1957 Chevy Bel Air. My dream car

Did you ever have a dream car? For me, it was the 1957Chevy. I was just a little kid when they first came out new. Believe or not, you can still find them for sale, even today.

If you want to own a 1957 Chevy, there are two ways to approach it. You can buy an old rusty shell , and start a rebuilding project, that could take years. If you go this route, it can take a long time to finish, and can require thousands of dollars in parts and supplies, and labor. Once finished though, a fully restored 57 Chevy can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

The other way to own a 1957 Chevy, is to just pay for one that has been restored already. In order to do this, you need to be prepared to pay 10s of thousands of dollars. Some even approach and exceed $100.000.00.

Want to Rebuild Your Own 57?

If you are a person who has time, desire, and skill to rebuild a car, the end result of a rebuild project, can be very rewarding. Taking a rusty piece of junk, and turning it into a beautiful car that turns heads is really an amazing achievement.
I had a friend who used to rebuild wrecked cars as a hobby, and what he was able to do always amazed me.
If you have never taken on a project like that though, it can be a lot of work, and can takes years to finish.

Car Show Find

57 Bel Air Front End

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57 Tail Fin

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Car Shows

I just can't resist going to local car shows. I always seem to hang around the 57 Bel Airs, when I find one. There is just something about the style. The prominent tail fin. The front end seems to perfectly fit the style, for that time. The overall look for me, is just something I can't resist.

Buying a 1957 Chevy

I found that most of the time, you can find one to fit just about any price range. You can find that rust bucket, for less than a thousand bucks sometimes. You might even find one that is driveable for less than ten grand.

I think I might actually take the plunge myself, because when you consider the price of a new car, to one from the 50s, they seem pretty appealing.

For one thing, a new one will start depreciating as soon as you drive it off the lot. An older restored car, might actually increase in value. Get it in good enough shape, and you can compete in car shows.