after reading figures in this thread, I'll never sweat my parts spend again!!
I agree with
@SNLC on the $5-15k to baseline an 80.
I think at this point, anyone buying an 80 that hasn't had a recent refresh should budget to spend at least $5k on deferred, urgent PM in the first year or two.
Beyond that, another $5k to refresh all systems and restore that OEM ride, handling, reliability.
Then there's potential of more significant unforseen mechanical failures, or cosmetic improvements.
Then, if you start to customise and build up a rig , all bets are off.
I bought my current 80 for $5k (Aussie dollars) with the expectation of spend $5kb bringing it up to scratch.
I've had it about 4+ years, spent over $10k on it, and know I need to drop several grand into it to get it back in action now.
It's been a daily driver, but has spent over a year of that time off the road due to mechanical failures, and the time required for me to diagnose, source parts, and complete repairs with a busy stressful job that sees me often working long days and 6 day weeks.
I also don't have a great space to work on the 80. I have space, is just not quite conducive to working on a vehicle so stuff takes time.
I enjoy working on it, bringing it back to its best, and make little changes.
Big repairs can become a chore, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of fixing it, and frankly, don't know a shop I would trust to fix it right, and take the time to improve rather than simply fix things.
I've been lucky enough to be able to use public transport to commute to work at times when my 80 has been off the road. More recently, I bought a cheap s*** box as a daily hack for work to take time pressure away from repairing the 80
I sometimes find it a dilemma spending big chunks of money and time on an old car, but it suits my needs, suits my lifestyle, suits my recreational interests.
Sometimes it would make sense to farm out work to a shop, but I can never quite justify it.
They are definitely a lifestyle choice, even in Aus where they are far more common.
Finding people to repair a cruiser should be easy enough, but too many shops just want to churn through simple service on modern vehicles.
Or, you pay a huge premium for a shop with a reputation.
We pay huge markups (Toyota tax) on genuine parts through dealers here in Aus. Sourcing parts can be a project in itself.