Colesy21
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 01:55 PM |
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Budgeting for a Kit Car Newbie
I'm thinking of having a go at building my first kit car, but I don't want it to become a black hole for my hard earned cash. Does anyone
know of any good websites/books that would steer me in the right direction for putting together a thorough budget?
Also, are there any hidden costs that I should be aware of that I should iclude in the budget?
Thanks
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:00 PM |
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every single thing you do will require you to return the part you originally bought and buy a slightly more expensive replacement.
I think high resolution budgetting would be extremely difficult for the above reasons. Literally everything from the fuel lines to the cooling system
to the brakes are going to require anything from a small to larger amount of furtling.
I set my macrobudget at £5000 and its going to end up about £7500
Craig
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mookaloid
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:03 PM |
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Don't be fooled into thinking you can build one for £250!
It depends on the spec you want really
I guess you could build a reasonable car for £3-4000 if you buy a cheap kit and use everything you can off a single donor and only recondition stuff
if you really have to.
You could easily spend twice that or more if you want something special.
I always think that if you work out how much it is going to cost then add 50% or even double it then you won't be far off.
Don't for get to factor in the cost of the IVA test which isn't cheap.
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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Confused but excited.
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:09 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Colesy21
I'm thinking of having a go at building my first kit car, but I don't want it to become a black hole for my hard earned cash. Does anyone
know of any good websites/books that would steer me in the right direction for putting together a thorough budget?
Also, are there any hidden costs that I should be aware of that I should iclude in the budget?
Thanks
More books.
Lathe.
Welding course.
Welding set.
Compressor.
Air tools, inc spray gun.
Grinder - several.
Tools you didn't think you'd need.
Engine stand.
Aldi hoist.
etc..................
[Edited on 24/3/10 by Confused but excited.]
Tell them about the bent treacle edges!
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big-vee-twin
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:09 PM |
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Mine's going to end up around £8500.00 I dont think I'm doing anything beyond the norm.
Duratec Engine is fitted, MS2 Extra V3 is assembled and tested, engine running, car now built. IVA passed 26/02/2016
http://www.triangleltd.com
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:10 PM |
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Plenty of people have written budgets and spreadsheets, so you will be able to write one with some assistance, but it will be a bit pointless to a
certain degree.
I estimate that most people (for a first or second car) would overspend by roughly 20%.
I'd suggest that you put up a post stating a few things and asking for guidance re money in those areas.
For eg, you might state:
BEC or CEC
Caterham, Westfield, MK, MAC1, MNR or LOCOST etc
Want a budget build (basic wheels, brakes etc) or a Bling build
How old you are, and you're past experience (what you are capable of doing yourself) etc
I'm sure that you and others could come up with a multitude more examples to help figure out a budget to try and stick too!
Also, if you are ever going to be tempted by the bling, then don't pretend you won't be - it'll hurt later, when you are trying to
buy them and pay for IVA at the same time!!!
Steve
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James
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:13 PM |
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About £5000 for my Pinto'd Locost.
Did most things myself. I think this price includes most of the tools (welder etc.) and probably includes my welding courses too.
HTH,
James
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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BenB
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:30 PM |
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Yup. I'd also suggest don't bother it's almost completely impossible to work out every cost and even when you do the bodge factor
will mean a 200% correction factor in both time and money!
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turbodisplay
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:45 PM |
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The thing that will save you the most money is thinking hard before you buy/make/destroy anything.
Trying to get everthing you do right in the first place is the best way to go. I.e. don't buy brakes, then scrap them and buy much bigger ones
as the original ones were a bit small.
Darren
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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Slater
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:46 PM |
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If you U2U me your e-mail address, I'll send you my build costs for a MAC#1 with 1.8 zetec using single donor and not mutch bling stuff. If
covers every nut, bolt and washer plus van hire to collect the kit, consumables. This will give you a good guide to build a similar car.
Why do they call Port Harcourt "The Garden City"?...... Becauase they can't spell Stramash.
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D Beddows
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:49 PM |
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Minimum £5K for a car you can be proud of (don't care what anyone says  ) BUT it does depend a lot on what you can do and what you have lying
around already....... from ground zero I suspect it will be more like £8K by the time you're finished, however that will be over several years
probably
A sad side effect of kit car building is that you start to lie about what anything costs to your significant other ('no, I've had that for
ages'...... or 'no, it was a bargain from ebay, only cost me 50p' etc etc) My mrs now doesn't believe a word I say about what
anything I've bought actually cost (car related or not!) and to be fair I am so used to 'rounding down' I can't really blame
her 
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Colesy21
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 02:56 PM |
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Thanks for all the replies guys.
A little bit more about me to give you an idea where I'm coming from:
Anything that I build would have to be my car for all weather (I don't need it for commuting, but evening and weekend all year round). After
looking around, the car that's caught my eye is the Fisher Fury, but I could be tempted with something else as long as it's fun and has
the option for a roof.
I think a CEC would be best as the car would only be for road use and I'm not sure a high revving engine would be that relaxing on long motorway
journeys (but corretc me if I'm wrong?).
I think as a first build I'd like to keep things basic and hence keep the costs down. Once I get to the second, third, fourth, etc builds
I'll start to bling things up, but right now I just want to learn new skills with a reduced risk of very costly mistakes.
My previosu experience is very limited. I've had an MGB GT which I did some basic work on and a Porsche 944 which I re-fitted the interior, but
this was all with help from my father-in-law who restores classic cars as a hobby. He also has just about any tool going, but I'd limit my
borrowing from him to just big items (e.g. engine lift, compressor) rather than everything so I can build up my own range of tools and not end up
taking the p!ss.
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D Beddows
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 03:29 PM |
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Just do it - it's probably one of the best things you'll ever do........ it will always cost more then you think/want AND it will take
twice as long as you expect probably as well...... but it'll keep you off the streets Build it for yourself though because they sell for much
less than you can ever build one for.......
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mookaloid
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 03:31 PM |
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For build costs for a Fisher Fury I would ask the manufacturer how much one can be built for, how much the builds typically cost and how much they
would charge for a fully built one. Your cost would be somewhere between the lowest figure and the highest one.
Nice choice though
Cheers
Mark
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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BenB
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 03:58 PM |
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Fury's are a nice choice..... I'd be tempted to keep an eye out on Pistonheads etc for an old Fury with a small engine. Do a quick engine
swap and voila..... Often works out cheaper than building one from scratch....
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Colesy21
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 04:18 PM |
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I'd been interested in doing the complete build, but I suppose doing the engine swap would give me some experience without as much of a time
commitment and/or potential financial loss?
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adithorp
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 04:35 PM |
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A Fury build cost can vary a lot. I'd say you're looking at £8-12k depending on spec. It can be done for less or more depending on how
much of a magpie you are, or whether you can ignore the shinney things.
Buying a finished Fury and then updating/altering to your preference might be better value.
Although not a Fury, but it's cousin, this is good value...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1582196.htm
...and leaves scope to add your own touches to it.
Compared to a seven a Fury/Pheonix/Stylus is a lot more civilised for everyday use. I'm happy to tour long distances in my R1 engined car but I
can see the convienience of a CEC for everyday use also (I'm off now to wash my mouth out!).
adrian
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 05:01 PM |
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That Phoenix looks like a bargain for the spec.
Buying partbuilts can save you a lot of cash but in some cases be prepared to spend quite a bit of time undoing other peoples work (either because you
want to do things differently or the previous builder had made errors).
- Jim
quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
A Fury build cost can vary a lot. I'd say you're looking at £8-12k depending on spec. It can be done for less or more depending on how
much of a magpie you are, or whether you can ignore the shinney things.
Buying a finished Fury and then updating/altering to your preference might be better value.
Although not a Fury, but it's cousin, this is good value...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1582196.htm
...and leaves scope to add your own touches to it.
Compared to a seven a Fury/Pheonix/Stylus is a lot more civilised for everyday use. I'm happy to tour long distances in my R1 engined car but I
can see the convienience of a CEC for everyday use also (I'm off now to wash my mouth out!).
adrian
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clairetoo
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 05:22 PM |
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The Fury is definatly a good choice for an everyday usable car - but build cost will depend a lot on how much you can do yourself .
When I built mine , the cost was basically the kit cost plus a £250 Escort , and about £1000 for everything else .
But used absolutely everything I could off the escort , the only reconditioning I did was new pistons/rings , a cheap clutch and a gearbox bearing
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But that didnt include a hood or sidescreens - something essential for a daily driven car .
Its cuz I is blond , innit
Claire xx
Will weld for food......
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 05:34 PM |
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Sweeping statements on a forum like this with so many knowleadgeable people will see me get shot-down in double quick time, but;
You're prob looking at:
£5k - £8k to pick up a cheap one and rebuild with your engine choice
£8k - £14k for a new build
Now you don't have to be a genius to work out that the lower price in both brackets is for a budget build and the upper, is a blingy build.
One thing I would say (cos I think it's important) is that the rebuild choice, whether blingy or budget, would mean no IVA test for you to budgt
for (assuming it's already OTR), something that your GT and 944 won't really have prepared you (or your F-I-L) for...
ATB
Steve
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franky
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 05:51 PM |
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I'm on for a 8.5k build cost for a well specced m3 engined GKD legened.
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adithorp
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 07:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve Hignett
One thing I would say (cos I think it's important) is that the rebuild choice, whether blingy or budget, would mean no IVA test for you to budgt
for (assuming it's already OTR), something that your GT and 944 won't really have prepared you (or your F-I-L) for...
ATB
Steve
That ^^^ is a very good point.
adrian
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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Simon
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| posted on 24/3/10 at 08:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Colesy21
I'm thinking of a black hole for my hard earned cash.
I've edited the quote so it reads more appropriately.
Basically, you're already in too deep
ATB
Simon
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Colesy21
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| posted on 25/3/10 at 07:40 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Simon
quote:
Originally posted by Colesy21
I'm thinking of a black hole for my hard earned cash.
I've edited the quote so it reads more appropriately.
Basically, you're already in too deep
ATB
Simon
Deep down I already know my hard earned cash is heading very quickly towards a black hole, but I'm going to try and kid myself for a little bit
longer!
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RK
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| posted on 25/3/10 at 01:27 PM |
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Get a part built and when you run into problems, call Steve H. He says he doesn't have anything to do these days, and needs to be kept busy. He
does, however, have a fair amount of experience in these kit car matters and doesn't represent any particular camp, and has no biases or agenda
from what I have gathered. He is not FREE!
Questions:
1. Are you a mechanic?
2. Do you weld?
These will change your budget considerably, because you can avoid expensive pitfalls with knowledge. Bodge factor is therefore reduced by a factor of
at least 2, sometimes 4. How do I know? Because I am old and wise. I used to be just old.
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