VW Beetle. The VW Beetle is a great first car to restore – specifically the standard version, as there are more spare parts available for this version than any other model. Affordable, reliable and easy to work on, the Beetle is one of our top choices.

Generally the answer is no, you can’t restore a badly burned car. In some cases it may be worth it, but most of the time it’s very much not. When the car burns it distorts the sheetmetal, the paint blisters off and then the car usually gets powerhosed off, which further damages the metal through surface corrosion.

Muscle Car Restoration: A Beginner’s Guide

1. Set a Budget. Before even looking at purchasing a vehicle, set your budget, then add about 30 percent.
2. Do It Yourself.
3. Make Sure the Price Is Right.
4. Make the Old New Again with Paint.
5. Use Original Engine Parts when Possible.
6. Keep the Interior Simple.
7. Take Pictures.
8. Get Rid of Rust.

Time is an important factor in full restoration projects since it can take around 1,000 hours to fully restore a classic car.

These full restos can take as little as 6 months. For those of us without large trust funds, though, it will take a minumum of 18 months. My fastback needed TOTAL restoration and is about 75% complete at 3 years.

If a Restoration shop does the work, the price by the shop per hour varies. I’ve seen $45.00 to $75.00 per hour depending on how good they are. Your car may take 300 to 800 hours.

20 years old

It pays to go vintage As well as generally looking fantastic, classic cars that are more than 40 years old are actually exempt from vehicle tax altogether. The exemption originally applied to any vehicle over 25 years old on the basis that they would be incapable of racking up much mileage.