[SGVLUG] SGVLUG-sponsored race car

[Dustin Laurence]

On Fri, Jul 21, 2006 at 08:02:25AM -0700, Michael Proctor-Smith wrote:

> I am in if you are serious.

Mmm, half at least, even though I can't imagine where I'd find the time.
I'm not sure I'm stupid enough to drive a car on a track full of
incompetent, exhausted, and probably inebriated amateurs in barely
functional cars, though.  Maybe. :-)

Enough to take an idle look on Craig's list to verify that it's pretty
easy to find cars for less than $500.  There are, even after you filter
out the ads that listed a monthly payment rather than a purchase price
and those that truncated about three zeros.

Hmm, let's just idly look, for fun.

Example:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/184347486.html

However, I'd hate to spoil the fun by doing it in a FWD car.  Hmm, I
think this one is also FWD but a prelude should better:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/car/184271546.html

Or maybe this, with a junkyard fuel pump:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/car/184354329.html

This would be *much* better, but I'm sure the price isn't serious:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/car/184404494.html

That's a selection of cars that didn't look like they would require
$1000 in repairs to go the distance.  RWD is hard to find--I fear you
might end up in some massive luxury car (though, come to think of it,
that's probably a good thing to be in in a crash).

It would probably cost at least $3000 to compete, though:

    $500  Vehicle entry fee
    $400  Entry fee for the 4-driver minimum
    $300  On-the-spot purchase of NASCAR licences for 4 drivers
          (assuming no one has such a thing already)
    $500  Maximum vehicle cost
    $500  Safety equipment (lame guess)
--------
   $2200

That only leaves $800 for fuel, tires, transportation, etc. within a
$3000 budget.  I have no idea but that might be pretty tight, especially
for a flock of (I'm assuming) totally n00b drivers who (I imagine)
*really* need to spend a little time on a track just to be safe.  (Yes, I
am counting myself in that category.)  It also may underestimate the
safety equipment; one would *not* want to scrimp on that in a race full
of other incompetents in pieces of junk.  In fact, I agree with the
writeup--this is a really tremendously stupid thing to do. :-)

It also doesn't account for the possible need to get a trailer and pull
the stupid thing--many of the better <$500 candidates aren't and maybe
can't be street legal, that's what pulls the price that low.

Dustin

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