In reply to Driven5:
Competitiveness - I spent years doing autox before getting out of it, and I can honestly say i never got any joy from just going out and trying to drive my best. I want a car that has a chance of being competitive, and since drivers come & go on a local level, and classes get reshuffled(particularly on the stock-ish classes), I think I'd rather look at something that has a chance on a national-level...even if it's not with me as the driver!
I don't see myself ever doing track days, etc. The closest I may ever come would a hillclimb-type event, although that's very unlikely, and certainly not a priority.
In reply to pinchvalve:
Trust me, that's the car I want, if the situation were different. The fact that I work from home just makes the idea of me having a dedicated 2nd car seem even more ridiculous too. Then there's the whole lack of room to park it...
So you're not looking to put a lot of time into building it either, right? I think that might limit your options to the point that it would be less about picking a specific car to run in a specific class, and more about watching all of the classifieds related to the various (mod) classes of interest. Then when the right car, at the right time, for the right price pops up...Simply run whatever class it was pre-built to be competitive in.
I also wouldn't count out F500 until you've driven one appropriate to your price range, if you haven't already. Despite the elastomer suspension, at least the later model cars apparently have compliance not out of line with other non-aero forumula cars.
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/mine-also-lola-t644e-formula-ford-with-gsxr-1000-c/106676/page1/
that.
petegossett wrote:
In reply to Driven5:
Competitiveness - I spent years doing autox before getting out of it, and I can honestly say i never got any joy from just going out and trying to drive my best. I want a car that has a chance of being competitive, and since drivers come & go on a local level, and classes get reshuffled(particularly on the stock-ish classes), I think I'd rather look at something that has a chance on a national-level...even if it's not with me as the driver!
I don't see myself ever doing track days, etc. The closest I may ever come would a hillclimb-type event, although that's *very* unlikely, and certainly not a priority.
If this is your expectation that you need to find a true class leading car. If you aren't happy with merely participating and doing it for fun, then you're going to be disappointed. That might mean a car that isn't the smallest or isn't an automatic. You're painting yourself into a corner with those types of restrictions if your true goal is to be competitive.
In reply to Contradiction:
I'd honestly prefer a non-production-based car, so there's no requirement for it to be an automatic.
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:
Yeah, I've been eyeing it, butt what class could it be competitive in? With the engine swap and wings, it would be AM not BM, correct?
In reply to Driven5:
I'm tossing around the idea of a Locost(again). I'm not sure what it would take to make one competitive though, and if I were to build one I think I'd at least like the option of making it street legal. Though I'm not sure if having easily removable lights/windshield/etc. would work out?
petegossett wrote:
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:
Yeah, I've been eyeing it, butt what class could it be competitive in? With the engine swap and wings, it would be AM not BM, correct?
I don't know,honestly. But a Lola chassis powered by a relatively common engine swap sounds so intriguing it would be hard for me to turn down.
Have you considered parking YOUR DD outside and putting the toy in your spot?
The other question, which you have alluded to- what is the goal- to win, or to have fun? If it's fun, I'd find the vehicle that you like the most OR fits you current lifestyle enough to DD and have fun in. If it's winning, I'd check the national results to find the best car at the pointy end that fits.
I think an EM Locost would fit.
In reply to alfadriver:
The problem is our driveway it the new house is basically a funnel - there's no place to park a vehicle outside that doesn't put it in the way of one bay or another, and without doing a 2-driver shuffle to pull one out into the street(there's no curbside parking) while someone else moves the 2nd car. Also, the tree over the driveway drips sap like crazy...I thought I was going to need to scrape it off the windshield after parking the van outside 1 night.
Maybe I'll investigate more about an EM Locost. I saved my build table from my prior attempt, and I think I have a much better/more realistic idea of how to approach it...specifically what I should buy vs attempting to fab myself.
Thinking a bit outside of he box here (and not familiar w/ all of the AutoX classes) but what about a Side by Side ATV or old Honda Odessy Dune buggy, or a sand rail type vehicle?
Light, small, low consumables, usually an automatic. Depending where you live it could be street legal too
In reply to DanyloS:
Unfortunately nothing ATV-based would be autocross legal. VW-based dune buggies used to be pretty competitive back in the late-60's/early-70's, but those days have long since passed.
In reply to petegossett:
Thanks for clarifying, it seems like one of these would have totally been the ticket:
Are the Polaris Slingshot 3-wheelers AutoX legal? (maybe disregard doesn't look like they come in an automatic)
In reply to DanyloS:
That thing looks completely terrifying and awesome in about a 50/50 mix. 
A dedicated mod-class autocross car doesn't need to be automatic...I'd honestly prefer if it wasn't. Any replacement vehicle for one of our two existing vehicles would need to be automatic, while also being competitive...greatly narrowing my options.
DanyloS wrote:
Are the Polaris Slingshot 3-wheelers AutoX legal? (maybe disregard doesn't look like they come in an automatic)
Nope - has to have 4 wheels.
