Board logo

Best Kit Car for Beginners
ajguy1243 - 9/4/14 at 02:44 PM

Hi all,

I am sure you are all sick and tired of hearing this question but I require your help.

I am currently in the process of getting a company car so will have around £6k to spend when I sell my 320D and I would like to buy something fun for the weekend with good speed.

In your opinion what Reasonably priced kit car do you think is the best to buy... I would love to build one but I don't think my budget will stretch to that.

Has anybody noticed any decent examples for sale at the moment? Also where is the best place to look.

Thanks for the help and Look forward to hearing your responses

AJ

ali f27 - 9/4/14 at 02:59 PM

Best way is to decide what you want to do with it trackdays or weekend touring maby just a rip up with the boys on sunday

coozer - 9/4/14 at 03:21 PM

Yep, all depends what you want.

We are all diffy on here.

daveb666 - 9/4/14 at 03:49 PM

Where are you based? Always help being a passenger in them too?

How tall are you? - A 'larger' frame struggles in certain types of cars due to their size as well.

CosKev3 - 9/4/14 at 03:51 PM

You've just missed a real bargain in the for sale section!

If 6k is your top amount to spend from what I've seen for sale your right at the bottom of the market, so would be looking at older or lower spec cars.
Especially now we are seeing some sunny days!

Davey D - 9/4/14 at 03:51 PM

If you are buying one already built, then there can be big differences in the final build quality, and finish. depending on who built it. always worth keeping your options open, and looking at different makes, and models

ajguy1243 - 9/4/14 at 04:39 PM

All,

Thanks for the replies much appreciated.

I'm only 5'9ish so no height really.

I have never done a track day and wouldn't be that interested at the moment. I would possibly look to in the future but would be doing mostly road driving at the moment...

I live near Manchester a place called Knutsford if anybody knows it and knows of any members near by?

Thanks,

AJ

ali f27 - 9/4/14 at 05:01 PM

With out trying to start an arguement probs a car engine car would be best if you see yourself selling it after 2/3 years caterham or westfield they hold money better or robin hood will get more for your money pinto or zetec might get red top if your lucky for that money

ajguy1243 - 9/4/14 at 05:22 PM

Thanks for the reply.

That is the sort of info im looking for ie BEC or CEC

Are car engines better for beginners then? why do bike engine seem to be more expensive?

Cheers,

ajguy1243 - 9/4/14 at 05:24 PM

Also how much can you build a cheapish kit for? I don't want to build a crap spec though as I am assuming these aren't worth much?

I know you can get started packs for up to £3000ish so then how much does it cost to finish off...

Thanks,

AJ

prawnabie - 9/4/14 at 06:21 PM

I would seriously look at the Westfield Mazda SDV kit - The list price is £3150 but you should be able to haggle a discount, I got £1000 off at the beginning of the year.

Don't be put of by the 5k cost of the completion kit either. I just bought the starter kit and bought the completion stuff from either other suppliers, second hand or from Westfield if I had to. One example is the BEHR radiator is £96 from the factory but £25 from eBay.

By doing this I have got 90% of the parts I need to complete the car and have spent a little over £6000 - that is including the starter kit and the MX5 donor car.

StevieB - 9/4/14 at 06:35 PM

I bought my westfield for just over your budget. It's running a CVH engine which isn't the most powerful in the world, but it's clean enough all round to eat your dinner off and is really well put together.

I previously built a bike engined car, which cost around £8k to build which is probably about the normal spend I would think. It was blisteringly quick, but my wife wasn't keen on being a passenger or driving it, so we sold and got the acf engined westfield which suits her better.

It's perfectly suited to road driving as well as track days (previous owner used it for hillclimbs, so it's well set up). I do keep thinking about getting a more powerful engine in but until I'm on the ragged edge at all times on a Trackday and wishing for more, there's little point.

For road use and a bit of creature comfort, we have bike helmets and an intercom system that allows conversation as well as playing music through the iPod. We only have an aero screen on and the only reason for me to contemplate a full screen is if Harewood Hill keep insisting on having a full screen when I eventually get round to entering a hillclimbs myself.

jps - 9/4/14 at 08:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ajguy1243
Also how much can you build a cheapish kit for? I don't want to build a crap spec though as I am assuming these aren't worth much?

I know you can get started packs for up to £3000ish so then how much does it cost to finish off...

Thanks,

AJ


Your second sentence reads as though you are bothered about the value of a car once you've built it. At the 'locost' end i'd be very surprised if cars retained much sale value compared to the cost of building them.

I'd say the cost of building a car is dependent on what you can access without cost - particularly in terms of tools or materials. I'm building a Haynes Roadster, having picked up a part built car (rolling chassis, gearbox and engine - and a pile of other parts) for around £1200. Apart from very standard DIY equipment (i.e. a socket set, screw drivers, electric drill etc) I am having to buy everything I need - although I am salvaging some materials from various sources. I am reckoning on spending somewhere close to £7k by the time the car is through IVA and on the road.

ajguy1243 - 9/4/14 at 08:27 PM

Yes and thats why i think i would possibly prefer to buy one. I also don't necessarily have the time to build one with working away 3/4 days a week.

I would love to build one but i don't think it is currently practical at the moment, so back to buying... you have mentioned mx5 based cars are these the cheapest?

Are the zetec/duractec cars good?

daniel mason - 9/4/14 at 08:43 PM

there was a very well priced striker on here a week or so back! you wouldn't be disappointed with one for sure

adithorp - 9/4/14 at 08:49 PM

Buying a built/finished kit would make life simple and have you on the road with no IVA and registration to worry about. Use it for the summer and decide what you do and don't like. Then you can tinker over winter to get it how you want.

As a first start I'd recommend getting to Stoneliegh Show on the 4-5th May. There'll be hundreds of cars to look at and see what you lie. Be cheeky and ask if you can have a sit in some and maybe blag a passenger ride or two. Don't rule anything in or out until you've tried. I was building a CEC until 30sec into my first BEC ride and changed plans there and then; Best thing I ever did and I love it whether on track, a road blat or Euro tour.

There's a few cars around Manchester so you should be able to meet up with someone and have a nosy around their car. I'm in Stalybridge (well the car is) and might be out and about over Easter but I've got a few jobs to get sorted first.

mcerd1 - 10/4/14 at 08:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ajguy1243
I would love to build one but i don't think it is currently practical at the moment, so back to buying... you have mentioned mx5 based cars are these the cheapest?

Are the zetec/duractec cars good?
you could argue that the MX5 based kits include some of the cheapest / best value currently available
but built MX5 kits are probably not the cheapest to buy as MX5 based kits are mostly fairly new so they could cost a fair bit more on the 10 to 15 year old cars

it sounds like you could be more of a car engine person than a bike engine person - but the only way to find out is to try them (or at least go for a passenger ride) as above the Stoneleigh show is well worth a visit.

don't be scared of looking at the older kits, they could be better built and looked after than one that someone has thrown together and only just passed its IVA test - condition is more important than the age, so you could find a bargain



as for the engines properly set up both zetec and duratec engined cars can be good, but there is a huge range of tuning options available
(duratec are newer and tend to cost more, but are lighter and more powerful)

but don't discount the older x-flow, CVH and pinto engines in a light weight car they are all entertaining (and you can always swap to a more modern engine later if you feel like you need to)
but thats just the ford engines - other popular engines include the vauxhall XE, toyota 4AGE, rover V8, MX5 and even BWM strait 6 in some of the newer kits.
and add to that just about every big sports/super bike engine known to man.

the popular engines tend to be easier and/or cheaper to fit but that hasn't stopped a handful of people have used other engines like the VAG 1.8t, peugeot Mi16, Alfa V6, mazda RX7 and various american V8's and even some diesels



[Edited on 10/4/2014 by mcerd1]

ajguy1243 - 10/4/14 at 08:49 AM

Thanks for all the reply's,

I don't think I am biased towards a car or bike engine. I believe that people seem to think a car engine is better to start off with? It would the sheer acceleration of the bike engine but car engine cars definitely aren't slow!

Does anybody know of any bargains or people looking to sell there cars in the near future?

Thanks,

Irony - 10/4/14 at 09:05 AM

I think it depends on your level of engineering skill. I started out not knowing a piston from a pushrod and 3/4 of my time has been spent researching and learning not actually building. I think I have learned more building my car than I did doing a degree.

I'd probably go for MEV Exocet or MEV Sonic if I was a beginner again. Something with good customer support from the manufacturer. Kitcar companies have terrible reputations for customer service. Shameful really.

I spent a considerable amount of time a couple of weeks back talking to a IVA examiner and he had some quite controversial things to say about certain kit manufacturers regarding customer service and build quality. Stuff I won't repeat because it will literally cause a uproar on here. But he did say he thought the MAC1 was the best kit and kit car company in his opinion.

ali f27 - 10/4/14 at 09:11 AM

acceleration is about bhp per tonne and grip best bhp per tonne wins whatever engine bike engines are light and you get sequential box which is a bonus not all that hard to change to bike engine later find a nice car with pinto crossflow enjoy it this summer then have a good look at others and a ride out or 2 and then upgrage in winter

mcerd1 - 10/4/14 at 09:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ajguy1243
I don't think I am biased towards a car or bike engine. I believe that people seem to think a car engine is better to start off with? It would the sheer acceleration of the bike engine but car engine cars definitely aren't slow!
for 'most' people it the type of driving they are going to do that helps them decide

bike engines are well suited to screaming round a track and the reduced weight helps with that too (they tend to not fit full screens etc. to keep the weight down)
but a lot of people seem to like that on the road too

car engines can be better suited to cruising around on the roads, the big V8's are probably the most extreme example they have the power to go quick but deliver it in a lazy kind of way thats just as happy sitting at 60mph



[Edited on 10/4/2014 by mcerd1]

ali f27 - 10/4/14 at 09:15 AM

Theres a tidy looking robinhood on ebay red top engine blue car

mcerd1 - 10/4/14 at 09:36 AM

choice pinto, CVH or x-flow engined westfields on pistonheads for your budget

Slimy38 - 10/4/14 at 09:39 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Irony
I'd probably go for MEV Exocet or MEV Sonic if I was a beginner again. Something with good customer support from the manufacturer. Kitcar companies have terrible reputations for customer service. Shameful really.


The MEV Exocet must be one of the easiest kit cars to build and own. It can also work out to be one of the cheapest if you can get a good price for the leftover MX5 parts. MEV quote the car can be had for £1500, although the builder of that car got very lucky with selling the spare parts. 6K is easily doable though.

The MEV replicar is a similar idea, probably a bit more expensive but I think one of the most beautiful 'cheap' kit cars in existence at the moment. I'm really looking forward to seeing that at Stoneleigh.