I have been following several antique automobile sales platforms in the last few years and something has really stood out to me.  There are many project vehicles for sale that have been started with some work done or just an accumulation of new parts. Some of these projects have been put into primer and/or missing a certain percentage of parts to be complete.  Here is the deal, the truth, the undeniable reality of the situation……..you might want to steer clear of these overpriced projects.  Most of these advertisements say the same thing.  They state “Life got in the way and I have no time to finish this beauty”, or “My loss is your gain”.  Firstly the “life got in the way” is the fact that there is a lack of places that you can take your future beauty to get body and paint work done….to get the engine and transmission  rebuilt,  to get the interior work done and I could go on.  This is why I have elected to do the majority of the work myself to avoid this.  And apart from saving money on the labor costs it is still very expensive and getting worse by the month.  I love the hobby of old vehicles.  I love driving them likely more that the building of them.  Last week I was back at a used parts location looking for a radio bracket to install the original radio back into my Cougar.  As I wandered through the yard that at one time held over five hundred vehicles I realized that there now was less than forty vehicles left to select parts from.  What hit me even harder was determining that the quality of the remaining parts was diminishing.  This is the same as the quality of the project cars offered up for sale at ridiculous prices.  I know that the seller of these projects was likely telling the truth about how much money was invested at that point in the build.  It doesn’t mean that it is financially worth buying for anywhere near what was reported being previously spent.  These vehicles that I seek, the muscle car era, are getting old.  One cannot expect that these vehicles only need a bit of elbow grease to get back on the road, especially if they have been sitting for some time.  Most of these projects have been sitting  for a while!  It has taken some time for reality to hit hard to the owner to realize that the task is too great physically and financially.  I have a solution that builders will scoff at.  My solution is buy a vehicle that has been done in the past and still looks and runs well.  The price will only look high but I promise you that the money that you will spend building one will exceed the cost of purchasing one. I know that there will be exceptions but I thought I would explain by example.  A couple of years ago I rebuilt a 1967 Econoline pick up truck.  This vehicle was needing a lot of help (see photo below white in color).  It had been off the road for many years and was missing the engine and had other parts replaced over the years that ended up costing me pain and suffering.  I actually did a write up about this vehicle at this time.  I will put a photo below for example (orange and white color).  I had been looking for one of these trucks for quite some time.  There were many built from new but apparently not many saved from the crusher.  I took what I could get and paid $2300 for this truck.  It took me three years to finish this vehicle that normally I would finish within half a year.  It appears my newest projects are having longer completion dates because they have been sitting longer and longer in some field or barn or garage before I get to them, and they require a lot of work on all components but I digress.  Recently I found a five window Econoline pick up truck which is what I originally had been looking for when I found my three window Econoline pick up truck.  I know, I know it is only two extra windows.  It made a difference to me at the time. The heart wants what the heart wants.  The five window version has ridiculously good visibility for the driver and looks really cool.  I still love my three window version but this was my second choice and at the time I couldn’t find a five window version.  So this vehicle I found has been for sale for over a month primarily because of the price and the condition.  It is as rough as my three window version was.  Metal patch panels are reqired on most of the panels.  With my truck I had to purchase an Econoline van to use for parts including the close to perfect floors that were used for the truck box floors that always stretch and warp. Will I have to do that again to this truck?  As for the metal body panels these are made in the USA and require US dollars to purchase and US shipping methods to get them to me.  Not fun.  Not affordable.  This vehicle is offered for sale for $5000.  It has a different engine in it which currently states that it requires a fuel pump to get running.  I will now switch to an Econoline five window truck that has been completed and is for sale in Canada.  This truck besides not having an original tail gate is painted bright yellow inside and out and looks really good. The engine was changed to a v8 302 ci with 351 windsor heads.  I wouldn’t have done this but many truck builders will elect for a ton of power in a widow maker of a design. There isn’t much real estate between the front windshield and the passenger compartment.  Hitting anything head on would not be good.   Hitting something out of control and at a faster speed because of higher horsepower would also not end well. There is a video of this truck running and the sound makes the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention due to the burble! (Oh by the way, burble was a term I heard Australian builders reference but it means the lumpy sound the improved cam shafts make through the exhaust note).  It has many performance parts including the obvious cam shaft change.  Anyways, I have a really good idea how much money this would have costed the owner to build.  I also have a really good idea about how much money this would cost to build the same way today!  Did I mention that this truck was up for sale for $28,000.  This is not a big number.  If it is a big number to you than one of these truck isn’t in the cards for you.  So lets go back to the $5000 truck.  Is it worth purchasing if I can purchase the one for $28,000 already done? What should the value of the $5000 dollar truck really be knowing what I know?  In my opinion this truck now has become a parts truck and not worth near what they are asking.  I couldn’t build this vehicle, even with ignoring performance parts, which are really costly, using my own paint and body methods, and using my parts I have accumulated from my past Econoline build and still be under $28,000.  If you are not interested in doing the paint and body yourself including all the mechanical work necessary, then you may be the next seller of classic vehicles stating “Life got in the way!”  My whole goal of these write ups showing the build  process was to make this hobby accessible to more individuals.  I am just showing the practicality of this process and it has become less practical even since I started this Cougar project not quite a year ago.  Most of these project vehicles are not worth doing in my opinion.  Unless it is a rare vehicle with rare options  that you can demand more money for after the build you will not recoup your money invested.  These rare cars are basically gone now.  I know the internet shows the odd one still being found but they better be found sitting indoors.  If they are found outside than it likely is not worth the time and effort.

I have seen many vehicles that normally would have interested me in the past to build but reality is now finally setting in for me.  This is a labor of love at best.  Buy something that had been done twenty years ago and may be leaking oil or showing rust.  For the right price you can pick away at it and make it yours.  You have to find the right sellers.  The ones who realize that their baby isn’t worth what they originally thought.  The sellers of basket cases I have noticed are still up for sale a year later or more  without price reductions. They are adamant that their undone vehicle is worth ever penny.  I have seen vehicles up for sale for years at a time and eventually show up for sale on a different platform…..still priced high and still not selling.