If you are inclined to send your car out to a high-end restoration shop AND replace everything that is worn with "new" stuff....$30K would just get you a good start.

On the other hand, if you restore/refurbish all serviceable, original parts, rebuild all the accessory items and mechanical systems, and do the work yourself....you can end up with a better car [IMO] for much less than $30K, including a top-notch paint job.

It all depends on HOW you want to get it done.

 

The keyword was 'basic'. If'n you want fancy then it 's something closer to believable

 

i confess the 30k is 20 years old. That was the typical shop cost to restore an antique car. Based on 1000 hours at $30/hour.
Now labor is higher, and many parts are inferior(often made in china) so you will need to budget plenty to replace faulty parts even after the restoration.
I bought my 72 because it was 1/3 the cost of a then new '89 c4, AND because i'm a mechanic and can fix it(it took me 400 hours and it was a great looking show car and LOOKED perfect). Non-mechanics usually buy new cars(or nearly new), because they cost LESS than having a shop fix an old car. The rich buy old cars and pay a shop to restore them. Think JAY LENO. Who wouldn't want just 1 of his cars? Few can afford even one.
The guys here on CF are the exceptions! Maybe they bought it new and took care of it, found an amazing buy, whatever. Just look on any highway. Where are the c3's? 400,000 made, where are they? Most don't go out much, if at all.

 

Here's a statement that is understandably truthful, if only due to the age of these old cars. Like any machine, they need periodic maintenance and without that, they will fail and usually, at the most inconvenient time. Besides, at any given moment, how many C3's are road-ready cars?

I also believe that annual costs are subjective to the car, the owner/maintainer, and the motor laws of the state they operate from. Difficult to pin down as a number because of the variables.

I also agree that as long as one can establish the basic integrity of one of these old beasts, they will still roam the boulevards, back roads, and highways if the owners choose to blow the condensation out of the exhaust (dang rust).

Since completing the basic on-frame resto, I continue to drive the wheels off this unit of mine:

Somewhere in central NM, 30 miles from the closest neighbor and headed there.



Neighbors weren't home; guess I was too late.



Near Fort Bliss, Texas.



In Cheyenne, WY to see an old UP steamer.



Down in Colorado Springs, near the Air Force Academy.



Just running around the Eastern Plains of Colorado, racking up more mileage.



Sometimes, the weather is faster than I am.



As long as regular maintenance is adhered to, have faith that as a well designed machine, chances are good that the car will transport you through thick and thin, if it has to.

And yes, I agree: preferably on the better days and nights.