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Thread: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

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    Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    Good morning from sunny Surrey, I have been looking at LB for quite some time now and finally getting to the point of seriously looking into everything.

    I know it's a very vague question, but what kind of money are you looking at to complete a build?

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    SEC Member LPH_UK's Avatar
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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    Welcome!

    How long is a piece of string?

    If I admitted what I'd spent on mine so far you'd all think I'l lost the plot! But I have done lots of custom stuff.

    If I were to pull a figure out of the air for a car with a donor engine that didn't have a rebuild and a paint job (not Gel coat) finished to a good standard £40k absolute min all in? I thought mine might cost me about £45k when I started out. Lets just say that figure is well and truly in the rear view mirror

    People will tell you that you can build a GT40 Rep for £55k but speak to those who have build them, and built them to a high standard, and you're looking closer to £90k.

    The details that make a build stand out as top quality can get very expensive. What I'm saying here is that within reason you can set the overall costs by the choices you make.
    Last edited by LPH_UK; 14-05-2019 at 12:25.

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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    I don't think anyone can accurately answer your question unless you were to spell out an exact specification for your car.
    And then they could only answer if they had built the same spec recently.
    Leigh is right, unless you are extremely lucky in picking up a part built at a good price, to buy either current kit new and build any decent spec car £40 k should be considered a minimum.

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    SEC Member Stratos Fear's Avatar
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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    any decent spec car £40 k should be considered a minimum.
    - but the good news is that you dont have to spend it all up-front ! Depending on how long you take to build it, the cost can be spread over several years - it also depends on how much your other half is involved in the finances !

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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    Thanks guys
    Fortunately the other half is my girlfriend, not my wife, so can hide what I spend! Hahahahaha!
    I had a figure of about 45K in mind, so sounds do-able. Might also down grade on my daily, sell my bit of fun (Euro 205 Rallye) and kind of adds up financially ( he says trying to convince himself! )
    I have been looking at donor cars, are any of the 3.2 Alfas suitable? Or are there ones to avoid?
    Another problem is choosing what I want to end up with! I love the madness of the Alitalia liveried cars with all the lamps as well, but also love the fairly simple Red one on the LB site Hmmmmmmm

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    SEC Member renmure's Avatar
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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    It's a good question and encourages a bit of realism.

    Putting aside the question of engine & gearbox, where I guess the price range can go from simply transplanting a £500 donor engine all the way up to whatever the cost of a rebuilt Alfa on ITBs is or even whatever a crate or 2nd hand supercharged Evora engine is, where are the other key points for deciding whether you are doing a cheaper or more expensive build?

    Paint v no paint I guess?
    Upgraded dampers or standard?
    Upgraded brakes or standard?
    Level of interior trim?
    Rally bits or not? (light pod, driving lights, roof scoop, chin spoiler)
    Stradale or GP4 body which may influence the instrument cost?
    Wheel options?
    Tyre options?
    Air con or not?
    DIY build or factory build?
    Others?

    I got into this Stratos thing after seeing the Autocar video review where Steve Sutcliffe gave the impression that you could build your own car for about £30k or the factory could build you one for about £40k. That was in 2013. Not sure how realistic that was even back then (genuine question, I don't know) but it was the main thing that drew me in at the time and led me to believe it could be a fairly cheap way of getting a pretty special car. I'm now older, wiser .... and likely to be much poorer. On the flip side, when you see how much demand outstrips supply (3 year wait for a turnkey car) and the consequential robust 2nd hand prices ("kit cars" selling for more than build costs) then it's not exactly a daft way to spend money.

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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    Yes, great piece on the Stratos that, the best bit about it is my Girlfriend has watched it, that's all she needs to know about the cost
    How far through the build do you need the donor car?
    I have a feeling I will end up opting for a fair few of the upgraded parts :/
    Have tried contacting LB but no reply as yet

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    SEC Member ChrisCar6's Avatar
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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    Partly depends on how much you do yourself and how much you have to pay someone else to do - so skills/tools/facilities have a bearing. Not many people can, I suspect, do all of the paintwork, wiring, mechanical rebuilds, upholstery, fabricating and welding themselves to the standard they wish it to be. It also depends on how you are going to treat it after it's finished - thrash it on track days, risk crashes on rallies (ahem!), polish it on car show stands etc. If you're going to risk it, spend less on it in the first place. I have not been following current costs closely, but I guess I wouldn't start a build without preparing myself for at least a £45k commitment.
    Things have moved on from the Spanner with a Hammer in a Garage in Nuneaton, or whatever Clarkson said.
    Last edited by ChrisCar6; 14-05-2019 at 18:46.

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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    It's impossible to give a figure for a completed car, because 1) what with the wait for a kit, plus the time it takes to build it, any costs will only rise in the meantime; and 2) whatever spec you decide on now, you'll change (look at Leigh's build - he could have probably bought an original Stratos for less than he's spent so far, and he's not finished yet...)
    What Jim said, about Autocar 6 years ago saying "build one for £30K", was probably not far off correct, but things have changed massively since. Alfa V6 donor cars have risen dramatically, the parts to rebuild said motors aren't cheap, LB's prices have risen (they had to, they were too cheap), their trimmers are more expensive (but much, much better), etc. etc... A current LB can easily be taken for a proper production car, and that's as it should be, because it's a serious motor, which (along with the Hawk) is starting to be taken seriously by moneyed classic car enthusiasts - look at Nick's blue car at Stoneleigh, which sold for well over £50K.

    My advice would be to decide what sort of car you want to build (2.5 Alfa, up to supercharged Exige), paint or not, blah blah blah, then speak to Craig or Lydia who'll give you the current state of the game. £45K? Maybe, just maybe, but I'd allow another 5 to 10K on top to make sure it's a car you'll be happy with - no point doing it as cheap as poss and then being miserable cos what you really wanted was one with... you get the picture!

    I'm not saying what mine will likely come out at when it's finished, but let's just say it's already more than I've ever paid for a car...but I was determined to do it the way I wanted, and do it right. Also as Jim says, it'll be worth, and continue to be worth, a shedload of moolah as long as originals are priced in the, er...stratosphere... ...so not a bad place to keep your dosh. So have fun speccing it out, then get the word from The Peeps at the Factory

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    Re: Good morning, finally paid my money and joined for real :)

    Agree with all points and to summarise, firstly and I think most important be clear on why you want to build one, initial budget and your vision of build timeline, then form an idea of spec you want, understand your own capabilities. Once this is clear in your mind have a chat with the team at LB, they are after all the experts on their product.

    Having done all that trust me your heart will tend to rule your head over time once the chassis arrives and build progresses, you will have another look at the options list and may evolve your original vision. Keep grounded have a realistic budget and a plan b budget that you can spend over time if needed. Happy building it’s a great experience and a great product ������

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