Budget the whole project. The purchase price is only the start.

Separate acquisition, baseline repairs, running costs and upgrades before spending the same rupee twice.

A project-car budget should show what remains available after the car is bought. Start with a total cash limit and assign each expense to a purpose. Keep planned amounts separate from actual payments.

Four useful buckets

— Acquisition: the agreed purchase price, travel, inspection and transaction costs applicable to the purchase.

— Baseline: work needed to understand and address the car's existing condition, supported by inspection and quotations.

— Running: fuel, parking, routine servicing and other ownership expenses.

— Development: optional instruments, experiments and upgrades after the baseline is understood.

Leave room for what inspection reveals

Do not allocate every remaining rupee to upgrades before inspecting the car. Ask for itemised estimates and distinguish confirmed work from suspected problems. The amount held in reserve is a choice based on your circumstances and the vehicle, not a universal percentage.

An illustration, not a quotation

If a fictional project has a total limit of ₹3,00,000 and acquisition uses ₹1,80,000, only ₹1,20,000 remains for all other categories. A further ₹50,000 spent on baseline work leaves ₹70,000 before running costs or optional upgrades. These numbers do not predict the price or repair cost of any Lancer.

Make every expense traceable

Record the date, item, supplier, purpose, planned amount, actual amount and receipt reference. If a repair changes the plan, update the budget before ordering the next part. Our free project-budget CSV provides a blank starting point.