Hello, Joel Roth
I had to make repairs to a SAS car that was fresh out of their shop, and that had a horrible story. I would not recommend them to anyone.
That being said I noticed your statement about $40K plus being expensive. Let me give you a little in site on cost to build a car here on the west cost new.
Build would be an Speedster with a 2110cc engine 4 speed built trans, and a Mendeola chassis with CoolStop Disc brakes. This is a mid to upper level performance build.
All new engine 2110cc turnkey......................$9500
Pro-street 4 speed trans.................................$1500 add $3000 for a entry level 5 sp
Mendeola front & rear suspension kits........$5700
CoolStop brakes 4 piston four wheel brakes....$2700
Donor car for pan and paperwork......................$2000
Cost to build chassis into roller state.................$4000
Basic wheel package.............................................$1500
Body kit assembled not painted..........................$5000
Paint and body......................................................$8000
Interior basic w/gauges, Nardi steering wheel...$5000
Wiring harness, lights and switches.....................$1000
Glass windshield and top......................................$1100
Finish wiring and assembly of vehicle.................$6000
Total of above........................$53,000 add $3k- 8k for five speed transaxle.
For less power and drive ability you can opt. for a 1600cc and basic suspension and brakes. If so you can most likely get it done for .......$36-$40k on the west coast.
If you want to go Subaru powered final price will be slightly higher.
You'll notice this is a basic estimate just off the top of my head and I'm sure I have forgotten something. Building any car is not easy on the pocket book, however in the end you get what you dreamed of, and not someone else's dream.
So buying used will save you a lot of money if you can drive someone else's dream. If you chose to buy used, do yourself a valuable thing and have ANY car checked out by a third party professional to make sure it is a good investment. I have seen some cars that should not be on the road due to safety issues, and poor workmanship. Some of these cars came from people who the buyer personally knew. Money makes people do bad things, otherwise known as the root of all evil.
If you need any help you can always reach my through my website via email. www.CoolRydesCustoms.com