The Hidden Costs Of Auto Restoration
How often do you start a project with a budget in mind
, only to make an outlay of hundreds or thousands more than you intended? The hidden costs of nearly any type of project never fail to surprise.Hidden costs are an inevitable part of having your car restored. A car restoration company may give you a rough estimate with a warning: there are going to be things that will raise the price tag. (If a company gives you a wonderfully rosy "guaranteed" estimate, run very fast in the other direction. Your guaranteed estimate will include all kinds of short-cuts to cut costs, which will also lower the quality by far.) Even do-it-yourselfers know to give themselves a cushion against the cost of unforeseen repairs. If you're already looking at $30,000 to get your car to brand-new condition, you'll want to know how much farther that budget is going to have to stretch.
Remember that you have to calculate hidden costs in labor, time, and parts. You may desire a professional complete restoration to bring your car to like-brand-new status, but doing the research might convince you lower your goal to something less than absolutely perfect and more within your budget.
Assuming you're going to spend the money to completely restore a beloved classic car, the overall condition of your vehicle may help you determine if there is going to be more or less in extra dollars spent. Older vehicles, though they may appear to be in good condition, almost always harbor hidden rust, sometimes more rust than you could have imagined. In order to find the rust, the car will need to be completely disassembled and stripped to bare metal. That's going to cost you. The time and labor to remove and repair the rust and rust damage is going to cost you. That rust will have caused damage to other vital parts of the car, which will also require either a fix or a complete replacement, including paint or replacement body parts.
Used OEM salvaged yard body panels also have to be stripped to bare metal to assess rust damage. Some panels may need to be fabricated from scratch or ordered according to rebuild availability. The chrome, interior, and drive train will all need to be inspected for repair needs.
Best advice: take your rough estimate and double it to get some kind of idea of the actual cost. If you go with a professional auto restoration company, make sure they document every step of the restoration with photos and invoices so you know exactly where your money is going. Ask questions of professionals, who might be able to steer you away from certain restorable car purchases and toward others, thereby helping you spend your money wisely. Make sure you get references. Utilizing a professional company with extensive knowledge might look like it will cost you more, but in the long run their training and experience could save you thousands.
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