Do you walk the walk? (Challenge content)

I've been getting away from my challenge priced cars. Only one left is my 88 Nova Twin Cam and it's going on CL this week, not even going to put the fuel pump in it that it needs to be running again. Over the years I've found that putting my labor into more expensive cars is a better return on investment of both money and my time. While I like the concept of the challenge I've never even considered entering because of the poor return. As has been said before GRM doesn't always mean cheap vehicles. Current vehicles

66 Mustang

67 Camaro RS SS vert

70 Firebird Trans Am clone

81 Malibu

86 Euro Widebody Carrera vert

88 Nova Twin Cam

00 F-350 CC 7.3 TD

In reply to Stampie:

My driveway is now in your driveway!

Actually, there is still plenty left (as you know).

• Turbo Miata $1350

• Miata #2 $800

• Miata #3 $600

• Turbo Caravan $1

• GTI $1000

• Spirit RT $1000

• 323 GTX $1800

• RX7 FC $1500 (not yet in driveway)

• Justy $400

• Odyssey Van Gift

• 1960 Cadillac $2000

• Europa $400

• THE GRM Europa FREE

Are there prizes for this, or just the walk of shame??

I guess you could say, no.

Current fleet.

The Green Giant, F350, $3K

The Japanese Warrior, Samurai, traded for a trailer that was worth about $2500.

Supercoupe, $1800

The irritating POS, 635CSI, $3k. What a waste of money that is.

Liberty, $3500.

Mustang, $5200. Above my usual limit, but it made the wife happy.

RX-7, $200 about 15 years ago.

SanFord, $3500

Colorado, $5K

$5k is about my limit any more. I've paid $19K for one car and carried payments. Never again. To me that's just pissing money away for no result, and I have better things to spend it on.

As I have gotten older, the limit has increased, but $5K is a good stopping point. $5K buys a lot of car if you shop carefully and buy something that isn't "cool", or in demand.

I have 1, a 91 Ranger I got from slefain. The rest are on payments for 20k and 30k.... I havent had the energy to entertain any "good" cheap wheels to have for nefarious means.

By challenge standards:

• 87 Golf GT $900
• 94 Escort $600
• Miata 1 $1800
• Accord wagon $2100
• Miata 2 $3000
• Vibe GT $3700
• Miata 3 $7200 (STS car bought for $3400 and got some nice parts over the last 3 years.)
• Impreza wagon $2900
• Miata 4 is up to $1900 or so right now.
• Mazda3 $3047

It's crept upwards as I aged from 20 to 30 and needed 'grown up' cars to some extent. Still have never paid more than $3700 purchase price and also don't plan to do so again. That was for the Vibe and it needed nothing for 3 years and 42k miles so that was worth it. Then it ate a clutch, two lcab's and a radiator in 3 months and developed a trans leak and an idle problem. Ah well, it was due.

26 of my 39 that I've owned could have competed at the challenge. Other than that I don't really consider myself grassroots, 3 were purchased new. I don't normally take my cars to a mechanic but I usually have my mainenance man at work change my oil.

2003 4Runner v8 4x4 bought for 3700.

1967 Chevelle bought for 6000.

2007 Yukon Denali bought two years ago for 13,000.

1994 SE-R sentra bought for 1200, I don't want to think about what I have in it now.

1992 s10 2017 challenge car. $300

1995 odyssey 2016 challenge car $350

1989 samurai $125

1997 Trans Am 2016 trailer park-cet $1100

1984 Fiero turbo $1000

Not really. I always like the cheap, quirky cars generally associated with the GRM crowd, I've just not owned anything that fits the criteria.

As an automotive instructor, i try to only drive cars to work that can only make the trip because of some major work i did like an engine replacement etc. I hate to take the Prius or pretty much anything less than 20 years old to work. Most of the students can't afford anything new/nice anyway and I'm always trying to use my position to make an example of the idea that yes, you can buy old funky cheap cars and fix them and cruise them around or drag race them or take them to work.

I mean, it's a proud moment for me when students start shopping for BROKEN cars instead of working ones.

I have only bought 2 cars for more than challenge money since 1995. I am more wrencher than racer but the philosophy still applies.

I have a few folks that try to poke at me for buying a 400 dollar parts car for my $250 daily driver!

My mower may be a mashup of 4 different mowers, using parts from a Lincoln Continental, Yamaha exhaust and various parts made from old floor jacks, fireplace tools and unknown sources.

Do I put a bigger sway bar, poly bushings and 4 wheel disc brakes on said $250 car when all I really need is a new rack and bushings...Uh YEAH!!

Do I plan the "$100 everything on the cart" days at the local Pic-N-Pull with my buddies 3 weeks ahead of time? Did you know that with the proper training, good shoes and a little planning you can push nearly half of a 1996 Mustang Cobra 80 feet, up a hill in only 45 minutes!

Bruce

About the only car I have that qualifies is an '84 E30. $900.

An old photo of my GRM driveway.
In this photo, the front bumpers were all lined up. Yeah, the Mazda5 is nearly the exact same length as the e30.

A more recent photo of same driveway.
The e30 is gone. The Q45 has arrived and the Miata is indoors.
The Escape is my MILs and the Focus is a business car, which has replaced the rusty craptastic Impala.

I use the term driveway but this crazy house has less of a driveway and more of a private parking lot. About 1/8th of an acre of concrete.

Hmmm, my $500 Jeep ZJ and my $1100 Subaru Loyale wagon are both in the driveway, but I think that their poor width-to-height ratio and excessive rust would DQ them. Same with the $1700 GMT-400 extended-cab, long-bed 4WD duallie. My old $1500 Acura Legend L 5-speed sedan would have been Challenge-able but A) it's long-gone, B) it would have broken something, I'm sure of it.

In the driveway/garage now:

$5k odyssey, $2700 focus SVT, $250 saab 9-3, non-running (constant mid-project state) MGB-GT

I'd say that's pretty GRM.

Nope, about to drop a bunch more than that to get the BRZ trackworthy and reliable.

NOT A TA wrote: I've been getting away from my challenge priced cars. Only one left is my 88 Nova Twin Cam and it's going on CL this week, not even going to put the fuel pump in it that it needs to be running again.

I tried to send you a PM about the Nova. It failed.

Be sure to post the details here or feel free to send me a PM. I have a few friends who mess with 4AG cars, and one friend in particular who has a 4AG-swapped Nova 5-door.

Only one of mine is challenge worthy, the 00 MR2, started out free so that helps.