First Car Build - Is it that easy?
Discussion
Hi all.
I am looking at the possibility of building an Ultima, with a view of placing the order next summer.
This will be my first build. I have the price list with Pack A and Pack B along with the Options sheet in front of me. It looks like £45k would get me a rolling chassis leaving just the engine to buy when i am trying to add up the essentials offered by Ultima and other sites. This gives me a rough £55k build cost for a running Ultima. Am i far from the mark?
This wouldn't be a hugely quick build, 2 young kids mean time will be evenings mainly in a double garage. I am thinking a couple of years
Is this too much of a challenge for a first time builder?
Thanks
I am looking at the possibility of building an Ultima, with a view of placing the order next summer.
This will be my first build. I have the price list with Pack A and Pack B along with the Options sheet in front of me. It looks like £45k would get me a rolling chassis leaving just the engine to buy when i am trying to add up the essentials offered by Ultima and other sites. This gives me a rough £55k build cost for a running Ultima. Am i far from the mark?
This wouldn't be a hugely quick build, 2 young kids mean time will be evenings mainly in a double garage. I am thinking a couple of years
Is this too much of a challenge for a first time builder?
Thanks
An Ultima is not a difficult build as there is plenty of support from the Factory as well as internet build sites and on here/Facebook.
Your £55k will be a budget build. A top spec RS will be about double that amount!
It is very easy to spend way more than you budget.
Are you building a car to keep or to sell? If building a keeper, then get the bits you can’t change at a later date top spec. You can upgrade the rest at a later date as an ongoing project.
If it is a build to sell then everybody wants top spec = expensive build, with no guarantee of getting all your money back.
Good luck and enjoy.
Your £55k will be a budget build. A top spec RS will be about double that amount!
It is very easy to spend way more than you budget.
Are you building a car to keep or to sell? If building a keeper, then get the bits you can’t change at a later date top spec. You can upgrade the rest at a later date as an ongoing project.
If it is a build to sell then everybody wants top spec = expensive build, with no guarantee of getting all your money back.
Good luck and enjoy.
Have to agree your 55k will fall well short.
I built my GTR in 2003/4 and spent 48k on parts alone.
Whilst an Ultima will not be a difficult build it will be difficult to build to a high standard if it is your first. It needs to be a high standard or you will be a significantly lower its value.
I would have to suggest starting with something lower down the market.
Steve
I built my GTR in 2003/4 and spent 48k on parts alone.
Whilst an Ultima will not be a difficult build it will be difficult to build to a high standard if it is your first. It needs to be a high standard or you will be a significantly lower its value.
I would have to suggest starting with something lower down the market.
Steve
Steve_D said:
..
I would have to suggest starting with something lower down the market.
Steve
Not sure I agree with that. At the very beginning, many years ago, I had a debate with myself building something a bit simpler/easier before building an Ultima as I wondered if it was something I could take on. I would have to suggest starting with something lower down the market.
Steve
I realised that I didn't have that many kit car builds in me; if I had started on something smaller the chances are I would have probably not got to the Ultima build due to lack of time/enthusiasm/money. The ultima was what I wanted and I am glad that I took it on.
As I have said many times to people that ask me (mostly at petrol stations). If you are reasonable practical, have experience in, and not scared of basic car maintenance then you can build one. I also think it's possible to build to a high standard - no doubt it probably requires more thought and laser-like focus if it is your first go, but I believe eminently possible. The 'highness' of the quality of the build is probably more to do with the selection of the components. An LS together with AP brakes and maybe Aircon used to be the qualification for a quality build. But things have moved on... Going off-piste with extra doodads (fancy switchgear and gauges, cameras and 18" subwoofers,...) is where you can go wrong with percieved quality. Stick to the factory recipe...
But agree with the rest, your budget is never big enough and you always spend more than you plan. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that most people probably spend at least 25% more than they plan. Also, don't expect to get your money back.
But then YOU have built one of the fastest supercars out there,. There us great satisfaction in that (at least for me...)
Edited by BogBeast on Wednesday 4th September 21:52
Is it the building of it that you're wanting, or the end result?
If it's the latter, then this looks rather good value based on the info in this thread about cost/budget etc https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2017-Ultima-GTR-6-2-V8-...
If it's the latter, then this looks rather good value based on the info in this thread about cost/budget etc https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2017-Ultima-GTR-6-2-V8-...
Storer said:
Do NOT build a GTR without Aircon.
On a warm day it is only just comfortable with the Aircon flat out!!!!
Yep, agree, wish I had at least provisioned for it. Major job to retrofit.On a warm day it is only just comfortable with the Aircon flat out!!!!
I would also seriously consider a convertible
I was always taken the Le Mans Group C styling of the original Sport (what I built) and determined that I really wanted one of those. Several years of use have made me realise that the convertible (or Canam as it was then) would have been a more usable car for me..
Edited by BogBeast on Saturday 7th September 13:43
“Stick to the factory recipe...”
Hmmm I’d slightly disagree with that. It’s a kit car after all and some of the nicest examples are off piste. There are of course a few horrors too so factory is the safe option (and tbh now with RS body work, big brakes, aim dash, raptor, lt and LS engine etc it’s actually hard to improve without drastic changes and expense imo).
But, if you want to individualise you can, after all if you’re building it, do it how you want it.
Hmmm I’d slightly disagree with that. It’s a kit car after all and some of the nicest examples are off piste. There are of course a few horrors too so factory is the safe option (and tbh now with RS body work, big brakes, aim dash, raptor, lt and LS engine etc it’s actually hard to improve without drastic changes and expense imo).
But, if you want to individualise you can, after all if you’re building it, do it how you want it.
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