818 Donor Kits to be available

[cmcintyre]

Got to the Open House and talked to Andrew and Tim from AJW Performance at their booth. Their site for Donor Kits is

http://www.818donors.com

While the site just came up yesterday, they spoke as if these kits are available now.

A lot of good info from Dave and Jim as well, soon to be posted, I'm sure. If not, I'll add my newbie 2 cents...

[thestigwins]

This is cool, I would love to be able to purchase the necessary pieces without having to deal with tearing apart a donor.

[Xusia]

indeed!

[shim2]

Very cool indeed! I'm pretty curious about price as I haven't yet pulled the trigger on a donor.

[shinn497]

me too, but I can't help but think that those will be more expensive... Here is hoping for price information soon...

[riptide motorsport]

Im sure Cypress auto salvage will provide them ( donor pallet) also as they have beem doing for years for the roadster/////many guys live in HOA's that wont allow donors sitting around.

[07FIREBLADE]

^^^ just moved to such a location. Trying to figure out the donor situation. This would be great for people who don't have the room or time to deal with the donor. Hopefully prices will be available by the time SEMA comes rolling around.

[apexanimal]

their prices on parts aren't too bad...

i would imagine that the staged kits would be a bit more expensive than sourcing it yourself... BUT they do seem to be doing quite a few quality/safety checks on everything for you (comp/leakdown, clutch, oil/filter, blt'd, etc)...

[skullandbones]

That is a fairly attractive alternative. It would fit my needs more than some of you guys since I have almost no hands on experience with this technology. The part that makes me interested is the guarantee. When you get a donor pallet, the condition of the components is the real value or cost issue. It would be one of those cases where you would have to be ready to build. You wouldn't want to waste your guarantee time with the pallet sitting in the garage. One of the stage builds might be the way to go. Prices would be good to know. WEK.

[metalmaker12]

That is a fairly attractive alternative. It would fit my needs more than some of you guys since I have almost no hands on experience with this technology. The part that makes me interested is the guarantee. When you get a donor pallet, the condition of the components is the real value or cost issue. It would be one of those cases where you would have to be ready to build. You wouldn't want to waste your guarantee time with the pallet sitting in the garage. One of the stage builds might be the way to go. Prices would be good to know. WEK.

Yea price would be great to know is right. It all sounds good, but how much. I have almost all the parts in good condition and i spent 6k
Sti engine, all needed parts and new wheel bearings and hub,whiteline rear lower control arms and laterals, sti front control arms. all i need is the wilwood brake kit and a new set of rear spindles with the parking brake, so like another 1,800 or so. So if the can put it together for say 7-8k for the wrx one, it might be worth it with that guarantee.

[Ray]

...The part that makes me interested is the guarantee...It would be one of those cases where you would have to be ready to build. You wouldn't want to waste your guarantee time with the pallet sitting in the garage...WEK.

I just copied this from the Cypress Auto site (http://www.cypressautorecyclers.com)

"Since 1996, Cypress Auto Recyclers (CAR) has supplied in excess of 400 complete and partial donors!

CAR is able to offer all types of vehicles and every possible level of kit needed, from complete donor lists to individual parts.

COBRA DONOR PROGRAM TURN KEY WARRANTY

This CAR warranty is a basic 6-month warranty that commences from the moment that you turn the key in your vehicle. CAR understands that many of its FFR customers need time to put their kit cars together and a warranty that starts from the moment you purchase your kit is of very little use. To this end CAR offers this unique Turn Key Warranty.

The following parts are NOT covered by this warranty: Motor Mount, Clutch, Brakes Shocks and Struts, Cooling Hoses, Radiator Hoses or Water Pump."

I didn't see any 818 donor pallets available but I'm sure a phone call to them could get them going on one.

Ray

[Xusia]

I'm fairly certain an enterprising individual can find a donor, or the individual parts, cheaper than AJW or Cypress will offer them for. That's not the point to those considering this option (such as me). Many have other considerations, such as time (as in, lack of time or desire to look for a donor and/or recondition/replace parts), space, appropriate knowledge, ease of assembly, etc. Once prices are posted, each individual will have to decide if that price is worth it, given their individual considerations/situation.

[vozproto]

I cant seem to find any price estimates for the donor kit.
Anyone see one?

This looks like a great option if you dont wanna deal with parting out a car afterward. Or have limited garage space like me...

[StatGSR]

^ im sure they are holding out until the kit is actually launched, or at least way closer to launch than we are right now. i would expect the "cheaper" ones to be just shy of 10k, but then again, idk if they are going to give you a fresh motor or not.

[shim2]

To be honest, if the base is more than 6k, IMO that's a bit of a rip considering you can get a pretty decent donor for 3-4k

[leetfade]

If they are affiliated with FFR in any way I would think they would try to hit the $5k mark for minimalistic parts to assist with the $15k target. Depending on their source that may not be profitable enough but I would hope they are getting their donors in the $2-4k range, selling off the non needed parts netting a $1-2k ish cost per kit and then selling for 5k is quite a good profit.

[jimgood]

I'm hoping a recycler like Cypress would be able to offer a better price than 10k on used WRX parts. Their donor pallet for the Roadsters runs about $3k.

[NonProfit]

I would pay a small premium over parting out the donor myself, but not much.

[Smitty911]

I would pay a small premium over parting out the donor myself, but not much.

Yup, I'm with you. All depends on the cost / time ratio.

Smitty

[PhyrraM]

For the ultimate low buck build?

1996-2004 2.5 liter Legacy/Outback/Baja. (2000-2004 would need seperate donor rear suspension, but shuld be easy for a yard to do so)

Auction cost to yard: less than $1000

Parts pallet cost to consumer: $1500
Other non-donor parts sold and scrap value: hopefully more than $500

Seems like a good balance between profit and value to consumer.

[vozproto]

I agree with all of ya.
Jimgood... if they are gonna be in the same ballpark as their Roadster donor pallets (~$3k) I think its a great value.

As all of those above commented, I'd be willing to pay a 20% premium on the convenience of not having to sell off or part out a shell.
No matter how easy it would be here in colorado.

[StatGSR]

i feel like you guys are forgetting about the cost of labor, especially when there needs to be profit made on labor as well as the parts themselves. We all consider that labor "free" when we do it but in reality, you have to pay for it if you not going to do it. A labor rate of 75 bux is common for any place that does maintenance, so even if you say its $50 an hour and that it takes 20 hours to strip it (considering we are doing full dash removal to get the harness i think that my be on the light side), that's $1000 right there. Also there is the overhead for housing the cars to do the work and storing the parts etc etc...

I don't really know what parts Cypress is giving out for $3000 (what parts and their value, as well as the man hours to to pull those parts). I just don't see the kinda price happening here for anybody that actually wants to make money, unless its for a fairly high mileage NA 2.5.

Just saying that in general, i think the "convenience" cost is going to be a little more some are expecting. In any case, only time will tell, i hope i am proved wrong.

[Mechie3]

y2kimports.com (millenium Auto) parts out Subarus. They specialized in motor swaps from the WRX/STI to the earlier 2.5RS. For ~$4k I got an 06 WRX motor, front engine crossmember, steering rack, ECU, full wiring harness, full exhaust, turbo, intercooler. Rebuilt 5 speeds sell for ~$1200, used ones sell for less (~$800). Add in the other parts needed (seats, suspension bits, knuckles, rotors, brakes, steering wheel, steering column) and I seriously doubt you'd get a packaged kit for less than $6k.

Yes, the target price is $5k for a donor, but there's a fair amount of labor involved. I wouldn't think a pallet kit would be forced to meet the $5k donor target given all the additional labor, shipping, etc.

[shim2]

I emailed cypress and Mike replied to me saying it would be anywhere from 7-10k. He said he'd have to do more research. So I'd expect AJW to be around the same price. Given the labor that is involved I can understand the cost. I just wouldn't pay it.

[jimgood]

I think 7k is pretty steep. More than that and I'd have to think twice about the convenience of a donor pallet.

[Someday I Suppose]

It will be interesting for sure to see where they are able to come in at. By my way of thinking, they probably can't get the cars for much less then we could from an auction house, then labor to pull it apart, plus they need to make some profit on it. Of course they have the advantage of being able to part out the rest of the car, so that also goes into their profit margin.

Phryya, interesting on the NA budget build. When the project was first announced I had the idea that it could be fun to do a budget build and see just how low you could build one of these for. I am wondering after parting out the donor, etc. if under say $12 - $13K is possible...

[Mechie3]

I think 7k is pretty steep. More than that and I'd have to think twice about the convenience of a donor pallet.

It's certainly a lot of money, but not a ripoff. I'm still at the point of my life where I tend to be stingy when it comes to money vs time. Buying a product? Sure, I'll pay for it. Paying for a service I can do myself and I have the free time? Becomes hard for me to justify. I'd rather use that money for more parts. :lol:

I am wondering after parting out the donor, etc. if under say $12 - $13K is possible...

I'd say yes. So far I got my 06 WRX donor for $4095. Kit is $10k. That's roughly $14000. Lots of parts you can sell and make $50 here and there and a few parts that can fetch a few hundred (full doors, etc).

[timmy318]

Crap...... Hopefully I can sell my subaru because I like this alternitaive a lot better than the on

[prematureapex]

I think 7k is pretty steep. More than that and I'd have to think twice about the convenience of a donor pallet.

Not sure I agree. Yes, it's alot of money, but I think the price adds up. If you get with a private sale, you can find an EJ20 (02-05 WRX engine), for 1500-2000 with about 75-100k miles on it. Nicer ones, or ones from engine distributors are going to be 2000-2500. There's a limited supply of them out there, and they cost a lot to ship, etc.

There's certainly hundered and hundreds of dollars of other parts that would nee to be included, which again, take a lot of time and money to procure, package, and send.

If they had to hunt down all of these components, I'd consider $7k pretty darn cheap, all things considered (shipping alone for the engine/trans would be huge).

Now, I'm sure they'll look to rebuild bad motors, or hopefully buy donor vehicles themselves to break down and package.

However, with the price a running 2.0l WRX being around 4-5k, you honestly expect them to have the car shipped to them, broken down, inspected, cleaned, packaged, and provided to your door for a less than a few thousand dollars on top of the price of your donor? Can't see how that's at all possible, nor sustainable as a business model.

Me, personally, if I have the space, I can't live with giving up all the extra $$$ to be made selling off the unneeded parts of the donor. But if I could, well, it avoids a HUGE PITA of dissassembly/parting/removal of shell, etc. to have a nice pallet shipped to me for $7-8 grand.

[Oppenheimer]

I think he is saying that the price is steep for what is offered, what it costs the vendor to provide the service, but rather simply that its more than he is willing to pay. One POV is to look at what the vendor has to do, and how much that effort should cost. Another POV is to compare the cost of pallet service to the alternative cost (in both time, effort, space, and $).

For some, that equation works out to pallet = bargain (no space, or time, etc). For others, the room, the time, don't have as much value as actual $. It should be very easy to acquire a donor (and sell off the unused parts) for way cheaper than $7K, if you have the time and space and are willing to perform the work.

I think you two are saying the same thing. The pallet service is attractive, but its value to each builder varies with their size of their garage, the size of their wallet, and the size of their spare time.

[vozproto]

I'd say yes. So far I got my 06 WRX donor for $4095. Kit is $10k. That's roughly $1400. Lots of parts you can sell and make $50 here and there and a few parts that can fetch a few hundred (full doors, etc).

Damn. Thats a killer deal. Did you buy it wrecked or did you wreck it and buy it back from insurance?

[timmy318]

I bought my Subaru Impreza 2002 for $5K..... -.-, but it had only one owner and had only 35,000 miles on it so I mean I guess for that it was a pretty good deal, also no damage whatsoever

[shim2]

I bought my Subaru Impreza 2002 for $5K..... -.-, but it had only one owner and had only 35,000 miles on it so I mean I guess for that it was a pretty good deal, also no damage whatsoever

You're going to strip a non salvaged car?

[PhyrraM]

You're going to strip a non salvaged car?

Any reason not to if the price is right?

[shim2]

Any reason not to if the price is right?

No not at all. I just assumed most would only use salvaged cars.

[NonProfit]

Any reason not to if the price is right?

I would prefer to source a wreck instead dismantling a running vehicle, but if the right donor came along I could be convinced otherwise.

[AJW Performance]

Thanks for the post cmcintyre, it was nice meeting you at the event, we had a great time and FFR had a great showing, could not ask for better weather.
I read over these posts and you all have some valid points and questions.
We appreciate your patience while we build the 818 specific site, www.818donors.com. It will evolve tremendously with content as we all move forward. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns in regards to any content, or have any questions for us about what we will offer (send us an email so we do not go off topic on the original posters thread)
Although I completely understand that price is a main concern for many of us, it is not our main objective to deliver "the cheapest" donor possible (the cheapest donor possible will always be a great find on a complete/ partial car that you source, dismantle and work on yourself and do all your own maintenance to get it to where it should be).
We WILL in fact have donor kits available which fit into the FFR goal of a complete cost for around 15,000.00, but it is not our primary focus. One of our largest goals is to offer a donor kit which literally is ready to install, and ready to last. Just because you get a donor that YOU are ready to install on your 818 doesn't mean the donor itself is worthy and ready. We know the weak points and needed maintenance of these Subaru platforms as well as what "goes first", or is prone to being a potential issue. Our vision is to offer not only convenience, but peace of mind receiving a donor kit that is worth running, and will be reliable if you take care of it into the future. I can foresee it being very frustrating for some completing their 818 build and having (Subaru) running gear issues which limit the fun factor.
Another goal which ties into these postings is the convenience "time is money" factor. Our target customer is an individual who does not have the space, time or willingness to completely dismantle a wrecked donor, take what is needed and discard or sell off the rest of it. Hence the "everything you need and nothing you don't" quote you see on the site.
Will we have some donor kits for 5,000.00? The answer is yes there will be, but there will also be 15,000.00 packages and custom options which will lead to much more than that. It is all about meeting the customer’s needs and building the donor package or complete 818 vehicle to their vision/use, within their budget of course.
All in all our business model will be worth it for some, others it will not. Hope this helped!
Thanks,
Andrew Wallace

[Xusia]

A good post! Thanks, Andrew. I look forward to seeing more on your site.

[Vman7]

Thanks cmcintyre for telling us about AJW Performance's new up and coming service at their new site www.818donors.com. Thanks AJW Performance for offering such a service.

I made sure I bookmarked it for future reference.

David

[Mechie3]

Damn. Thats a killer deal. Did you buy it wrecked or did you wreck it and buy it back from insurance?

Technically the lady that ran the red light wrecked it, but I was driving it at the time. Bought it new in 06. First new car. It will live again! I bought it back from insurance. Price was determined by recent sales of similar make/model at a local auction house used by my insurance.


Also, that $1400 should say $14000 total. I edited my original post.