Is there a point where you should stop sinking money into a car?
Reply #3 –
I'm very consistent in my "I'm keeping my Thunderbird forever" attitude. I have to weigh the options. First, I'm SUPER cheap when it comes to working on my car, and I do a lot of thinking before I do just about anything so whatever I'm putting into the car isn't waste. I don't put any money from my paycheck into the Spore, which makes building it harder. But if I were to put a dollar value on everything, it would add up. Getting rid of the car would be the waste. Watching it go for pennies on the dollar. Not cool. Also, weight the costs.......it's cheaper for me to swap a radiator, a fuel pump or whatever than it is to make another car payment and insurance payment that goes along with it (we do that for the wife's car). It's a process. When you're working on the car, and funds are low, you have to ask yourself....Do I want it, or do I need it. In the end, most of what we do is on a "Want" basis. We often times convince ourselves the "wants" are actually "needs". I'm a perfect example. I NEED that Trck Flow intake. I NEED the new throttle body and spacer. I NEED to start bodywork due to the hail damage. Actually, it's all wants. The car runs fine without all that, but, I want the Sport to be all I can make it be within the budget and opportunities for parts that arise.
SO, Don't feel bad about what you've done to your car. It's done, can't go back and change it. Just from now on, be very aware of what you're doing, think about any mods for a couple of days or more before you obligate yourself to it (you'll see that you'll change your mind a lot that way), and do what NEEDS to be done, and let the "wants" work themselves out over time. If you put a lot of "I'm into it WAY too deep" kind of thought into it, you'll have a strong possibility of losing interest in the car, ditching it, then regretting it later. A LOT can be done very cheaply when you're patient and do a lot of hunting, then you don't have to feel bad about what you've done. I am an example of that..