How to Save Money on Your Hotrod

Do you want to save money building hotrods?

Then listen up... It's important.

Step 1. A more complete car will save you money.

Yes, it's cheaper buying a car or truck that's missing stuff. But it's more expensive in the long run. All the little stuff adds up very quickly. I don't know how many times I've been tempted to buy a cheap incomplete car. Then, when I added up how much all the parts would be to make it complete, it was way more expensive than a nice car!

Besides, you can sell the stuff on the complete car you don't need. Now it's as cheap or cheaper than the incomplete car you wanted.

Remember: The cheapest option is usually the most expensive...

Step 2. Buy the nicest car you can afford.

I can't stress this enough. This will save you so much money...

Experienced builders always try to get a nice example to build. They're in it for profit and a nice car saves them so much work and material. They don't have to fix it before they modify it. That means they saved money.

Say you found a rusted out car for $1000. There is also a decent rust free example in the classifieds for $3000. Now figure in all the material and costs to fix the rusted out car. Welding wire, welding gas, metal, electricity, weld-through primer, body filler, sandpaper, sealer, primer, etc. Now figure in how much time it's going to take to actually do all this fabrication. Now do you have a nice car?

No, now you have a patched together car. You're sick of working on it and you haven't even started modifying it yet. And you spent more money than if you had bought the nice one.

Remember: The cheapest option is usually the most expensive...

Step 3. It takes just as much money to restore an undesirable car as it does a desirable car.

Let that sink in a minute...

It takes just as much paint and body supplies to redo a 4-door Plymouth Valiant as a 1968 Camaro. Brakes and suspension are just as much money and work on a 1975 Ford station wagon as they are on a Tri-five Chevy.

Think about where your money would be better spent. Look for a car or truck YOU want to build. Don't just buy whatever because it's cheap.

When you've spent all the time and money to finish it, have you got something that's worth something, or have you just thrown it away?

If you bought something you wanted, you have something. If you bought whatever because it's cheap, you're probably going to want to sell it. If it's not worth something, then you threw your money and time away...

Remember: The cheapest option is usually the most expensive...

You get the idea...

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