Should You Buy A Fully Restored Classic Or Do It Yourself?
February 10th, 2009
You’ve wanted to own a 1955 Corvette with its fast V-8 engine ever since it rolled off the production line and you were too young to buy one. Now that you have the money and your parents can’t say no, you’re ready to take the plunge. The question is should you buy one fully restored or do the job yourself?
The answer comes down to personal choice in most cases. There is nothing wrong with buying the car of your dreams in a ready-for-the-road condition. There are, however, some definite advantages to doing the job yourself if you can handle a restoration effort. They include:
- The potential cost savings – A fully restored classic vet will set you back a small fortune. A fixer-upper, however, could save you money on the initial purchase. If you do most of the restoration work yourself, you could save even more.
- The fun – There is something very rewarding and challenging about taking a husk of a car and turning it into a road-ready beauty. Finding parts, installing them and watching a car take shape is an incredible experience.
- The sense of accomplishment – While there’s no doubt that you’d be in love with a classic vet no matter what; there is a sense of accomplishment that’s hard to top when you do some of the work yourself.
Answering the question of whether to restore or buy road-ready is often a matter of personal choice. For those who love to get hands-on with a project, however, there is only one option.
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