the problem is that you buy a "project car" that will not pass inspection or emissions. the car runs & drives fine, thus you can take it to different shops to get it up to par i.e. exhaust, trans, tires/wheels, etc.

if you are on a budget and need time to save money, plan your build, order parts, wait for them to come in, assy, so forth. or wait on a paint & body shop that has 3-4 cars ahead of you...then it becomes a problem