Have I mentioned the budget for this project?  The reality is, I can’t afford to have someone build the car for me and thankfully I prefer to do it myself anyway.  Buying the latest parts at full price is also out of the question.  So that means I try to find great deals and shop the sales as often as possible.  Buying excellent used parts is definitely in the cards and you meet some cool folks who are into the same stuff that way. 

Originally, I thought I’d set a realistic $20,000 budget which included the car and making it look good, drive great and ride well.  I easily could have done that with this car.  After buying the car, paying tax and taking care of the shipping, I still had nearly $5,000 to spend to make the “budget”.  But the more I thought about it, that seemed like such an arbitrary limitation and all too often leads to cutting corners and compromises. 

As a result, the budget approach just doesn’t work for me so I’m ditching it and going with a “cashflow” model that will allow me to optimize my spending as resources are available.  This approach will provide me with the ability to build the car the way I want, with the parts I want. No artificial limits or self-imposed restrictions. 

My overall philosophy for this project is pretty straightforward: 

DREAM BIG, BUILD SMART

Focus on the dream, plan accordingly and 

treat every purchase like an investment

 

This doesn’t mean I have the ability, means or desire to spend freely on this project.  Instead, it means I will manage costs by ensuring every part is well thought-out, fully researched and purchased for the best possible price – new or used. 

There are a lot of great vendors out there that I fully support and appreciate the sales they run, free shipping they offer and great service they provide.  I’m happy to provide them with my business in exchange for great prices and I’m hopeful they are still able to turn a reasonable profit along the way. 

So with my philosophy in place, it’s off to the Internet, time to start building relationships with the local businesses and scouring Craigslist for neighborhood deals.  I’ll try to provide updates on how well I’m doing along the way.  Wish me luck.