If you’ve ever talked to a car enthusiast, they’ve probably complained about their “Project Car” to you and how much work needs to be done for it to finally get back on the road. What in the world is a project car? If they’re so painful, why do people keep them and deal with the headaches they bring?
Project cars are exactly what they sound like — cars that are long-term projects for the owner. Something they can build in their free time while their safe and reliable daily driver gets them to and from work every day. The scope of a project car can range from a full restoration of their dear old dad’s ‘74 Corvette to making an old piece of crap Honda road-worthy again to building a race/drift/rally car, and literally anything between and beyond these. A project car is a great way to get comfortable working with your hands and learn about how vehicles function. Often, project cars require hours and hours of labor on top of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to be poured into them.
Typically, project cars are NOT investments. Most enthusiasts understand that the more work and modifications they put into their cars, the lower the resale value will likely be. There is the occasional restoration project that can net the owner some profit, but those are usually left to professionals or YouTubers. Working on a project car should be a labor of love, driven by the desire to complete the project (they’re never really done, though, let’s be honest), and see their hard work pay off by driving that car. Even the most modest of project cars can bring so much joy to their owners.
Project cars can have immense sentimental value, with some being passed down through the generations of a family. It’s not uncommon for someone to STILL be working on their grandpa’s car and keeping it on the road simply because it was their grandpa’s, then their dad’s, then finally theirs. This kind of sentimental value can’t be matched by money most of the time, making the money pit of a car worth every penny.
Other projects can simply be pursued because the owner likes the car, platform, or brand so much. For example, my 1993 Honda Del Sol is worth probably close to zero dollars. However, the Del Sol was the first car I ever saw online, and I went, “Wow. I really want one of those.” It’s not a fast car; it was never incredibly valuable or sought after, and my specific example isn’t in great condition. But since I bought my Sol, I’ve had the chance to slowly fix all of the little issues that it has. It’s been such an incredibly rewarding experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the thousands of dollars I’ve spent on it (I know, I know, but it’s okay; I love the little guy — I named it Solly!).
Anyway, that’s my take on project cars. They don’t make sense, and they cost more than they’ll ever be worth, but the satisfaction that comes with them is unmatched. Like most things that I talk about in this column, the monetary value is heavily outweighed by the experience of building, driving, learning about, and sometimes even rebuilding cars. Don’t be afraid to take on one of your own! You won’t regret it.
