Shoot how much has Homer cost Zen in it's life? :lol:
$400 initial purchase . . . 100,000 + miles and 7 years later: $40 to build a "junk parts engine" . . . $35 for a drag link . . . $140 for a set of tires . . . $75 for a worn out used engine when the $40 junk engine spit a rod cab through the block (after 15,000 miles) . . . $450 for a rebuilt engine at a swap meet when the $75 engine broke a valve . . . about $100 worth of front end parts . . . a couple of mufflers have probably set me back about $150 . . . one set of brake pads and shoes, a master cylinder and e-brake cables and other brake parts probably set me back another $100-150. $175 worth of parts to rebuild an old engine I had sitting around to replace the swap meet engine that sprang several massive oil leaks . . . $200 for a good used engine to replace that one when the head studs broke (keep in mind that that leaves me two pretty good engines that don't need much to be back on the road) . . . I'm sure somewhere along the road I've probably spent another $500 on other stuff like starters and generators and batteries before I listened to David and bought a good Bosch voltage regulator. I probably need to add another $100 or so for the countless cans of Krylon I've sprayed at him over the years . . . oh yeah, I spent $225 on an old rusy westy to get the camping interior.
So . . . Maybe $3000. Figure in my labor at $50 an hour (Too high? Call a new car dealer and ask about labor rates!) and I've probably got $100,000 invested. But in real, out of pocket money . . . 'bout $3000 would cover it. What's it worth? In his current condition, I "might" be able to $500 for him. But, he ain't for sale. When I get through with him, he probably won't even be worth hauling to the scrap yard! :lol: So all the time and money I've put into him is gone at the end . . . all that's left is a bunch of good memories!
Several years ago I bought a one year old 1994 Dodge Intrepid for $11,500. I got it below wholesale through the company I worked for (it was a salesman's car . . . they got new ones at 50,000 miles). The day I bought it, the finance officer at the bank offered us $1000 more than we paid for it. 3 years later when it had 103,000 miles on it and the power steering was leaking, the head gasket was leaking, the air conditioner had quit and paint was peeling off, we had to PAY $3000 to get a dealer to take in on trade. :shock: And you know, I can't even remember what the thing looked like, much less any good stories about it or any good times we had in it.
It's real easy to look at an old VW and think it isn't worth pouring $3-8 grand into it. But if you are driving it . . . it was about the cheapest way to get up and down the road 40 years ago, and it still is. If you buy it right, take care of it right, and be careful on what you spend on it, you can buy one, drive it for years and still get as much or more than what you paid for it . . . but for most of us, it won't happen . . . but for me, it still cheaper than buying a $30,000 hybred that will be worth $2000 when it's paid for . . . and it will probably be needing a $10,000 battery back by then. :wink:
