Sundowner

[wbute]

Value? I don't care about the value. It's an old car. I like the idea of a 5 litre factory WB ute.
Sandmans actually have no value at all when you take the restoration cost into account. No old car does. Unless you find a good survivor in a shed that does not need any work. You might sell one for 35k but you spent 35k plus 90k of your own labour on it.
A cars only value is in your own desire to own it.

[Valencia]

Value? I don't care about the value. It's an old car. I like the idea of a 5 litre factory WB ute.
Sandmans actually have no value at all when you take the restoration cost into account. No old car does. Unless you find a good survivor in a shed that does not need any work. You might sell one for 35k but you spent 35k plus 90k of your own labour on it.
A cars only value is in your own desire to own it.

Some of the XU1 and GT falcon guys might disagree with your statement there was plenty of $$$ made by some people when the boom was on even when they spent 20 to 40k restoring them and then selling them for a very healthy profit
but i agree with you most people dont get there money back

[Flamenco_not_Flamingo]

Value? I don't care about the value. It's an old car. I like the idea of a 5 litre factory WB ute.
Sandmans actually have no value at all when you take the restoration cost into account. No old car does. Unless you find a good survivor in a shed that does not need any work. You might sell one for 35k but you spent 35k plus 90k of your own labour on it.
A cars only value is in your own desire to own it.

Well, that's what I have found with all cars I have restored and that's why you see all those cars for sale for months and months, people trying to get back the money they have invested in the restoration.

They were motivated by their emotions to rebuild and now try to sell with those same emotions.

[HK1837]

Value? I don't care about the value. It's an old car. I like the idea of a 5 litre factory WB ute.
Sandmans actually have no value at all when you take the restoration cost into account. No old car does. Unless you find a good survivor in a shed that does not need any work. You might sell one for 35k but you spent 35k plus 90k of your own labour on it.
A cars only value is in your own desire to own it.

I agree basically, but you'll see in most of my posts i'm always on about buying a car you can basically use, not to spend a fortune on to fix. Finding a 5L WB ute will be very hard, and finding a really good one in mint cond will be impossible. Someone will pay some idiot price for a 5L one no matter how rough it is because they think it is valuable, same that you see with 253 Sandmans. What I was getting at is buy a mint 6cyl or 4.2 WB Kingswood ute and change it to a 308. It'll be worth as much as an original 5L one as there won't be any around to compare it to.
I almost got one prior to getting my Prem, a red WB Kingswood ute. Original owner, 3.3, 4spd, air and steer with buckets. I offered $9k for it, he sold it for $10k. I had a blue WB Statesman L31 and trimatic lined up for it, already have a 2.78:1 LSD in the shed out of my old HJ Kingswood ute. I also have a NOS WB V8 radiator, all NOS trimatic fluid lines, V8 WB shroud, air and steer brackets and T-bar plus insert in the shed. The only non original bits on the car were the muffler and a roof screw through one of the moulds. I reckon if looked after it'd end up as a $15k car, maybe more.

[mauser]

Value? I don't care about the value. It's an old car. I like the idea of a 5 litre factory WB ute.
Sandmans actually have no value at all when you take the restoration cost into account. No old car does. Unless you find a good survivor in a shed that does not need any work. You might sell one for 35k but you spent 35k plus 90k of your own labour on it.
A cars only value is in your own desire to own it.

If there was a large sum of money to be made doing up old cars and selling them to a hot market then there would be restoration businesses everywhere. I don't think the idea of any hobby is really to make money... some may be lucky to break even. Ask any fisherman... ever been game fishing out the shelf?

Mauser

[wbute]

If there was a large sum of money to be made doing up old cars and selling them to a hot market then there would be restoration businesses everywhere. I don't think the idea of any hobby is really to make money... some may be lucky to break even. Ask any fisherman... ever been game fishing out the shelf?

Mauser

Yes I clearly see the point of cars as a passion/hobby. That's why I would prefer a factory 5 litre WB to a Sandman. Why did I race at Finke? Not to win that's for sure. Why do I hang on to my WB. Because I have heard the story a thousand times, I had a car years ago,wish I kept it. Luckily I have kept mine. Not because I think it will be worth money one day, because its good and I will never need to restore it. Because I like it.
The stupid thing is though, false values start to effect what cars survive. HX Sandman for example. No different in any real way to a HJ or HZ. Media hype from 30 years ago and people still cling to what was said then. Come on, less power??? Who would rebuild a motor to factory specs today or ever really? So it's declared they are worth 5 to 8k less than a HZ. RTS? That goes out the window as soon as the HZ is lowered or you fit bigger tyres.

[HK1837]

Yes I clearly see the point of cars as a passion/hobby. That's why I would prefer a factory 5 litre WB to a Sandman. Why did I race at Finke? Not to win that's for sure. Why do I hang on to my WB. Because I have heard the story a thousand times, I had a car years ago,wish I kept it. Luckily I have kept mine. Not because I think it will be worth money one day, because its good and I will never need to restore it. Because I like it.
The stupid thing is though, false values start to effect what cars survive. HX Sandman for example. No different in any real way to a HJ or HZ. Media hype from 30 years ago and people still cling to what was said then. Come on, less power??? Who would rebuild a motor to factory specs today or ever really? So it's declared they are worth 5 to 8k less than a HZ. RTS? That goes out the window as soon as the HZ is lowered or you fit bigger tyres.

All good points, and I agree with most of it. I saw a beautiful HZ Kingswood ute at the Tocal field day I think last year. Blue with blue trim (not my favourite but beggars can't be choosers!), just about every option you could think of. I'd rather it than a HZ Sandman too.

[Alien DNA]

Ask any fisherman... ever been game fishing out the shelf?

Mauser

How amazing is this fish......the dollar value of this monster would be over $500K surely. The Japanese pay premium prices for tuna. I think this is an Atlantic Tuna...not sure.

Not a bad days work