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Feasibility of assembling car from parts? (midwest.social)

submitted 2 months ago by MNByChoice@midwest.social to c/askbeehaw

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I like a certain unremarkable car from the recent past. As they are repairable currently, can one just buy all of the parts new and put it together?

Are there any parts that aren't sold new?

Have you done this?
Are there any tools to help one get all of the parts?
Any communities?

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[–] Caliper 4 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I love these kinds of questions! Car culture is so extremely broad, you need to narrow it down a lot to get a fitting answer. What car are you talking about?

[–] MNByChoice@midwest.social 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

My first thoughts were the Mazda Protégé 5. They are just fun looking. They are all 21 years old now, but replacement parts seem available.

A Toyota Camry is another option.

[–] Caliper 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In that case: it might be possible, but it would cost an insane amount of money. It would not surprise me one bit if the cost would exceed $100k. And it will matter little whether this is a Camry or a Honda Jazz or Protege or whatever. The problem is the insane markup on individual parts, not to mention markup by the dealer. And then you have to also pay for a space to put everything together. It the end you’ll end up with a janky version of a car which probably has a metric ton of issues, for the most outrageous amount of money.

If you really want a “new” old car, your best bet is to scoop up a low mileage version. They will be overpriced, but will still be a lot cheaper than the initial idea. I’ve seen listings of ‘80s cars with < 100 miles on them for sale. Always extremely expensive, but there are people interested in that kind of thing. Do note that a 10+ year old car that has not been used, is going to require work to get going. Rubber deteriorates, things seize when not used.

If your initial idea came from the wish to save money, just get a decent second hand one and be happy with ever year you’ll get out of it. Learn to do maintenance and you’ll keep running cost down and the car will likely even last longer.

[–] MNByChoice@midwest.social 1 points 2 months ago

Thank you.

I had hoped this was rather different from restoring a classic car given the modern target. Turns out it is not.

I am disappointed there is not a low profile group of people digging into it, like some other niches. (Other than classic car enthusiasts, which seem like a great group.)

Anyway, seems restoring a 1960s mustang is the thought project to pursue.

Cheers!