Just curious , How much has peoples bugs cost them to a resto?

How long is a piece of string, depends on what you want to spend on the resalt you expect

Just add up all the parts you know you need, tripple that and then add unexpected labour costs too

I painted the outside only of our old Beetle a few years ago, and it cost me two weeks of my labour in a workshop. So a monetary value being about 80 hours at $80 per hour would have made it a $6400 paintjob! Plust paint cost which would have been $1000.

This includes no interior, mechanical or rubber seals, glass etc.

A full pan off inside and out resto in a shop could get up around $30K

too much,
i dare not add it up in case the minster of war and finance finds out.
but seriously think up a figure that you think thats reasonable then times it by 10 and you will probably be close to what it will be by the end.

Nath, mines far off a resto, if you have been close its in quite poor nick. Losts of rust runs in the paint, scrathced tint, shite exhaust, dings in gaurds, leeks, non aligned door etc etc.

Its cost nearl twice the amount of the car to get it where it is now. Id hate to think of how much it would cost if i had of got a shop to do all the work, neearly all if not all the work has been done by me.

Even though its an expensive procedure, to finish it and drive it feeels really good. Also you will get the best understanding of how it works, and diagnosing issues become much easier.

Youll never get your money back when you go to sell either.

I doubt if anyone really knows. Who keeps records? You never know who might find them.

Cheers, Greg

Most of us do it for fun, cost doesnt matter,
If your worried about cost forget old cars Period.

People make the mistake of seeing them as an investment..... when reality check, theyre only worth half what you spend on them if you build them properly

I know with what I've put into mine over the last 10 years i coulda bought some brand new mainstream belly button car and been like all the other 1000s of belly button cars you pass on the road each day but an old VW has character unlike anything new and doesnt loose 90% of its value in just a couple of years

I think I am over $15000 and it's not painted yet or had the interior done. Does that give you some sort of idea.

And I have been doing all the labour myself with exception of rust cut out and that was $2000.

So as others have implied, a lot f#*ken more than you would first think. Unless you have done one before

Kev

Here ya go, knock your self out and add this up if you want. And this is only what I have recorded, I'm sure I have missed some things.

Car $1000
Trailer to get it home $150
Steering wheel $40
2 x rear guards $220
Steering wheel hub $75
1961 original 50/50 tail lights $200
2 x sports seat $400
Stereo DVD player $445
Aerial to suit TV etc $45
Por15 test kit $30
4 wheel disc brakes $1305
Indicator switch $70
Sandblasting Floor pan $300
Sandblasting Body $800
Paint
Brake master cylinder $220
4 x Door trim boards $30
Clutch and Acc Cable $12
2 x New door glass sash’s $8
2 x sill dress trims $40
2 x Running boards $160
Roof lining fitted
Re-upholster rear seat
Carpets
Chrome Pedal etc $132
Horn $20
Sleeve – Heater cable tubes $6
Door clips $15
Axle tube boots $20
Trim clips and seals $25
Quick shift $10
Engine mounts $40
Bumpers front and rear $220
Rear parcel shelf $100
Sun Visors
Grab Handle – Ivory $45
Passenger straps
Horn Grills $25
Brake residual line pressure
Front shocks
Wiring cover – Behind dash
009 Distributor (second hand) $35
Front gas shocks (second hand) $15
Brake M/C reservoir $25
009 Dist cap and rotor button $30
Headlight reflectors x 2 $40
Seatbelts $245
Floor pan section $30
Headlight seals $15
Por15 Rust proof paint – floor pan x 2 $160
New steering box $110
Empi bumper bar brackets F & R $90
Cleaning products – Prepsol etc $40
New door cards $280
Speakers front and rear
Mags and tyres $1500
Modifications to front wheels $340
Heater cable $10
Wing bolts x 2 $30
Floor pan bolts $14
Steering nylon coupling $15
Gearbox to body seal $15
front and rear bump stops $30
Accelerator pedal rubber $10
Steering Dampener $40
Narrowed Front beam $475
Narrowed Front beam bush kit $45
20 x 14mm Wheels studs $40
Front beam outer seals x 4 $25
B pillar lower repair panels L & R $30
Inner front guard lower repair panel L&R $80
Inner front guard forward repair section R $65
Earth strap $10
Rust repairs $2600
Heater boxes (2nd hand) $100
Floor seal $40
Sikaflex $26
Seatbelts & anchor plates $210
Door hinge screw plugs x 8 $12
Autometer gauges $830
Oversized door pins fitted $192
Pop out side window kit $530
Complete door seal kits $300
Front windscreen seal $40
Rear Window Seal $40
Chrome kit 4 front and back windows $80
Alloy dash knob, heater, h/brake & bonnet $67

Twin carby complete setup - single port $600
Exhaust System (part of) $230
Ceramic coated Heater Boxes $675
Sidewinder muffler $360 ??
Alloy handbrake handle and Knob $25
Air duct tubing – Fan to Heater boxes $10
19mm Front sway bar – 2” narrowed $100
Sand paper, primer and more $35
Kahfil putty $46
4L of High fill primer kit $130
Reducer $20
Wet and dry sheets $30
Sanding block $9
Power file strips $8
2 x Red scotch brite pads $6
Spray gun washing thinner $20
New attachment for orbital sander $19
100 x Velcro sanding discs as above $48
Spray gun cleaning kit $15
Steel re Recaro seat mounting & bolts $42
4L of Etch primer $61
2 x Grey scotch brite pads $6
Speed file paper 60 & 120 Grit $12
Thinners – spray gun cleaning $13
Paint measuring pots x 4 $4
Fiberglass Dash panels $50
Sanding discs $14
2180 Engine $3500
Empi H/D Front shock $75
Car cover – suit Beetle $110
Rear parcel shelf for speakers $80
Chrome spring plate covers $12
High Torque Starter Motor $232
Teflon lube $3
Rear Apron plugs $2.50
Number plate light seal $10
Front inspection cover seal $4
Headlight bucket drain tubes $7.50
Wiper shaft seals $3
Wiper shaft base cover $4
Brake line grommets $4
Engine compartment firewall seal $10
Headlight wiring tube rubbers $13
Rear axle split pins $1.50
Engine compartment seal $12


Spark plugs to tin seal $2
Dash switch alloy nuts $7
Brake peal return spring $5
Door lock striker plates L & R $16
Steering column to firewall seal $6
Battery hold down clamp $9
Shipping/Handling of above 22 items $245
Alloy dress up parts fuel tank & hinges $70
5 piece chassis strut brace $560
Engine Tin ware $280
Boot/Deck lid seal $72
Exhaust spacer & Rocker breathers $110
Serpentine pulleys and belt $250

Im in the middle of a resto at the moment and below is the cost and thats not including the price of the car or rego/insurance . I managed to keep records of everything as i knew i would be restoring the whole car in less than a year, But like Joel said, when you drive a classic like a VW its not about cost its about the fun and enjoyment that you get.

chassis,mechanical and suspension(nearly everything new or Fully reconditioned) - I have spent in excess of $14000 including labour ( 4month to finish)
The body is getting done now, with a very straight body and only one 5cm rust hole - Im paying $12000 ( another 2 month to finish)
The interior will be in Full leather plus the carpet - cost would be $5000 (will take up to a month)
steering wheel , wheels/tyres, stereo, all bits and pieces (handles, switches, speedo etc) all new looking at around $5000

So in a couple of month I should be driving my beetle, I will start a thread soon about my build.

Hi Camo. Went through your list and I think it's a good idea to keep one. I am also but to be fair it looks like you have a lot of big ticket aftermarket items. Wheels, disc brakes, engine, DVD player. I reckon close to $9000 there. I am staying bog stock but still expect to run around $15000, though don't really care what it costs. I'll try and keep a detailed list for others to reference. Spent most of my money on tools so far.

KEV you are a legend....!!!!! ( and no, i don't think you missed anything)

Good advice from everyone here, I bought Rosie for $6K and have almost spent that much again just going wheels, tyres a few mechanical repairs. Still have the new interior to do in a few months.

The way i justify it is the fact Rosie will never be sold and secondly I will lose more money on my VE commodore in 3 years than I will probably spend in a life time on my Dub

Geez Kev, you don't leave lists like that laying around the house, do you? That is really an eye-opener, and that's why I have never added up the total cost of any resto.

The financial side is the least important - unless you become obsessed, and spend money you don't have. If you add up all the experiences you have, the people that you meet, the lasting friendships, and good times, it's hard to value. If you get the balance right, it's all worthwhile.

Cheers, Greg

Kev
What are you doing, your gunna get us all in the s@#@!!!!!

Greg, firstly there is no chance in the world that my wife would see this - she hates my car and I know she will never be on this site

Mick - if your better half says anything, just say 'that is what that DH paid as he got ripped off with everything'

Kev

Hey guys thanks for all the replys

Well no matter what you pay its all about enjoyment. I spent the whole weekend running around in rosie and with the great weather it was such a memorable weekend. At one stage these kids were hanging out of there father Clubsport pointing at my dub lol.

Even today when my wife and I were out and about we saw so many people looking at Rosie and commenting,

like has already been said don't ever build a project car as an investment you will never make money on it build for the enjoyment, if you don't enjoy it you will never get it finished, yes sometimes during the build you get a lil p@%$ed off when things go wrong but the pride when you work out how to fix the problem is great and to then drive a car that your own 2 hands have laboured and lost skin over is incomparable