No room, but too nice to pas

2001 GT/5spd. Parked for 2 years, 54k miles. By the time I put a set of new tires on it, I will have invested a bit less than challenge money in it. I planned to "flip" the car, but now we will get it running and fix a few little things (tires, fogging headlights, some interior work). My son wants to swap his WRX for it and we will sell his car.

I saw it sitting in a driveway with weeds growing up all around it and finally stopped to ask. If you see a cool car sitting somwhere being neglected, stop and ask! (unless you live near me, then all you have to do is let me know where it is).

What's wrong with it? Looks to be in great shape.

"Was running fine when parked". Owner passed away. I had to get a locksmith to make some new keys and mate them to the car and help the heir go to the clerk of court to get a clear title. Quite a bit of running around but worth it.

I didn't want to try and start it with 2 year old gas and possible moisture in the tank, so we are going to drain the tank, change the oil, and see if it runs.

There are a few small dents on the passenger side and the rear spoiler is faded. I've already ordered new carpet and headlights. It needs about 16 hours of cleaning and detailing.

Our son's '02 WRX is a great car, but this has about 1/3 as many miles.

Challenge cream-puff. Dooo-eeeet!

SCORE, pretty SN95 as well.

Less than Challenge money after tires? That's incredible!

sell it to me? ill trade a 99 saturn

Wow. You should really run it in the challenge. it's just soo much fun.

CarKid1989 wrote: sell it to me? ill trade a 99 saturn

and ill even challenge it

Hmmm... sell me the WRX for what you paid for the Mustang.

It would seriously solve my problem with having too many project cars.

I like the idea of challenging it. Stick Kumhos on it and make the budget even sweeter! All you need is a cheap 100 shot, and you're ready to rock and roll.

I really don't think it would be in the "spirit" of the Challenge. The previous owner and I looked at the book values, and then I made my offer based on the hope that it runs OK. My agenda is to get this running, sell the WRX and use the (hopeful) profits on the Capri.

Especially since those cars are capable with proper tires on them......even in scca stock classes.

If you bring it to the Challenge, I say leave it pretty much alone except for tires and wear items and etc. Spend your time getting it completely sorted. I think a lot of Challengers get behind on builds and sacrifice sorting time which lowers their potential scores. This car may be at least top ten as is. Cleaning it up and garnering max concours points will get you a long way.

Just my 2 lira.

score

Woody wrote: Less than Challenge money *after* tires? That's incredible!

Woody -

A co-worker in CT has an '01 GT (even the same color) with 250K+ that I could probably get for Challenge money. It's been garaged and maintained its entire life, and the car is literally perfect. I swapped cars with him one weekend to check it out and it runs/drives as new.

Jerry From LA wrote: If you bring it to the Challenge, I say leave it pretty much alone except for tires and wear items and etc. Spend your time getting it completely sorted. I think a lot of Challengers get behind on builds and sacrifice sorting time which lowers their potential scores. This car may be at least top ten as is. Cleaning it up and garnering max concours points will get you a long way. Just my 2 lira.

Preach.

mightymike wrote: If you see a cool car sitting somwhere being neglected, stop and ask! (unless you live near me, then all you have to do is let me know where it is).

X10. My cousin used to regularly walk past a 911S that had about 1/8 inch of grime on it. He asked the owner if he'd sell it. The guy said no. After a year of asking every month or two, the guy said yes. My cousin paid him $2000, cleaned it up, put in the new throw-out bearing that it needed, new tires and misc rubber items. It's run great ever since!

There's a '98 GT that got parked underneath some pine trees down the street. That was two years ago, I still want to go ask how much. But I know the number is going to be greater than what I have.

Score!!!

I really don't think it would be in the "spirit" of the Challenge

I have a different take on this. I think stuff like this (taking that car to the challenge) is gold for bench racers or actual racers who dont race across car genres very much.

For example, when i went to the challenge in 09, GRM staff brought a new sport package miata and ran it (not scored for challenge, just there). Even though i didnt place well in the actual competition, i thought it was cool that i beat the autoX time of a new sport package miata in a 20 y/o FWD family car with bad tie rods and no alignment that i had $1488 into, and on very similar tires. I out-dragged it too but that was absolutely a foregone conclusion. I think a stockish mustang GT is also kind of cool as a 'barometer' of car ability in the same way. It gives other racers a sort of iconic standard (your actual opinion of it as such may vary, but it is undeniably an iconic standard of some kind) to bench race their times against, or hell, actually RACE.

I always particularly enjoy racing between extremely different vehicles. The same way i enjoy old road race vids of 1500lb minis and 4000lb fairlanes mixing it up in the 60s, i enjoy the challenge for the variety of cars that compete in it, which might include almost entirely handbuilt monstrosities, daily drivers, and nearly-stock mustang GTs that arent generally old enough to be THAT cheap.

So i think it would be cool.

mightymike wrote: I really don't think it would be in the "spirit" of the Challenge. The previous owner and I looked at the book values, and then I made my offer based on the hope that it runs OK. My agenda is to get this running, sell the WRX and use the (hopeful) profits on the Capri.

That's just good shopping. Totally within the "spirit" of the Challenge.

No gas left in the tank. We put 5 gallons of gas in it....and it started right away

I blipped the throttle and it cut off and we couldn't get it started again. Too late to do anything further tonight. It didn't make any funny noises and idled smoothly. I don't think it is a major issue.

In reply to MrJoshua and Vigo:

I didn't get any kind of an insider deal, so I I guess you guys are right.

I guess I should let my son decide. We were already thinking of taking the Capri to the Challenge...

Now if you put it that way I say the Capri is waaay cooler.