Assembly Required! Or turnkey?

[oliver350]

As I read through the forums here and Gt40.com, I really can't justify buying a car in kit form for less money and then go through all the pains of assembly.. wondering if you have all the parts,what starter,bellhousing,clutch, shifter to use and the endles calls to the manf...questions on and on and on.... and then figure out how to put the car together and ultimatly paying more for the kit than a Turnkey. Most Kits don't come with a manual. So it is up to your skill for everything. Recently there has been numerous threads about missing parts or "I will worry about that later statments" in the efforts to complete the build. In addittion, a person with moderate or no skill in body or auto mechanics will attempt to undertake a project that is normally completed by skilled individuals. I understand that part of the fun is the accomplishment of building somthing and the pride of doing it yourself. For others it is a financial reasoning. You can complete the build as funds come available. But are you actually saving money? Actually it will cost more..Out sourcing is very costly with these cars! Gt40's and Cobra's look like simple builds but in essence, a very difficult build.
I have moderate to above average skill in mechanics but very low skill in body and painting. Given that, I still would not undertake such a huge
project. It also seems that once the kit is delivered, some companies will give a high degree of tech support but it is still up to the person to complete the build. I would find that a majority of the kits lay stagnent and eventually get sold for lack of knowlege,money or sick of asking the endless questions about "How to do that".
When you buy a turnkey, there are still many questions but minimal until you are on the road. I really feel with that leave it to the pro's to build the car. You would be much better off and ultimatly more happy.
The forum is a GREAT Pool of knowlege to draw from. And Thank God it is here!! i'm always reading how to do somthing or read somone elses methods. After restoring 4 cars personally not including Body and Piant, I will now only build install the motor myself.. If I have the time. It's simple economics to have it done and on the road.
Back to the Question... Turnkey? or Assembly required..What are some of your thoughts? After all!!we share the same passion, but do we really want to wait years and go through endless frustrations waiting or to achieve our dream car. We ultimatly just want to drive the car. This build is very comprehensive but even they take a great deal of work - one to two years of hard work is about average and six or more years not uncommon. If you are doing a lot of the work yourself it takes even longer and requires more skill. Well over 500 GT40 kits have been sold in the UK but the GT40 Replica club knows of less than 100 cars that are on the road. I would bet there are less than 20 cars on the road in the USA.

This is not a beginers car! I am not trying to dampen your enthusiasm (or save your marriage!) - its just that it is a significant investment in money and an even bigger investment in time. BUT - It is more than worth it!

OR - If you don't want the hassle of building one, perhaps you might be interested in a complete, finished, second hand car.

Regards OLIVER