In a world full of fast cars and shooting stars, buying your first car is often a nerve-wracking venture.
Some buy their first cars brand-new, fresh from the dealership. Others go to a used car store and try to walk out with the best deal. Then, some get hand-me-downs, like their mom’s station wagon or, if they’re lucky, their dad’s SUV.
Others, however, forge another path: restoring old cars
Not a lot of people had a classic, restored car as their first car. The choice is just not for everyone. It can be a life-changing experience. It can give you a sense of fulfillment. Or it can disappoint you in the end. When entering the world of restoring cars, you need to be ready for any problems that may arise.
Car restoration can be a pain in the neck, but it can also be a learning experience. Restoring a car gives you an insight into its history. You learn what it went through over the years. You make connections—from people who sell spare parts to people who are interested in restorations as well. You look for repair shops who can help you out, too, from a Honda repair shop in Salt Lake City to a repair shop that specializes in muscle cars. Most of all, you learn patience. It’s not going to be easy, after all.
It can also be a bonding experience. Some people have used car restoration as a way to bond with their loved ones. From fictional characters to real people, the hard work people do in breathing new life into cars makes them closer. On the TV show Riverdale, Archie and his father restored the signature Archie car, Ol’ Betsy. In Singapore, another father-son duo makes a living and a bonding out of car restoration.
Some, however, get into car restoration because of their sheer passion for cars, especially for their dream car. After all, who doesn’t want to reach their dreams? Once these people buy their dream car, they restore the car to its old glory, making sure every detail is as painstakingly accurate as it were back then. For some, it will take months, depending on the condition of the car. For others, it will take years of hard work and sacrifice. Whether their dream car is a Riley or a Honda, they’re prepared to drop money for repairs or scour for spare parts.
A well-restored car can fetch almost twice the total of the price you got it pre-restoration and the costs of the repairs and bodywork you had to do. Typically, it’s the luxury cars that are the easiest to sell but also the most difficult to restore because of the lack of extra components in the market. Muscle cars—such as Mustangs, Camaros, and Chargers—vary in both the restoration costs and the selling price. In the end, if you want to sell a restored car, you must be prepared to shell out money for it first.
There’s novelty and practicality to restoring old cars. Not only do you own a piece of the past, but you also transported it to the future. Not to mention the sense of fulfillment of reviving something old back to its original glory. However, it’s not an experience for everybody. It’s just for the patient, hard-working people who aim to live the dream—perfect for a first car.
