Your sucess will depend to a large degree of how much planning you do before starting the actual build. Take your time and plan the project system by system. If you are handy with Excel, make a spread sheet that lists all of the parts you will need to buy showing source, p/n, cost/part and summery of total cost. I spent about three months planning and revising my spread sheet before buying parts. This gives you a purchase plan and helps budget your money. It also helped me avoid the "while I'am at it" syndrome.
If you want a reliable daily driver keep it simple and use tried and true engine, drivetrain, fuel system, cooling system and brake system approaches found here and the JTR book.