Hi gang.
Here’s my story. I’m 43 and have wanted to build my own car ever since I saw a sexy FFR roadster ad in the back of Popular Mechanics or some similar magazine. While I don’t remember exactly, it was probably during my teenage years…back when I spent more than a few hours contemplating the improbable thing that was the Lamborghini Countach.
Building my own car always seemed like an impossible dream, but this past winter I took some extra time off work and stumbled on one of those ads again. I told my wife that I’d always wanted to build a car and she said I should put together a budget and then give it a shot. At this point, the only possible car for me was the 818. Its price point was low enough to be feasible for us. I summoned all the fortitude I could muster, then began to dream about the idea. I trolled the forum a bit and began to get really excited about the possibility. Eventually, I started gathering info and decided I’d give it a go. There really was no reason to wait. This was (and remains) a completely impractical decision. As you all know, there are fantastic cars out there ready for purchase. Why build your own? Did I mention, my wife also had me make a list of all the reasons why? (I am married to an amazing woman.)
Here are a few of the goals I came up with:
- Learn new skills - welding, assembly, fab, paint, wiring, all sorts of other things
- Spend time together with my kids - show them that the complex things around them are really just combinations of simple things
- Solve problems together
- Have the satisfaction of doing a good job
- Build a working car
- Have fun with the research, decisions, build, and driving
- Stretch goal - build a car that I will want to drive regularly
I’ve got 4 kids aged 10 to 15. Our house is busy, but my wife is behind this and will be helping me keep at it. To some degree, this will be a family project. At least, that’s my hope. We’ll see which of the kids jump in and participate.
While I’m a pretty handy guy, I am definitely not a “car guy.” I change my own oil and have done some very minor bolt-on mods, but for the most part, I’ve left my cars as is. Professionally, I am an engineer, but more of a generalist. Home renovation doesn’t scare me in the least, but mechanical assemblies with fine tolerances are a different beast altogether. All this to say, I’m in way over my head and am going to need lots of help from people on this forum and elsewhere. I’m learning to ask for help more easily. And it was quickly apparent reading this forum that you guys are a great resource and support. I’m thinking particularly about the encouragement many of you have offered to Frank818 during his recent challenges.
Frank, if you’re reading this, please know your perseverance is an inspiration to people like me who are far less skilled and ambitious than you. Keep pressing on. You’ve got lots of folks that believe in you.
I’ve also been grateful for the kindness shown to me by Bob_n_Cincy. I contacted him many months ago about his experiences with insurance and a teenager. As I mentioned before, my oldest is 15 and is on the cusp of earning his provisional license here in NM. I have many more good things to say about Bob, but I’ll save those for another thread.
Anyway, thank you all for your willingness to share your knowledge & experience on this forum. People like me wouldn’t have the guts to try this without people like you.
-fletch
