Just had a thought, I could get a donor car and then I have an engine with 80k+ miles on it, seats, dash, suspension and steering rack etc. But then again if I buy all the parts seperately I can have a (new ish) engine, new suspension etc, and my own design of dash and dials.

However cost is a factor (one of the biggest) as well as the engine needs to be good for another 100k (I'll be using it every day) but ease of build isn't; this is my first one so the whole thing's going to be rather hard for me.

Could I get most of the major parts (engine and drivetrain) for about £500 elsewhere and if so what kind of places would you guys recommend? I'm going to be looking in the north west if anyone knows anywhere.

I'm looking for a 1l (thereabouts) engine if that helps

If you are going to build a BEC, the i would recommend to get the parts separately as you won't use the donor engine. This is what i did for my project. If you get a donor, how will you get rid of the car when you have removed the usable parts?
If you get the non-donor way, i would recommend to get the parts from Rally Design. Excellent service an shipping times.

If I'm gonna be using a bike engine it'll need to be quietened as I've got tinnitus and after a day on my 125 I couldn't hear anything all night. The (one) day this summer when it was warm enough to have my window down some big thing tore past me and I winced at the noise (sounds wimpy I know)

Do they do engines?

Buying everything seperately can get very expensive and if you are buying mail order you can end paying for postage at royal mail rates for a lot of kilos when you add up all the little bits and pieces.

Get a donor and strip all the bits you need and then some more. Its all the little things that you don't first realise you need such as odd wiring connectors which can cause a lot grief as they aren't always stocked at mail order places.

Scrap metal still has value so you will get rid of the remaining car body no problem. People have also sold parts they dont need on ebay and made a profit breaking a car.

If you buy parts individually it will cost you a significant amount more.

If you do decide on a BEC then speak to Malc (yorkshire engines on here) about your engine. top bloke.

as for quitening the noise down... maybe use ear plugs? I do that when out on the bike as it stops the wind noise but also reduces engine sound to something more bearable when out for long jaunts.

If you have the space (at least temporarily) then I'd say go for a donor every time. As has been said many times before, it's all the little bits and pieces that can really add up. Sometimes it's useful even for stuff you change later, like wheels because it delays having to purchase some more expensive items.

Yeah the space the donor would be taking up is then going to be building space so I'd be stripping it so i can keep most of it out of the way. I'm not too bothered about a bec I was just kinda thinking aloud about getting the parts I want vs getting the parts I can get easily

If you buy a donor you can hear the engine run and check for knocks and blue smoke, feel the gearchange and check all the electrics work. You cant do that with individual parts.

True, would be nice to get hold of a new one though