kit building a caterham costs

[JeffC]

A friend of mine is considering building an R400 duratec from a starter kit later this year and trying to work out costs so there is no surprises as from experience its all the bits you forget about that add up!

So does anyone have a spreadsheet they could email me listing individual costs for a complete build?

thanks in advance.

[one eyed mick]

Old saying If you need to ask how much it is ,you probably cannot afford it any way !!

[Markp13]

one eyed mick said:

Old saying If you need to ask how much it is ,you probably cannot afford it any way !!

The most ridiculous saying there is!! Often conveyed by the smug.

I'm afraid I can't help you, but I'm sure someone on here can. There is a wealth of knowledge in this section.

[harry b]

one eyed mick said:

Old saying If you need to ask how much it is ,you probably cannot afford it any way !!

That is helpfull.
There are actually people who work hard for their money and try to realize their dream without feeling the need to drop their savings in a money burning machine.

Major things will be known when you buy the kit, chassis, bodywork, engine, gearbox etc etc.
I have the experience that most hidden costs can be found in the way you plumb things, for instance, rubber hoses vs silicone.
Eaton plumbing can cost up to GBP 1000 or more for the caterham.
Wiring loom can be held simple or if you go bezerk get up to GBP2400 if, like on my car, have a fully sealed Raychem loom with sealed connectors.
Just determine how "perfect" you expect the car to be.
I also think with the current climate, it could be more advantage to buy a used car, and beef that up.

I don't have a spreadsheet, but did the same as you, made a listing of the costs involved. Nothing wrong with that.

[pipnjones]

My heart skipped a beat there when you wrote about hidden costs when building a kit, but I think I have been misled by not recognising the difference between a starter kit and a"kit". I am expecting my kit to be everything I need apart from the liquid bits, plus tools, of course.

But I will wait with bated breath until it is made clear that a starter kit is the bare bones without engine, etc.

Fingers crossed...

[DCL]

I built a R400 from a complete kit. I did contemplate going the 'starter' route and did some research. But, having scratch built cars in the past, I came to the conclusion that you get what you pay for and the cars do represent value for money.

If building cars is your thing and you enjoy spending time sourcing parts you may be able to do it cheaper, but if you want quick results and are going source components through Caterham you will pay more than a genuine R400 for a car that will be worth less.

If money is tight, then rebuild a second hand car - at least you'll have a complete set of parts.

Good luck with whatever route you go!

[pipnjones]

Phew. (pulse slips back to a normal range). My kit arrives in March.

[JeffC]

one eyed mick said:

Old saying If you need to ask how much it is ,you probably cannot afford it any way !!

that"s actually quite amusing if you had met this guy, money seriously isnt an issue with him in fact without going into his financial status you really could not be further off the mark! but as most wealthy people he hasnt got it by wasting it, ive explained that buying used is going to be cheaper, I have even offered to sell him mine but he wants to build his own from a starter kit , I"ve owned over a dozen 7s myself but have no experience of building from scratch so i cant advise him on costs, Ive looked on Caterham's site and have an email of price list from parts dept for starter kit which I see comes panelled with brake lines pedals and wiring harness / instruments.

Ideally would be great If someone could send me a spread sheet that has built a car this way , my pal will prob over spec the car but would be good to see where the money goes on a basic build.

thanks for the input so far.

[harry b]

pipnjones said:

Phew. (pulse slips back to a normal range). My kit arrives in March.

Breathe in...... Breath out..........Breathe in...... Breath out..........

[one eyed mick]

Very deep pockets are a big help, I didn't intend to knock any one with my previous post ,but I tend to work a the other end of the scale and tend to research the need for as much as the cost of ,apologies for ruffles

[one eyed mick]

Markp13 said:

The most ridiculous saying there is!! Often conveyed by the smug.

I'm afraid I can't help you, but I'm sure someone on here can. There is a wealth of knowledge in this section.

Smug far from it Markp13 just on a tight budget!!!

[Markp13]

one eyed mick said:

Smug far from it Markp13 just on a tight budget!!!

Aren't we all, but just because you ask the price of something doesn't mean you can't afford it. That's absurd.

There also a difference between "afford" and "justify". The latter which is holding me back at the minute. Just too many other bills.

I will one day own one though and the knowledge on here will help me choose the beastie.

Anyway....

X

[Markp13]

one eyed mick said:

Smug far from it Markp13 just on a tight budget!!!

Aren't we all, but just because you ask the price of something doesn't mean you can't afford it. That's absurd.

There also a difference between "afford" and "justify". The latter which is holding me back at the minute. Just too many other bills.

I will one day own one though and the knowledge on here will help me choose the beastie.

Anyway....

X

[PhilipRJ]

Hope this helps, we're 75% through building a 1.4 Classic.

On top of the basic kit cost.
Options that we chose:
Windscreen which comes with doors and roof whether you like it or not. £980
Paint £1200
Lowered floors £340
Heater £288
Leather seats (because they'll get wet) £485


Delivery £200 (30 miles away)

Then tools, about £300 so far

Oil, brake fluid, coolant, gearbox / diff oil £60

Transport back to Catetham for post build check £200 (30 miles)

IVA test £450

Getting Caterham to do the IVA £425 (you can do this yourself)

First registration and Road Tax £185 or £270 depending in <> 1549cc

Engine hoist hire and sling £60

About £75 for garage floor paint to entertain you while you wait 5 months for delivery !

Cups of tea for the other owners that turn up to help you put the differential in, priceless !

I'm building ours with my 13yr old son, the enjoyment that we've already had out has been excellent and there's more to come.

Good luck.

Edited by PhilipRJ on Tuesday 17th January 18:23

[mickrick]

Why build it from a starter pack? A starter pack is basicaly a panelled chassis with harness and gauges.
If you then buy the various starter packs, it will work out more expensive than just buying a knock down kit.
Unless of course he wants to use a lot of bespoke stuff.

I bought a starter pack myself, mainly because I couldn't affort a complete kit, or couldn't justify shelling out that much in one go, and I wasn't going to use a lot of the standard CC parts.
The biggest problem I've found is getting the correct parts from CC. I found this very frustrating, as at one point I had 5 deliveries in a row that where wrong! In fact I stopped counting the amount of wrong parts I recieved.
If money isn't a problem, tell him to buy a knock down kit, and he can sell the stuff he doesn't use.

[c6Andy]

A few years old but I believe that this was what you were originally after:

http://www.tripleeracing.co.uk/academy2004/archive...

Adds up to around £640 (tools, fluids, etc..) some of which are optional.

[clarkey]

The only unusual tools you need are a 41mm socket (for the hub nuts on the back) and a cut down allen key (to fill the gearbox I think). Other tools are in most people's tool boxes.
Other than that, additional costs are:
Oils - engine, diff, gearbox. I seem to remember an R500 with a dry sump, oil cooler and apollo tank takes far more Mobil 1 than you can imagine. Posh gear oil is also expensive.
Antifreeze. Not cheap if you go for something posh like water wetter
Various greases - bearing grease, copperslip
Loctite
Silicon
Masking tape
number plates
Adhesive for mudguards
First registration fee
Whatever the SVA test is called now
Engine crane hire
Petrol

That's about it I think. Not too bad.

[JeffC]

thanks for the input, I was really after a spreadsheet of all the components required to build the car and prices if someone had kept an itemised list.

[downsman]

I can't help with a Caterham specific spreadsheet, but Complete Kitcar have a general one you can download from the menu on the left side of their home page.
I hope this helps.

[Supra Chewie]

When I finished doing a carbs-to-throttle bodies conversion I totted up the extra cost in swirl pots, filters, brackets, fuel hose, connectors, jubilee clips, pop rivets, wiring terminals, heat shrink, relays, fuses, fuses box, sealant, sealant, replacing tools, drills, plasters, swarfega. It all added up to over £400. Lesson to be learnt - avoid Demon Tweeks!