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Ok I’m trying to decide if I should sell the car or spend more money. Here are the stats: 1975 l48, coupe all original except for trailing arms. 4 speed, rear defroster, leather, bright blue. Issues: repaired frame drivers side rear. Bird cage issues on passenger side don’t know how bad. Checked behind kick panels and only surface rust, which I treated. Rear end diff needs rebuild. Paint paint ok, but needs work. Has decent exhaust system. Purchased steroids rack but not installed yet. Here is the why I ask: I know the car will never be collectible. I bought it to help me get through my ptsd. I worked on it for 3 years after I returned from Iraq and it helped. So there is sentimental value. But, I don’t want to sink $20k into it to just have a weekend driver worth $10k. So what do you think? Thanks!
I know the car will never be collectible. I bought it to help me get through my ptsd. I worked on it for 3 years after I returned from Iraq and it helped. So there is sentimental value. But, I don’t want to sink $20k into it to just have a weekend driver worth $10k. So what do you think? Thanks!
This looks like your first post in 11 years? WELCOME!
You didn`t buy it for "investment" purposes, you bought it to play with. It has sentimental value, and you can`t put a price on that.
Many here would debate the "collectability" of a 75 Vette. But again....
that`s not why you bought it.
Going "up-side down" on a toy or hobby is something MANY people do all the time. I`ve done it on just about all my cars (see signature line),
because I LOVE tinkering with them. I love building old cars.
I don`t care about the "value", I care about playing with my toys.
So now YOU have to answer your own question.....should you keep what may be one of your favorite toys, and continue getting pleasure from playing with it? Or should you throw it away (sell it) because it`s a little worn, and needs repair?
Do you love it?
I`d invite you to look through some of the build threads, and SEE what people are doing with junk piles. NOT because it`s "economically feasible".... but because they LOVE doing it!
Here`s a sample of mine when I bought it, and now (but I`m still working on it)...
This looks like your first post in 11 years? WELCOME!
You didn`t buy it for "investment" purposes, you bought it to play with. It has sentimental value, and you can`t put a price on that.
Many here would debate the "collectability" of a 75 Vette. But again....
that`s not why you bought it.
Going "up-side down" on a toy or hobby is something MANY people do all the time. I`ve done it on just about all my cars (see signature line),
because I LOVE tinkering with them. I love building old cars.
I don`t care about the "value", I care about playing with my toys.
So now YOU have to answer your own question.....should you keep what may be one of your favorite toys, and continue getting pleasure from playing with it? Or should you throw it away (sell it) because it`s a little worn, and needs repair?
Do you love it?
I`d invite you to look through some of the build threads, and SEE what people are doing with junk piles. NOT because it`s "economically feasible".... but because they LOVE doing it!
Here`s a sample of mine when I bought it, and now (but I`m still working on it)...
Thanks, You are correct. I have not posted in a long time. 4 more deployments to Afghanistan, the car has been in storage and I haven't been ready to deal with it until now. I appreciate that it is a labor of love, but I'm also trying to understand just how much more I need to do to get it where I want. If I keep it I want to upgrade the transmission and suspension and motor.
'75-77 are great candidates for a restomod. Wild fun to drive and people are willing to buy at a premium over factory restored if done right with good parts.
Last edited by Dynra Rockets; Oct 30, 2017 at 08:36 AM.
The only thing old cars cars burn faster than gas is money. The time spent working on it has value. Glad to hear you are getting some benefit out of it.
Why not take a few weeks or months to look through Craigslist or the local paper for someone else's project? You'll either find something you like better or appreciate your own even more. At least your 'vette is a known quantity.
I've got a 77 that was missing most of the interior when i got it! I was told that the motor was locked up in it but I was looking for a body to put a motor in that I had !
Wasn't long after I got it got curious what happened to the motor and found out that the starter would kick out but not spin ! Fifty -six dollars later and a set of spark plugs I put the plug wires on and borrowed a battery and a little gas down the carb and it was running!
I'm now at the point that by watching the parts section here that I have almost all of the things I need to put this buggy on the road and I'm now beginning to do the body work needed to paint it back in black !
I say keep it and make it something special for yourself and enjoy it as often as you can !
if you are thinking of spending 20K total on the car and know it will never be worth that, or you are not as proud as you want to be of the car, then it is your decision on the value and sentiment the car brings to you.
but..
if your birdcage does have rust and you don't have a complete handle on that then there's a good chance it is worse than you think. that will always put a ceiling on the existing value and 'pride' you have in the car.
take that 20K you are about to spend and buy you a much nicer one.
if you are thinking of spending 20K total on the car and know it will never be worth that, or you are not as proud as you want to be of the car, then it is your decision on the value and sentiment the car brings to you.
but..
if your birdcage does have rust and you don't have a complete handle on that then there's a good chance it is worse than you think. that will always put a ceiling on the existing value and 'pride' you have in the car.
take that 20K you are about to spend and buy you a much nicer one.
Thanks. I have not yet dug down past the trim and looked at the cage, but I know the top piece at the top of the windshield is rust (the sun visor no longer will screw into it), I guess I should take the trim off first and check before making up my mind.
'75-77 are great candidates for a restomod. Wild fun to drive and people are willing to buy at a premium over factory restored if done right with good parts.
Basically what everyone else has said: If you love it, keep it. If it is just a hunk of iron to help with PTSD, well, there are lots of those out there. My advice would be to find a car that 'speaks' to you.
If that is yours, so much the better but if not, dump it and find the one that does.
Originally Posted by Dynra Rockets
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that color scheme. So well done, and that frame is a work of art.
Get rid of it, its a 75 with issues and needs too much.
Buy one that you can drive, lot more therapeutic than working on something you cant drive and throwing endless amounts at it
Theres always another dont get attached to em its not worth it.
Sometimes it takes looking at other cars to make you realize/appreciate what you have. In my case I looked at an 81. It had 33k on it, so I figured it would be a good NCRS candidate. Looked underneath and from front to back, left to right it was rust, the cat was rusted through. At that moment I realized I have a pretty dam nice vette already. I realized all the work I've have done on my 78 has paid off. Still have lots to do, but I am OK with that, it's my hobby and not an investment. I won't vote either way, you just have ask yourself if this is the vette you want. You should look at this as a long term project. Plan to do one big project each year. This way you can budget for it. Keep in mind if you sell what you have and you get something else, what is your new budget for the replacement, do you really want another project car? In the end, whatever your decision is it will be the correct one.
My first thought was of safety. If the car cannot protect you in a possible accident or by being rusted puts you in harms way then there is personal risk involved.
If the car is repairable and safe then set yourself a budget and plan a way to not exceed it.
If you feel there is no way to keep within the budget, ask yourself if you can buy a car that is within your price range that you will get satisfaction from.
Ultimately we cannot answer these questions for you. We can only help guide you.
Dave
Last edited by 76bomb; Oct 30, 2017 at 02:36 PM.
Reason: spelling
It's a tough one... love to see these cars saved. On the other hand, you seem like you know what you're getting into. Just need to weigh the is it worth it in the end or not.
Me personally, had I known what I know now, I'd have gone a different route and spent more $ initially for a nicer or more rare car to start with. I'm upside down for sure, but I have a nice looking car that is fun to drive. However, tossing around the idea of selling and getting a BB or LT-1. But there's 2 problems... 1) sentimental value in all that I've done to it over the 13 years I've owned it, and 2) I bought the car when I was 25, before we were married and my wife knows she has little say in it. If I sell it and buy something else, then she's going to have a big amount of say in what I get and how much is spent, etc... She wants a C6 or C7 (which I'd be cool with), I love the look of the C3 more though (the body lines of my car are gorgeous, always loved the C3 style from little kid to now). I get why you're torn.
Last edited by raydog9379; Oct 30, 2017 at 06:05 PM.
I bought a pretty nice 75 for 6k. auction house fees, tax, etc I was up to 7. spent 200 bucks on a couple of nickel and dime items. I got 6k. felt lucky. they are only worth so much. I now have a 75 vert I am gonna do chrome conversion on...someday! how much in it already? cuz that money is spent and gone. you need a diff. they are easy to find for 150 bucks. trailing arm bushings. 100 bucks and a ton of work. you aren't looking at a ton of more money. it is paid for. fix it. drive it. what's that you (we) former military types say? oh yeah...FIDO!!!
Thanks everyone for your comments. I appreciate your opinions. You can see from the variety of thoughts how hard it is for me to decide. I’m sure you all understand how you have a picture in your mind what you want, and also know that usually is way, way off. The only thing keeping it off the road right now is the rear end repairs. I think I will do that first, and check the cage before deciding to go any further.
Nam Vet here: I am rebuilding a basket case car mainly to ease the PTSD. BUT sometimes the PTSD doesn't co-operate.
It just so happens I bought the car that I wanted since I was 12 years old. THAT gives me the incentive ON THOSE BAD DAYS to keep going with the project as soon as I recover from each PTSD flare-up.
If the car you have now isn't the ONE that you "love".....mybe you can make it safe enough to drive and then sell it in order to get the car, boat, plane, truck, etc that you can afford and also STICK WITH.
Try not to let the PTSD influence your decision.....the "job of PTSD is to undermine your entire life". The Members here have kept me going forward for a while now!
You can do this...keep us updated.....we care.....
Last edited by doorgunner; Oct 30, 2017 at 10:56 PM.
Dump or Pump? Need your votes
