Restoring cars will take your money one way or another. The best you
can
hope to do is to spend it wisely. Example, you could pay a mechanic X dollars
to
fix you freem drive controller or buy special tool %$!** and do it yourself.
One
way you save time the other you get the tool. You have to decide which is best
for you.
Rust repair costs a lot of money. Parts, welders, time, painting... Some
people really enjoy that sort of stuff. I never have. You can easily drop a
couple of grand in a car that really doesn't look that rusty. For my money, I'd
rather start out with a solid car. I have made a couple of trips out west to
pick up cars. My latest journey was to the S.F. Bay area to pick up a frame
for a
Healey.
I bought a trailer capable of hauling a car for 700 bucks. It is
tandem axle and has brakes. I consider it one of the best investmenats I've
ever
made. I use it all the time to move stuff and I often get paid 25 or 50 bucks
here and there to move other people's things.
I shelled out the money all the same. I could have paid someone 700
dollars to move the car for me (if I was very lucky). I always opt for the
tool.
You might argue that it took a long time to drive to California (from MI) but I
took a week or so off and made it into a vacation. How long would it take you
to
repair the rust?
When you are trying to decide whether or not to buy locally and how to
move the car, consider the overall picture, not just the amount of money up
FRONT.
I'd much rather take a vacation driving out west than spend a month under a
rusty
car. When the car is FINISHED you will have spent the same amount of money.
woodruff@caen.engin.umich.edu
P.S. when you are looking at buying a car across the country, just assume the
worst. Base all your decisions on the worst case scenario. Then you can only
be
pleasently surprised.
P.P.S I moved some people's stuff across the country when I went to S.F.. I
ended up earning enough money to cover all my traveling expenses. (about 750
dollars)
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