have $, now what?

I have about $450 that I can use for play purposes. Now I need to decide how to spend it. I've thought of a few options

1) video game setup (mostly just to learn sebring on the cheap in preparation of the track day I want to do there some day) (Xbox 360, wheel, forza)
2) save it until the datsun is done, then spend it on that sebring track day
3) safety gear for lemons. (I've never done lemons, but it looks like fun.) 4) a non-car gadget like the Kindle DX

Which of those options would you guys use? What other options should I consider.

5) Send to me!

red or black

7) buy $450 worth of ExxonMobil stock

Do lemons. Everyone should do it at least once. Driving a car on track you really don't care about is an absolute blast.

Toyman01 wrote: Do lemons. Everyone should do it at least once. Driving a car on track you really don't care about is an absolute blast.

Do chumpcar and Lemons have the same safety gear requirements? I'm asking because Chumpcar runs at Sebring....

(No, I'm not hung up on Sebring. The only reason for that emphasis is that I'm frugal/cheap/poor, and that track is only an hour away. I figure that it would cost a lot less than traveling to experience elsewhere.)

JoeyM wrote: I have about $450 that I can use for play purposes. Now I need to decide how to spend it. I've thought of a few options 1) video game setup (mostly just to learn sebring on the cheap in preparation of the track day I want to do there some day)

$450 will get you an actual track day. Live a little.

I'm not sure about the chump car stuff. I haven't run one of their events yet.

Buy a cheap Subaru and rally-X the E36 M3 out of it. That is what I did.

Toyman01 wrote: Do lemons.

Don't do lemons or chumpcar. It will make any form of amateur motorsports that aren't competitive (HPDE's, time attack, rally-x, auto-x, etc) suck.

I'd do chumpcar if you're a serious kind of person, and lemons if you like to screw around.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: $450 will get you an actual track day. Live a little.

I want to do a track day with the Datsun when it is ready, and saving the money until I can use it for that does make sense. Waiting is not fun, though.

NGTD wrote: Buy a cheap Subaru and rally-X the E36 M3 out of it. That is what I did.

Not on the menu. If I wanted to rallycross - and I guess I probably don't, since there are local clubs and I have never bothered with it - I'd just use the geo I already use for autocross.

HiTempguy wrote: Don't do lemons or chumpcar. [....] I'd do chumpcar if you're a serious kind of person, and lemons if you like to screw around.

Way to stick to your guns. ;-)

I'm definitely NOT the serious racer type...I'd love to go wheel to wheel once, just to have experienced it. I'm not going to go crapcan racing frequently though...perhaps only the one time.

I'm slow, and have no illusions about my abilities. Some people would throw a lot of money into seat time trying to change the situation, but I won't. Cars are my hobby, not my career, so I don't view that as a sound "investment".

One of my friends threw out another option: put the money towards getting my datsun replica ready. I intend to keep the car and drive it often, so he considers that to be money well spent. (...as opposed to things I will only do rarely, or even once. For example, Lemons safety gear would sit in the closet for a couple years before I entered a race.)

I'd get the Datsun finished up with the money. $450 probably buys a lot of metal ;)

I probably already have all the metal I need. There are plenty of odds and ends that I'll need, though.

I'm going in the direction of the XBOX 360 myself. I've held out for surprisingly long considering I bought the original XBOX and Halo on release. The damn thing still works, too. They may have been the size of a top loading VCR but they were apparently built to last.

I need to finish furnishing a room, and the 360 is the last thing to go in. Have fun!

Hookers and blow.

Or buy a gun. Then you can take more money!

Now that the fates know you have a little extra to spend, you may want to save it for that unexpected home repair that always seems to follow the fates finding out about my extra cash. I never get a chance to spend it on hookers and blow.

JoeyM wrote: I have about $450 that I can use for play purposes. Now I need to decide how to spend it.

Hookers and cocaine. Buy ample quantities of both and have a nice weekend.

Did a quick search for you on CL. Came up with some $450 bargains:

Not sure if the girl comes with it...

JoeyM wrote: . Waiting is not fun, though.

I've heard it's the hardest part

gamby wrote:

JoeyM wrote: . Waiting is not fun, though.

I've heard it's the hardest part

loved this album

Do what Doug and Arthur did - Hire Eddie Money - @ 1:10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68PspFr4dNA&feature=related

mattmacklind wrote: I'm going in the direction of the XBOX 360 myself. I've held out for surprisingly long considering I bought the original XBOX and Halo on release. The damn thing still works, too. They may have been the size of a top loading VCR but they were apparently built to last. I need to finish furnishing a room, and the 360 is the last thing to go in. Have fun!

That was my original idea, too, but now I'm not certain. I've been without a gaming console since my atari 2600 in 6th grade, and don't really have an interest in starting gaming. The only reason I'm interested in the xbox is the idea to learn the layout of sebring well before going there.

Sounds like you're using the XBox as a learning tool, then. Since it's going to improve your time at the track, I say buy it. I wouldn't be too concerned with buying a brand new one. Gamestop has inexpensive used systems. I'd spend the bulk of my money making the experience good with a wheel setup.