[Power Surge]

This definitely does raise a lot of questions. And I don't think they will be ones that are easily answered. Many people will have different opinions, but then again, that's the reason for the poll.

As you know David, I am, buying KMP 357 from you guys. Since I am buying the car already built from you guys as a roller, it has given me lots of ways of looking at "what ifs". What if I could have bought it as a kit? What if it was filed instead of brushed? What if I could have bought it with less parts? What if it had this part instead of that part? Etc etc. So being in the position I am in, here are MY thoughts on the subject....

Naturally everyone wants a quality car, as cheap as possible. Heck, it's human nature, and goes for pretty much any item for sale. And some of us just don't have the cash to lay out for a top dollar quality car. I know I don't; I'm going out of my mind trying to scrape up the last few Gs for KMP 357. So you ask if it would have been better if I could have paid less for a less complete car. I think that I would, but it would depend on what defines a "less complete" car. In my case, building cars is what I do, so for me, it wouldn't be a big deal if I had to install the suspension, brakes, wiring, interior, etc. But I don't do body work. So I wouldn't be doing any body sanding, or paint work. And since that means I have to pay someone to do it, I'd rather pay extra and get the body brushed from you guys. The flip side of that, is you may get a body shop owner who has no problems doing the body, but doesn't do mechanical work. So he'd probably want the roller with file finish.

Whether the option of buying a "kit" Kirkham lowers the value of the car, is a tricky question to answer. As mentioned already, one owner who built his car poorly, could turn away plenty of prospective buyers who see his car at a show or something. I think the key to a "kit" version, is the parts. If you maintain the current parts, and all the customer has to do is put them together, that's pretty hard to screw up. At that point, it's just a matter of assembly. So if you can sell a car that comes with everything that comes on a Kirkham built roller, and all the customer has to do is put it together, then that could work.

Now lets talk about the materials, as you mentioned. You guys do make some neat suspension parts. For me, it's not that big a deal, because I am more into originality. Even though KMP 357 has all the modern brakes and suspension, I'd much rather have the original looking parts. But I'll deal with it. Most other people probably love the Kirkham parts, and I think that's a plus. Now getting back to the body, I don't think it is a good idea to offer it unfinished. Again, there may be guys that are confident enough to cut their own holes, but I think most guys would not want to do it. If you slip up cutting a headlight or roll bar hole in a glass body, it's not big deal, even the most novice builder can do a fiberglass repair. But slip up cutting a hole in an aluminum body... oh boy. I know for me, I asked you to cut the sidepipe holes, because I didn't want anything to do with it. Where I'm heading with this is, leaving the major body prep to the customer, leaves Kirkham open for getting the blame for a poorly cut roll bar hole, or crooked headlight.

You guys currently already offer lots of options. And your rollers already come "standard" with the file body. I think personally, if you want to cut some cost out of the price tag, take it from assembly labor, but without sacrificing overall quality. In other words, let the customer bolt on and assemble, and keep the cutting, fabrication, and prepwork at Kirkham.

Another option you might consider, is to offer a package that's less PARTS than a roller. Maybe something like a roller minus body. This way a customer can buy the rolling chassis from you, install the drivetrain and the rest of the workings, and then buy the body later on once the car is in the "go cart" stage. THAT would probably attract more buyers in my opinion. Let the car be purchased in "stages", and this way the vaule does not drop, but you now put the car in more people's reach.

Anyway, I hope this helps, and hopefully I'll be able to get KMP 357 on it's way here soon.