Natty C

With buying the car, shipping it up the coast from Florida and all of the restoration so far it added up to $14,500 and some change.

That's what I'm into it total snce I bought it two years ago.

I paid $3,500 for the car, $980 to ship in addition to $10,000 and some change for parts. The only labor I've paid was for the rack to be rebuilt and installed and the exhaust when I was recovering from a heart attack.

After I had added all of this up on the calculator I was thinking to myself what I could have got for my roughly $15,000.

But then the whole reason I bought the thing was to satisfy my hobby and have something new to tinker around with. I knew I was gonna be in that ballpark going into it.

The only major upcoming purchase is going to be a replacement solid top. That'll set me back around $700. I haven't decided on whether or not I want to restore the valve covers myself or buy some that are already restored and flip the old ones. I've been saving those two things for last.

After that I think I'm about done with it, aside from routine maintenance.

Looking forward to my next vette, I was really pondering a C3 for a long time. I like them better than any other series. But after thinking on it over the winter months and weighing what I've put into restoring this C4, I'm really thinking on a well maintained stock C6 when the time comes to satisfy that itch.

I'll keep the C4 just to have something to wrench on here and there. I'd never get what I've put into it anyway. And that's not even counting the sentimental value of all of the cussing and the quart or so of blood I've leaked all over the place messing around with it.

It's a heck of a thing.

SJW

I don't intend to ever try to tally up either the $ or the hours I've sunk into the Corvettes I've owned. While I am conscious of not going down the rabbit hole of throwing crazy money at these cars, I also didn't get into them with any illusions about staying "above water" on them financially. To me, focusing on that would miss the point, and would obscure the joy of owning and driving these great cars. They are playtoys, and as such, are to be enjoyed for what they are, without regard to sunk cost. If I sell, I accept that they will sell at whatever the market will currently bear, and the market is utterly indifferent to the matter of how much money I have spent on them prior to the sale.

Live well,

SJW

Natty C

Yeah. Pretty much that. I was just adding receipts to the binder and had some time so figured why not add it all up to see what I'm into it. Mainly because I'm nearing the end of it as a working project.

I like the car so I imagine I'll keep it around for a good long time. I doubt I'll ever sell it to be honest, I like it too much. It really is fun to drive. It's probably the only car I've ever owned that lets me feel the road the way I like, in fact.

Probably gonna get out to more shows with it this year and check out that scene now that it's actually presentable. Oughtta be a hoot.

snlshow

Nice Vette Natty C...

I too have a folder with all of my receipts. I picked up my 1985 two tone c4 in early 2020 from a friend for $1k. Hadn’t run in 15 years. I don’t have in depth mechanic skills so I’m thankful that I have a local shop that I trust. I’ve spent a bunch of time working on the interior this past year which has helped keep me sane! I’ve put about $6k into it and I may have another $6k to get it the way I want. (Need a new job before I can spend any more. ). Ugghhh.

I knew going into this that I’d never get my $$$ back out of it. LOVE driving it and learning how to work on it. That’s what it’s all about for me.

95LT1ZF

I purposefully have not added up what I've spent, lol. I don't want to know.

BillDurant

Agreed I spent $2,500 for mine and I have about 7K into it so far
1989 6 speed convertible 120,000 miles on it now had 117K when I bought it

vette196

I stopped counting after $10K in parts (ie: trans rebuild= $1800, LE2 package = $1800, D44 = $1400....and of course the supporting parts)

kind of a bucket list for me

FostersPerformance

Been building my car since i bought it in 2002..Paid 4k for the car. I have every receipt since day one in a folder that, i kid you not, is almost 3" thick. Last i added them up i was at 14k including the car price. That was in 2013. That was also before engine, trans, etc build. At some point im gonna put it all in Excell and see where im at. It isnt about the $, its more or less just to document all the part #s and dates.
And i still have paint to do......

vette196

I have to show this to my wife, so she knows I'm not the only one out there

Beater12

I hate reading threads like this because they scare me. I paid 7500 for my 90 vert and planned on 3 or 4 thousand extra for issues that come up. I am retired so really can't afford much more than that. Fingers crossed that it is already fairly well sorted!

vette196

Don't be scared, I brought this upon myself. I blew a head gasket and rather than get IT fixed, I started the "while I'm in there". So the heads cost money (LE2 pkg), so we pull the engine, and the trans is out...send it for a rebuild (I was told the input shaft(?) had about 1K miles and it would fail). Then the opti (rebuild, opti dr), water pump, timing chain. Interior was dingy gray. Got a great deal on torch red seats.....the big interior switch-a-roo...now radio, hvac control

I could go on, but you get the idea

Beater12

Thanks for the response, makes me feel a bit better. Mine is white with a white top and red interior. Also a 6 speed. It's going to need some odds and ends but seems pretty good. I bought it because it was the colour combo I liked and had the 6 speed. Not many of them come up around here for sale so grabbed it when I could.

fredk

lol.Too funny, I had my bills in a drawer. My wife had surgery on her foot and was off work for a while. She decides to do some cleaning and found all the receipts. She couldn't believe someone could spend that much money on a 1993 lol.

BigBilll

Well said SJW !! After repurchasing my very first Corvette that I sold over twenty years ago ( and was kept in fantastic condition ) I have went wayyy overboard with restoration/ improvements on my 96 Black LT4 ! It's a hobby, a passion... I do love this car! But I do not consider anything about it to be a sound financial investment.
I too am concerned about throwing crazy $$ at it, but I'm probably past that point already. Thank God it really drives great, and the performance is fantastic!

FASTAZU

Ya gotta love it. Bought my 91 in 02 for $32K spent another $20k to date in mods and upgrades, the way I look at it it has only cost me around $2.6k a year all in to enjoy well worth it. I call it rolling inheritance as I will never sell nor did I buy it as an investment.

383vett

I've got boxes of receipts for the 37 years I've owned my '84. Never added them up and never will. I've been through many motors, many transmissions a few rearends but you know what... the pleasure I have gotten from this car far exceeds what money I have put into it. I've got over 3000 runs down the strip, tons of trophies and won some $$$. I've made some great friends and the camaraderie has been priceless. It would be truly embarrassing to know how much I have spent on this car but I figure it has to be cheaper than sex and drugs.

93QuasarBlue

Started with the best C4 I that just popped up and "spoke to me" 93 @ 13K/ 51K AT. Very clean and only needs cosmetics for now. Not a spot of rust or crud. I'm taking the build on the "Best" car in the neighborhood and go from there. As diametrically opposed to buying the worst house in the best neighborhood and fixing it up for equity which I did also. A couple of times. Rear bearings and brakes in the garage until the tools wont freeze my hands. Needs serpentine belt. Pre-spring warm up today and she is awesome. Thinking "elective" expenses like weather stripping and interior. No, elective is a Procharger! Anyways, good to hear honest indulgences.

Sassman

Keep a folder of service receipts, but never under an circumstance, add them up. Unless Corvettes suddenly become deductible

TommyFox

I am in the same boat. Paid $3,250 for the car and at 14,500 + - . It's very hard to buy one of these cheap and stay on a budget unless you can stand a pos car. And with only 63k miles everything still failed sitting in my garage. I love the C3 , had 2 but they handle worse and are not comfortable at all unless you are a petite person. To be honest I'm done with 'old' corvettes. At the end of the day it's more enjoyable to hop in the SRT8 Challenger.

Natty C

I guess it just comesdown to what purpose the car serves. For me, the enjoyment lies in just tinkering around with it. It's really the only reason I bought it. I do like driving it, but oddly, driving it is more of an after-thought for me.

I've spent just about what I figured on spending getting it back up to at least par and absent any major malfunctions, I figured it about right.

Whenever the time comes to satisfy an itch for a newer one, I'll probably pick up stock a C6. Something I don't have to mess around with. I'll keep the C4 for wrenching around.