[NeighborsComplaint]

It's a hobby. not an investment. You have to think of it like building a bookshelf. You get all done building it from the finest oak with a hand rubbed oil finish but when it comes time to get rid of it, the next guy says "I can go to Ikea and buy a bookshelf for $100."

You are probably going to drop $50K on this car of yours and you will be lucky to get half that back if you were to sell it. With a GTO, your % of return will be higher but you'll still take a beating. The other thing is that you're building it for you. The next guy that comes along may not care for your spin on your own car. The reality is it's just a very expensive hobby and don't think of it as an investment. You build what and how you can afford to build.

The best way is to buy a finished car and let the builder take the beating. If you are a hobbyist like me, I can wrench but I am not a body man or painter. I bought my GTO a long time ago but the principle is the same ... I found a car that was nice looking with a blown motor that the owner had given up on after a succession of spun rod bearings. After an initial shoestring rebuild, I drove the car for many years as-purchased (just replaced carpets and did some rattle can detailing under the hood). While I eventually freshened up the paint with a $900 Maaco respary (it was painted around 1985 and I bought it in 1989) I got many years of use out of the car, driving it and attending local shows and cruise nights over the years as I made incremental improvements to the body and interior.

I feel like I have spent a butt-load of money on the car in the past 5 years. In total I probably have around $25K in the car including the Initial shoe-string motor rebuild , a second proper rebuild incl new heads (both motors assembled and installed by me), the $900 respray. a second $5000 paint job (body stripped to bare metal/vinyl top left on) about 5 years ago, all new interior (seats recovered, new door panels, new steering wheel, new console, new dash panel) trans and diff rebuild, torque convertor rebuild and re-stall, new suspension w. tubular control arms F&R, springs, gas shocks and HD sway bars, front end rebuild, new custom driveshaft (car had a long tail TH400 in it and a bent driveshaft) aluminum radiator, water pump, shroud and clutch fan, alternator, Grand Cherokee steering box conversion, high torque starter, ceramic headers, new gas tank and lines, new exhaust, 4 wheel disc conversion with master and booster and wheels and tires. I did all the mechanical work myself with the exception of the trans, diff and convertor rebuilds (did the R&R) and the exhaust (I am older but smarter and know they never fit). Most recently, I put it in the paint shop to repair a rusted rear-window filler panel, repaint both rear quarters (flaws in the prior paint/metal work) and install a new vinyl top. I am guessing around $2,500 for this latest adventure.

You can't look at these cars as a substitute for an IRA unless you happened to have stumbled on an SD, RA-IV or HO at the right time and the right place.