[jps]

A lot of good points here. I was in a good financial position myself when I started as I had a chunk of money saved already (mainly as I thought i'd be buying a kit. As it was I bought an 'abandoned project' from someone else - they'd got as far as rolling chassis and had a pile of bits, some of which have turned out to be spare (as you have discovered to your benefit!), so even some bits of the package I bought are being sold to fund the build.

I also looked at the cost before I really started - as I wanted to be honest with the missus about how much of of our cash was going to end up in the car. £250 is a figure from the 1980s, and unless you are somehow in a position where you can use your contacts to make serious savings (a lot of guys seem to work in a field that allows them to get work done free or cheaply - or use tools someone else is paying for, draw on friends who can help them out with materials or - let's be honest - just pinch stuff from work!) I don't think it's off the wall to say that somewhere approaching £5-7k is a good ballpark even for a basic build OTR.

Ideas like 'make your own fibreglass parts' sound good on paper - but small quantities of materials are more expensive and the learning process will probably lead to rejects - so be careful of false economies. Sometimes you are better off paying for expertise & quality. Same applies to tools as Skov has said.

Phil is spot on about effective buying - and effective planning COULD help you to nibble some costs away. Also, retail costs on some items are frankly a joke in my eyes (nuts and bolts are a prime example) so if you can find ways to get stuff like that 'under the counter' or whatever savings are there to be had. It also seems like some guys get a bit 'Del Boy' to fund their builds - i.e. organise 'group buys' and balance it so that they end up getting a good deal for what they need.

Stot is bang on too - think 'Locost' wherever you can if you really want to save money - but accept that may mean delving about in skips and dragging rubbish off the street...

Enochs point about donor parts is also SO true. I could be builidng with Team Dynamics wheels c. £450 for 4. A lot of guys do - but I managed to get some Ford 'baby Cosworth' alloys for £40 for 4. £410 is a big difference! I won't need the wheels for months if not years yet - but the key is to buy when it's cheap - not when you need it.

If you want to finish the build you will - saving up the cash might just be the thing that dictates how long it takes!