Danny Boy's Mk4 Build - Putting the project on hold for a while...

Daniel, you can do what everyone else is doing in the Bay Area and move to Northern CA. There are so many properties here with shops, larger 3-4 car garages, bigger lots. Prices are also much more affordable on homes and rent. Many employers are allowing employees to work from home. The downside is we get roasted with heat in the summer months and winters are a tad colder with more rain. I moved out of the bay back in 1993 and don't regret it for one moment. Personally every time I return for a visit I always think I am glad I don't live there anymore. Good luck with your new job opportunities and hope you can get it all figured out.

Hey Daniel! I'm both sad for you and excited for you. I know how hard it must be to do what you just did. I remember being where you are now, and having to step away from something I loved doing to take care of other exciting things in life (career, getting married, buying a house, having kids). The things that I truly missed, I came back to. The stuff that I realized I didn't really need in my life I didn't miss giving up. Enjoy the proverbial ride :p

That said, my only advice to you would be to think about how long you're really going to step away from the roadster. For me, putting things on the back burner "for a little bit" was several years in some cases. One example - stopped playing golf regularly when we had our kids. By the time I decided to get back into the game all my gear was old and outdated. Putting a roadster in storage for a bit with some Stabil sounds OK but I could easily see you coming back to it after several months or years and finding wiring that's been chewed by mice, a clogged fuel system, a dead battery, a complicated computer-controlled engine that just doesn't run right any more... It seems to me that you really enjoyed the build process, so if it's going to be any sort of lengthy break you might want to consider selling the roadster now while you can get top-dollar for a nice new build, use that money for your other pursuits, and then get to experience the joy of building another one with all the learning you've compiled from the first one when the time is right again. Just food for thought...

This is coming from the perspective of someone who has a garage full of $&^% from hobbies I meant to get back to and never did... old SCUBA gear, motorcycle gear... etc. After that stuff sits for several years and you realize you're no longer going to come back to it, it's tough to unload for anything more than pennies on the dollar.

-John

you can come work on mine :) love your build!

hope you get it figured out - like Fman said, move inland a bit, and if you can keep your bay area paycheck it's pretty lucrative - TONS of houses out here for a fraction of the cost!

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Originally Posted by gbranham

I realize it's a very long way away, but if you can get it to me in Tonganoxie, KS, you can store it for free for as long as you want.

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Thank you for the kind offer! If I lived anywhere less than 2 hours drive away from you I’d definitely consider it. I still do want to check up and take it out for a drive a few times a year so KS is a little far :P If I do ever stop by your neck of the woods I’ll be sure to swing by to say hi!

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Originally Posted by 460.465USMC

... I hope you check back in when you hit either milestone. In the meantime, thanks again for the helpful build thread, and best wishes on your next goals.

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Originally Posted by Fman

... Good luck with your new job opportunities and hope you can get it all figured out.

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Originally Posted by toadster

hope you get it figured out - like Fman said, move inland a bit, and if you can keep your bay area paycheck it's pretty lucrative - TONS of houses out here for a fraction of the cost!

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Thank you gentlemen! I’m thankful to have made a build thread others appreciate. It means a lot to me to be able to help others here on the forum.

The possibility of relocating to northern CA has been a topic discussion around the dinner table for a while now. The conclusion from my various discussions with Olivia and my friends is that while it’s cheaper out of the bay we’re still at an age where we can push hard for our careers and make it worthwhile. The idea is that hopefully we’ll look back in 10 years and be glad we gave it a good run before kids became our main priority. “Work hard play hard” as they say. I’ve played pretty hard with the roadster for the past 2.5 years so I guess it’s time to work hard again :P

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Originally Posted by JohnK

That said, my only advice to you would be to think about how long you're really going to step away from the roadster. For me, putting things on the back burner "for a little bit" was several years in some cases. One example - stopped playing golf regularly when we had our kids. By the time I decided to get back into the game all my gear was old and outdated. Putting a roadster in storage for a bit with some Stabil sounds OK but I could easily see you coming back to it after several months or years and finding wiring that's been chewed by mice, a clogged fuel system, a dead battery, a complicated computer-controlled engine that just doesn't run right any more... It seems to me that you really enjoyed the build process, so if it's going to be any sort of lengthy break you might want to consider selling the roadster now while you can get top-dollar for a nice new build, use that money for your other pursuits, and then get to experience the joy of building another one with all the learning you've compiled from the first one when the time is right again. Just food for thought...

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You hit the nail on the head John. The main question on my mind now (and for the past few weeks) is whether or not I convert the roadster into money to invest into my next future build. The build itself is indeed the part I enjoyed the most. Having built this one there are so many ideas I have that have yet to be implemented; so many things I’d do differently if I could do it again. The car is a blast to drive, but if someone were to give me material cost on the roadster right now so I can go build another one I’m not so sure I’d turn away the money.

That’s the other half of the equation: whether or not I’d be able to sell it for material cost. With the complete kit, gen 3 coyote, T56, seats, various upgrades, and Jeff Miller’s paint-job I’ve put at least 65k into the build already. I’m not sure there’s someone out there who’s willing to pay that amount of money for it. The top of the trans-tunnel is still bare aluminum and the door-sill aluminum still hasn’t been installed. If a buyer wants a “finished car” then my roadster in its current state isn’t really “finished”. If a buyer wants a “kit to build” then there isn’t much to build aside from a few finishing touches.

It's absolutely a tough decision, and a gut-wrenching one when you've invested so much time, money and effort into the build. The only thing I'd caution against (here comes my Econ major :p) is falling victim to the sunk cost fallacy. What you spent on the build is irrelevant to the decision you need to make on keeping vs. selling it at this point in time. Whatever you can sell it for today, regardless of whether it equals what you've invested, is almost certainly more than what you could sell it for if it sits in storage for the next 4 years.

That said, you're always welcome to come hang out and wrench on mine! Don't be a stranger. Let me know if you ever want to come by the Saturday morning breakfasts with the crew at the Los Gatos Diner. I don't go all that often but if you want to go I'll definitely meet up with you there.

Sounds like you don't have much left for a turn key car to get the max value for it. Why not take the time to finish it up and then sell. As John said, waiting 4 years and then selling doesn't make much financial sense.

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Originally Posted by JohnK

... Whatever you can sell it for today, regardless of whether it equals what you've invested, is almost certainly more than what you could sell it for if it sits in storage for the next 4 years.

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John just made the point I was about to. Parked it is going to do nothing but depreciate. Example #1, A friend bought one a year ago that was mothballed several years earlier when it was 95% complete and literally paid pennies on the dollar. Example #2, I've completed 2 orphaned builds for customers, both of which had sat idle uncompleted for 2-4 years and were purchased for a fraction of what was invested. While contemplating your options don't forget to factor in the cost of storage. What's a 10X20 unit go for in your area...200, 300. 400 per month? That's thousands a year that you'll never recoup. If you're going to sell I have to think sooner rather than later will make the most financial sense.

Good luck with whatever decision you make Daniel.

Jeff