Mike, I will register it in Florida -- military. The only time it would come up or impact me will be on resale, assuming I sell before my next move. If that's what you're getting at, yes, unsmogable cars definitely should drive down value, here. I guess the question is, how much? I bought and sold Blackjack for $6,500, and it had the GT40 top-end and some nice drag oriented rear
suspension. This car is pretty similar, but more road course oriented. Blackjack had A/C and people didn't have to worry about smogging it in KY, though. Do you think I offered too much?
As to the white car, it really had promise, and I agree that the roll cage would be better. Unfortunately, after speaking with the seller, I just didn't feel good about it, and I've gotta trust my gut. The thing is, the seller didn't really know anything about the car. When I asked him what k-member it had, he had no idea what I was talking about. I was able to figure it out from one of the pics he sent afterwards -- it's stock. He confirmed that it has stock heads and says it makes 340 rwhp based off of what the previous owner told him, and he does not have the dyno. So, I can't believe what the guy is telling me about the car. If he had it dynoed and it made 340, I'd have to believe it has aftermarket heads that he didn't know about. My experiences have taught me to be skeptical, trust my gut, and never buy from someone that gives you a reason not to trust 'em no matter how good the deal seems.
Furthermore, I'd guess the car, with stock heads, makes 240-250 and given the stock k-member, I just think I'm looking for more car if I'm buying a race-only car.
The black one has a few advantages in my mind. 1) resale should be easier than a race-only car, 2) it might actually be quicker around the track with 290 rwhp & MM front
suspension, 3) I could register, insure, and enjoy it on a daily basis, 4) I have a thing for black hatches, lol!