818 N/A opinion wanted.

[wallace18]

I have ordered a 818S that I have a 2002 WRX donor. I have documented this work in working on the donor thread. This car is for myself. I would like people in this forum for their opinion on if a 818S N/A built would sell for 16K. The reason I ask is I am retired ASE mechanic, Electrician and ex IMSA/Nascar builder-driver. I can pick up some N/A donors fairly cheap and sell one for 16K easy. I would like to do this for a partial hobby. I enjoy building cars and thought this may be a good way to have fun and make a little or break even money. I would not do it to make much profit. More for the fun of it. I would use my 818 as a show car to let folks see the car if they wanted to have me build one. Do you think there would be anyone interested in a N/A for 16K?

I value your opinion on this. Thanks. Wallace18:rolleyes::confused:

[wleehendrick]

I have two concerns regarding those looking to purchase a turn-key, rather than build their own kit:

First, is the expectation on fit and finish; all of us on the board here are aware of the limitations of a kit car, and although we expect FFR to set new standards in this area (and the 818S proto looks great for a bare-bones sports car), the turn-key customer may have a different standard in mind.

The second is registration; this will vary state by state, but also recognize that the turn-key customer may not want to deal with registration hassles, so this will limit your potential market.

That being said, I believe that you could probably sell as many as you could build, assuming your potential customers are on the same page. A NA will be comparable to an Lotus Elise in performance and there's nothing else comparable in the bang/buck range.

[Nuul]

I wouldn't, but I'm a bad example since assembling the car is half the fun for me. Your target demographic is going to be pretty small since not a lot of people can write you a $16K check. If you could get a deal going with a local credit union to finance them I'm sure you could get a ton of business though.

[Oppenheimer]

Try it and see. What is the worst case, you barely break even, maybe lose a little $? You won't lose very much no matter what. Where else can you buy a car that fast, that good looking, for that little?

I say go for it. Build yours, then build the one to sell. Yours driving around generates interest, then you have the one to sell. I say build then sell, rather than build to order. Once established, you can build to order.

[Silvertop]

What Opp said. A good, relatively low-risk approach. Although I have a feeling that you might need to escalate your base price a little. Remember that the $9990 base price will not include the cost of shipping the kit to you.

I think you would find buyers. It's tempting to ME at that price -- though I really want to build my own, and I've already ponied up for an NA Beta Donor Package.

As long as you are not dreaming of making a ton of money doing it, you will almost certainly do OK.

[LesMurray]

So, if I understand you correctly, you are basically looking for $1000 for your labor:

Kit = 9900
Donor = ~5000

Any reduction in donor cost is profit in your pocket. I am assuming shipping would be at the cost of the customer.

[HelluvaEngineer]

So, if I understand you correctly, you are basically looking for $1000 for your labor:

Kit = 9900
Donor = ~5000

Any reduction in donor cost is profit in your pocket. I am assuming shipping would be at the cost of the customer.


I was thinking the N/A donors would be $2,500 to $3,000. But to the OP, I would only do it as long as you are having fun doing it. The way I would do it would be to build one and drive it with a for sale sign. Ask about $20K and then when you sell it, start the next one.

[wallace18]

I have access to some N/A donors in the 2 to 2.5K range. I would do basically what the donor kit site is doing to the parts. I am only wanting 1 to 2K for the build. I have factored in shipping and usual replacement parts, cleaning and painting of donor parts. Like I said before I don't want to get rich just have a hobby I enjoy. I think I am going to buy a N/A donor and keep it. Then after my car is done I will build a base model to sell. The buyer could upgrade at extra cost if they want to. I'll see how it goes from there. I may judge the interest level at car shows with mine also. I plan on doing it all the way for a show peice to generate interest. Thanks so far for the posts. Lots of good ideas. Thanks again.:)

[Bob_n_Cincy]

I think it is a great idea, but it would not happen like you think. Someone will make an offer your car that is to good to turn down. Then you will have to build another one for yourself. Repeat.