at a local show? As if those Incorrect Bumper guards are gonna be noticed by the same?

But, get on a forum/club board with a bunch of diehards, and you'll be spending way more money on perfection that you intended on.

I know it was that way with my own Christine. She began with plain bumpers with no bumper wings. These wing tips for these cars are like original Daytona nose cones here. Anyway, Before you know it, the car had a set of $750.00 Reproduction Air cleaners that I swore I wouldn't buy, and damn near $2500.00 in the bumpers with wings rechromed. I restored it to a different level because it was being "Critiqued" by the worst bunch ever to critique it, the club. What would have been cheaper and "Good enough" for the local shows, suddenly became "Not good enough"....

[sixpack70]

Back in 2004 I bougjt my charger. I wanted a 68 R/T but my 70 V code 4spd car popped up on ebay. I had seen a v code project that often and still don't. I had to have it. I would not have been able to afford this car finished even though its NOM and trans. Divorce and deployment forced me to put it on the back burner. I hope to get back to it next summer. I am aleays drawn to projects. They interest me more than a complete car. I still need a few more tools to do things right and if it's not perfect it's ok. I won't. Be afraid to put miles on the car.

[elanmars]

I've bought "done" cars and running projects...and running projects so far have turned out to be less expensive. The "done" cars I've bought, they all ended up needing lots of work, as the people I bought those cars from didn't really drive them that much (or nowhere near as I end up doing). I make all of mine daily drivers, so I find the gremlins quite fast. And they may have had nice paint but all had some form of hack body work that needed fixing in the end.

I don't need a perfect, numbers matching, rare ride...just something I can have fun cruising in and make into a daily driver without going broke.