>"I think I'd like to get into autocrossing -- I'll go buy myself
>another car".
oh my god, you are TOTALLY missing a major point point of autocrossing!!!
it is a TERRIBLY good reason to buy some horrendously impractical but
funfunfun cars!!
-james 'funcar' creasy
----- Original Message -----
From: John J. Stimson-III <john@idsfa.net>
To: Randall Noll <rnoll98@yahoo.com>
Cc: John J. Stimson-III <john@idsfa.net>; Kevin Stevens
<Kevin_Stevens@pursued-with.net>; Mark J. Andy <marka@telerama.com>;
<Smokerbros@aol.com>; <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2001 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: Stock Classes (was: Cheap Gas)
> > First of all, if anyone is running a Stock car that costs more than
> > $20k and is concerned about costs sell your car and switch classes.
>
> I drive a stock car which cost more than $20,000, because that's what
> I want as my daily driver. The goal of stock class autocrossing
> should be to race your own everyday car with as little *additional*
> cost as possible -- not to convince you to sell your car and get a
> beater so you can afford to prep it to the limit of the rules.
>
> I fully appreciate Katie's comments about driving being more important
> than shocks or wheels, but on the other hand, I don't want to spend an
> additional $2000 on shocks and $1600 on wheels just to be sure that
> that guy or gal that's beating me and HAS spent the money really is
> beating me because he/she is a better driver.
>
> > Seriously though, I don't think most of us got into this sport because
> > it was cheaper than our other options. I too was suprised initially to
> > find out that you could do so much to a car in the "stock" class, but
> > then it became fun to tinker with the car a little and see the results
> > without having to do too much to stay competitive.
> >
>
> > I think we also need to look at the sport from a blank slate
> > standpoint--If you have no car, what does it cost to get into the
> > sport--rather than the amount of money you need to put into your $50k
> > car to make it competitive.
>
> Why? This is NOT how most people get into the sport. They don't say,
> "I think I'd like to get into autocrossing -- I'll go buy myself
> another car".
>
> > Again, if you think it's absurd that you have to pay 1-2k to put
> > "competitive" shocks on your $50k car, maybe you shouldn't be racing a
> > $50k car. That's only 2%-4% of your car's value. It cost me almost $500
> > to put shocks on my $5,000 MR2 (replace with Miata where applicable),
> > that's 10%.
>
> I don't think that anyone is complaining about $1K shocks on a $50K
> car, but rather $5K shocks on a $30K car, or $2K shocks on a $20K (or
> $8K) car. Your $500 shocks are reasonable, because they're pretty
> close to what you'd have to pay to get any shocks on the car...
>
> > Also, think of all the money we'd (all autocrossers nationwide) have to
> > spend to switch everything back to OEM. And who's gonna buy my Koni's
> > then?
>
> That would only happen once, and if you were wise and kept your
> original equipment then it would be almost free. Conversely, think of
> all the money all autocrossers nationwide have to spend to upgrade
> components every time they get a new car.
>
> --
>
> john@idsfa.net John Stimson
> http://www.idsfa.net/~john/ HMC Physics '94
|