How come there are so many unfinished projects on Craigslist?

New to all this, as you can see in my "Best Muscle Car for Beginner". I've been watching craigslist for 2 weeks now and noticed a trend of a lot of unfinished project cars. Like you can tell someone bought it with full intentions to finish but are now selling. I ask, why?

Usually it's because someone got in over their head, lost motivation, ran out of money, or found a better deal on something else.

People get in over there heads.

Like I did when I was young. Tearing into the 54's headliner before finding a replacement. Things like that.

People see the finish product with no idea how to get there,

Gotcha, i figure it was something to that matter. I fear that will be me..

Coldsnap wrote: Gotcha, i figure it was something to that matter. I fear that will be me..

Then don't buy a "project".

I have sold quite a few unfinished project cars. Mostly because I run out of motivation and something else catches my eye.

914 Dan had a great piece of advice about projects. Everytime I have gone counter to it, I have failed that project. It was soemthing to the effect of "When your project becomes a storage shelf, you are on a very slippery slope."

I can't speak for CL folks, but I know when my stall that's when I have a hard time. I get to an unsolved problem and I stop going to the shop or into the garage. Then after a time it looks so overwhelming I get rid of it. I am getting better, but I am still kinda bad. For me the trick is a defined vision you don;t deviate to much from, and making even the slightest progess on it on a regular basis.

For the CL thing, I imagine they get it torn down and then its overwhelming, so they aviod theit. Then SWMBO starts in on the "When are you gonna finish that thing? You should just get rid of it..." etc etc etc.

I have two unfinished projects sitting at my place. I bought one of them, paid to get the title in my name, and I'm selling it without ever having turned a nut on it. I decided I was going in the wrong direction and instead bought the car I really wanted for the past 9 years instead.

The other project is just stalled because I ran into some screwy VAG electronics coupled with an aftermarket 90s car alarm system. I'm probably going to farm out that work, get it running and then sell it at a break even price so I can afford goodies for my RX-8.

So, in my case it is time, money and interest. It usually is one or more of these.

Challenge bait.

Here's a step-by-step guide for you:

1.) Buy a vehicle that isn't a project. In fact, buy the nicest vehicle that's well within your budget, and do research to determine any potential problem areas.

2.) Do as much of your own maintenance and repair as possible over the next ~5 years, amassing the needed tools and learned skills as you go.

3.) Once you have a good foundation to build from, you can troll Craigslist knowing that "needs head gasket" may mean "my ex poured silica sand into my intake", and be prepared for those types of "surprises".

For the same reasons there are so many unfinished projects in our yards, driveways, and shops....

Believe it or not, MOST people can't finish things. If they can, they tend to take it for granted everyone else is wired the same way. If they can't, they often lack the self-awareness to know they can't.

Assume any "non-running" condition to be a roller. If you get lucky and it's something simple good for you. If not then you already bet on the worst case.

Also if the trans or engine is dead, google replacement costs 1st. The price on replacement engines for early 2000's Ford pickups is staggering!

About 10 years ago, I picked up a Mk1 Cortina from an acquaintance. I had been drooling over it in his shop for years, and he finally decided to sell it.

I had plans for a 5.0 swap, and wanted to do some suspension mods, but the narrow track width had me stymied, and I couldn't figure out how to get where I wanted with it. After a few years of looking at it in the garage, I finally decided to sell it. Fortunately, the right buyer found me, and the Cortina was brought back to life. And it eventually popped up here on GRM as a Reader's ride a while back. That made me really happy!

On the other end of things, I finished the wiring today on a 1.8VVT swap into my NA6 Miata. It's been over a year since the stock engine came out, but I definitely chose a more difficult path by not using a plug/play MS3, and I pruned a bunch of unused stuff out of the factory wiring harness while I was at it. It was frustrating at times, but I hope to fire it up this weekend.

I've found it best to have a good plan, understand your limitations, and try to take a little bite out of it every chance you get. We all have automotive dreams and visions, but making them reality takes perseverance. Or a E36 M3 ton of money...

My uncle has a saying that I love, and apply to everyday things almost daily: "That juice ain't worth the squeeze"

At a certain point, you have to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. The squeeze in a project car is the space necessary to store it, the cost of all the parts and tools to fix it, your TIME, likely a lot of frustration, and the cost of the value of the car as it sits not being put somewhere else. That is a lot of squeeze. Is the juice worth it? They've simply come to the conclusion that FOR THEM it is not.

I sold my Honda last night. Running and driving car, for $500. Why? Because it was needed a new wheel hub (bad bearing). The hub was $70, I had all the tools to theoretically fix it and it isn't hard. But, it would require me to take a night out of my week that I wouldn't be spending with my dogs/wife. And then when I went to actually do it, I found that there was a bolt so badly corroded on there that Liquid Wrench, a blow torch, a hammer, and a 6 foot extender bar could not remove it. I gave up. At that point, I'd have to take it in to a shop for them to do, and it would be a $300 job easy. Or I could go the destructive route and cut things off, but then I'd need to buy new replacement parts for those. Nope, the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze.

Ive sold a few that way because i get too the paint and body stage and have no desire too finish it. Ive also got deals from buying other peoples headaches. Its usually time or money!

Ive sold one project non running amd vowed to never do that again. But stalling is why im so hesitent to swap my wagon without a full parts car on hand.

I think it's biting off more than you can chew.

My new rule--which has worked well for me for a while now--is to never have the car in a condition that cannot be made roadworthy again with 8 hours of work or less.

Being able to drive my car is what makes me motivated to keep working on it.

I've been seriously considering selling my 95 impala as a project car and buying a bone stock one someone has pampered that isnt a mean snarling unruly beast

For me projects used to be a way to get what i wanted affordably. Now i value my time differently and would honestly buy a good one first for most thing and give the time to the super important ones or racecars. I had a wrx project. I offed it for what it was(parts car) and now i have a good stock clean driver wrx and it makes me so happy to be able to just turn the key and bang gears instead of stare at it sitting in the garage.

A complete restoration or rebuild or hotrod is a berkeleying huge job.

As an example, I'm 56, own my own shop, have been a journeyman mechanic since 1986, and I'm 1000 hours and $15k into a 67 Camaro that still needs another 1000 hours and $10k to finish. I look at it many times and wonder whether I'm capable of ever finishing it.

A race car is easier, because paint isn't as critical, interior is a seat and some tube, etc. Even then, they eat at least twice as many hours as you estimate.

Decide the goal BEFORE you buy the car. That means doing research about that car and it's potential to accomplish what you want. Want a 1000hp drag car? The miata is not your answer.

Once you've decided the goal and spent countless hours researching how to accomplish it, start massing parts, oh, and make sure you have a back up fun car, because when that project has been on jackstands for the entire winter and it stalls because some shoddy business owner didn't make the engine brackets right, you'll have something to get you by while you contemplate "why the berk did I attempt this?"

My project was moving along until I hit the aforementioned hiccup. Now it is in project car pergatory.

Wanna bet about 98.865% of "unfinished projects" be they automotive or otherwise are being sold by MEN?

Men are that way by nature. I assume there's a evolutionary/survival reason for that as well as just about every other characteristic of man.

Streetwiseguy said: A complete restoration or rebuild or hotrod is a berkeleying huge job.

There is a "death plateau" in all big projects. That is the point where you look at how many hours and dollars you have spent so far, and how many hours are still ahead of you that you had not planned for. Likewise you look at what you have spent, take note that the car as it sits wont sell for 1/4 of what you have in to it. Little bit of panic sets in. This stops being "Fun".

Then you also come to the reality that all the "Good enough for the Gurlz I go with" decisions that you made up along the way to save time or money have added up to the point where your dream car is not looking like what you imagined it would.

Then you realize that you are not even half way to done. You have not lived until you have survived a body and paint job on a project car!

Expanding on this reality, I have pondered how I could become a paid consultant to the market that wants to do a major car project. Call it mentoring or project management, I know for a fact that I could provide value. Starting with what car to buy or better yet not buy. Project timeline based on hours available and hands-on help with task that are out of the skillset. It could be like one endless garage crawl.

The reality is that I would charge some up-front fee to sit down with you and squash your silly little fantasy and save you many thousands of dollars and the cost of a divorce.

NOHOME wrote:

Streetwiseguy said: A complete restoration or rebuild or hotrod is a berkeleying huge job.

There is a "death plateau" in all big projects. That is the point where you look at how many hours and dollars you have spent so far, and how many hours are still ahead of you that you had not planned for. Likewise you look at what you have spent, take note that the car as it sits wont sell for 1/4 of what you have in to it. Little bit of panic sets in. This stops being "Fun". Then you also come to the reality that all the "Good enough for the Gurlz I go with" decisions that you made up along the way to save time or money have added up to the point where your dream car is not looking like what you imagined it would. Then you realize that you are not even half way to done. You have not lived until you have survived a body and paint job on a project car! Expanding on this reality, I have pondered how I could become a paid consultant to the market that wants to do a major car project. Call it mentoring or project management, I know for a fact that I could provide value. Starting with what car to buy or better yet not buy. Project timeline based on hours available and hands-on help with task that are out of the skillset. It could be like one endless garage crawl. The reality is that I would charge some up-front fee to sit down with you and squash your silly little fantasy and save you many thousands of dollars and the cost of a divorce.

I can tell you know of what you speak.

Your business plan, however, will not make you wealthy, because people who have a boner for a 59 Mini will not believe you when you tell them it won't run 12's and be a great interstate commuter car with a 1275 in it, because that's what they want to believe, and you are just a big ol' no talent jerk who has no idea.

I have a lifan z50 sitting on my workbench for the past two years. Bought it to have fun. it caught fire the first time I tried to start it at home.

tried to buy a new regulator, and failed. it's a 40 dollar part that I found on ebay.
I've yet to touch the bike again since then.