Hey guys, I have a couple questions. As some of you know I have been car shopping lately for a high end sedan. Well, the process has been cumbersome at best. I put a deposit on a car and ordered it, but that can always be refunded. I dont really enjoy ANY of the cars (save for Quattroporte which I havent driven yet) and have found myself trying to convince myself as to which of them to buy. That being said, I came up with an idea. My love for the car has been there for a long time, and watching them defile one last night on Rides gave me an idea. So now the idea is, purchase a decent running condition mid/late 60s Lincoln Continental convertible and work with a custom shop (I have one I work with already) to have it outfitted exactly how I want. New interior, some motor enhancements, nice wheels (not too blingy), and I think I would still be under the price tag of most of the cars I am looking at, and i think it would be a car I would LOVE rather than settling for. So my question is, has anyone here ever undergone a similar task, and how difficult, costly, rewarding is it? Examples would be great too, thanks.
Costly? What exactly would you want to do to it? Are you looking to just customize it, or a frame off restoration, and then customize? If you plan to do a frame off, then it gets really pricey, not to mention time consuming! If it's your regular custom job with paint, stitching, wheels, stereo, and motor then I'm assuming 6-8k? It Really depends on how much you want to spend and on what products. Some paints are a lot more than others, type of material and pattern for interior, and wheels and tires. Might I interest you in the 60s Chevy Impala convts? They are gorgeous, lots of restoration parts are available, easy to modify the engine just a bit, and they are blast to cruise around. How bout a 63 Impala Convt like in the pic? Is it rewarding? Absoloutly! But, it's far more rewarding if you do the work yourself. Well, at least the work you feel comfortable doing. Plus, by doing the work yourself, you have a better understanding of the work that has been done to it. By having this knowledge should a problem arise, you know that much more about the car, and how to tackle it.
It almost never pays to do complete restorations yourself, especially if you have to farm out the work. You are better attendeding various auctions and bidding on cars that have already been restored, and then spend a little bit of money getting the last 10 percent.
It's as if though it's a waste of time, money, and effort, and isn't worth doing at all. I took it as though you are telling me that car in my avatar is a waste of time, and I shouldn't be bothering with it.
