The question is, for a normal guy on a budget..no shop tools, lift, extreme cash flow or easy deals, whould you rather buy a halfway decent car, then drive the shit out of it, upgrading whatever breaks one thing at a time until you eventually have a bad ass ride...

Or:

Would you rather build your car from the ground up, knowing that you can't drive her until she's finished, also, spend alot of money over time that you may never get back in resale (this lengthens your not driving her)..but, when it's all said and done you have a truly badass car that you know intimately well...every nut and bolt.

I'm asking because it seems to me the second option is the best in the long run, but how do you cope with your car being undriveable for so long?

The reason I left out the shop guys is because it seems like they can have their cars together alot quicker than somebody who does other full-time work.