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What is the most stressful part of owning a kit car

mbate - 16/9/08 at 10:18 AM

Hi,
I'm doing some research in to kit car ownership, please could you look at the following 5 statements and could you identify the most stressful statement
1. Choosing a model / spec
2. The build process
3. SVA test
4. The registration process
5. Post sva Mods

Please discuss, I look forward to your feedback

Mark

Paul TigerB6 - 16/9/08 at 10:29 AM

Should have done this as a poll. I'll go for option 4 anyway - those people seem to make the rules up as they go along - some run smoothly and some drag things out for weeks seemingly determined to not do their job!! SVA examiners on the whole though seem generally keen to help you.

nick205 - 16/9/08 at 10:37 AM

I can't say I've found any aspect of kit car ownership stressful myself. For me it was the realisation of a childhood ambition to build a car having watched and helped my dad rebuilding several E-Types, an MGB, a Spitfire, a MKII jag and most recently a Sunbeam Tiger.

With 3 kids under 3 years old I now find the lack of time to use the Indy slightly frustrating, but it's still in the garage and provides a useful outlet for evening tinkering (and rebuilding after a minor hedge incident )

A hobby or interest like this shouldn't cause you stress IMHO - if it does, maybe it's not the right one

mookaloid - 16/9/08 at 10:46 AM

The most stressfull bit for me was selling it

Guinness - 16/9/08 at 10:51 AM

I'd go for option 6!

Getting it finished and blowing your engine up within the first 1,500 miles. Then blowing the replacement up at 3,000 miles.

Then finally sorting out the oil flow issues!

Then sorting out all the teething troubles, like changing from cable to hydraulic clutch, relocating the fuel pump, replacing the gear change cable etc etc.

All the time with SWIMBO going "I thought once it was built that would be the end of throwing money at it"

Mike

UncleFista - 16/9/08 at 11:07 AM

Getting repeatedly hit by uninsured drivers

The scale of the problem in my home town is getting out of hand....

cerbera - 16/9/08 at 11:12 AM

The British weather!!

Hellfire - 16/9/08 at 11:15 AM

I'd have to agree with Nick205 that no aspect of kit car ownership is stressful. In fact it's quite the opposite IMO. There's no better way to relieve stress than to take the Indy out for a spin.

Phil

yamapinto - 16/9/08 at 11:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by UncleFista
Getting repeatedly hit by uninsured drivers

The scale of the problem in my home town is getting out of hand....

Typical policing in that article... we sit on our A*ses in a car looking at the ANPR computer and if somebody without insurance happens to pass us if flagged up by the computer we might be bothered to follow and pull it.

Here's an idea how about... walking up the street in the dead of night accompanied with a few tow trucks checking the Reg of each car as you pass, as you pass a car that has no insurance its tow'd away, leaving its owner.. (that will deny its his or hers) a nice suprise in the morning.
They've then got a week to collect it with the relevent documents or its Scrapped and the monies used to do more of the same thing.

But on the original question Registration seem to be the biggest problem people have as its completely in other peoples hands and there's not alot you can do to speed it up unless your lucky enough to be dealing with 1 person.

Then when you've finished all that its other road users thast become the biggest stress

smart51 - 16/9/08 at 11:22 AM

Trying to get the DVLA to follow their own rules and issue a number plate was the most infuriating part, followed by getting the emissions right for SVA.

steve m - 16/9/08 at 11:26 AM

I'd go for option 6!

Getting it finished and blowing your engine up within the first 1,500 miles. Then blowing the replacement up at 3,000 miles.

Bloody hell !! were you talking about my car ????

and engine 3 0n 5000,
engine 4 is in the car , but i can not be bothered to run it, as i know it will blow

steve

JAG - 16/9/08 at 11:38 AM

The only thing that ever bothers me about kit car ownership is finding time to drive the finished car.

Everything thing else is easy even if it can take some time to complete.

speedyxjs - 16/9/08 at 11:39 AM

Going by the way people with SVA'd cars on here speak, its the registration and coping with DVLA

Humbug - 16/9/08 at 11:50 AM

quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I'd go for option 6!

Getting it finished and blowing your engine up within the first 1,500 miles. Then blowing the replacement up at 3,000 miles.

Bloody hell !! were you talking about my car ????

and engine 3 0n 5000,
engine 4 is in the car , but i can not be bothered to run it, as i know it will blow

steve

You must both have BECs then

Paul TigerB6 - 16/9/08 at 12:17 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Humbug

quote:
Originally posted by steve m

engine 4 is in the car , but i can not be bothered to run it, as i know it will blow

steve

You must both have BECs then

Steve M has a x-flow according to his "Building" tag!! Maybe he should give up with these unreliable car engines and fit a bike engine instead!!

[Edited on 16/9/08 by Paul TigerB6]

steve m - 16/9/08 at 12:30 PM

Me have a BEC ?

i would rather eat my own vomit, hahaha

only 1700 xflows for me, fully lightened and balanced, with twin 40's, its a shame i never fitted a rev limiter, as they have all spun more than 8k,

a bit irelevent as i have no plans to put the car back on the road anyway

steve

Gezza - 16/9/08 at 06:25 PM

STRESS, i would call it more the challenge, there is no stress, take on sva, dvla, crashed car, what ever, its only a challenge to be beaten, but then you get to drive it and play with it, thats bliss!

Oh the only part i find a little stressfull is watching worx drive it, a little bit, well a lot, well a real lot...
gezza

Jon Ison - 16/9/08 at 08:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cerbera
The British weather!!

kipper - 16/9/08 at 08:26 PM

Bloody weather
Kipper.