Re: what is the point of no return (resto)

[Tess McMillan <tessmc@domain.elided>]

I know; I know; I know!

This is a topic with which I happen to have first-hand experience. I've
invested (sunk might be a more appropriate term) double digits into a
restoration project for a '70s vintage Porsche which is on its way to
becoming a streetable track car. But it's still a roller....

I like to think of it as 'snuff box collecting'. Sure, there are excellent
snuff boxes that are wonderful examples of the period, and at one point
during our history they were intimately tied to our social
mechanisms. So you could argue it is even socially important to collect
them!  But you'll never get rich collecting hoardes of snuff boxes; they
just don't balloon in value like the price of PALM IPO stock. OTOH, if you
become an avid collector, spending all your time seeking out the unusual
snuff box in all corners of the world, you *might* happen across a find
that would be worth millions at Sotheby's. But does any sane person want
to become quite this possessed?

The bottom line is, if it's beautiful to you, restore it. If it is rare,
someone might buy it. Ultimately you have to decide whether it is worth it
to *you* to sink money into a project like that. America in general is
more interested in things that are new, rather than things that are old,
so you cannot base your decisions on the good of American society (sorry
to sound Americocentric; my only experiences are in North America). And
face it, if the Gullwing Mercedes had been REALLY popular -- affordable,
driveable, easy to repair, easy to maintain, good gas mileage, yada yada
yada, they would still be in production and would be called the Honda
Gullwing. Times change; fashions change; government regulations
change; open space changes. Cars tend to be representative of specific
milestones in our history. 

I personally wouldn't want a stable full of restored Ford Pintos, but
heck, man, if the Pinto pushes a man's buttons, then I say: restore it! A
GT Junior is a lot more rare; and although I would want one, I wouldn't
want a stable full. I shudder every time I see platform shoes and bell
bottoms and that's what they remind me of.

Tess

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