[DonC]

Don:
Personal recommendation, do the same thing with the other major manufacturers that you did with FFR. Contact them all and get their assembly manuals (not just product brochures) and spend some time really thinking about how much you will be doing yourself and how much you want the manufacturer to do. Biggest decision is how much you are going/willing to spend.

Once you've had a chance to go over the assembly manuals find some local owners of the cars you're interested in and talk to them about their experiences in their builds and what they would do differently if they did it again. If at all possible get to the manufacturers facilities and take a look for yourself at their products. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Start doing some serious searching on the forums for refernces to whichever car you're considering. The amount of information here is staggering and covers every aspect of the building process. My mantra is research, research research. Spending the time up front will aleviate a good deal of frustration later.

I've gone with ERA for my choice because of factors too numerous to mention here but the primary decision points were time in the business, all new components and availability/selection of options. I accepted the time to completion as one of the costs of my decision.

Good luck with your search for your "ultimate car".
DonC