The opinions of the obsessed

[dietz99vcross]

Alright ladies and gentlemen, I am looking for some guidance. I realize this is not VX related but I feel the group as a whole represents an opinion I value and trust. While I truly enjoy my VX and am thrilled to have owned it for more than 14 years, the passion that many of you speak of when discussing your VX is how I feel about my 1987 Buick Grand National, the first car I ever purchased. I am having a hard time deciding between what my heart tells me and what my head tells me and I am hoping that some of you can assist me in making the right choice. When you are reading about my situation here, think about your VX in another 10 or 15 years and what you might do.
My GN has been torn apart sitting in my garage for several years and I am finally at a point where I can afford to get it restored. The problem is that financially it doesn't necessarily make sense. Like the thread that JoFotoz started about how much would you sell your VX for, I need to decide how much is too much to spend in getting my vehicle re-done.
My heart says - I have found a very reputable gentleman that does amazing work (his most recent is a 1970 Buick GSX that is currently in the Sloan museum in Flint Michigan). I am looking at a body off frame up restoration that will include powder coating the frame and completely redoing the chassis and body as well. I will be outsourcing the power train to another business, and will be doing the interior myself. Overall this will cost more than I would be able to sell the vehicle for, but I do not ever see me selling this vehicle. I estimate the cost to be around $35,000 all said an done, yeah it is a lot of money but this is MY car and I do have my wife's blessings.
My head says - Boy that is a lot of money. And besides that, just one hour north of me the Lexus dealership has a 1987 Buick Grand National with almost the same options for sale. The kicker is that it is gorgeous, is less money at $29,000 and only has 18,000 miles on it. BUT it is not "MY car". My head also says there are a lot of other cool cars that could be had for this price or less, but that is not on the table here.
So what I am looking for is your viewpoint on if I should follow my heart or my head. I would appreciate not having to read about how mustangs are better or that I should just drive the VX, but I do want your opinion so say what you must. Again think of your passion for your VX and have at it and thanks in advance.

Mike

[vp277]

I never paid for a frame off restoration, but there were quite a few smaller projects that I kept putting off, but once it was done i always looked at the results and said to myself: "money well spent, should've done it years ago". Car hobby would almost never be about breaking even or making $. Ultimately it's your decision, but if you're planning to keep the car forever and have the money go for it.

[Scott Larson]

I'm kinda thinkin' along the lines of buy the low-mileage, mint Grand National for far less then a resto of your mount and (if you have the space available) keep your car as a future donor to keep the mint one mint! That's just my two cents and I really do feel that it is nice to have a parts car to support a rare driver...Best of luck with your decision!

[JAMAS]

You're in quite the pickle.

Head vs. Heart = Need vs. Want

Head(Need): You need a reliable car that can get you safely from point A to point B. So go buy a toyota prius and have a reliable car with great gas mileage.

Heart(Want): You want your car back to its glory days. So do it. Buying a replacement car will always leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. 6k cheaper to buy a different one that doesn't have the same history wont be the same thing. It sounds like you have saved the money and are ready, but you are having a hard time handing over the money. Close your eyes, hand them your hard earned money and let go of that aspect. Only worry about the project. Of course we the reader will say "go buy the cheaper low mileage one" because we have no attachment to your original car.

What now: Go battle it out and see who wins. Head or heart, need or want.

Its a tough decision. Good luck. Hope you find the right answer for you.

[jn]

If you have the time, money, and patience, I would keep the project GN. When complete, the personal satisfaction will be far greater with the car you already refer to as - MY car. But it also depends on what you enjoy - is it driving around in the car and making people's heads turn? Or is it the restoration and/or customization process to make it even more your own? Regardless, good luck and have fun making your decision!

[Cobrajet]

I've been there, and am currently there, so I can speak from experience. My Torino Cobra was my daily driver for 15 years before I finally decided to retire it and restore. I did NOT do a frame off/rotisserie restoration since I didn't have the money and it was going to be a driver. This was 1994 and the $8000 paint and body work was a big spend for me. I probably spent another $5000 in parts and upgrades (shaker scoop, louvers, wheels/tires, door panels, etc.) I love the car, BUT... It's not the "original" Cobra, it's a "re-body". I wrapped the original around a tree. It's never given me the same feeling as the original. SO, do NOT buy a different GN, it just won't be the same.

I also have my '82 Mustang, which has been in the family since new. I just finished the interior, and got an estimate for paint and body - $6000. I talked to a local restoration shop, and got the impression that he would do it RIGHT for about twice that. Will I spend that much? I don't know. On the one hand, it's got lots of sentimental value. On the other hand, it's tired (235K miles), and needs more TLC than I'm prepared to give it. My original plan was to put it back into "respectable" condition and hand it down to my grandson. I'm still torn.

Bottom line. You will put more money into it than you plan, and you probably will never get your money back out of it. But, that's not why you're doing it. It's for the love and respect for the car and it's memories. Just do it!!

[H3_VX]

I'd get other estimates on the work. To me 35,000 seems high, albeit without seeing the car myself. But if it were me I'd take care of my "baby." Like a previous poster said, the satisfaction factor will be much more worth it. But shop around first for other quotes if you can.

[nfpgasmask]

I too have obsessions over cars. I am going to be selling my (first) 89 RS soon. When I first saw the RS in a parking lot, I told myself I would buy it no matter what, if it ever came up for sale. And I did.

Flash forward to 2 weeks ago, and guess what? I found another RS that is in MUCH better condition. No major body damage, etc. So I bought it, and now I am getting ready to sell off my original RS.

Bottom line, is that in the long run, think about your time. Time is so important. If you truly enjoy doing this work, then keep "your" car and do it. But, if you would rather drive and enjoy it, then just sell your car or keep some parts and find one that is already restored and make that one "yours".

I don't even want to talk about my 7 year long adventure to bring a 1976 Ford Falcon XC Coupe over from Australia to build my dream car (Mad Max Interceptor) which I eventually sold due to the though process you are having right now. The amount of blood, sweat, tears, time and money you spend restoring a car has to be what you want to do, body and soul. Otherwise, just buy one in better condition or one already restored. I sold my Falcon, lost about $3000 in the sale, but eventually, I might just get a cleaner one that doesn't need a full restore.

We only have so much time on Earth, spend it wisely. And trust me, I struggle too...

Bart

[VXD959]

We only have so much time on Earth, spend it wisely. And trust me, I struggle too...

Amen to that.

[EVO]

Its a hard decision, the practical side of me says just buy one in better shape and sell the project car but, I kind of get attached to my toys and all the trials and tribulations they put me through!! I whole heartedly agree if you don't have the time and money to do a restoration its better to just reboot and start with a nicer one!!

[10isguy]

Once your heart makes a decision, either your head needs to find a way to accept it or your heart’s going to make your head miserable for a long time. It sounds like your heart has already made this decision, and now you’re looking for a reason for your head to accept it. Well Mike, it’s OK to restore the Grand National, and here’s why. The first consideration is do you have the discretionary funds available without dipping into what’s required to meet your family’s current needs and obligations? You’ve already said that you can afford it and your wife is onboard, so you’ve cleared the biggest hurdle. Unless you’re in the business of flipping cars, considering the resale value of a car is a worthless measure of whether a restoration is worth it. Any restored vehicle is rarely worth what it costs to restore it. Same goes for new cars – they all depreciate and don’t remain worth what we initially put into them. So the question isn’t “is it too much money?” but rather “is it worth the money to you?”. Only you can answer that. For the type of restoration that you’re discussing, my personal opinion is that the cost is not out of line since you’re basically going to have a brand new Grand National when it’s done. And since you’re doing some of the work, that will only make it that much more rewarding (and probably frustrating at times, too, but that’s part of the process!). As for buying the other Grand National, I would advise against it. The real question is, do you simply love Grand Nationals, or do you love Grand Nationals largely because of YOUR Grand National? If you’re just a fan of Grand Nationals in general, then save the money on the restoration and buy the best example you can find for less. However, if, as I suspect, the sentimental value of your car is one of the major factors in this decision, you don’t really have a choice. As others have said, you’ll probably always regret replacing your car to save a few thousand. So at the risk of sounding like a Hallmark movie, follow your heart. Your head is smart enough to eventually accept the decision, but your heart is stubborn enough to never give in. Your head is just there to keep your heart in check by asking “are you really sure?” every now and then. When your heart replies “yes,” then the decision is made!

Oh, and one last thing, for reasons that I don’t understand, the Grand National still has a devoted following, which should allow you to recover a large portion of your investment if you ever needed to sell it. So you’re not exactly risking that much. As someone who can understand your passion, I say go for the restoration!

[evillecutter]

grand nationals are only going to become more and more rare - an awesome vehicle and a milestone for buick - i say if you have the money have it restored and keep "your" car forever - when it comes to listening to your head or your heart: you can take meds for a headache, but heartache is not so easily cured...

as far as getting your money back out of it goes i would say dont worry about it - sometimes with cars like that you would be surprised - its not like they are making more of them