[Boudy]

BT Snake: Good question. It's interesting that the first question I get is always, "Is it a kit?" Since I represent a car that isn't offered as a kit, my answer is always, "No, it's a factory built replica." I guess it comes down to what that means.

Is it factory built or manufacturer built?

A factory is a dedicated sole purpose facility. A true factory built car would be built in one of these facilities with assembly line proceedures and quality control measures in place. I don't think crast test data has anything to do with weather a car is factory built or not, though.

A manufacturer built car, which also benefits from calling cars factory built, is built in a facility dedicated to producing and shipping kits. The one I visited would clean out a bay and grab one of the guys to bolt one together. How your car was bolted together depends on who was chosen that time. This type of car could have inconsistantcies and quality control isssues.

All in all, the whole thing is to ensure the customer that the car was built with some sort of quality control standards. Kits are great, but if you're in the market, you have no way to know who built the car or to what standards. I've seen finished kits that were so nice that it was unbelievable. But then there are a few death traps out there as well.

Also, there is the warranty issue. Now that so many cars are being built and not being shipped as kits, customers are able to receive warranties. A guy who wants to build his own car could care less, but to others, it's a plus.

Again, good thread. I look forward to hearing some other opinions.

Boudy