Why then are the cars worth so little? (archive)

Robert, What are you looking for? A mint/collector-quality CS or a presentable daily driver? $10K (or even half that) should get you a nice daily-driver type paint job that should last 10 years. Keep in mind that if you pay someone elso to do a restoration-type paint job (including major rust repair, which ALL CS coupes will require unless they've been chemically-stripped/zinc-dipped resto'd), you could easily spend well over $50K. My mechanic just finished a body-only restoration (no mechanicals), and he estimates the bill over the years came to $60K. But the car required major surgery, including rare and hard-to-find body panels. Those that were not available had to be custom cut and formed from identical-gauge steel. But the result was breath-taking! Near-ZERO orange peel (this was not his full concourse-quality work) and every character and crease line of the body was clearly evident (straight and lined up with the doors), without layers of primer/respray to soften them. Paintwork was like glass, obviously superior to his E34 M5's factory paint job (LOTS of orange peel).
That takes us to the question of your Kia, which is a mass-produced car largely built by many machines and then sent to a sealed spray booth with computer-controlled (and efficient) robotic arms that do most of the spray work. They are not crafted by men with knowledge and skill of Old World maufacturing methods, who are trying to reverse the ravages of time on non-rustproofed metal. How many Kia's roll off the assembly line in a day? Must be a couple hundred at least. And in 25-30 years, how much do you think that Kia will be worth? You may think the price to repaint a CS may be outrageous, but how expensive do you think it would cost to repaint a Ferrari of the same era? Keep in mind that 365 GTB Daytona's are still fetching nearly half a million dollars. Cosmetically and mechanically, the CS has much more in common with the Ferrari than the Kia, even if the market value does not reflect this. So expect the costs to repair a heavily rusted CS to be more like repairing a Ferrari (OK, maybe a Jaguar) than a Kia.
I don't know about Maaco paint jobs, but I've seen a CS with an Earl Scheib's "top of the line" paint job. Absolute sacrilege. Looked like orange peel was added on purpose! (But perhaps appropriate for a daily driver. Then, you wouldn't be too afraid to drive the car or park it where it could be dinged or, worse, keyed.)
Hoa
'73 3.0CS
'72 2002
'72 240Z

If it can cost $60,000 to build a show car taht will only sell for $25,000 tops, why would any sane person do it?

I am really confused!

To answer your question, I want my CS to look as good as the brand new Kia. Any less would be a disappointment.

How much would a Kia quality job cost? I just need a starting point now that I am so utterly confused.

Robert

Follow Ups:

Re: Why then are the cars worth so little? Hoa 18:11 10/01/2000 (1)
- Re: Why then are the cars worth so little? WH 10:10 10/02/2000 (0)

[ Follow Ups ] [ CS (E9) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]

Questions, comments, or problems, please visit the Roadfly help desk.