How Much Did Yours Cost?

[Guest Ant]

Since I started driving my 2B around the number one question which people keep asking me is "How much did it cost?". I even had some guy asking me this in a queue of traffic on the QMC Island in Nottingham on Friday night!

 

So, in order to answer this question, and for my own curiosity, I spent a few hours yesterday adding up all the receipts which I've been stuffing into a drawer for the last 15 months.

 

The full gory details are on the expenses spreadsheet on my web page, but the summary is as follows:

 

The whole 2B building experience has cost me £5735.99

 

Of this £4494.16 was spent directly on the car.

 

The difference between these figures is £95 on "transport" (most of which was van hire on collection day), £691.99 on government fees such as SVA tests, MOT, tax, insurance and registration fees. £67.31 on "consumables" such as drill bits and masking tape. £352.54 on tools and garage equipment, and finally £36.99 on a couple of books.

 

Has anyone else done any analysis like this? Has anyone else dared to add up every receipt from their 2B? How did I do?

 

Ant

[Guest Petemate]

Hi Ant

Interesting one - I've not kept receipts for everything as some purchases have been on a "cash mate?" basis with no record. However, I've kept a written record of every purchase (with the exception of books and tools/equip't etc, as I would have bought most of this anyway in the maintenance of the family transport).

Including the purchase of the (abandoned project) kit, my total outlay so far has been £3,007. Of this, the kit & donor bits was £2,250 and the transportation (petrol going to Kings Lynn from Oxford to look, and van hire/deisel going to get it the following week) £175, the rest "sundries". I'm hoping for a figure below £3,500 including SVA etc, though this of course depends on the number of retests.

I'm not going to include tax/ins, as once the Hood is registered AND proved to be reliable (!) the (Banham Don...) Metro will go, leaving the Hood my regular transport.

Time will tell!

Regards,

Pete(Oldgit)

[Guest TerryBarry]

I've got a little file of additional expenses - it's mounting up nicely.

I really love the estimated £20 on sundries as given for the Sub K on the front page of the brochure.

I've spent more than that on rivets.

Having said that it's still about on my original estimate - I know what you need to pay for all those little bits like proper electrical connectors.

I know that by the time I've finished it, I could have bought a decent s/h MR2 or MX5 but where's the fun in that (He lies)

Terry

[Guest Battery Bill]

We have a costs page on our website, But I have not dared to total everything up yet.

We dont really count things like "The engine hoist" which we ended up buying rather than hiring (£45 to hire £130 to buy) this can and will be used for future jobs as well, or the odd tool to replace a broken one as again these would have had to be got anyway.

Mind you its lucky none of us include Man hours in our final total, else the cost would be quite scary.

[Guest Ant]

My next job is to add up the hours. Again, they're all (approximately) recorded. I reckon it's well over 1000, but that's only a guess really.

 

Ant

[Guest TerryBarry]

Hi Ant,

I'd love to see those time figures in two columns

Thinking & Doing

Cheers,

Terry

[Guest Feek]

I'm only halfway (optimist) through my build, and have still got to get the one or two hours from May/June up on the website, but I've been keeping an "as-I-go" tally of the hours of fun, and the sprinkling of crisp tenners waved at various emporia.

 

Build time

Build cost

 

Before I started, I tried to think of what tools I'd really need and couldn't. So, I thought I'd also keep a record of what I used.

 

Tools

 

Jeez, this list making is sounding really sad, verging on obsessive/dangerous, isn't it...?

 

Well, there you go, you can laugh at the poor choice of tools, slow progress, and over-paying!

 

At least I'm having fun. No, honest!

 

F.

[Guest Guy]

My original budget was for £2000 to build the car. This was based on the original 'one kit + one donor' aproach as advertised by Robin Hood in the broshure.

 

But I realy am building 'on a budget', I've got young children and I'm the soul bred winner in the family so I HAVE to keep costs down, it's either that or its no car.

 

I recon that my car will cost £2500 in parts. This includes the stainless body and a hood. It may not be the high quality of some of the cars I've seen at the shows but It'll go and it's all mine.

 

One big problem I've got at the moment is we're planning to move house, the kit will be finished soon and I recon it'll be worth around 3K. I don't want to sell it but family come first.

 

 

 

I think I need a hug!

[Guest Paul S Usowicz]

Hi All

 

Like Guy (above) I am also building a Sub-K. Forget the £1350 build cost! I started with a budget of £2000 to get it on the road then soon increased it to £3000. So far I have spent £2600 and I haven't even got the engine running!!!!

 

I reckon that my on-the-road price (i.e. SVA and 1 years tax) will cost about £3500. I do not include hours, tools or sundries. I do include anything that becomes part of the car.

 

When I have finished the build I will put the Excel spreadsheet on my website.

 

Cheers

Paul S Usowicz

[Guest Ant]

Interesting responses.

 

I've also started logging my fuel consumption, and there's a spreadsheet of this on my web page too now. Just one thing to be aware of ... I did about 200 miles post SVA with a broken speedo ... and I've only recorded three mileages so far ... but keep looking - it will be accurate from here on, and given that I'm driving 50 miles a day to work and back, it'll soon get filled up.

 

Ant

[ibrooks]

Well guys - my 2b owes me about 3k. I think that once through SVA it will have cost around £3500 including test fees - not bad methinks since it has new separate smiths guages and fancy Corbeau seats which account for £600 of that.

 

And now to upset you all - my S7 cost me £750 plus about £90 in fuel and trailer hire to get it home. I've spent a little under £40 on bits (timing belt water pump and suchlike). It should be going for it's MOT next week.

 

Don't you just hate people like me

 

I want to have it at Harrogate but since the DVLA reckon it could be 4 weeks until I get the docs (and I haven't to start chasing them until 6 weeks) I may not have been able to get a tax disc by then. Don't you just love a system where you can't comply with the law because the authority are too slow with the paperwork :angry:

 

Iain

[Guest Jeff Druce]

My 2b was £3000 including SVA and Reg. But please do not tell the wife how much I have spent since then on upgrades LOL

 

jeff

[Guest Taffy Rob]

Hmmm, dont feel too bad now!!!

My 2B (stainless, wishbones, full weather gear and luggage rack) cost me £3,300 including SVA and Reg but not including tax and insurance, my hours however were into 600 odd

[Guest paul mercer]

i've just a rough tally in my head of the major parts. ie, kit, engine, wheels, donor, gauges etc. i'm up to £7000ish. this doesn't include all the 'other' bits i've bought. Ill be surprised if i've done less than £10000. i'm not going to add up all the receipts till the first day i drive it!!!

 

i don't think anything will wipe the smile off my face that day.

[Guest daveg]

Paul

 

i'm not going to add up all the receipts till the first day i drive it!!!

 

Exactly my philosophy

 

Richard quotes £20 for paint somewhere I have spent at least £400 on paint

 

And tools...Richard says "you have the tools in the shed" but I recon I have spent £800+ on tools....

 

At least the donor only costs £40

 

Dave