possible redirection with my n600
 

I'm unsure if this is still an option or not, but I'm considering it.

A guy in North Carolina is selling his n600. It's restored and customized. Engine is rebuilt, NOS parts galore. It has lots of difficult to find pieces AND is pretty cool looking to boot. It's not a "factory" restore, but it is very unique.

I asked him a few months ago how much he wanted for it and he said $6k. I couldn't afford it. He put it on ebay and hte highest bid was $4500. It didn't meet his reserve. I emailed him today asking what his price is.

Here's the thought:

The car itself will be all new componenets (shocks, suspension, seats, carpet, engine-crankshaft, rods, pistons, etc.). Carburator is rebuilt, master cylinder is rebuilt. It has all new stainless steel fuel lines, the works. It also has the hard to find lightweight mag wheels which usually cost $1000 for the set.

My car has very few "new" parts, and the engine is not rebuilt.

I imagine I could sell my n600 for around $2k considering the work I have put into it. This means I could be looking at around $3k to $4k for the car, plus shipping costs (around $600 or so).

What would YOU do? Is it better to continue with my car and MAYBE be at this stage in a few years, or to just bite the bullet and get one that is already done so I can enjoy it now?

BTW, here are some pictures of the car in question:

https://i12.ebayimg.com/05/i/07/05/ag/04_1.JPG

https://i22.ebayimg.com/03/i/07/03/42/40_1.JPG

https://i4.ebayimg.com/04/i/07/03/4a/63_1.JPG

https://i20.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/fd/bf/fd_1.JPG

https://i7.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/00/ce/26_1.JPG

Like I said, I'm unsure if he still has it or not, or even if it's something I should do, but I'm seriously considering it just to get a working, dependable n600 now. I would also be getting a GREAT deal at this price.

Me would enjoy the
 

Me would enjoy the experience of building my own car, but offer to buy the rims.

i'd keep going on yours
 

i'd keep going on yours matt. what a great learning experience.

those rims are nice, yup.

and that stripe. never seen that approach before, but it works on that car.

Does the direction of the
 

Does the direction of the racing stripe indicate the direction of travel? That would be interesting to watch. :)

Re: possible redirection with my n600
 

I've seen it said more than once that it's almost always cheaper (not to mention a heck of a lot easier) to buy a car already restored than to do it yourself. You have to ask yourself what you want: an end to a means, or a means to an end.

If you just want to have the car finished and then hope to sell it at break-even or better, then the odds are against you. Dump it now. Get the car you want and be happy with it.

If you thoroughly enjoy the process you're currently immersed in then continue to enjoy it for what it is, while it lasts. Some people just like working on cars as a labor of love.

If you want a driver but don't have the money to pay someone else to fix it, then keep up the good work.

If you want a really nicely restored car and would rather pay less <strong>now</strong> than to pay <strong>more</strong> and skin fewer knuckles in the long run, then buy a car restored car the way you like it.

IMHO, every education costs something. If you enjoy learning, then it's a noble and practical hobby. If you'd rather drive it than build it, then cut your losses as soon as you can afford to and buy the car you want. Life has a way of providing all the lessons you ever need. ;)

nicely said,
 

nicely said, silveredwings.

reminded me of a similar boating nugget: if you want to build a boat, build a boat. if you want to go boating, buy a boat.

ps - that healy is gorgeous.

As awesome as this new car
 

As awesome as this new car is, I probably shouldn't be spending this much money when I have student loan to pay off. besides, it WILL be cool to say I restored a car.

good thing you choosed the
 

good thing you choosed the more rewarding route

shame on you for adding debt :P

Re: good thing you choosed the
 

The sad thing is that doing it this way will probably cost me more in the long run.

Then again, I'm kind of sick of spending money. I'd like to make some for a change.

My useless opinion is... Get
 

My useless opinion is...

Get the one already restored.

I have personally restored a classic car before, and it takes TONS of time, money, and energy. Getting my 1973 Porsche 914 to the point it was at was WAY expensive. Don't get me wrong...when you fully restore a car, you know EVERYTHING about it...you know that everything is done right (that is, if you have made sure to do everything right). That's the only downside I can see to buying a car that someone else has restored - you don't know if they have cut any corners until you look at it.

My 914 rebuild was $12K+ in the making and over 3 years of time was invested. I ended up selling the car for only $7500.

So, tell us more
 

So, tell us more. Why do you want the n600? As a driver? As a cool ecclectic car? As a restored and pristine example of Honda's early days? As an education or hobby?

Re: So, tell us more
 

I like the n600 because:

It's unique

It's a part of Honda history

It will be way fun to drive around

education AND hobby (but then again i also have that with my sedan)

the owner of this car is notorious for not replying to emails, so I might not even hear back from him.

The biggest selling point to me is that this green car has a rebuilt engine, new suspension, etc. The cheapest engine rebuild I can find will be well over $2000, and I doubt that has a NOS crankshaft with it like this engine does.

This car is essentially just like those CRX guys who spend thousands finding every possible available option for the CRX and putting it on their car. This car has the Hawaiian head (rare), Mag wheels, optional center console, European tail lights, fog lights, etc. etc.

Assuming he replies to my query and assuming the price is right, I still might do it.

On the plus side, I think I found a rebuild cylinder head really cheap. Maybe I should slowly build my own engine for the sedan. That would be super sweet.

Re: So, tell us more
 

Please forgive my ignorance. I don't doubt the engine is rare and that you are not exaggerating, I just don't understand why what appears to be a 2-cylinder air-cooled honda motorcycle engine should be that expensive to rebuild. Can a bike engine rebuild shop handle such a job if you brought it to them? Are the parts made of unobtanium? Maybe I just don't know what these things cost.

Just curious.

Re: So, tell us more
 

OE Honda N/Z/S components are next to impossible to find. For a head rebuild (for instance) you pretty much have to either have your valves reground or you buy custom new ones. This goes for the cam as well as everything else. These little cars do have a following so there are suppliers for these parts and services, but the following is small therefore you can't run down to NOPI and buy a new cam for your Z600.

Re: So, tell us more
 

This is exactly the problem. Honda seems to have broken the mold after this making this engine. They didn't make a 600cc engine for a motorcycle until around 10 years later. I'm positive the parts won't match.

There is a guy who sells NOS crankshafts for around $1000. He's also selling the green car. I have no idea HOW he managed to get all of these old crankshafts. I can only guess he worked for Honda or something in the past and snatched them all up on the way out.

I did find a website in Taiwan that claims to sell new pistons and camshafts for the n600. I emailed them and had no response. It kinda pisses me off too because I spent all night finding that site.

the guy who sells the crankshafts also sells pistons 1mm over bore for rebuilds for around $600. When you add it all up suddenly $2k-$3k for a rebuild starts to make a lot of sense.

I might end up doing this eventually, assuming my engine craps out on me.

The other option is to try to get a d15z1 in there, or maybe an engine from a CRX HF. That woudl require lots of custom work and I'm honestly not really qualified to do that much work.

Instead of restoring it, why
 

Instead of restoring it, why not convert it? It would make an excellent electric, and the unique factor would be even higher.

Re: Instead of restoring it, why
 

I may go this route in the future, but for now it's going to be a gas driver.

to convert this I'd have to outsource a new transmission, make a custom shift linkage, and have custom axles made. This engine/tranny combo is not really versatile.

another engine idea
 

for a new engine, how about a honda cb400f v-tec engine? you would have to find one and have it shiped from japan, but they are 400cc dohc water cooled 4 cylender v-tec's that operate in either 8 or 16 valve modes, it would be smaller, lighter, and I'm pretty sure more powerful then your stock engine.
by the way, I've been told that the n600 has a chain drive, is it front or rear wheel drive?

Re: another engine idea
 

n600 is not a chain drive. You're thinking of the s600. My car is front drive. the s600 is rear I believe.

I'm going to look at the cb400f v-tec... do you have any links about it? physical size, etc?

Re: another engine idea
 

Besides the single-row overhead cam drive chain (between the cylinders), the <a href="https://www.honda600coupe.com/Honda_600_Sedan_Shop_Manual.html">shop manual</a> shows two single-row chains that connect the left-hand end of the crank shaft to the clutch/transmission main shaft. From there it looks like gears that eventually drive a normal-looking differential with CV joints to the shafts. It's a pretty neat setup.

Re: good thing you choosed the
 

in my experience, its easy to make money. It hard to save it.

Re: good thing you choosed the
 

This is true in my case. I'm aggressively attacking some debt of mine that is a few years old. Right now being debt free is more important than saving lots of money.

Mee Tooo. I had raked up some debt from being unemployed since the last layoff, and started paying it off now that I'm working. It's unbelievable how much money I was spening a month juts on finance charges and interest. Get debt free as fast as you can!! For the money I was spending on interest, I could easily justify buying a milling machine and paying that off in 2 or 3 years.
Mmmm, milling machine (said with Homer Simpson's "Mmmm... Donuts" voice)
Tom.