[Edley Rondinone]

"Factory-built" (or Manufacturer-built") means it was built by people that are/were paid to build that particular "car." Usually, on an assembly line, the same person puts the same bolts in the same holes every time. Some factories are less assembly-line, in that a group of guys get together and assemble a car, from start to finish, with time "break-ups" to facilitate time-consuming factors, ie painting, wiring, dyno testing, et al. Hopefully, most manufacturers have some sort of QC on that line. A LOT of variables involved here. In some, if not most instances, a "factory-built" car IS built to a higher standard of quality. AND, in some cases, a "home-built" (NOT home-made!) car is built to a higher standard of quality, due to the unlimited amount of labor that the home-builder is able to donate to the cause. All in all, factory-built usually means professionally-built.