geek49203 wrote:
Sting --
Do us a favor and, as a business practice, charge enough to stay in business? The "kit car" world is littered with folks who weren't profitable, then provided crappy products that they couldn't hope to support, then one day the vanished, taking order money with them.
Jack McCornack and I had this conversation years ago (before I nkew his background), and Jack assured me that yeah, he intended on doing just that. And Jack's still around.
I'm an IT guy, and in my first job I did phone support for HP home computers. (This is in the day when I didn't need a foreign accent to do that work.) We had one piece of software on an otherwise very solid machine that caused 1/3 of all of our phone calls. Conversely, Packard Bell had a return rate of over 50% at times because they weren't good to begin with, and those phone lines always had 2+ hour queues. So my take-away -- build a good product to begin with. And, like HP back in the day, be profitable to fix things with ease when they go wrong.
Thank you for your suggestions Tim. I totally agree with you about the dubious history of kit cars. Especially those that are underfunded and relied on customer deposits to support them.
Here is a little about me:
I've been in continuous business since 1987. I've made my living by inventing simple things and licensing them for royalties or having them manufactured and marketed. I've never had employees. I have always contracted for everything. I pretty much haven't had to work since 1993.
I've always been mechanically inclined and have been a total car freak. My dad took me to a Can Am race at Riverside in the 60's. We sat on a hill and watched the race. I became hooked. In the 90's I looked at building a Kit Car. I wanted something different and I wanted something that had some performance to it. Not a VW powered looking super car. I built the number 9 Beck Lister.
The Lister was nice but I couldn't really fit in it and there were some things that I didn't like. I sold it and started on my quest to build my own car. This car, I think, is the 14th that I've worked on creating. I wanted it to have classic, timeless looks. Offer great performance due to light weight, a stiff chassis, and good suspension. I wanted it to use parts that were relatively inexpensive and readily available. It had to be simple. This car is very simple.
I didn't build this car because I wanted to have another business. I built it just for me. As I've shared my build on some different car forums and to people I know I've received some very positive reviews. I have a couple of friends and my son that want one. Since it was necessary to have molds and jigs made for them it meant that I had a way to reproduce it. I think it would be cool to see if anyone else would like to have one. I'm thinking this can be a fun way to fill up my days. Going to shows and communicating with other enthusiasts is something I like doing.
I know that $6800 is an aggressive price. (It probably will be limited time special). I'm hoping that it will entice some buyers and will get the car out there and seen. I'm not going to pay for marketing. I'll do it through on line marketing, press releases, and by word of mouth. What the price doesn't cover is my expenses and time to create it. That I was doing for myself. So, I'm happy to pass that on.
Since I'm financially stable I don't need to take deposits. I'm planning on having a couple bodies and frames on hand. If they sell I'll make more. I'll sell them on a first come basis. Customers can pay for them in full upon taking possession. (or shipped)
I'm not going to do custom modifications. This will keep costs down. The body and frame are quality pieces. I wouldn't sell them if I weren't confident in that.
I'm going to try and modify an MGB soft top to fit my body. It already fits the windshield! Future projects include offering a spoiler, and a removable hard top.
I'm using a Chevy factory crate engine. A 350HO to be exact. It's 333hp and has Vortec heads. 333hp isn't crazy HP but in this light of a car it will be plenty. I'm having mandrel bent headers and side pipes custom made. I'll offer them to customers.
I appreciate every ones input and suggestions.