If you’re a fan of automotive shows, chances are that you’re familiar with David Freiburger. Though he’s mostly known for hosting the web show “Roadkill”, he also has a long-lasting career as an automotive writer for the ever-famous Hot Rod Magazine.
Dave’s top-notch car customizing abilities combined with his unstoppable creativity and passion for beyond what everyone else is doing have turned him into one of the most notable gearheads of our time, having a following which surpasses the million mark across social media. On top of that, he’s also known for owning dozens of vehicles which he sometimes sells when he’s bored with them.
So how rich Dave is and how much does he make when he sells one of his precious, unique cars? Keep with us to know all these answers!
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What’s His Net Worth?
Seeing how excellent his career has been so far, it’s unsurprising that Dave Freiburger has amassed a huge fortune. Nowadays, he has an estimated net worth of close to $1.5 million, which comes from his career as an automotive customizer, show host, writer, and businessman. On top of that, he used to sell body parts before joining Hot Rod Magazine as a writer in 1991.
Though it’s unclear how much Dave has earned from each of these professional endeavors, there’s no denying that his fortune has exponentially increased as he gained fame. His role as “Roadkill”s host is the main reason he’s so well-known these days, eventually leading him to gain sponsorships on social media and his YouTube channel. Last but not least, Dave is assumed to make good earnings from selling customized cars.
Biggest Car Sales
While it might be unthinkable for many to purchase a car customized by their favorite TV star, that’s actually possible for followers of Dave Freiburger.
As seen on his social media, it isn’t rare for Dave to sell his cars from time to time, whether these have been part of his collection for a long time or have been in his power only recently.
Here are some of the best and most impressive car sales he’s made.
The Disgustang Mustang
If you’ve loyally watched “Roadkill” and its spin-offs, then you’re familiar with the 1969 Mustang famously known as ‘The Disgustang’. This red car appeared in several episodes of “Roadkill Garage”, in which the audiences saw in detail how Dave fixed and leveled up this car. Nonetheless, the many street-fit qualities of the Disgustant caused some damage to the car in the short run, leading Lucky Costa from “Hot Rod Garage” to fix and install new parts of the suspension system and wheel studs, while also making other minor improvements in 2021.
While the Disgustant was meant to be an everyday drive for Dave, in early 2023 he put it on sale on his social media. According to Dave, the Disgustant was in excellent condition except for some issues on its driveshaft, sound system, and steering wheel. The latter was apparently the only part of the interior which wasn’t in top-notch condition.
It didn’t take long for the Digustang to be sold for $75,000, which Dave had warned was a non-negotiable price as he’d already found a car he wanted more in the same price range.
Ford Torino Wagon
In March 2024, Dave Freiburger announced the sale of his Ford Torino Wagon. The dark green car from 1971 was everything a gearhead would love, except for a couple of fixable issues and the fact that this car was never featured in “Roadkill”.
One of the most interesting things about this car was its price, as Dave was asking for $5,000 for the Torino while these are listed for over $10,000 on specialized websites. He had had the auto for only a week before putting it on sale, only driving during a quick vacation before letting go of it. Apparently, he didn’t have much space in Los Angeles to keep this specific model, even though the roughened Torino checked all the boxes to be something Dave would usually have fought to keep.
While this seemed like too good of a deal for anyone, the truth is that Dave purchased the car for the same money he was selling it for. In fact, Dave’s insistence on selling it to people under 30 years old seemed like he was trying to bring old cars closer to the new generations instead of just getting his money back. That was something very cool on his part, even if the financial gain wasn’t massive.
1966 Satellite
Despite the many years Dave Freiburger has been in the car-selling business, not all the deals he has made turn out as expected. As he revealed on Instagram in early 2023, back in 2008 he purchased a 1966 Plymouth Satellite, or that’s what the seller had told him.
Surprisingly enough, the car has been customized to look like a 66 Satellite when it was a Chrysler Hemi, though Dave didn’t find that out until the car was already in his garage. The seller, who had told Dave he worked for the famous rock drummer Rikki Rockett, admitted to Dave that it had been his fault.
In the end, Dave sold the roughened-up Hemi to someone in Sweden for $7,500, but the interesting part was what came next. As it happened, some time later Dave remembered that the seller had a large collection of Honda CT90 motorcycles, and handed the contact to one of his friends, the race director at Hot Rod Magazine and famous automotive enthusiast Keith Turk, who was looking for one.
Long story short, Keith was already acquainted with Rockett from his biking days, and also knew about the guy who sold the fake Satellite to Dave, which meant that the story about him working with Rockett wasn’t false. The most interesting part was that Dave laughed about the whole ordeal, even though it went unexpectedly from the beginning.
Are His Prices Too High?
While all the previous stories are candid and interesting to hear for any gearhead, Dave Freiburger hasn’t escaped criticism for his pricing – an article from April 2023, published by the famous automotive web magazine Hagerty, questioned these misperceptions.
In the article, the case of Dave’s Disgustang Mustang is analyzed, emphasizing that even though $75,000 might have been too much for a junk-looking car, there’s a lot of unseen work that people don’t consider. It’s not only about the work time put into the project, but also the tools and the expertise of the people who put their heart into it.
The article also calls out customizers everywhere for needing to be more sincere about the costs of wrenching a car to its highest potential, stating how the lack of clarity led people to have too high an expectation over projects unaffordable for them.
While it’s up to people to decide whether Dave’s cars are too expensive for them, there’s no denying that there’s a high, unseen value in the projects he works on, that it’s unlikely to be matched by others in the industry.
