Post Challenge car usage??

Ok, The Challenge is over, everybody's car is home. Now what? What do you do with them? How many of you have made them a DD; a legal competition vehicle; part out; or let it sit and rot?

Excuse me, "Made it part of your collection?"

jeff and i have driven our '06/'07/'09 challenge e30 as a local autocross rat for years now, plus its a hoot to drive on the street when its registered. kinda makes you feel like a hooligan driving it.

the Jeep XJ-R i just autocrossed last weekend and we'll be testing/tweaking suspension bits next year for another challenge go. and if i can get a title for it i cant wait to drive it on the street ultimately if we get it reliable i'd LOVE to do some HPDE stuff with it

I still play with both of mine. My '08 and '09 Shadow is disassemled now for a transformation into something better. My '10 Aries is getting fixed and will get toyed around. After all that effort, it's hard to get rid of them.

e28 did DD duty before the challenge - got sold - still pulling DD duty. The stillborn MG will be on for 2011. Should be pulling hpde/autocross duty this spring and summer

Well it sort of depends on how far you went with your build and your tolerance factor.

Dave for example could drive a solid mounted bathtub across a mine field and be ok. Me? A one hour drive in the E30 makes me look for the bottle of Advil. And yes, you do feel like a compete hooligan.

TB's SAAB is probably a fantastic DD but the Isetta might make a 15 minute commute feel like a country country trek.

miatame wrote: Well it sort of depends on how far you went with your build and your tolerance factor. Dave for example could drive a solid mounted bathtub across a mine field and be ok. Me? A one hour drive in the E30 makes me look for the bottle of Advil. And yes, you do feel like a compete hooligan. TB's SAAB is probably a fantastic DD but the Azeta might make a 15 minute commute feel like a country country trek.

did you mean Isetta?

miatame wrote: TB's SAAB is probably a fantastic DD...

It really is, I just cannot seem to stop using it all the time. I wanted to put it out to pasture and either trade for a new project or make it more hardcore for next year... but I have gotten used to having it available for errands and weekend fun.

She needed a new exhaust to pass inspection recently; perfect excuse to throw on a 3" cat back ... still plenty of room in the budget for $2011 if I don't get sidetracked with something else...

Car-B-Cue.

WilberM3 wrote: did you mean Isetta?

I don't know what you're talking about. You must have misquoted me.

Our Challenge cars were used to degrade property values:

From CARS

Built the car as a cheap fun daily driver and it fit into challenge budget. During the summer I drive the Miata to work and take it on a few road trips to NH and down to Cape Cod. It’s also fun driving around at the challenge with plates and being able to drive to and from the track plus make beer runs. It’s also seen a few trips to the drag strip and autocross between challenges. Winter it normally looks like this:

Hauling pumpkins.

ansonivan wrote: Hauling pumpkins.

Does the the van say "Free Pumpkins!" on the side of it in October?

Sold both of mine to make room / fund new projects. i actually made almost $1500 on the 08' bmw engined rx7

In reply to pimpm3:

did you make a build thread or have any pics of the swap? yours was one of the cars i missed a good chance to really check out that year.

My Challenge car is still at my brother's in Florida. :( It's meant to be my daily ride while I rebuild my first '88 Mazda 323 GTX... once I get it back here and replace those blown turbo seals. :D

my 04 car was a daily driver doing pizza derlery and autcrossed for many years and i sold it last year to get a new toy.

my 08 car is probably building rebar by now. 2 years later the front bumper is still @ the wreckers with the GRM decals on it and the rear hatch is on a friends car - it was too rusty to rescue.

my 2010 Monster EG civic is tucked away in storage while I build a new motor.

WilberM3 wrote: the Jeep XJ-R i just autocrossed last weekend

And it was pretty quick! It managed to beat a certain S2000 on street tires, anyway :).

$2002 car 53 was used for Auto X for about two years then moved in to the DD position for about three years then was off the road for another year or so.

When it did come back on the car was sideswiped front to back Fixed that (should have walked away) blew the bottom end apart three weeks later. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. (long list of parts)

Back on the road in October of 09 as a DD and still chugging along

Paul B

I drove my 03 car on the street for a few years, and raced it a bit. When the head gasket blew, I parked it in the shop, and it's still there.

Eventually just a fun cruiser....but a small part of me keeps thinking there's one more adventure for the old Wartburg.

Targa Newfoundland ;)

JThw8 wrote: Eventually just a fun cruiser....but a small part of me keeps thinking there's one more adventure for the old Wartburg. Targa Newfoundland ;)

GOOD GOD MAN ARE YOU INSANE! IT'S A WARTBURG NOT A COSWORTH SIERRA!

(do it)

Raze wrote:

JThw8 wrote: Eventually just a fun cruiser....but a small part of me keeps thinking there's one more adventure for the old Wartburg. Targa Newfoundland ;)

GOOD GOD MAN ARE YOU INSANE! IT'S A WARTBURG NOT A COSWORTH SIERRA! (do it)

Working out a plan, its a few years off and I need to dig up sponsorship to afford it, but the old girl is just an adventure machine so Im not willing to stop just yet ;) Sadly there's just not enough VW in her to qualify for Beetleball 2012 or that would be next.

Josh wrote:

WilberM3 wrote: the Jeep XJ-R i just autocrossed last weekend

And it was pretty quick! It managed to beat a certain S2000 on street tires, anyway :).

Did you see it run? I think a lot of the guys who came over and asked us what it ran were surprised.

It is weird to drive in because you know you're in a Jeep but it turns in so hard and holds a set. Just crazy