All show and go costs

[Flamshackle]

Hey guys, I'm looking with keen interest at building either a GTM or 818 since discovering factory five only a month or so ago.
What tips my decision will end up being total price finished.

I don't mind if the interior is a bare cockpit but what I would like to know is the rough cost of building one of these GTM's to a budget? can an owner of a GTM give me some rough costs?

What I want is a super stipped interior but great motor/running gear and from the outside looking ace ;)

Also has anyone fitted a lexus or toyota V8 into one of these? reason I ask is that where I come from (New Zealand) these motors are VERY cheap and have a strong mod market.

Lastly are there any examples of a complete GTM in New Zealand that anyone knows of?

thanks for your time ;)

[LCD Gauges]

I don't own one yet (GTM), however I've read several post and talked to a couple of owners as well as outlined a detailed budget for
myself.

The engine will be the most variable in cost, followed by the donor parts acquisition. For the base kit + donor parts + Mendeola transaxle,
wheels/tires and engine my total comes to $38-43k CDN. That includes body work and $5K for paint.

I'm sure there will be some unforseen costs, but I think the estimate is fairly realistic based on all of the information i've gathered.

[Martin]

Flamshackle - Your best bet would be to check out the Australian distributor for FFR (Chris). They will know more. I'd be careful about the GTM as it is a complex build and could end up sitting in your garage never finished. There won't be much support locally that can provide physical help, although the forum here will do everything they can to help.

More important is what it would take to get it road legal in NZ. I know there are challenges getting it road legal outside of the US and I am pretty sure NZ won't be any different.

If you've never seen one in person, they are REALLY low to the ground. If you have a dog, it may be taller than the GTM. I am about 6ft tall and the car was a good few inches lower than my hip. I'm a NZ'er myself and having seen one in person at the open house I can confirm that they are better looking in person, MUCH lower to the ground than you think and potentially a very tight fit for anyone that is a bigger build. Soccer/football players might fit if they are under 6ft 2", rugby players probably won't fit with much comfort if they are 6ft or more.

The GTM was designed to take the LS series of engines. Whenever anyone has posted about fitting any other type of engine the usual response/resolution is that it won't fit without major modifications. I'm guessing that the Toyota/Lexus engine would be no different. But with enough money and time, anything can be made to fit.

The cheapest I've heard a GTM being built was around the $40k USD mark. But it wasn't finished yet and was built with donor parts from someone that was very patient at finding and rebuilding parts for themselves. Not sure of the name, but I think it might have been FuzzyJK. The general consensus though is that $55-80k USD is more normal and if it is possible to build it for $40k then it will be one heck of an achievement.

Martin

ps. I am in the middle of buying everything for a MK4 roadster but I've followed the GTM threads for the past 3 years. In reality, I know nothing.

[The Stig]

Flamshackle,

First of all, Welcome to the madness that is "GTM".

Your question is one that is asked (almost) on a weekly basis by potential buyers.

I can't really speak for others who are working hard to manage a low-cost budget build, but I can tell you that there are a couple here who are well into their builds, and have manage to keep their costs well below the average. Only they could tell you what their actual costs are, due to the extreme variances in what people choose for their cars.

From what I've seen, you have some who say that they can build the GTM in the low 40's (including bodywork and paint). Personally, I find that very hard to believe, unless they are doing Body/Paint, themselves, and they got a great deal on the donor and transaxle. A 40k budget would also leave very little for engine / transaxle rebuild, if necessary.

I am currently in the low to mid 70's on mine, and still have a little to go. This is partially due to the fact that I've replaced quite a lot of the donor parts with "New". Crate Engine, Wiring Harness, and tons of Aftermarket / Forum Vendor parts, that I would highly recommend.

I am guessing that the median cost the GTM is somewhere in the mid 50's to low 60's for the car that you described in your post.

Good luck with your build.

[Flamshackle]

wow ;)

Thanks so much for the awesome info and directions guys. Stig have you got a build blog?

I have only really ever owned and built subaru race cars so the 818 is a more natural choice for me but the GTM is just so damn awesome looking I cant go past it... hmmmm...

Hmmmm I think with this info I will have to resign myself to lurk around these forums and gather information till the 818 is production ready, then ill be able to make a better informed decision from there.

[Flamshackle]

Instead of starting another thread can I just ask a couple more questions to those that have the knowlege... I am sorry if its a common question but I am weighing up my options before I settle on either a GTM or the 818.

1) Whats the resale market like for the GTM? I see the one below on ebay right now and thats a large asking price!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Replica-Kit-Makes-GT-Malan-Factory-Five-GTM-based-GT-Malan-turbo-exotic-supercar-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a67677e4aQQitemZ25084 2938954QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks

2) Do they hold their price as they get older or are the gen 1's less valuable now with the gen 2's on the scene

3) ride height... In my city over the last year (Christchurch New Zealand) we have suffered over 7000 earth quakes 7.1 two 6.3's and a bunch over 5.4 and thousands of small shocks. this has left our roads in ruins. to the point where a GTM would not be able to drive around our broken streets. Has anyone had remote height adjustable suspension installed? I would imagine this would allow the car to summit speed bumps in your country?

[Kalstar]

Depends on how you plan and what you want. I am shooting for a very low build cost but I am not the norm. My GTM is about 60% completed but all needed parts have been purchased. I will be below 30K not including labor. I have spent years collection parts and building vendor relationships. I have mastered the art of pinching a penny. I purchased a donor very right, parted the donor for not only free GTM parts but a real profit, I purchased a second hand kit for $15,000 with lots of new parts and found a used G50 for under $2500. The major parts (kit, trans, donor Vette, wheels) came in at just over 23K but after I sold off the unneeded donor parts my costs dropped below 12K. As for ride height, seek out Ironman on this forum, he has come up with a niffty way to change the height on the fly. IMO the Gen 1-2 are worth nearly the same. Once more Gen2 are completed then maybe a small gap but nothing earth shaking (pun intended). Yes the GTM will be much harder to build but anything worth having is worth the extra effort. I would say the average GTM is worth in the 45-50K range with some fetching much higher numbers. The end product will dictate value but the price will depend on much more than the the sum of its parts. BTW, on the other forum I am Fuzzyjk.

Welcome to the madness.

Jim

[The Stig]

wow ;)

Thanks so much for the awesome info and directions guys. Stig have you got a build blog?



Flamshackle,

I don't have a dedicated build log for my GTM. I have the website, but have not had the time to put towards building the site as I wouild like to.

This thread has pictures of the body as it goes through bodywork and paint. There are also a few pictures of the chassis / drive train.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?506-More-progress-made-on-the-body :)

Take Care.

[spytech]

For a pretty detailed build log google 'gtm supercar build log'. Has a lot of stuff there.

[Flamshackle]

Flamshackle - Your best bet would be to check out the Australian distributor for FFR (Chris). They will know more.

can you give me his details??? I am keen to discuss this further with him...

[claybags]

Contact Information:
Component Cars Australia
142 Russell Road, Morley (6062)
Perth, Western Australia
0420 360 891
chris.canning17@gmail.com

That should give you a start!
Cheers, Jeff

[Flamshackle]

thanks Clay :)

just after I posted this I found it... sorry if I asked a dumb question.