Question (OT)...do you keep a record of what you have spent

[dirty dan]

Lisa thinks my car is a money pit. I dont need no dam paper trail to let her know she is right:rolleyes:

Lisa must be related to Renee! I'm using the same strategy.

[CNP934DC]

I keep all receipts only because if I ever sell this car or turn it over to my sons, I want a new owner to see what's been done to the car while in my care.

[Dennis_MN]

After reading some of these post I guess I must be lucky to have a wife like mine. Like we always say. It's better to spend the money on our hobbies than it is to go sit in a bar or casino and waste it on booze and gambling. At least' date=' we are both home that way.

[/quote']

The first year that I was working on the Model A chassis, my wife said "well, its better than another women, at least I know where he is"

After the second year she changed her tune, she said "Maybe another women would have been better, at least I could compete with a women, I can't compete with that dang car!"

Hey, we are still married..... going on 46 years at the of the month.

Dennis_MN

[John Mulders]

All good comments !

But I have to state that my wife really doesn't mind. She likes it when I work on the car (I am home and not in the office (or somewhere else...)).

She even wants a pickup truck at some point, have to finish the P15 first though.

Have a good weekend !

John

[62rebelP23]

i have a rough idea of what i have in each of the cars (the 52, my Galaxie, the two Falcons, the F150, and a Pinto) but the reality of it is this: my son doesn't get into cars like I do. he won't keep them, and he won't get what they're worth selling them. at least my wife likes old cars and has a good idea how much they're worth. keeping a drawer full of reciepts and literally punching a time card to record the labor is not part of my enjoyment of my cars. the time i spend, whether i'm breezing through a task or cussing like a sailor is time i don't have to spend doing what i DON'T want to do.

check any classified or Ebay listing; the seller usually lists a much higher cost invested than what they're asking for their car. if it really cost that much, why take the loss?

[bob_amos]

No, but I bet my wife does.

[Howard Tarnoff]

Are you kidding? My wife might see it!!!

My wife did see and after two different shops she almost went comatose. I absolutely think you need to keep detailed records for lots of reasons: knowledge, warranty, insurance, supporting the appraised value, and lastly resale.

So let me define "keep": In a box where only you will find them until "they" need to value your estate

The joke in our house is that every part costs about twelve bucks...that is the freight.

I have one tin sign in the garage with a woman on it that reads: Frankly I don't give a ****"

got to love the wife

[FMSPEED49]

$3,280.00 Give or take lol, that include tag, and insurance, I don't save the gas reciepts, or labor. But that does include a can of bon ami.

Added it up last weekend. Just got in the habit of throwing all reciepts in a file when I ballance the account.

[NatesSedan]

check any classified or Ebay listing; the seller usually lists a much higher cost invested than what they're asking for their car. if it really cost that much, why take the loss?

To be realistic I have more money in my car than I could sell it for. Anyone who builds cars with quality parts with the intention of making money will take a loss unless they are charging for labor. Does my new Walker radiator add $700 to the value of my car. Doubtful but I did it anyway. Even at minimum wage the hours and hours of labor I spend in the garage will never be recouped. Why take the loss? Because we enjoy it. Besides I dont have any kids to put through college and I want to make the future a brighter place at least for one old car.

[62rebelP23]

you got my meaning backwards, nate; of the 150-odd cars i've had in my possession, only two have ever made me any profit. one was a diesel vw rabbit and the other was a spitfire. i might have gotten dinner in the gains!

it's pretty clear i'm not in it for the money, or i'd be building hemi cudas.

these are still considered just "old cars" by most people, and even really nice ones struggle to make the return on investment when sold. i like them because they're rock solid, simple to work on, the parts are still available for most mechanical repairs, and nobody (much) has a cow about using the wrong hardware or the wrong color paint!

[blueskies]

I've kept an excell spreadsheet of every dime on my '50... up to a point. I started my car with the proceeds from the sale of another car, so I kep track of the costs until I had spent the budget. This got me to where I am today, roughly, and there's still the upholstery and carpet to finish off the car.

When I try to add up the costs in my head, I can account for about half of the expense. I have to look at the spread sheet for the rest. It's the little stuff, like shipping of parts, cans of paint, nuts, bolts, washers, wire connectors, etc., that add up to the rest of the budget. This little stuff equates to a large sum of money, and is stuff that most guys don't count in the cost of their projects. When I hear folks say something like "I only have $4000 in the whole car...", I wonder what they have not counted...

I've spent my budget for my car like a kid in a candy store, but I've done all of the work myself aside from the paint and engine block work, and I've still spent nearly three times the book value of the car...

Pete

[David Maxwell]

...I started by keeping a detailed tally, but eventually just started shoving the receipts in a file. In the end I've got a pretty good grasp on at least four things: 1. I spent roughly $15K including the original cost of the car. 2. I did a lot of the work myself which probably saved me at least $10K, otherwise it would have never happened. 3. I raised most of the $15K through a series of trades, car sales and parts sales. 4. I don't really care about the costs because the joy it brings me is priceless!!!