There's no profit in it...

[ronn]

Can I ask you a question?? Excluding a few CCCA eligible vehicles, -how many vehicles can you name that you can buy at fair market value, truly restore it properly, and then being ethical when you sell it can you actually get a ROI??



only cars where you come ahead, Ferrarri, Porsche Duesey , Mercer etc. where demand outseeds supply. rare priceless cars always bring $, but not many have that kind of $ to begin with. Most anyone can afford an A. rich and poor alike.

[alexiskai]

Lots of posts on this thread saying it's not about the money, and I suppose that's a helpful thing to tell yourself after spending a lot of money, but it is not unreasonable to care (a lot!) about opportunity costs. $40,000 spent on a car is $40,000 you can't spend on travel or grandkids or retirement.

I paid way below market rate for both of my cars and I'm pretty happy about that. Everyone has a story about the NOS item they bought for a song at a swap meet. Bargain-hunting has been an undercurrent in the Model A hobby from day one. Often that leads to making short-sighted choices that the next owner of your car will have to cope with, and we try to discourage that and that's fine. But it's unrealistic to act as if people don't get satisfaction out of saving money. Trying to get the best restoration possible for the least money is a perfectly reasonable way to participate in the hobby, and ideally it motivates you to learn new skills so you can do things yourself.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Lots of posts on this thread saying it's not about the money, and I suppose that's a helpful thing to tell yourself after spending a lot of money, but it is not unreasonable to care (a lot!) about opportunity costs. $40,000 spent on a car is $40,000 you can't spend on travel or grandkids or retirement.

I paid way below market rate for both of my cars and I'm pretty happy about that. Everyone has a story about the NOS item they bought for a song at a swap meet. Bargain-hunting has been an undercurrent in the Model A hobby from day one. Often that leads to making short-sighted choices that the next owner of your car will have to cope with, and we try to discourage that and that's fine. But it's unrealistic to act as if people don't get satisfaction out of saving money. Trying to get the best restoration possible for the least money is a perfectly reasonable way to participate in the hobby, and ideally it motivates you to learn new skills so you can do things yourself.

Very true!

[TerryO]

Driving my A is a lot more fun than counting my money (and takes a lot longer...)
TOB

[Russ B]

My joy with Model A’s has always been in learning new skills or improving them. That is my hobby, much more than driving. While I have driven thousands of miles on my A’s, and have them mechanically in excellent condition, I can not feel safe in modern traffic. Thus I am happy just to work on them with no thought of any monetary ROI. What I have learned is my ROI.

[rackops]

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My Model As were literally a life saver when I was going through a tough time years ago. Working on them, even just tinkering, was enough to keep my mind off reality for a while. Definitely positive.

Fast forward to now, and I enjoy figuring out new things. In my procrastination restoring my 1928 Phaeton, I've gotten good at rebuilding carburetors, traditional Jappaning, restoring 3X spark plugs, and re-plating nickel. There's a good sense of satisfaction when you can look at something and say, "dang, that really looks nice! And to think I started off with a rusty hunk of metal..."

In my previous/other hobby, I usually broke even or sometimes made a profit. When I got into writing books, that hobby became more of a "labor of love" and I'm far from breaking even. I feel the same way about my Model As. More of a labor of love, preserving history, rather than something profitable.

In the long run, I'll have a lot of positive memories with my family and the Model As, just as I've had a lot of positive memories and impact with the books. Sure, I could have made more money by investing what I spent, but no one puts your bank account balance on your tombstone.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by '29 Pickup

I read a comment recently, somewhere, I cannot recall where.
It was along the lines of..."there's no point in restoring a Model A because you will almost certainly not get back all of the money you put into it".
This has been on my mind as I embark on a restoring a barn find. Am I a fool? Is this what smarter people instantly avoid?

i have never gotten back the money i spent on a car i have sold

[SteveB31]

I have multiple hobbies. Model A’s, ATVs, a race car, snow mobiles, bowling,and more. None of them are profitable. The definition of a hobby is a thing you do to spend time and money that you have to spare.