It seems like it's either I have extra play money but no time to do anything or I have plenty time and no money.
The end of last year and the start of this year were pretty good and I found myself in the position to buy the Civic. The goal was to get it ready for autox and rallyx duties by this fall. I had a plan and even got the wife on board with it, which was no easy task. Literally a week after I got the wife on board my work cut out overtime, a week later her work cut out overtime. There went all my play money.
So here it is fall and the car is no closer to being ready to play than it was in the spring. It needs the suspension rebuilt, some underbody protection, a couple different sets of wheels and tires among a few other things and I'd like to throw a timing belt in it before beating on it hours away from home. Not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things but more than I have.
The thing is I don't really like the car. I bought it because it's a known and proven chassis. Plus I want/need to learn how to drive a FWD car. But with no money to get it ready, and none for the foreseeable future, I've grown to hate it on the rare days I drive it to work. I do think it will be a good tool for the Motorsports activities I had planned to use it for. I'm just not sure that is ever going to happen.
I'm of three minds about the situation.
- Ride it out and hope the money situation turns around and be miserable in the meantime. However I'm growing more and more impatient.
- Just completely forget about the whole damned thing and trade it off for something that I would enjoy driving on the street but has no Motorsports potential.
- Go crazy and melt a couple credit cards to just get the thing done. But It's been a long hard road to get my credit score up to the 800 mark and I would hate to undo all that. Plus job security isn't the most solid and that would be a big burden if one or both of use are out of work.
I don't know. I'm just really frustrated that another year has passed and I haven't got to play.
3 is not an option. berkeley that. 1 you might end up resenting the car because you can't play with it right away. 2 is what I'd go with. Street is neat. Remember the road outside your house has no sanctioning body.
Why not autocross/rallycross it as it sits. The fun is in the drive and the people more than the car.
No credit cards please! You'll hate it even more and be more miserable in the end. I like Toymans suggestion.
In reply to Toyman01 :
The shocks are completely blown. The aftermarket upper A arms are hitting the pinch weld on the body on any decent bumps. The tires are way too big and rub all the time, plus they are cheap Chinese junk. The tie rods are suspect and the steering rack boots are non existent. In short I don't feel it's safe and I don't feel comfortable that I can be over an hour away from the house beating on it and it'll still get me home.
I sold the racecar and got a streetcar i enjoy driving when i was in a similiar position. I miss motorsports occasionally but i wasnt willing to drive myself and wife into debt to go play. Having a car i can get in and enjoy when its nice has made it worth it, ive tryed several honda's for gas mileage and have ended up hating life. Im alot happier in a car i truely enjoy then i was when i was trying to enjoy something i didnt care for.
Go for the street car you like driving option. There's nothing that makes me less enthusiastic about working on a car than realizing I won't like it any more when it's done. Plus, with a street car you like you get to enjoy it every day.
Option 2: Anything can have motor sports potential ;)
Funny. I'm in the midst of a similar dilemma involving my red Civic hatch.
Sell the car, use it to buy the necessary safety gear, find a place to race the bike. Motorcycle racing is surprisingly inexpensive compared to cars, as long as you don't get into an arms race with parts/bikes.
Don't do #3. I put my AE92's exhaust fabrication bill on my credit card and I was hurting for a year.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
I'm not going to, but you know how those thoughts creep in when you want to get something done.
Option 2.
Bonus answer: make friends at the nearest autocross site and bum the occasional co-drive in exchange for beer/entry fee/charm. Pretty much anyone who needs a co-drive at our region can find a ride to jump in.
Option 2 for me, too.
Goes with my #1 suggestion for most suggestions- get what you like. That way, you are more likely to work on it when you need to.
There's no reason you can't have fun in whatever car you like. It may not be the fastest one out there, but fast isn't a measure of fun, it's just a clock. I spent my entire autocross time in a car that was not the competitive car in it's class, and I never cared. The times I was able to trade cars for the fast ones, I still preferred to drive my car, as it was more interesting.
The only time that getting the ultimate car is the most important thing is if you MUST win a championship of some type. And even then, on many local levels, you can do that without the fast car in the class. Sometimes the skill of the fast car drivers isn't there, or there are others who prefer other cars that you compete with.
The funny thing is that I also own the fast car in my class (this was a while ago, the cars are no longer in the same class). But being willing to work on it myself? I'd FAR rather work on the car I liked to race than the other one.
I see there are some suggestions of bikes, but for that car you like, what is it?
Have time but no money? Want to work on a challenge car?
I can create some opportunities...
Robbie said:
Have time but no money? Want to work on a challenge car?
I can create some opportunities...
I'm actually very serious about this. I need more folks on the team (as people who have seen my builds in person can attest - I need all the help I can get), and I have some ideas for significant stuff you could do remotely. I also travel regularly for work so when the 2018 challenge comes up I can get you to jax on southwest points.
2, a civic is never a hard sale.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:
Sell the car, use it to buy the necessary safety gear, find a place to race the bike. Motorcycle racing is surprisingly inexpensive compared to cars, as long as you don't get into an arms race with parts/bikes.
^ This
Sell it and buy affordable leathers. You don't need to race to blow your own mind. Track days for bikes are cheap and so much fun . The FZ will be more than fine. I took a freakin' R1200 GS Adventure to my first one since I was a kid and had a rip snorting blast not knowing what I didn't know. No one even laughed.
I went from two NASA/BMW legal race cars, an enclosed trailer and a big stupid diesel truck ... and being all in on club racing, instructing and coaching to... no cars, no trailer and no diesel.
Whenever I miss it - I think about how much tires for a weekend cost... then put $12 in my tank and go rip all day :)
Robbie said:
Robbie said:
Have time but no money? Want to work on a challenge car?
I can create some opportunities...
I'm actually very serious about this. I need more folks on the team (as people who have seen my builds in person can attest - I need all the help I can get), and I have some ideas for significant stuff you could do remotely. I also travel regularly for work so when the 2018 challenge comes up I can get you to jax on southwest points.
PM me details. Definitely interested.
Buy a second gen Ninja 250, and it's Isle of Man all day.
In reply to alfadriver :
I'm much like you. I've had a blast running both E21 BMWs and the old Impala SS. The grand Prix was less fun but I enjoyed going quicker in a family car in all seasons than more sporty card in star specs. When I wasn't getting lost of course.
I really hadn't thought about Jeremy's idea of Co driving. I don't have a ton of experience and I don't know a single person out here so I would have to start from scratch but it's a very good idea. Actually I need to check back in with yupididit as he had mentioned wanting to go rally crossing prior to his move.
In reply to The Artist Formerly Known as Giant Purple Snorklewacker :
The wife has adjusted to me having a car and has since put me to work shuffling the boy around. If say it'd be almost as hard of a sell going back to no car as it was convincing her that I needed a car.
In reply to Nick Comstock :
OK. Sell car, buy cheapest 4cyl/2wd pickup you can find- now you have your service/pit rig. Buy cheap leathers, go racing anyway.
Nick Comstock said:
Robbie said:
Robbie said:
Have time but no money? Want to work on a challenge car?
I can create some opportunities...
I'm actually very serious about this. I need more folks on the team (as people who have seen my builds in person can attest - I need all the help I can get), and I have some ideas for significant stuff you could do remotely. I also travel regularly for work so when the 2018 challenge comes up I can get you to jax on southwest points.
PM me details. Definitely interested.
PM sent. It was a lot of text, so if you don't get it let me know.
I had pretty much the same car, but all of the go fast bits were done. Still hated it. It was brilliant around the cones, but such a horrible transportation device that I got rid of it. I've personally decided that I'd rather have a good street car that's a mediocre motorsports car than a great motorsports car that's a crappy street car.
For what it's worth, if I wasn't in a motorcycle time out until the last kid graduates (8.5 years to go) then I'd be sizing leathers right now. I'm still contemplating buying a dirt bike as those are only frowned upon but not explicitly banned.
