Classic Rehab thoughts

Scott Opheim sopheim at hscsal.com
Tue Aug 3 12:49:45 CDT 2004


Some thoughts on rehabbing a classic.

The engine on my car died after only 240k miles and I had to make a decision
on keeping it and fixing it up so that it was a) reliable and b) not an
embarrassment to my family.  After putting pen to paper I figured that it
would cost me about 4 grand to put the car right.  This includes engine (soko)
plus labor, All new A/C components, clutch, seals, new header, U/R pulleys,
CAI, misc stuff and paint (a 10 foot paint job).  I weighed this cost against
a new car and new car payments and decided to go ahead with the rehab.  Well
I'm about done with the mechanical work and am starting on the interior (head
liner, dash and a good cleaning) and exterior.  The conclusion I've come to is
that while it makes good economic sense to hold onto the car and that it is a
fun project (despite the heat) to work on, there is something to be said for
new cars.  Especially a Mini Cooper S or a 3-series or maybe even a Golf R32
(salivate).

Sorry for the long post.

Scott Opheim
91 SE-R


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