How Much Does It Cost to Restore a Car?
Photo by Karla Alexander on Unsplash
Do you have a beautiful old vehicle in your life that needs a little extra love? Classic cars (for our purposes, anything built before 1990) can become difficult to maintain with a regular mechanic as parts go out of production, engine systems become outdated, and the vehicles themselves become more and more difficult to find.
So if you’re trying to fix up an oldie, chances are you’ve been asking questions about restoration and specialty maintenance. And one of those questions is: how much does it cost to restore a car?
As per usual, we can’t just let you get away with the short answer. So here we’ve outlined some key considerations, variables, and options that will contribute to the final price tag at the end of your restoration journey.
How Much Does It Cost to Restore a Car? Some Things to Think About
What does restoration actually mean? The process of restoring a classic car means different things to different people, and the level of repair and rejuvenation will be entirely dependent on your tastes and budget.
For some gung-ho car enthusiasts, a vehicle is only fully-restored when it looks, sounds, feels, and for all intents and purposes is exactly the way it was the day it rolled off the factory floor. All components, including both the body and the mechanics, will be from this time period and accurate to the original design and specifications of the car. This is what’s known as a “Concours d’ Elegance” restoration, and is by far the most expensive and complicated way to go.
Traditional restorations are less intense, and replica parts and components are used in place of originals which may have broken or worn beyond repair. The purpose is maybe not to make the car like-new, but get it looking and working its best.
So what you want for your vehicle will determine how aggressive your restoration will be, and therefore how expensive. Some classic car owners want their car to look amazing, and opt to spend their money on body work rather than engine components. They might swap out the classic engine for a newfangled model.
Some drivers want their car’s age to show, and decide to preserve any patina or weathering on the outside. This can free up funds to get the engine purring the way it used to. Or, you might go for that super-polished finish and enter your car into the next restoration show that comes through your town. It’s all up to you, and what you can afford.
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How Much Does It Cost to Restore a Car Yourself?
Car restoration is a long and expensive process, no matter how you go about it. And unless you yourself are a professional or someone with extensive experience in car restoration, you will be spending not only a lot of money, but also time on this project. But the major benefit of doing it yourself is that you will only have to pay for parts and material and can save big bucks in labor costs.
The first thing you should do once you have your project car is to go through and assess the damage. Make note of any cosmetic defects, and missing or broken parts. If you want to do a Concours restoration, you should also be on the lookout for functioning components which are not part of the original design. If you are lucky you will find many salvageable pieces and will minimize your expenses.
Let’s pretend that you weren’t so lucky, and you’re going to need to completely overhaul the vehicle. This is going to include stripping and repainting the body, replacing all major drive and interior components, and rebuilding the engine. A comprehensive car restoration can set you back $8,000 - $15,000 in just paint and other materials. Taking tools and parts into account, the number gets closer to an average of $45,000.
The other determining factor in the cost of restoring your car is the make and model of your vehicle. A rarer vehicle or one with difficult-to-come-by parts will of course be a pricier project, and you may have to scour the globe to find all the components you need.
But there are some more down-to-earth but still excellent classic vehicles which are downright affordable project cars to take on. One of the cheapest cars to restore is the 1968 - 1970 Chevy Nova, which will cost do-it-yourself restorer around $30,000.
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How Much Does It Cost to Restore a Car with a Professional?
A quality car restoration performed by professionals will never come cheap. But you pay for what you get - and the work of a pro will always be worth it.
Here’s the process a pro will go through when giving your vehicle the rejuvenation it deserves.
- First, the vehicle will be disassembled. Mechanics will get to work on your engine and drive components, and the cosmetic team will take the body to get sand blasted or chemically stripped of its old paint job. ($1,540 - 7,700)
- Once the body is bare, they will perform any metal repairs necessary: rust, dings, holes, and breaks will all need to be addressed. Depending on the level of damage found, this can add hundreds of hours in labor to the overall project. After repairs, the body will be prepped for painting with primers and a base coat. ($1,550 - 5,400)
- Meanwhile, mechanics will be working on putting your engine back together and making sure your parts are in good working order. An engine restoration is one of the more expensive parts of this process, and generally where the biggest price tag sits. ($10,000 - $35,000)
- Next it will receive its new paint job, which means multiple layers of high-quality, weather-resistant paint and plenty of polish. ($7,500 - 15,000)
- Now it’s time to reassemble. The pros will carefully put everything back together, revealing the final form of your newly restored vehicle. Most shops charge between $75 - 95 per hour in labor. Keep in mind that reassembly takes quite a bit longer than disassembly. ($3,000 - 14,000)
- Finally, you can flesh out the interior of your car. If you want to spend some serious cash, you can ask for a custom interior and work with your design team to find a finish you love. Or, some car interior companies offer kits specifically for classic car restoration at a much lower price. ($2,000 - 7,000.)
1,000 hours later, and you can drive your new-classic-car off into the sunset. All told you will spend between $26,000 and 85,000 for your restoration (some vehicles can cost up to $700,000 to professionally restore.) It’s a lot of money, but nothing compared to the fun you’ll get out of this vehicle.
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