Originally posted by roadRacer
I understand all of that completely, and times have changed somewhat, but I have basically still "been there, done that". Only differance is if life permitted I would be there doing that every weekend. (damned real world)
If you are thinking about SCCA (or NASA) wheel to wheel racing, for your first car, buy a used ready to race car. Don't build your own.... There are so many little bugs that get "worked out" as a car is raced that it is hard to explain. A ready to race car has those bugs worked out. You don't want to be learing how to race at the same time you are sorting out how the window net needs to be held in place.
If you buy a $2500-5000 IT Civic, or Spec RX7 or whatever, after you race it for a year and decide you can build a better car, or want something faster, you can still sell it for $2500-5000 and your only costs will have been the maintenance.
Trust me when I say, if you spend a year or two going around looking at other race cars, and say "I can build a better one cheaper", you can't. You probably will have good ideas that you will incorporate, but you are just just going to miss some things that will make the teething problems of the first year of racing a pain.
i understand. thanx for the tips. only thing i would be concered w/ though is if everything in the premade car was done correctly. to this day (3 years after i got my car) i'm still dealing w/ problems that the previous owner didn't do correctly, or just screwed up making it a pain for me. if, more hopefully, when i get into it, i'd probably do that then, get a preprepped car. focus on one step at a time (racing, wheel to wheel track time) rather than multiple steps all at once. that's seems like it would be stressful anyways.
Originally posted by roadRacer
These days if you want to race eventually, go to some of the HPDE type events with your street car and learn how to drive the tracks you are going run. When you go for a competition license you will be way ahead of the game. You can learn how to race other cars as opposed to learning everything.
Autocrossing is still the best place to start IMHO.
once i get the 5spd in the car, i'll try to save up to hit some track events. i'll probably have to wait till i'm out of school still, and have a good job. money is just sooo tight right now. but we'll see. i'm so freakin' eager to do it it gives me headaches.