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Modifying a Car - WIPS

Projects - Are you wasting money

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Kev_mk3

Kev_mk3

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Is the following statement true? i personally think it is.


motivation.jpg


discuss.........................
 
I disagree, if no-one had any projects then everyone would drive standard cars, and no-one does it to make money they do it as a hobby cause they enjoy it
 
It is true, but what hobbie doesn't waste your money? People drink and smoke and really that is a complete waste, when you think of the long-term effects, It also depends how picky you are, some people will buy all brand new bits and pay professionals to do all the work, others will buy 2nd hand and do all the work themselves,
Buying a brand new car is a perfect example of wasting your money!
 
its not really about the money, you will never get the money back that you put in a project.

but, if its something unique, different, what you want and makes you happy, then it really is priceless and the money don't matter :nod:
 
my view is i dont drink & i dont smoke i spend my money on my car but TBH my money goes on the house now so ive no money for the car but ill never in a million years get my money back or anything near what ive put into the car.

I enjoy cars and i enjoy motors with being different
 
imo i could go out drinking every night **** up my liver and have no money, no wife and no car have nothing to show for it with cars your not just pouring away money your learning about cars as you go from places liek this and by finding out stuff on your travels

and when you wana move on youll get a resale value maybe not what youve put in but thats the way it is

and i agree with krow too
 
i can see the point in doing it for being different and doing something you like but some people do actually just waste money, you see clapped out fiestas from 1994 with alloys worth more than the car, now thats a waste of money.

Im starting to give up now on modifying and WIPS as i'd rather spend money elsewhere
 
i think everyone has some sort of hobby/project which obviously cost money.. as we all know nothing is free :rolleyes: imo its the same with everything, people have a different opinion on what is a waste

think as long as you enjoy it then why not :D
 
I've not lost a penny on any of the last three cars I've owned, and I doubt I will with the next one.

the trick is to know when it's time to move on - and that's when the next project turns up on your door at a ridiculous price ;)

my last car for example - mk4 estate.

got it for nothing, ran it for a year, putting exactly £780 into it in parts/maintenance. when the mk3 came up, I broke it for parts. I have already had £1350 in parts from it, and still have fuel pump/alternator/starter motor/shell/all doors left.

the mk3 I'll probably break even - I paid £300 less than market price for it at the time, however I won't make a profit as it cost me £250 for the MOT, but I've made profit of £340 on parts alone that I've bought and not fitted so sold on, so I can still afford to take a small loss on the sale price of the car when it goes ;)


only thing i've lost on car projects is time... but then isn't that part of the reason we love having them?
 
It's only a waste of money if you either can't afford it, or your hearts not in the project.

From my own personal experience, the money i've spent up until this point has mostly been worth it, but i'm not going to get back even half of it when i sell.

Now my heart's not in the project, any more money i spend on mods would be a waste, even if i hadn't already decided to sell.
 
depends how look at it. in reality, yes they are a waste of money - you spend way more money than youll get back both on the car and for insurance and because the car has your own personal customisation no ones gonna pay what you think its worth..

but, the enjoyment and personal satisfaction, not to mention experience, means you cant really look at it in purely financial terms. if you werent 'wasting' money on this hobby then youd be 'wasting' it on something else.
 
i agree with the people that said buyng new cars is a waste of money, look at the facts, drive it off the forecourt and you've INSTANTLY lost money, and you will do every day you own the damn thing..

modifying cars and building them as projects isnt a waste of money, its a hobby for some and a passion for others, most of us just like to add little touches to make our cars "ours", and yes, we may not get the money back that we spent, but it doesnt make it wasted as we are paying for the satisfaction it brings

it only becomes a waste when its some yampy boy-racer/chav slapping the most garish, eye-wateringly awful bodykit he can find onto a 1.1 fiesta/saxo/106, stick-on "turbo" badges from Halfords, flashing lights in every orifice, and wheels that make the car look like a monster truck.. its almost a Batman fetish for the clinically braindead... and its all done for the purpose of thinking you look "cool" as people point and stare, while in reality everybody is laughing at you.... and the argument "im trying to make my car unique" doesnt wash when using "off the shelf" bodykits :laugh:

double-edged sword seems to sum it up, it can be a waste of money, if done wrong or for the wrong reasons, but for most, definitely NOT a waste
 
Last edited:
Aber-Astra said:
i agree with the people that said buyng new cars is a waste of money, look at the facts, drive it off the forecourt and you've INSTANTLY lost money, and you will do every day you own the damn thing..

modifying cars and building them as projects isnt a waste of money, its a hobby for some and a passion for others, most of us just like to add little touches to make our cars "ours", and yes, we may not get the money back that we spent, but it doesnt make it wasted as we are paying for the satisfaction it brings

it only becomes a waste when its some yampy boy-racer/chav slapping the most garish, eye-wateringly awful bodykit he can find onto a 1.1 fiesta/saxo/106, stick-on "turbo" badges from Halfords, flashing lights in every orifice, and wheels that make the car look like a monster truck.. its almost a Batman fetish for the clinically braindead... and its all done for the purpose of thinking you look "cool" as people point and stare, while in reality everybody is laughing at you.... and the argument "im trying to make my car unique" doesnt wash when using "off the shelf" bodykits :laugh:

double-edged sword seems to sum it up, it can be a waste on money, if done wrong or for the wrong reasons, but for most, definitely NOT a waste
Click to expand...

Well said...
 
This is a tough one, alot of people ask me why i 'waste' money on a scruffy little Astra.

Then i take them for a drive in it and suddenly they understand :heh:

Alot of my friends build show bikes (R1 Turbo's etc). One of my mates spent £42K building a Turbo'd, Nitrous'd Martek GSX 1420. He won every show he went to, won more or less every drag event he entered, got stupid amounts of attention where-ever he went on it, and then he sold it for just £12K :o

But he said the 3 years he had it, he lost £10K a year (as such). Which is the cost of a new bike each year. And he would rather have 3 years of fun on his bike, which he built, than go out and look like everybody else each year.

I will loose money on my Astra (first car i will loose out on after 7 cars). But im not bothered at all, i rarely drink, i dont do drugs, i just tinker with my car, and love the satisfaction of whipping BMW's etc in a scruffy looking old Astra :nod::heh:
 
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