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Aug. 7, 2009 9:01 p.m. BradLTL New Reader
So, wedding, honeymoon are out of the way. The Porsche is for sale, and I just spent the day cleaning the garage and building a workbench. Now I need a project!

I've always had a good daily driver and autocross car. Now I am looking for something a little more dedicated. My two thoughts are:
1. 200x Challenge Car
2. 24 Hours of LeMons Car
Really, I want to go cheap on the first project (in case I have to write the whole thing off and try again). At first brush a 24HL seems to be cheaper with a $500 budget, but then there are a couple hidden costs: safety equipment (which is loosely interpreted), plus driver entry fee, plus the cost of getting an acceptable license (I don't have one in my pocket today).

The 200x has a higher initial budget, but it has a more certain cap. Also I can participate in "as is" driver condition.

Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?
Aug. 7, 2009 9:32 p.m. Junkyard_Dog Reader

BABE rally. $500 max+make it safe. Reliability optional
Aug. 8, 2009 5:43 a.m. Woody SuperDork

BradLTL wrote:

So, wedding, honeymoon are out of the way. The Porsche is for sale...

Wow, she's efficient.
Aug. 8, 2009 6:51 a.m. ddavidv SuperDork

Lemons to me is a joke event. I realize it's supposed to be, but for myself I can't justify spending that much effort on something that may result in an arbitrarily crushed car.

The Challenge will test your abilities in multiple areas. Added bonus is you'll actually have a decent car when you're done that you should very easily be able to sell for more than what you have in it if you do it right. It is, however, a one shot deal for the most part.

For real fun I'd just build a fun track car/autocrosser. If it can also be done for $200x double your pleasure.
Aug. 8, 2009 7:48 a.m. Jensenman SuperDork

Having done both, they each have their own charm. The $200x Challenge will really test your problem solving abilities and like ddavidv says you'll have something to show for a long time afterwards, like the Abomination is for me. You never know what may happen; Toyman and I keep threatening to build a Challenge car.

OTOH, LeMons is an absolute blast as long as you don't take it too seriously. If you start with the right car it can actually be done pretty cheap, I know some guys who have an old circle track car (Mopar K car based) that they got for the princely sum of $300.00 which has a cage etc already in it. The entry fees are higher than the Challenge for sure, but the tradeoff is 16 hours of track time. You also pay $50 for a LeMons license if you don't have a SCCA, NASA, etc.
Aug. 8, 2009 8:11 a.m. problemaddict Reader

No one says you HAVE to spend $2010 on your Challenge car, ya know. And keep in mind the $1010 class and the Caveman class as other options for fun/fame/fortune...
Aug. 8, 2009 3:14 p.m. Carson Dork

Woody wrote:

BradLTL wrote:

So, wedding, honeymoon are out of the way. The Porsche is for sale...

Wow, she's efficient.

Ha! I literally LOL'd.

My 1 year anniversary is tomorrow, and since our wedding, I've acquired 3 more cars and my wife has gone from merely tolerating my hobby to wanting a project/fun car of her own. Specifically and Alfa Spider.