"Refurbishing is weird trade" said the classic specialist. "But work houses and projects, I don't get burned."
With 'refurbishing' you think of classics that can easily be sort of neat again. Simple, and not too expensive to put back in order. Unfortunately, such classics receive an excessive attention from dreamers who are actually broke before they have bought anything. And if they have bought something, it is often disappointing. If only because their own expectations were not realistic. "And if you have sold someone a nice fixer for only a few mille and he keeps coming back with questions and whining, then you still get the idea to let the dog go after him".
The result is that the serious market for real refurbishers is currently not thunderous. And that is fantastic for realists who want to do something fun with specific budgets.
In addition, it is very useful if the realistic view is sharp. There are, in fact, some great refurbishers whose parts are more than challenging. And with that you can still exceed the budget.
But when buying classics that were once made up and sold? From classics for which there is a club and for which there are parts specialists? Purchasing such refurbishments can be fun, educational and ultimately not expensive.
When purchasing, make sure that the car is structurally healthy. If you have to start the process with a lot of welding work, the first step is to purchase a set of welding equipment and to follow a welding course. In themselves, these are great investments. If taken into account.
We often find refurbishers in the trade who came as 'by-catch' or who come from legacies. Nice, good starting points for a whole new car life. But that life cannot give 'trade'. Simply because the hours to be invested simply push the end price of the refurbisher above market value. We recently heard of a cute Austin Glider that was sold for only 1500 euros.
The new owner alone had spent a good week washing, cleaning, cleaning and checking the little Brit. That would have cost 'the trade' something of € 2.000. Add to that a large turn, a new muffler, fresh tires and a new battery. Some mats and small stuff ... The suspension and damping also demanded some attention. The buyer has invested his time and money with a smile and is still very much with his purchase to this day.
We had to think of that story then Auto Motor Klassiek reader pointed us to a refurbishment that was online for € 3.300, and in Auto Motor Klassiek is for sale for € 2.000. Firstly, that makes it clear that prices are also asking prices in the classic and refurbishing trade. But two mille for an 1971 employee Saab 99? That's not much.
The stories that classics have become unaffordable are partly true. But if you stop the howling of the wolves, you will see that a lot is still possible even for limited budgets. Even if you are not a technical genius. Even if you do not have a fully equipped workplace. We found the Saab in the photos at Koning Auto in Andijk where the car is the only classic in the range. Apparently again such a fluke ...
