Do you guys actually keep track of what your cars cost you?

[Kiwibirdman]

I have done rough totals of the car builds. It is never the big items that kill you, its the $100 here, $200 there that add up over time. Lets not forget certification over the top, more than 2 grand on the last build.

My wife has a fair idea on how much went into the cars, not a real idea. Best keep it that way.

[Kilvo]

9 hours ago, Kiwibirdman said:

I have done rough totals of the car builds. It is never the big items that kill you, its the $100 here, $200 there that add up over time. Lets not forget certification over the top, more than 2 grand on the last build.

My wife has a fair idea on how much went into the cars, not a real idea. Best keep it that way.

Yeah, exactly — it's never the big parts it's all the random small stuff that quietly drains your wallet))

[Willdat?]

13 minutes ago, Kilvo said:

Yeah, exactly — it's never the big parts it's all the random small stuff that quietly drains your wallet))

I see an em-dash. What are the odds you're an AI agent...?

[xsspeed]

/lockfred

[Kilvo]

4 hours ago, Willdat? said:

I see an em-dash. What are the odds you're an AI agent...?

"—" yeah right, if the dash is longer than "-" then you're instantly AI 
doesn't matter if you've written like that your whole life ————))

[Muncie]

Roughly 7k into my commodore build however if you account for all the stuff I bought tidied used and resold god knows.......

If the Mrs asks im almost at 5k.

The wheeling and dealing side of things does make keeping track of things hard tracking spending.

Ive been asked a few times to build a turbo setup for people and come to around 8-9k if i had to put labour and consumables into it all, which is crazy to me.

If you count the tools too then it gets scary.

 

[Kiwibirdman]

23 hours ago, Muncie said:

 

If you count the tools too then it gets scary.

 

No, toolscome out of the tool budget. Thats what I tell the wife.

[Muncie]

My exhaust cost me $700 instead $1300 because I built it myself goes down so much better as long as you dont mention the $7000 in welders and gas cylinders........ but now I can do other people's car and make that back was my reasoning.

Haha Ive maybe accumulated 11 beers and $300 dollars doing other people's work. But i did build my own turbo and Intercooler for free* using the welder.

*actual definition of free may vary depending on who's asking.

[Bearded Baldy]

Like my 'free' gsxr project. Sold some parts and made $1072 profit, walked down the road the next day and gave $500 of that money to a ghy and pushed bike home.

I see that as free since it didn't come from any money we previously had, not house money etc.

Wife disagrees.

As for the falcon, 6 cylinder parts are twice as expensive as clevo bits, and i have rebuilt the engine a couple of times over the years with different ideas. Full lpg spec first and now 'screw economy spec'. Have had since '04 or '05, so has been around longer than my wife, and she knows it will always be a money sponge.

[Thphantum]

My strategy is

Grow weed

Sell weed for $

Spend $ on cars.

No records kept cos that would incriminate 

[Muncie]

17 minutes ago, Thphantum said:

My strategy is

Collect water cress and puha, park outside of Woolworths 

Sell those weeds for $

Spend $ on cars.

No records kept cos that would incriminate 

Like ya strategy........ selling water cress is tempting when you wanna go racing.

[spanners]

I had to get the E36 valued for insurance purposes. The valuer asked me to list out what I’d spent. Just big ticket items got to 85k, and that’s not including the first LS that died on the dyno, or any small things (oils, heat shielding, lots of other shit)

So I’ve spent over $100k on a $2k poo spec auto e36, and now it’s insured for 40.

E30 probably owes me $30+ at this point, but I won’t add up until someone makes me. 
 

Cars are a great investment. 

[Kilvo]

On 29/06/2026 at 21:50, spanners said:

I had to get the E36 valued for insurance purposes. The valuer asked me to list out what I’d spent. Just big ticket items got to 85k, and that’s not including the first LS that died on the dyno, or any small things (oils, heat shielding, lots of other shit)

So I’ve spent over $100k on a $2k poo spec auto e36, and now it’s insured for 40.

E30 probably owes me $30+ at this point, but I won’t add up until someone makes me. 
 

Cars are a great investment. 

I probably never even thought that one day I'd be tracking all my expenses so carefully and analyzing everything, but I just became curious about when it makes more sense to take a taxi and when I can use my own car. So far, it turns out that, for my needs and considering that I don't drive very often, owning the car actually costs me slightly less than taking taxis. But of course, a car gives you emotions, while the downside of taxis is that they're always dirty inside even if you book a business-class ride, it still won't be as clean inside as my own car...

[sr2]

Guys, a little piece of advice—strictly between us.

If you're struggling to justify what you've spent on your project car to the better half, don't waste time explaining the finer points of horsepower, originality, or why that "rare" part simply had to be imported.

Just buy a boat.

Within a matter of months, the overcapitalisation on your automotive pride and joy will seem laughably insignificant compared with marina fees, haul-out charges, antifouling, insurance, fuel consumption (38 litres an hour in my case!), servicing, repairs, and the endless list of "essential" maintenance that comes with owning something that spends its life trying to dissolve in salt water.

Before long, she'll be looking at the car and saying, "You know, that was actually quite a sensible purchase."

It's amazing how quickly a boat can make an expensive car look like a sound financial investment.

(If the 'ever lovely' Mrs sr2 reads this post I'm toast).

[Kilvo]

On 09/07/2026 at 13:12, sr2 said:

Guys, a little piece of advice—strictly between us.

If you're struggling to justify what you've spent on your project car to the better half, don't waste time explaining the finer points of horsepower, originality, or why that "rare" part simply had to be imported.

Just buy a boat.

Within a matter of months, the overcapitalisation on your automotive pride and joy will seem laughably insignificant compared with marina fees, haul-out charges, antifouling, insurance, fuel consumption (38 litres an hour in my case!), servicing, repairs, and the endless list of "essential" maintenance that comes with owning something that spends its life trying to dissolve in salt water.

Before long, she'll be looking at the car and saying, "You know, that was actually quite a sensible purchase."

It's amazing how quickly a boat can make an expensive car look like a sound financial investment.

(If the 'ever lovely' Mrs sr2 reads this post I'm toast).

 

I agree 100%!!! Although there is a cheaper option: get yourself a mistress and start spending money on her. Then, after a month, show your wife the expenses and explain that the mistress costs far more than the car

She’ll probably say:

“You know what, the car was actually quite a sensible purchase. We’re keeping the car”

The only slight risk is that she may end up keeping the car, the house, and not you))

[kws]

What is it, if it flies, floats or fucks it'll bankrupt you?

[Bearded Baldy]

Boat stands for....

Bring

On

Another

Thousand

 

 

And mine is only 15'6, can use  44 litres (2 x22l tanks) in 1.25 hours  though. Dirty 2 stroke v4. So much fun.

[igor]

Boat; noun

a hole in the water into which one pours money

[SOHC]

I always think because I dont drink or smoke and or smoke crack all the money I save from that is better spent on projects 

[sr2]

6 hours ago, igor said:

Boat; noun

a hole in the water into which one pours money

But if you love boats as much as cars, you need to own one to be able to say   '...that's ma boat".

 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1813701099366937