I'm torn!

"Alex B" (alexb420) 05/12/2014 at 21:33 • Filed to: None

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So, my family might be moving to the San Jose area. My dad works for eBay and here in PA he works from home. One of the problems is that he has to work late because time zones. He goes out there one week each month anyway! I really like it here in Central Bucks (Doylestown area) PA. I really like my piano teacher, I have lots of friends, my older brother will be graduating (still isn't sure about which college he'll be attending), and I'll be moving into high school, so we figure if we're going to move, why not now. I think I would like it there, I've been there a few times. But I'm still very undecided.

Brian Silvestro > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:34

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California has pretty much the most active car culture in the country, so there's that. It's the only reason I'd move there. So many hipsters.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:36

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Cali is great when you don't have to pay taxes / cost of living there. If your bro is graduating and going off to college, and you're just going into high school, now would be the perfect time for your family to move. You'll have a solid 4 years at a new school to make friends and stuff. And I'm sure you can find a great piano teacher in Cali. While PA actually has a decent car scene (I love going to Carlisle), it doesn't come close to California.

55Buick, Oversteer Scientist > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:36

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If you do move to San Jose, you should come see the Buick! Were in San Jose as well :D

OPPOsaurus WRX > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:39

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I think the weather is a bit nicer

tromoly > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:43

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You're not in high school?!?! Get off my lawn!!

McMike > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:47

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I moved just before the 9th grade from somewhere I had lived since the 3rd grade. It was kinda tough, but things all fell into place.

I'm assuming the move from PA to San Jose will be a little more exciting than my move from Washington DC to Minot ND.

D > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:48

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What people are saying about the car culture is true, and times ten. One of the best damn mountain road sprawls (and accompanying weekend warrior/midnight racer scenes) in the world is in the Santa Cruz Mountains just south of San Jose. Plus NorCal's packin three racetracks, concours d'elegance, and the whole bay area

I can only imagine the shitty parts of moving (never done it) but if there's ever a good time to do it I think right before high school would be it. Hope everything goes well man.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/12/2014 at 21:48

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Yeah. PA is pretty decent for cars, but CA is much better. :D

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:49

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You're taking it better than I would. If my parents tried to move me much further than a couple miles, I'd freak. I love my hometown, and I don't think I would take kindly to being moved.

Alex B > D 05/12/2014 at 21:51

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Thanks! It would be quite an experience moving across the country.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:52

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When you start driving though, traffic in Cali is TERRIBLE.

Pro tip, convince your parents that a Miata is a perfect first car. Selling points for parents: They're extremely cheap to buy, maintain, and insure. They only have 1 extra seat, so you can't pile in all your friends. They're not filled with gadgets and toys, so you're not distracted behind the wheel. It's manual, meaning there's a learning curve — you literally can't text and drive when you're learning manual. They're so small, that they're incredibly easy to park and maneuver through traffic.

Safety issues? Roll bar, seats, harnesses. Now you're ready for the track as well. ;)

Not to mention, you're an hour and a half drive away from the most beautiful stretch of the PCH. South of Monterrey, Big Sur (Bixby Canyon Bridge). In a Miata, it's absolutely breathtaking with the top down.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:57

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15 years ago I moved to Cali from South Africa for my senior year of high school. It was rough, but I think right now is perfect for you to move because you're young and will adjust. I think you'll be fine, plus valley girls are fun...

Alex B > cabarne4 05/12/2014 at 21:57

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Yes! Miata is always the answer. And having only RWD is perfectly fine because no snow.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 21:59

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See? You're catching on! (love teaching you guys when you're young... It gives me hope in the future).

I daily drove a '75 Beetle back in high school, in Kentucky (which is basically Pennsylvania with thicker accents and less Amish — winters are about as brutal). This wasn't too long ago, either. I graduated in 2010. But I can tell you that RWD + snow works just fine, you just can't be a dumbass.

Alex B > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2014 at 22:03

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I'm the opposite! If I'm going to move, make it drastic. Our current house is large enough, and I have friends that live right next to me, so moving would make seeing them more complicated. And it could possibly switch which high school I go to. Our high schools are divided into East, West, and South. There is some serious rivalry going on between them. I would suddenly become an "enemy" to all of my friends going onto the south swim team if I the house we moved to was in the East or West district.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:06

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For me, just being able to see my friends (and still going to the same school, I like my school and my swim team) would be a big deal. It would be okay if they were across town, just not across the country!

Alex B > cabarne4 05/12/2014 at 22:06

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Where I live there are virtually no Amish people. =P We are in a suburb of Philly. I was talking with my neighbor who has a CLS 63 AMG and he is upset how the youth doesn't care about cars at all. He was happy that I was knowledgeable (and care) about cars.

Alex B > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2014 at 22:06

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You swim too?

Alex B > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/12/2014 at 22:08

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I already have a flavor of what valley girls are like...

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:08

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Yessir. Have done so for the last 8 years. Probably getting towards the end of my run, though, since I'm running out of a) time to practice and b)years of high school.

Alex B > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2014 at 22:11

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I've been swimming since I was 8. My older brother was a swimmer too. All his friends want me on the team sooo badly. They say high school swimming is fun. If we stay here in PA I'm quite excited for it!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:13

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It is fun, there's no doubt about that.

Alex B > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/12/2014 at 22:14

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It seems like it. Do you have pasta parties the night before every meet?

evil2win > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:21

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I moved to the Bay Area back in 1983 from Denver Co. and never looked back. I love it here. I'm currently in Fremont just north of San Jose. I've lived in Oakland, Emeryville, San Francisco, and up in Mendocino county for a few decades. My only complaint would be the cost of living.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:30

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All my friends are car people. We've even converted total non-car people. Like my friend Brandon's girlfriend, Alex. She drove a 90's Civic, automatic, and didn't give two shits about cars. Then Brandon convinced her to sell the Civic and get a Miata. Then handed her a shop manual, and the book How to Build a High Performance Miata. (Amazon link). She now does all her own maintenance, and drives the car like she stole it.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Seriously, that book is amazing. It teaches you everything Barney-style, breaking stuff down into a format that's actually interesting to read. It literally starts by telling you how an engine makes horsepower from air and fuel (by following our friend "Oscar", an oxygen molecule, through the combustion system!), and goes into detail about the physics of cornering.

If you're living in a suburb of Philly, definitely give Cali a shot. Philly is cool in its own way, but doesn't even compare to life in Cali. You'll love it there as a young Jalop.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/12/2014 at 22:34

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I guess you could say Cali is the perfect place for:

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:37

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Maybe 1/3 of the time. They recommend you eat something carb-loaded the night before, but the pasta parties are mostly before particularly big meets.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/12/2014 at 22:37

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I live in AZ, which is basically the cheap version of Cali, without the beach. I live in a house with 6 other guys, and everyone has Miatas. I think I know a thing or two about Miata life...

Like, did you know that the Miata can actually seat 7?

http://web.stagram.com/p/545151197705…

I'm somewhere in the passenger seat... I think you can see the side of my head around 9 seconds in. No, it was not comfortable. Somehow yes, it could be driven (we went in a small, slow circle around the lot afterwards). We've also used Miatas for various IKEA trips. We've got about 16 of them at the house.

JDMatt > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 03:51

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most people in california dont know how to surf or live next to celebrities.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 08:35

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It should be clowns first choice of car. What is it like having 16 miatas? How many do you own?

Alex B > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 05/13/2014 at 08:37

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Oh, they do it every meet. In freshman year you don't really swim much unless your really good from what I've heard. Did you find this true?

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 08:59

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I actually sold my last one. Saving up to build an NB. It's pretty fantastic though. Our backyard is full of Miata parts, there's Miatas in every state. We've got supercharged Miatas, stanced Miatas, clean daily Miatas, track Miatas, broken Miatas, Miata engines, Miata chassis, Miata doors and windows. Hell a majority of the seats in our living room are Miata seats!

Our house basically eats / sleeps / breaths Miata. We drink mostly beer though.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 09:15

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Not as much on my team, it's more a matter of slower vs. Faster

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 11:34

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Wow. You guys must be gods around here!

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 11:42

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Haha well unfortunately the Miata was never offered as a brown, diesel, manual, AWD wagon... So even though it's always the answer for everything, it's not Jalop enough.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 11:46

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But... but Miata is always the answer!

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 11:50

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It's always the answer, but it's not the most Jalop car... you've got some things to learn still. ;)

Oh, and these pictures are a few months old at least, but gives you an idea:

Hard to see but there's 5 Miatas in this pic (I had to screenshot from Instagram, so terrible quality). There's one Miata hiding in the carport.

Out front, there's usually 3 or 4 on the street in front of the house. And that's only half of the backyard. That's an FC RX7 under the blue car cover. In front of it is all the Miata chassis — enough for like 5 cars. Usually there's another car in the rocks by the gate (basically off right, in front of the black Miata with the rollbar). That picture is taken from the carport in the backyard, which can fit 2 Miatas deep (and usually does). On the other side of the carport are 3 big sheds, full of Miata and RX7 parts.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 11:52

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Wow, that looks awesome. Miata heaven!

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 11:54

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Yeah, back yard is where Miatas go to die. Some get rebuilt and are given a second life. Updated the post with pics with a bit more description.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:07

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You should start a Miata club similar to the Classic Car Club of Manhattan. Every miata is a little different!

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:15

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We have one — Silly Slow Miata. It's actually a registered company, buying and selling Miata parts from our house. We have meets every week (usually Friday or Saturday night, usually at a Chick-Fil-A or Dunkin' Donuts).

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:17

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You've thought of everything!

Dat wheel.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:21

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Yeah, that was Alex's birthday present from her boyfriend / my roommate Brandon. It's a real Nardi, not a knockoff. She's got the matching shift knob and brake handle, too. Her car looks like utter sex. In the little pic of the front of the house, her's is in the driveway with the tan top. She's got more pics of it on Instagram. If you've got IG, start following @_S33dl3ss (Alex) and @Rauhcupcake (Connor, another one of my roommates).

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:24

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Awesome! I don't do IG. I'm assuming hers is the one with the top up, but it looks like the one with the top down could have a tan top.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:30

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Yeah, the one with the top up on the black wheels. Here it is with the matching hardtop (took her AGES to find a paint matching hardtop).

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:32

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Wow.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:34

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I think you're going to like living out west. Cali has an even better car scene than Phoenix.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:39

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I think I would like it. I'm fine either way. It's still up in the air if were going to move or not.

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:42

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http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/25498118…

Fox news ruined our favorite road last night though. All my friends are passing that around facebook. We're getting a laugh off of their description of everything ("10 second cars"! Hahaha). Hopefully there aren't any bad repercussions. If so, we'll have to find a new road. :(

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:47

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Looks like a nice road! Are there any roads similar?

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:50

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If you go out a bit, there's some other fun roads... But that's probably the best one that's so close. There's South Mountain, which is actually closer, but it ends at the top of the mountain, and there's a guarded gate at the bottom... So if you get called in, there's a road block and a ticket waiting at the bottom (some of my friends are actually banned from the park now).

Tortilla Flat / Apache Trail is a pretty crazy drive though. It's about 17 miles of pavement, with just about every corner you could hope for. Fox makes it seem bad, but it's actually safer at night. No tourist traffic, and you can see headlights of oncoming traffic well before you get to a corner (daytime, corners are completely blind). It's a great drive...

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 12:52

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Does the RX7 get driven on the Apache Trail?

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 12:54

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Depends on who's going. Usually it's just the Miatas. The RX7's see more time on actual tracks though. If our friend John is going, he is driving either his E36 M3, or his FC RX7 turbo 2. We also have friends who just have RX7s, so if they're driving they're definitely in RX7s.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 13:13

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Oh. What is the break down of miatas? How much is DD and how much is Tacked?

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 13:26

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You can find a good NA for around $2500-4500. Above that, your in NB territory, below it, and you're looking at potential track cars. Most of our beaters are bought for between $500 to $1500. Coilovers will set you back $500-$1000 (remember, you get what you pay for. Don't cheap out). Rollbar, seats, harnesses another $1500-$2000. A good condition hardtop will cost you about $1000. You can rebuild a whole Miata engine for $500 to stock condition. Doing built internals, closer to $1000. A supercharger kit with standalone ECU will run you about $1500 (Jackson Racing + Megasquirt).

So, if you want a great track Miata, I'd budget about $6000-$6500. That'll get you a decent beater to start with, full supercharger build, rollbar, seats, harnesses, coilovers, etc. All done right.

For a clean DD, if we're just looking at NA's, you can get away with grabbing something under $4000 (one of my roommates picked up a '95 M-edition for $2500. Cleanest Miata any of us have ever seen. Not a single flaw, low miles, full maintenance records. Reason it was so cheap? No A/C... In Phoenix. We had all the A/C components at the house, so it was fixed pretty quick).

EDIT: Those two estimates are for clean examples. If you just want a reliable first Miata, you can get away with spending $2000 or less if you shop around. At that price, you'll have to settle with little cosmetic issues — cracked dash, maybe a small tear or hole in the top (cheapest tops on ebay run about $150, pretty easy to replace yourself), maybe a dent or a ding...

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 13:28

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Haha, that's one of the many benefits of having 16 Miatas!

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 13:30

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Yeah we pretty much have examples of every Miata you could want to build. We even have a hipster "artsy" Miata!

Gotta love power sanders, vinegar, and clear coat.

Alex B > cabarne4 05/13/2014 at 13:32

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Haha, what is the fastest Miata?

cabarne4 > Alex B 05/13/2014 at 13:41

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At our house? One of the two supercharged ones (Mark is pushing more boost, but his is also built like crap and he doesn't have good suspension on it right now... so he's constantly breaking down and can't corner well. Brandon has a better build, better suspension and everything else).

Out of all the Miata guys we know? This guy named Jeff. He's got a turbo build. His Miata is sex.

His is so fast, he wrote a song about Miatas passing bigger cars.

George McNally > Alex B 05/18/2014 at 18:30

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I live in York PA.......If I worked for eBay and was offered a position in San Jose? I'd be on a plane tonight .

Sure, I'm 54 years old, have all my roots in the community, but I think I'd move if just for the climate.

Traffic? Eh, I'd ride my bike everywhere.