...coming up with a (near) definitive chassis comparison for measureable things like prices, kit contents, donor options, upgrades etc.

Im trying to compare prices on a few kits like Indy, MNR, Tiger, Raw and each kit comes spec'd slightly differently meaning getting an idea of what your acctually getting for your cash is near impossible!

A more revealing method would be to find out what the average build cost is for each kit with your chosen engine type. Obviously each and every build is different, but I think it's far more telling what people have had to spend all in than what they spent on the basic kit itself.

think you will find the relative kit prices have little to do with the finished car outlay....

it all depends on on the builder and what they have to spend... i have seen mks built for less than £5k and tigers for greater than £25k...

All valid comments.
And theres always the opinions on value for money, service from manufacturer, chassis dymanics etc etc however, im more intersted what gets included in kit, the dort of hidden charges like rivets, bolts, bushes or rodends, etc etc etc

I think it would not be too difficult to prepare a list of requirements, maybe not including fixings etc, and then consulting each manufacturer's price list. If there price list wasn't sufficintly clear, then ask a direct question, how much would icost to have a kit with there items in it.

Once you have that answer you would be in a position to compare the price of starting the kit.

There will be some aspects that are more difficult to cost. For instance, some kits expect a lot more of the builder than others. Robin Hood (now GBS) are quite often the cheapest, but the extra hours of building required mean that you would usually be better off to pay a bit more and get an easier kit to start with.

There's also the question of resale price to be considered. Many people sell up soon after finishing their kit (before too, sometimes). The more money you get for your kit, the more money will be available for the next one.

John

Make a list of manufacturers, and ask a few people at the next show, or on here, what they spent. Ask them to be honest. Most people don't tell themselves the true costs!