Forget the Magic School Bus - Find Your Magic Daily Driver

"BLCKSTRM" (BLCKSTRM)
03/22/2016 at 15:07 • Filed to: None

There is a magic list of cars you can easily own that you’ll never get tired of. You can drive one of them to the grocery store, to pick up the kids from school, and to track days, and they won’t break the bank. Hell, some of them won’t even care if you have a day job.

Jalops Won’t Tell You About This One Weird Trick. (Sorry, I had to...)

Daily drive a Race Car.

But Race Cars are expensive you say! You have to sell unnecessary body parts to keep them on the road you say! (can you tell I’m channelling Doug here by putting words in your mouth?)

But I don’t necessarily mean that you have to make your particular car into a race car. You just need to pick a kind of car that is a fairly common race car platform.

Still not sure what’s a race car? Here’s a place to start: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

E30, E36, and E46 BMWs, Miatas, Fox Bodies and F-Bodies, 924, 944, 911, and Boxster Porsches, Corvettes. Then there’s the whole drift scene (FRS/BRZ/GT86, AE86, Nissan 180s and Zs), and the rally bunch (Impreza/STIs, Lancers/EVOs). And whatever else I didn’t have time to mention. (Yes, I’m expecting the comments to fill up quickly with anything I didn’t mention by name).

Race Cars have to be available and affordable to start with, or people wouldn’t risk balling them up with a bunch of other speed freaks.

Because of the nature of amateur auto racers, they have to have reasonable (or downright cheap) parts. The need for speed also attracts the aftermarket, which can mean upgrades are plentiful and potentially cheaper than (or at least comparable to) stock parts. Better, most of the spec series (at least in NASA) use a “normal” trim (i.e. BMW 325i vs an M3), which also serves to make the race trim parts (i.e M3 parts) cheaper.

Because of those weirdo amateur racers and the rest of the solar system around them, most of these platforms have wonderful online communities that have documented the full breadth and depth of the platform’s tribal knowledge, a resource that can help you solve any - ANY - problem that could crop up.

These cars are affordable to buy, affordable to maintain, and have interactive instruction manuals (i.e. the forums) that can help you tackle any problem. And this is where the magic happens. Unlike every new car on the planet, what this all amounts to is a car that actually gets better with time.

Chew on that for a second. Every new car on the market slowly deteriorates (and depreciates). If you pick a race car, you buy it already depreciated for around the price of a down payment on a new car. Instead of payments on a depreciating asset, you make investments in your car when you replace worn parts with new ones. And it’s more fun to drive every time you fix it!

It’s better to drive, and is actually worth more since your owner community knows value is more dependent on care than age or miles. I’m not saying the insurance company will give you what it’s worth if it gets totalled, but your fellow devotees will if the time ever comes to sell it.

One of the things The Garage has tried to highlight is how rewarding it is to fix your own car. But I’m talking about building your own car.

And not like your president’s club friend who has the race shop “build” his car while he’s in Monte Carlo. You can do this slowly, on any budget, one repair at a time. You get pick which parts you buy when you replace the old stuff. You get to choose how far down the path to “Total RaceCar” you want to go (or can afford to go). ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is a bit extreme, but a great example)

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Of course it is highly dependent on personal budget (and self-control), but all this can actually be cheaper than buying a new car

I’ve never felt like I needed a new car - just a couple new parts (if even that). But then again, I got lucky and stumbled ass backwards into my current serendipitous situation. ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ).

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Race Cars are wonderful companions that can be endlessly rewarding to drive (and even repair). Simply put, they’re magic. Adopt a Race Car!

Which Race Car do you want to adopt?

BLCKSTRM recently tried to write a bio in the third person like other well-known Jalopnik personalities, but couldn’t hack the intense psychological pressure of the exercise. My background in the auto and telecom industries gives me a unique perspective as these two industries start to combine.

DISCUSSION (20)

BLCKSTRM > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:13

So, here’s my “system.” May not work for everyone, but it’s how I go about it.

I have an E36 M3 Sedan that just turned 204k miles a few weeks ago.

I do all the regular maintenance myself, and generally upgrade when bigger components finally fail.

In general, I have a $2,000 rule. I spend around $2,000 per year on maintenance / upgrades (works out to about $166/ month). My fiscal year (as far as the car is concerned) runs from July-July, for reasons I’ll illustrate in a minute.

When I’m under for the year, I use the balance to update long-standing (important but not urgent items). For example, moving to Texas caused my seat leather to take a nose dive. Two years ago when I was substantially under budget I installed Recaros from an Evo X.

I decided recently that I wanted to try to make it to a million miles in my car. Of course, my clutch (it’s second) decided it didn’t want to go along for the ride, so I’m currently in the middle of that giant headache (which also means a lightweight flywheel, short shift kit - finally - and completely refreshed shifter pins in the transmission). But to my point above, these parts are actually less expensive than replacing with factory parts.

It’s amazing how the reward of doing it yourself combines with the joy of having a better car than before the repair to help you forget about the hours you spent on your back under the car.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:20

Does this count?

Kinja'd!!!

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:21

I’d love to. But I’m still not convinced that a race car is the best idea.

RallyWrench > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:22

I’m currently having this debate with myself. I need room for kids.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:25

Jalops Won’t Tell You About This One Weird Trick. (Sorry, I had to...)

Daily drive a Race Car.

Incorrect. All you need to know is...

Kinja'd!!!

BLCKSTRM > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/22/2016 at 15:28

Totally. I’ve heard there’s something women like about a pickup man...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:30

Every car is a race car. Every. Single. One.

If you tell yourself it’s only a race car because of an arbitrary list made by someone else, you are selling yourself short and living to please someone else. Drive what you love and race the balls off of it.....Or drive what you have and race the balls off of it anyways.

Kinja'd!!!

BLCKSTRM > RallyWrench
03/22/2016 at 15:35

Except the Miata and Corvette, most of these have back seats. The majority have quite decent back seats, even for adults (maybe not complete cross country road trips, but certainly enough for an normal size adult for a <3 hour trip).

If you need 4 doors, you still have lots of choices - it just depends on your price range.

M3 Sedan. STI. EVO. G8. CTS-V. SHO. FoST. S4/RS4.

I drove a CTS-V all over the country with three kids (+both parents) in it. It honestly wasn’t too cramped.

Tighter than a minivan, but tighter than a minivan.

BLCKSTRM > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/22/2016 at 15:43

You may have TL;DR’ed it.

The point is that if you daily something others use as a race car, parts and repair expertise are freely available, as well as a host of upgrades if you want to get into that. Lots more aftermarket go-fast Miata or E30 parts than G-Body parts.

I definitely don’t argue that you can race anything:

RallyWrench > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:45

Yep. Here’s my search list post:

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/need-me-a-car-…

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 15:48

Eh, not really how you came off IMO. You talked about going to the list of eligible cars for competition and kinda humped BMW’s leg for a bit here. What I’m saying is that every car is a “race car” and you shouldn’t think less of your car if it isn’t an E30 or a miata. Personally, I think the E30 is overrated and leaky, really. And yeah if you want to go balls deep in upgrades to do actual wheel to wheel racing, not everything has a big parts catalog, but how many upgrades do you really need to have fun?

You can race an automatic FWD sedan or coupe. Parts for repairs are still plentiful and cheap. And bonus points are the stealth factor. Bolt some light wheels and sticky tires on an altima coupe and watch the jaws drop when you turn a time that shames posers in much “faster” metal.

BLCKSTRM > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/22/2016 at 16:06

I went back and looked and didn’t really feel like I humped anyone’s leg.

I’ll admit I talk about adopting a race car, but I’m not actually talking about racing - just pointing out that those cars that are frequently raced have some benefits I pointed out, and have a community that can properly value cars that have been properly maintained.

Update the suspension in an Altima coupe and then in an E30 or Miata, and tell me which you’d rather try to sell and actually get at least some of that money back. Spending money updating an Altima will get you $0 back. The vast majority of their drivers couldn’t care less. Very much not an investment.

On the other hand, money spent updating any of the “race cars” will actually increase the value of the car. In general, their owners do care.

It’s as true of a ‘96 Camaro as it is of a ‘91 325. No humping going on here...

BeaterGT > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 16:13

I need to pick a car already.

Elumerere > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 16:35

I’m about to pull the trigger on a 996 911. I’ll daily drive it, and hope to get some driving education done to eventually take it to the track a few times.

Will Race For Food > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
03/22/2016 at 16:41

Well, I guess it really depends on the kind of person you are and how much you’d race your “race car”.

I can flat out tell you that for the money I’ve put into my E36 in the last year, I could’ve bought a new car. It’d be a cheap one, but still. Then again, I did have a ton of fun

BLCKSTRM > RallyWrench
03/22/2016 at 17:00

ES300? Why not IS300?

serega13 > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 17:05

I daily drive a highly modified 600whp tire shredding RWD coupe. And it’s terrible. I mean I DO enjoy it a lot but it is costing me dearly. And here’s why. This thing eats through tires likes there’s no tomorrow, I’m on my 3rd set in 2 years and these are $350 a pop so you do the math. But even the best street tires are completely useless on the track so I have to have another set for when I need serious traction. $$$ My twin plate clutch and flywheel are built to take track abuse but they are not built for longevity, last one lasted 35k miles and it is a one off piece that is hand made in California by a crack team of mad race engineers which means long delays and $$$$$$$. Most stock parts cannot handle the power and the heat generated by the highly modified engine and even the parts that are designed to last a lifetime on a stock car - they fail within weeks. Most suspension components have to be thrown out and replaced with much more expensive parts, that costs $$$$, $600 fuel injectors are norm, I’m on my 2nd set, again $$$. But here's the kicker, all these headaches and expenses and 90% of the time I'm stuck in traffic between a minivan and a corolla. Go racecar!

RallyWrench > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 17:09

Because they don’t exist in good shape within my budget constraints. LS400s do though.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > BLCKSTRM
03/22/2016 at 18:29

Two things

1) A race car becomes a customized car. I pay less for race cars because I know you thrashed them. Even if you didn’t, I assume you did. And unless this is a track only, caged race car, your upgrades still lose money. Because you did it your way instead of the way I want to. Call them “updates” all day long - I’m still not giving you even a 1/4 of what you paid for it. Because I know it’s been thrashed and might needto be replaced later or is a potential liability if I don’t think you’re skilled. The exception is if a licensed, well reviewed shop does the work. But then again their labor is what you pay for, not just the part or the numbers it increases.

2) If I “upgrade” an altima coupe and then go to sell it, it probably can still get looks from the “I just want a decent car” crowd. A heavily modified E30 you’re selling for the same price as a much newer civic has a very specific crowd. So if you judge this on the “Which would you sell” it would be the altima every time. Then again I don’t buy a car to sell it. But then again, I don’t need to upgrade one much to have fun. Tires and wheels can be kept for other cars or sold stand alone. Some very light bolt ons and things like a sway bar or some bushings don’t need to be disclosed and so your value isn’t hurt as much.

I guess I fail to see why you think some cars are “race cars” and some aren’t.

BLCKSTRM > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/23/2016 at 13:52

Maybe you’re getting hung up on the term “race car.” I grant you can race anything, but certain platforms have organized classes because they’re good platforms for a race car. And because of those organized classes, they have aftermarket support for parts. Which in turn allows (or at least facilitates) the growth of an enthusiast community around the platform.

Those communities aggregate knowledge around repairs, maintenance, upgrades, etc. You eventually get to a list of the “conventional” things to do, whether routine maintenance or cheap, easy upgrades (like an LS6 intake on an LS motor or an M50 intake on an E36).

Most of this list - new shocks, bushings, motor mounts, radiator hoses, ball joints, control arms, etc. are hardly “customizations.”

Having replaced this stuff, or even doing a K&N or other “light” intake work also is not an automatic indication a car has ever been to a race track. And I wouldn’t call it heavily modified, either.

They’re things that SHOULD be done on all cars, but are generally ignored on old cars. They’re not worth it. Most cars are unremarkable, crappy cars anyway. A fresh suspension isn’t going to do much - it’ll still be the boat it was when it was brand new.

But it’s different for an enthusiast car. They’re usually attractive to enthusiasts for a rreaso. They were better than those “other” cars when they were new. A fresh suspension makes a big difference. Since an enthusiast would likely plan on doing the same work, they’ll pay more for a car with it already done.

Again, as true for a Camaro or AE86 Corolla as it is for an E30. The same can’t be said of an old Altima or FWD Malibu or FWD Corolla.

Even something like an Omni GLH or MR2 or MX-6 GT Turbo is cool and merits refreshing in it’s own right, but since they were not common amateur race car platforms they have relatively weak aftermarket support and enthusiast communities. So parts cost more and there are far fewer people who appreciate the effort and are willing to pay more for your updated car.

Hate on the E30 all you want, but the fact is that there are a large number of people who will pay good money for a well sorted, updated car.