Is it ever possible.

[Alfachick]

To get to the stage with a classic car where you don't have any more big bills looming?

The Alfa regularly costs me £1000 on bills, normally only one of those each year, as I get through the list of jobs to do on her.
The last couple of bills have been much much lower, things like new wheel bearings and such like. But I know that the rear suspension needs an overhaul, and that will be quite a few hundred probably. Once that is done I am sure that something else will probably rear its ugly expensive head.
I am hoping that the big bills will trail off and I will be left with just regular maintenance and a few bits and bobs that are not too expensive to sort each year.

So I was wondering, have any of you guys had this kind of thing? Where you bought a car which is not the best and needs some work, have done the work as a kind of rolling restoration and the big bills have tailed off?

Its a bit disheartening sometimes, and does sometimes make me wonder if she is worth it. I know that from a purely financial point of view she isn't but then from a heart over head point of view she really is worth it to me.

Just had to have a bit of a rant, and to see if any of you had had similar experiences.

[Old Merc]

It is possible,but only after £1000`s? 100`s hours work and frustration.I`ve had mine for over six years and rebuilt just about every thing but it kept on braking down!!! I got so pissed off with it I put it up for sale.Then last year I finally cracked the fault (long story).All I do to it now is simple servicing and cleaning as nothing now needs doing. Mind you remember the old saying "Don`t fix what aint broke"

[v8250]

Don't feel alone on this - unless we're buying a completely restored/warrantied [read: "soul-less"] car, most of us experience this type of initial financial outlay; but hey, this is part of the fun of owning these old girls. Logically, we should all budget for these additional costs but I'm pretty certain most of us don't really do this.

To ease the pain, every classic I've owned has always needed some monies spent to bring it up-to-scratch i.e. how I want it to be. Luckily, this is a part I really enjoy...planning, spec'ing, and completing the work to be done. It helps enormously being able complete all the work which keeps costs very low.

Q? are you able to wield a spanner or two? If so, why not team up with some of the other Alfa owners near you and help each other out on work that needs doing, thereby all gaining some cracking experience, meet new Alfa Tifosi, and reducing garage bills??

[na]

I've not had a car costs me that little since I had an almost new Honda

count your blessings my last unexpected bill was more than that let alone the expected ones

[Yertis]

Alfachick said:

To get to the stage with a classic car where you don't have any more big bills looming?

Yes.

Step 1.
Buy total heap for ca. £500.

Step 2.
Completely restore/recondition everything, especially all components like hoses, bushes, bearings, wiring loom, anything that can corrode or wear out, so it's effectively a brand new car.

Step 3.
Realise you could have bought something much nicer with all the money you've spent.

[neil240970]

My old TR6 cost me £6500 to buy and needed a couple of big outlays in the first two years to get it in the groove. After that it was like a Swiss watch and I sold it for £8k - not a profit but couldn't call it a loss really either.

[Huntsman]

Alfachick said:

To get to the stage with a classic car where you don't have any more big bills looming?

Yes, its perfectly possible, buy a set of spanners and do it yourself.