What Kit and why - Page 2

767Jockey · #1 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 02:54 PM

It would seem to me that there are four major (and countless minor) differences between kits. Body material (aluminum or fiberglass), frame construction (round or rectangular), wheelbase (original 90" or stretched), and rear suspension (IRS or solid axle). Once you determine which of those 4 things you want, the rest falls into place as you fit the features into your budget. For example, if you want only IRS, there's quite a few manufacturers you can eliminate, making your choices easier. Just go through the process of the features above, then you can begin to look at the minor differences between the remaining kits and choose what you like. Good luck.

Joe Wicked · #2 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 03:27 PM

Thanks guys, I am not any good at searches, but some of the terms you guys are using are getting me what I want.

cobred · #3 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 03:37 PM

I choose ERA because of the quality of the kit and the parts included, the accuracy of the finished product,and way the car looks, drives and rides when done. The people working for the company care and produce a high quality product, it doesnt matter if you get a kit, a finished car or just a part to help finish your car, its all top notch.
If your budget is 25k it may be a waste of time checking why others choose the kits they did. You will be very limited to what you can buy, even if you can do the work yourself. FFR may be one of the only ones.
One idea is to figure roughly the cost of the major items including paint (if you cant do it yourself) add it all up and see whats left over to buy the kit.
Another idea is to search on c.c. and look for someone selling an unfinished kit for less then new.

Joe Wicked · #4 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobred

I choose ERA because of the quality of the kit and the parts included, the accuracy of the finished product,and way the car looks, drives and rides when done. The people working for the company care and produce a high quality product, it doesnt matter if you get a kit, a finished car or just a part to help finish your car, its all top notch.
If your budget is 25k it may be a waste of time checking why others choose the kits they did. You will be very limited to what you can buy, even if you can do the work yourself. FFR may be one of the only ones.
One idea is to figure roughly the cost of the major items including paint (if you cant do it yourself) add it all up and see whats left over to buy the kit.
Another idea is to search on c.c. and look for someone selling an unfinished kit for less then new.

25k is what I would like to keep it under, but when I do this, it will be done right. If that means it will be 35k then that is what my budget will be. I will not get a cheaper kit just because it is cheaper, or get the lonestar because it has a finance option. If it means I have to wait longer, then I wait longer.

Silverback51 · #5 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Wicked

25k is what I would like to keep it under, but when I do this, it will be done right. If that means it will be 35k then that is what my budget will be. I will not get a cheaper kit just because it is cheaper, or get the lonestar because it has a finance option. If it means I have to wait longer, then I wait longer.

That's the way to approach it. If you don't buy what you really want you will never be happy with it. Then you end up selling it to get what you should have bought in the first place.

Dangerous Doug · #6 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 04:46 PM

I wouldn't plan on finishing an FFR for $25k.

Some number off the top of my head:
complete FFR kit $20k
engine (sb) $8k
Trans $2k
Tires/wheels $2k
paint $8k (Street Rod Painter in Yuba City, best deal)

That's a $40k project + taxes and registration.

I'll be in my ERA $55k by the time I'm done and registered. Hopefully, I'll still be married.

I saw a used FFR for sale in Mountain View for $25k. Can't remember where I saw it. It had a paxton supercharger on it. Seemed like a good deal, though I think it needed to be painted.

This isn't a very cheap hobby, is it?

DD

Joe Wicked · #7 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dangerous Doug

This isn't a very cheap hobby, is it?

DD

No it is not. I have been in the car hobby for a while, but never building my own.

Three Peaks · #8 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 05:33 PM

The FFR is and will still be offered as a kit at the $13K price mark from the latest information posted by Dave Smith. The complete kit will be optional. Many of the guys on ffcobra.com forum have built their cars for under $25K, but it is getting harder each year as the early mustang donors are getting harder to find and more expensive for some reason.

You'd be hard pressed to find a better kit for any amount of money, much less the price line of the FFR kit. Like any kit car, the quality of the build is pretty much up to the builder. Even a donor build can look fabulous if enough care and elbow grease are applied to the build.

I also agree that it would be a good idea to put away the cash for the build. If you are tight on funds, look for an unfinished kit that somebody has to unload due to circumstances and you can get a great deal if you have the money to make the move when the opportunity arises.

DrC · #9 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 04:18 AM

This question always seems to surface every 2 months. Everyone has their opinion and are very loyal to their make. You REALY need to sit down, find your budget and go from there. Replicas can range from 30K to 100k+ not including engine. Do you want a donor? How much of it do you want to build yourself? How long do you want to wait? Don't forget customer service, is this important to you? Someone stated before, you WILL go over budget. Answer some of these questions, narrow down to 2-3 companies and the good folks of CC will better serve you from there. I researched for @ 18 months before pulling the trigger. I know what you are going through. Good luck and happy shopping.

Rich

DrC · #10 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 04:20 AM

BTW that my 2 cent ramble.

Rickd · #11 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 06:15 AM

Joe. Another recommendation, if possible-try to drive as many of the different cobra makes as possible as part of your research. Whether it's visiting a factory, dealer or driving used cars that are for sale, it would be invaluable to have an idea of what the different makes feel like on the road. Once you identify the make you want, then you can approach the different ways of acquiring one. I owned and drove another brand cobra for 2 years before I drove someone elses ERA, and I sold my previous car and have an ERA in the process of being built. The research is a blast so have fun. RD

Joe Wicked · #12 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 07:09 AM

Thanks again guys.

I have already decided that it will be this time next year at the earliest, just due to finances. As of right now, I have 4 different ones I am looking at as being the most likely. Hurricane, FFR, Lonestar, and ERA. I also am expecting a 30-35K minimum, so that is what is pushing back the plan. I agree that you will always go over budget, I have not done a single small project for a car and not gone over budget, so I can only imagine a whole car.

I would love to drive the different makes around, but going to all of the different manufacturers would be hard for me to do, and I do not like people to ask me to drive my car, so I don't ask. It is a personal pet peeve of mine. If offered, I wouldn't turn it down, but I just don't see myself asking.

Slick61 · #13 (**permalink**) 09-04-2007, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Wicked

Thanks again guys.
I would love to drive the different makes around, but going to all of the different manufacturers would be hard for me to do, and I do not like people to ask me to drive my car, so I don't ask. It is a personal pet peeve of mine. If offered, I wouldn't turn it down, but I just don't see myself asking.

Getting a Cobra owner to let you drive their car is hit & miss. I never even asked (tho I had a few offer) when I was looking at Cobras.

But it's surprising how much info you can get from just a ride in one. I think you probably get a more accurate feel for how the car rides & handles from the passenger seat, as you're not preoccupied with clutch, throttle, & steering wheel. Though I would recommend you at least sit in the driver's seat & see how the pedal configuration feels.

I didn't drive my Backdraft til 3 days after it was delivered... wanted to get the insurance & registration all in place before I took it out on the street. I was a nervous wreck backing it out of the driveway, but found it surprisingly easy to drive.

Good luck with your search...

GlynMeek · #14 (**permalink**) 09-04-2007, 11:22 PM

Joe...you and I have chatted on the LoneStar site. I went through the same deliberations as you for 12 months before I bought, and almost EVERYONE on this forum will NOT be objective...lol.

We ALL want to think we are geniuses and made the right decision, and so most of us will say xxxxx is the very best Cobra kit, where xxxxx is whatever we bought ourselves. Go look at the type of car that everyone who has replied drives and you'll see what I mean...

I am no different...

I looked at ERA and Unique, dismissed FF for a variety of reasons, and in the end went with Lonestar because a) they are in Texas and in the same time zone for the inevitable phone calls during the build!!!!! b) I visited their shop, liked what I saw AND just liked the people c) at 6'2", I NEEDED/wanted one of the 'stretch' Cobras where the additional length was in the cab. LoneStar might be one of the more expensive kits if you go for every option you can get (which I did...lol) but almost always in life you get what you pay for.

Now, please, FF owners, and everyone else, I am NOT knocking other manufacturers, some of them make superb products, I would just caveat Joe that objectivity is a difficult thing to achieve in recommending a kit to purchase. If I had visited ERA or FF or Unique, I am sure I would have liked their setups and their people equally as much as LS.

Joe, the top 5 or 6 manufacturers ALL make great kits, and they ALL have one drawback or another...tough to go wrong with any of them, and you will have a BLAST building and driving whichever one you choose.

So, with admitted and HUGE bias...buy a Lonestar...ROFL

Glyn

PS good luck out there Joe

Joe Wicked · #15 (**permalink**) 09-05-2007, 03:48 AM

Thanks Glyn, I expected and wanted bias. I wanted to see what were the reasons that different people chose different kits. I was looking for why they chose the particular kit and why they did not choose others. There are 4 kits right now that I like and it really looks like it will come down to which one I chose, as they all offer things I like. Lonestar is not the cheapest, but they are local. Only take me about 1.5 hours to get there. Shell Valley is near where I grew up and most of my family is, so those 2 are leading for convenience to me. I like the Factory Five concept of Mustang parts as replacement parts are cheap and easy to find. The Hurricane seems to be a great value, but it is at the end of the 4 due to the "mismatch" of parts (GM front brakes, SVO rear, etc...) That could become a pain in the but to find parts just trying to remember what is on what area. I don't need one of the "stretch" Cobras as you put it. I am 5' 9". Hell I have so much time to decide (still saving the money for the kit) that this list may change.

fsstnotch · #16 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 07:52 AM

Who says you have to have all the cash up front to build the car start to finish? I know as far as hurricane, they request the initial deposit and give a delivery date of 2-4 months. Pay the final amount upon pickup or delivery. From that point you have a TON of things you could work on over a years time. No point throwing it all together in a month or 2! The build is half the fun!

I am exactly as you when it comes to my cars! I bought my last notch off my best friend... He got mad at me a few times because i wouldn't let him drive it! haha Heck, I even hid the keys for it when I was on deployments so that NOBODY would drive it! It was too much car for most! One time My wife called and said they were about to get hit with tornados and hail and wanted to move it into the garage. I gave her VERY strict instructions on the distance my best friend could drive it to get it to the garage since mine was full at the time. It's not un-natural!

Joe Wicked · #17 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fsstnotch

Who says you have to have all the cash up front to build the car start to finish? I know as far as hurricane, they request the initial deposit and give a delivery date of 2-4 months. Pay the final amount upon pickup or delivery. From that point you have a TON of things you could work on over a years time. No point throwing it all together in a month or 2! The build is half the fun!

I am exactly as you when it comes to my cars! I bought my last notch off my best friend... He got mad at me a few times because i wouldn't let him drive it! haha Heck, I even hid the keys for it when I was on deployments so that NOBODY would drive it! It was too much car for most! One time My wife called and said they were about to get hit with tornados and hail and wanted to move it into the garage. I gave her VERY strict instructions on the distance my best friend could drive it to get it to the garage since mine was full at the time. It's not un-natural!

at least I am not the only one. Are you as bad with your tools as I am? For a long time, my wife was scared to ask me to use a screwdriver. I gave her explicit instructions that no one borrows them, if she uses them, clean them and put them back in the same drawer, in the same location. She ended up just getting a little cheap house tool kit for herself, so she didn't have to try and keep mine in order.

Madmiles442 · #18 (**permalink**) 09-02-2007, 12:29 PM

Hey Joe,
The Dallas area club meets the first Saturday of each month. Yesterday, there were 12 cars there and 25 folks for breakfast. Check out the Texas Club Forum on this site. There's a car show coming up in Garland that a lot of people will be attending. You can see a lot of different makes at both the monthly meets and the shows. Seeing them side-by-side helped me see the differences and what level of originality I was looking for. There are contacts and builders of almost all makes in North Texas and we can give you some recommendations. You could work with them on what level of completion you can afford. Maybe leave out the parts and pieces you feel comfortable doing yourself. I shopped for about 3 months, attending monthly meets and gatherings to gain info.

Rickd · #19 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 03:19 PM

Joe. If you're going to build it, just plan on spending some time on the build and spread out the expense. For example an ERA kit is around $18,000. Order it with the body bonded to the chasis (as they recommend - all, or most, of their bodies are painted ON the chasis), and it's $19,000. You then assemble and add components as the finances permit. I've been told that you can build a small block ERA for somewhere around $42 (with a standard 350 hp type motor). I don't have the build skills or the time, so mine is a turnkey and will cost somewhat more due to the labor cost added.

Joe Wicked · #20 (**permalink**) 09-01-2007, 08:26 PM

I will be spreading it out, I just want to be able to pay for everything at once if I can, not that i have to buy it all, but if I decide that today is the day to order the engine, I can order it. I had a work in process project once before and it was never finished. I lost interest in it. I would get a little done and then have to save for 6-8 months for the next small item. Of course I have considerably more finances available now, but this is a little more than a 5K off road truck.

As it stands right now, if I were to order today, I would have to finance the kit anyway. A year from now, I should be able to purchase the kit, and most of the other stuff. When the time comes, I want to be sure I buy the best one for me.