The Ford Barn

'29 Pickup · 01-18-2025, 08:14 AM

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?

Stretch Cab · 01-18-2025, 08:33 AM

I totally agree. Profit and hobby usually do not go well together and I don't have a problem with that.

alexiskai · 01-18-2025, 08:36 AM

The charitable interpretation of that quote is that, in general, buying something run-down, fixing it up, and selling it is a profitable activity. There are many areas of life where that rule applies. And in fact you can sometimes do that with a Model A: buy one cheap at an estate sale that hasn’t run for years, get it running, detail it, sell it and you’ll often profit.

It’s also useful to remind new entrants to the hobby that if your goal is to end up with a very nice car, it is cheaper in the end to buy one that’s already nice. Whether the restoration experience is valuable to that person is an individual question.

BW · 01-18-2025, 08:41 AM

That is true with any car.

ronn · 01-18-2025, 09:01 AM

If it were for profit, the Ford Barn wouldnt exist.

Bob Bidonde · 01-18-2025, 09:25 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I am not in this hobby for financial profit! Antique cars are not financial investment material. I do not expect ever to get back the money I have spent on my cars. However, the friendships this hobby has given to me and my wife are precious & priceless!

JayJay · 01-18-2025, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

I am not in this hobby for financial profit! Antique cars are not financial investment material. I do not expect ever to get back the money I have spent on my cars. However, the friendships this hobby has given to me and my wife are precious & priceless!

Amen to that! Well said, Bob.

Mulletwagon · 01-18-2025, 09:51 AM

Rarely does the $$ of restoration of most any car later result in a profit when sold. For the folks on this site, the Model A experience is a hobby which includes meeting like minded enthusiasts that enjoy the comraderie of owning a time machine. Most of us have cars that are great ice cream getters and not Pebble Beach beauties. We get to share a chapter of automotive history which is appreciated by both young and old. Model As will be running long after the Starship Enterprise is mothballed. That makes all of us temporary care takers rather than owners. AH-OOOO-GA !!!

Jeff/Illinois · 01-18-2025, 10:01 AM

'29 Pickup--- you hit the nail on the head brudder--- well said and I fully agree.

And I like your 'will you profit from that golf club membership' THAT is a pretty expensive hobby the more you get into it

Henry Ford himself once said, when asked by a reporter why he didn't play golf.... 'it's not the actual game of golf I despise, as much as it is the ostentatious people who play it.'

LOT of truth in that!!

SDJason · 01-18-2025, 11:41 AM

Well...the previous owner of my Town Sedan spent somewhere around $40K to create probably a $15K car, which I picked up for $11K.

I certainly wouldn't have been able to pour the resources into restoring it...but am very glad that the previous owner was able to. He saved it from an unknown fate, and now there is another Model A on the road.

ThirstyThirty · 01-18-2025, 12:03 PM

enjoyed the post and attending reasons, etc!

my take is always the same: 'mite a could have sold my A-bone roadster numerous times... but then she would be gone... and little doubt same fate with the $$, too!' she is still in the garage just needing a little of this n that!

I never (never) walk past it and not smile!

----------------------------------

and waiting for the Arctic Blast incoming! ~

jb-ob · 01-18-2025, 12:24 PM

Not supposed to be, never will.

At the end of the season can you sell your used bowling shoes for a profit ?

Moneys spent on your wife's happiness better than the alternative. She is going to get it anyways so if she is happy, she'll let you a have a little. Maybe.

ThirstyThirty · 01-18-2025, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jb-ob

Not supposed to be, never will.

At the end of the season can you sell your used bowling shoes for a profit ?

Moneys spent on your wife's happiness better than the alternative. She is going to get it anyways so if she is happy, she'll let you a have a little. Maybe.

Indeed! I am choosing to read it as G-Rated! (For Family Approved) lol

Bruce of MN · 01-18-2025, 02:38 PM

Well said, 29 and Bob!

nkaminar · 01-18-2025, 02:55 PM

The only hobby you can make money in is called employment.

Synchro909 · 01-18-2025, 03:06 PM

I agree 110% with the direction of this thread. The value of many things cannot be measured in dollars. Sometimes, something as simple as a smile is priceless.

Joe K · 01-18-2025, 05:37 PM

Besides my interest in Model A, I also have interest in antique machine tools. Sometimes the research that goes into a particularly manufacturer is as satisfying as actually finding a specimen "out in the wild."

A few tools I have bought "because it pleases me." I own a Barnes No. 5 (Velocipede Lathe set up for "full pedal.") but coming across its smaller variant the Barnes 4-1/2 I have to say I "like" having the 4-1/2. I've never used the 4-1/2, even though it is all there including the elusive 11 "change gears." But why use if I have the more capable No. 5 in the stable?

Still, I pass by the 4-1/2 and there is this slight rush... It pleases me to see it there.

Maybe not like sex, but being reminded of sex.

Without the sex act.

Joe K

rotorwrench · 01-18-2025, 06:00 PM

A hobby like this is a long time investment in elbow grease but the satisfaction of doing it and reaping the benefits it gives a person and their family are truly priceless. If I had a but load of money to purchase restored cars I'd get bored with that after a while. There's nothing wrong with having where with all but I'd still have to tinker with something or I'd dry up and blow away.

nkaminar · 01-18-2025, 06:04 PM

There is a lot more in life besides sex, especially when you get to be old. For instance food, but in moderation. And when you get really old, just getting up in the morning is wonderful.

Klattu1929 · 01-18-2025, 07:53 PM

Being retired ya have to have a hobby, keeps the mind going and keeps me off the couch. And not driving the wife crazy, HAHA. I bought my 29 phaeton at an auction. I've never even ridden in an A, been working on it for over a year now. I've learned a HUGE amount, started at the rear end with the body off and worked my way forward. Plan on starting it for the first time in the next few months, with the body still off, hanging in the overhead of my shop. Hears the thing, a lot of my friends have boats, they spend thousands to buy boats, fishing gear, on and on. To catch a fish worth maybe $50.

Long story short, for me it's MENTAL health. I can focus on the A and forget about all the crazy things going on in the world. That's how my buddies justify a fish that actually costs 10's of thousands of dollars.
P.S. I am amazed at the amount of info I have learned from The Barn. Keep up the good work. One day soon I'll drive my A down the road!!

01-18-2025, 08:14 AM	#1
'29 Pickup Member Join Date: Jan 2025 Posts: 44	There's no profit in it... 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? Last edited by '29 Pickup; 01-19-2025 at 06:40 AM.

01-18-2025, 08:33 AM	#2
Stretch Cab Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lexington, NC Posts: 712	Re: There's no profit in it... I totally agree. Profit and hobby usually do not go well together and I don't have a problem with that. __________________ Let us live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry. Mark Twain

01-18-2025, 08:36 AM	#3
alexiskai Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Mebane NC Posts: 2,848	Re: There's no profit in it... The charitable interpretation of that quote is that, in general, buying something run-down, fixing it up, and selling it is a profitable activity. There are many areas of life where that rule applies. And in fact you can sometimes do that with a Model A: buy one cheap at an estate sale that hasn’t run for years, get it running, detail it, sell it and you’ll often profit. It’s also useful to remind new entrants to the hobby that if your goal is to end up with a very nice car, it is cheaper in the end to buy one that’s already nice. Whether the restoration experience is valuable to that person is an individual question.

01-18-2025, 08:41 AM	#4
BW Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 292	Re: There's no profit in it... That is true with any car. Last edited by BW; 01-18-2025 at 08:42 AM. Reason: sounds better

01-18-2025, 09:01 AM	#5
ronn Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NNNNNNNNJJJJJJJJJJ Posts: 7,645	Re: There's no profit in it... If it were for profit, the Ford Barn wouldnt exist.

01-18-2025, 09:25 AM	#6
Bob Bidonde Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 4,110	Re: There's no profit in it... Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I am not in this hobby for financial profit! Antique cars are not financial investment material. I do not expect ever to get back the money I have spent on my cars. However, the friendships this hobby has given to me and my wife are precious & priceless! __________________ Bob Bidonde

01-18-2025, 09:51 AM	#8
Mulletwagon Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Florida Panhandle Posts: 626	Re: There's no profit in it... Rarely does the $$ of restoration of most any car later result in a profit when sold. For the folks on this site, the Model A experience is a hobby which includes meeting like minded enthusiasts that enjoy the comraderie of owning a time machine. Most of us have cars that are great ice cream getters and not Pebble Beach beauties. We get to share a chapter of automotive history which is appreciated by both young and old. Model As will be running long after the Starship Enterprise is mothballed. That makes all of us temporary care takers rather than owners. AH-OOOO-GA !!!

01-18-2025, 10:01 AM	#9
Jeff/Illinois Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2,973	Re: There's no profit in it... '29 Pickup--- you hit the nail on the head brudder--- well said and I fully agree. And I like your 'will you profit from that golf club membership' THAT is a pretty expensive hobby the more you get into it Henry Ford himself once said, when asked by a reporter why he didn't play golf.... 'it's not the actual game of golf I despise, as much as it is the ostentatious people who play it.' LOT of truth in that!!

01-18-2025, 11:41 AM	#10
SDJason Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 474	Re: There's no profit in it... Well...the previous owner of my Town Sedan spent somewhere around $40K to create probably a $15K car, which I picked up for $11K. I certainly wouldn't have been able to pour the resources into restoring it...but am very glad that the previous owner was able to. He saved it from an unknown fate, and now there is another Model A on the road.

01-18-2025, 12:03 PM	#11
ThirstyThirty Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2024 Location: College Station,Texas Posts: 343	Re: There's no profit in it... enjoyed the post and attending reasons, etc! my take is always the same: 'mite a could have sold my A-bone roadster numerous times... but then she would be gone... and little doubt same fate with the $$, too!' she is still in the garage just needing a little of this n that! I never (never) walk past it and not smile! ---------------------------------- and waiting for the Arctic Blast incoming! ~ __________________ "My Model A... work never ends, only the day ends!"

01-18-2025, 12:24 PM	#12
jb-ob Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 787	Re: There's no profit in it... Not supposed to be, never will. At the end of the season can you sell your used bowling shoes for a profit ? Moneys spent on your wife's happiness better than the alternative. She is going to get it anyways so if she is happy, she'll let you a have a little. Maybe.

01-18-2025, 02:38 PM	#14
Bruce of MN Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: VA Posts: 1,807	Re: There's no profit in it... Well said, 29 and Bob!

01-18-2025, 02:55 PM	#15
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 5,850	Re: There's no profit in it... The only hobby you can make money in is called employment. __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past.

01-18-2025, 03:06 PM	#16
Synchro909 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 8,041	Re: There's no profit in it... I agree 110% with the direction of this thread. The value of many things cannot be measured in dollars. Sometimes, something as simple as a smile is priceless. __________________ I sometimes wonder what happened to the people who asked me for directions. Even at my age, I still like to look at a young, attractive woman but I can't really remember why.

01-18-2025, 05:37 PM	#17
Joe K Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Cow Hampshire Posts: 4,607	Re: There's no profit in it... Besides my interest in Model A, I also have interest in antique machine tools. Sometimes the research that goes into a particularly manufacturer is as satisfying as actually finding a specimen "out in the wild." A few tools I have bought "because it pleases me." I own a Barnes No. 5 (Velocipede Lathe set up for "full pedal.") but coming across its smaller variant the Barnes 4-1/2 I have to say I "like" having the 4-1/2. I've never used the 4-1/2, even though it is all there including the elusive 11 "change gears." But why use if I have the more capable No. 5 in the stable? Still, I pass by the 4-1/2 and there is this slight rush... It pleases me to see it there. Maybe not like sex, but being reminded of sex. Without the sex act. Joe K __________________ Shudda kept the horse.

01-18-2025, 06:00 PM	#18
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 17,409	Re: There's no profit in it... A hobby like this is a long time investment in elbow grease but the satisfaction of doing it and reaping the benefits it gives a person and their family are truly priceless. If I had a but load of money to purchase restored cars I'd get bored with that after a while. There's nothing wrong with having where with all but I'd still have to tinker with something or I'd dry up and blow away.

01-18-2025, 06:04 PM	#19
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 5,850	Re: There's no profit in it... There is a lot more in life besides sex, especially when you get to be old. For instance food, but in moderation. And when you get really old, just getting up in the morning is wonderful. __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past.

01-18-2025, 07:53 PM	#20
Klattu1929 Member Join Date: May 2023 Location: Washington State Posts: 45	Re: There's no profit in it... Being retired ya have to have a hobby, keeps the mind going and keeps me off the couch. And not driving the wife crazy, HAHA. I bought my 29 phaeton at an auction. I've never even ridden in an A, been working on it for over a year now. I've learned a HUGE amount, started at the rear end with the body off and worked my way forward. Plan on starting it for the first time in the next few months, with the body still off, hanging in the overhead of my shop. Hears the thing, a lot of my friends have boats, they spend thousands to buy boats, fishing gear, on and on. To catch a fish worth maybe $50. Long story short, for me it's MENTAL health. I can focus on the A and forget about all the crazy things going on in the world. That's how my buddies justify a fish that actually costs 10's of thousands of dollars. P.S. I am amazed at the amount of info I have learned from The Barn. Keep up the good work. One day soon I'll drive my A down the road!!