Profit Or Loss?

I don't know why you guys don't get it. There is an alternative to hagging out a fox mustang, and making it into a full on drag car. (or any fox body for that matter)

It's no secret that I'm gonna have 20k or more in a on-off, 6 banger powered Fairmont. (Another absurd amount depending on who you talk to)

But here's the diff between it, and a drag car.

I get to drive it. Everywhere. Anytime. For as long, and as far as I want. With the AC on, and a hippie joe subwoofer rattling the fillings outta my head.

It'l make more power than I'll use, and I'll never push it hard enough to find out. That said, I can also not have to worry about leaving a piece of the crankshaft sticking out of the oil pan either.

I'm on the count down to this week end where I and the family (to include my AF son) will go to Savannah, Charleston, and end up in Myrtle Beach to witness one of the biggest spectacles of Mustang-ness that exists in this country. There'll be over 1000 cars there, and countless tens of thousands of people there to watch. I'll obviously be there to spectate as well (this year).

Those 1000 guys get it.

There's nothing wrong w/ spending stupid money on a car that can be used for it's intended purpose everyday.

Don't ya think that's all a matter of preference? Think it's kind of ignorant to make it so black and white. Especially coming from a guy with a few drag cars in his past. Sure, you may have "Matured" passed it but I think it's fair to say it's exactly what you wanted at a certain point in your life.
Not saying I disagree with your chosen path, just that it's the ONLY path

tannerc91gt said:

Don't ya think that's all a matter of preference? Think it's kind of ignorant to make it so black and white. Especially coming from a guy with a few drag cars in his past. Sure, you may have "Matured" passed it but I think it's fair to say it's exactly what you wanted at a certain point in your life.
Not saying I disagree with your chosen path, just that it's the ONLY path

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Whether or not you prefer to spend your money on a car that sits all week waiting till the next chance you can hustle up a trailer, gas up the Super Duty, Fill the race car tank w/ Rocket 114/116, or VP C-16, fill 3-4 additional bottles of nitrous ( besides the 1-2 that are strapped in the car) then drag it somewhere where you have to pay to use it, and beat the snot out of it 1/4 mile at a time, or you'd rather spend your money building something you could go out and drive after you read this is obviously your prerogative.

The black and white answer is everybody comes around. It takes some a little longer than others, but sooner or later, the drag car will no longer sit in one side of the garage while the family truckster sits on the other. 90 % of the racers that I had as friends 10-15 years ago don't have a race car anymore, all citing the same reason for ditching it.

Money.

The car guys that are/were racers will find a more logical/sensible outlet for theirs, and thats's the case w/ me,....The guys that did it because their friends did, who didn't know how to tune a carb, flow a nitrous system, tune a chassis, build the car, or even weld, don't even watch it on TV anymore.

I'm not saying that you can't build a car that can't be drag raced, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to build a drag car that can't be driven.

madmike1157 said:

Whether or not you prefer to spend your money on a car that sits all week waiting till the next chance you can hustle up a trailer, gas up the Super Duty, Fill the race car tank w/ Rocket 114/116, or VP C-16, fill 3-4 additional bottles of nitrous ( besides the 1-2 that are strapped in the car) then drag it somewhere where you have to pay to use it, and beat the snot out of it 1/4 mile at a time, or you'd rather spend your money building something you could go out and drive after you read this is obviously your prerogative.

The black and white answer is everybody comes around. It takes some a little longer than others, but sooner or later, the drag car will no longer sit in one side of the garage while the family truckster sits on the other. 90 % of the racers that I had as friends 10-15 years ago don't have a race car anymore, all citing the same reason for ditching it.

Money.

The car guys that are/were racers will find a more logical/sensible outlet for theirs, and thats's the case w/ me,....The guys that did it because their friends did, who didn't know how to tune a carb, flow a nitrous system, tune a chassis, build the car, or even weld, don't even watch it on TV anymore.

I'm not saying that you can't build a car that can't be drag raced, I'm saying it doesn't make sense to build a drag car that can't be driven.

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Well I guess you better start dogging the guys who have a boat then, because all they do is sit in the yard/garage/storage facility all week until the weekend when they can be used. While your at it be the Grinch to the folks that have guns in a locker and only go shooting on weekends. Or how about the hang glider dudes around here that jump off of cliffs, but only on weekends. There are literally dozens and dozens of hobby's that can only be done/used "only on weekends" because guess what? Most everybody works during the week and can only "use" their hobby on weekends. The fact that I have turned a Fox Body car, a Saleen no less, into a drag car is my "hobby" that I can use on weekends. Just like I can't boat/fish/shoot/ride/hang glide ect ect during the week, I also can't drag race during the week. I don't dog the folks who build cars to take to a car show just because I think it is a waste of time to spend all day looking at cars doing nothing. That is the choice they made, and someday they will probably mature and find out what a waste of time and money it was. See my point?

FoxMustangLvr said:

It's a persons choice to travel down that road. Just because somebody comes to the realization that drag racing (or any other expensive hobby) is eating up too much disposable income that can be better used for something else .

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(A) you can never have too much disposable income.
(B) that income can be better used on what exactly?
You imply that spending money on this "or any other expensive hobby" is somehow a waste. I respectfully disagree.
Disposable income is just that, disposable. It is not money used for the everyday necessity's of life, and therefore is available to spend how I see fit with no dire consequences looming ahead.

whats with this waist of money stuff?...lol,i knew going into my build that of coarse you wont get your money back fully,(if i decide to sell),i built it to use it,and everything used you cant sell for full price,enjoy it and move on....im enjoying the fruits of my labour every sunny day!

Bullitt347 said:

Well I guess you better start dogging the guys who have a boat then, because all they do is sit in the yard/garage/storage facility all week until the weekend when they can be used. While your at it be the Grinch to the folks that have guns in a locker and only go shooting on weekends. Or how about the hang glider dudes around here that jump off of cliffs, but only on weekends. There are literally dozens and dozens of hobby's that can only be done/used "only on weekends" because guess what? Most everybody works during the week and can only "use" their hobby on weekends. The fact that I have turned a Fox Body car, a Saleen no less, into a drag car is my "hobby" that I can use on weekends. Just like I can't boat/fish/shoot/ride/hang glide ect ect during the week, I also can't drag race during the week. I don't dog the folks who build cars to take to a car show just because I think it is a waste of time to spend all day looking at cars doing nothing. That is the choice they made, and someday they will probably mature and find out what a waste of time and money it was. See my point?

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That's fair.

I will only say this about that.

Whether it be a gun, boat, or hang glider, that's all they ever were. That's all they can ever be.

A drag car used to be a street car. It used to be something that could be driven everyday.

Additionally, (whether it be a gun, or boat, or hang glider) the pursuit of those hobbies don't involve modifications to make them more likely to fail, or crash when they're used on the weekend.

Ahhhh, but it is the element of risk that makes it more exciting. Why else jump off a cliff with a piece of cloth flapping above you if it is not some sort of risk. Why jump out of a plane? Why go out on the water with a boat if it can sink? Nothing is guaranteed even if it is stock. It is the thrill seeking/adrenaline rush that we are after. I have made every effort in the build of my drag car to eliminate possible failure. Is that a certainty? Absolutely not. Is that going to keep me from driving it? Nope. Otherwise I might as well live in a cave and hope the mountain does not come down on me. Hell I got sideswiped in my car the other day just driving down the road. I was doing nothing wrong and BAM! this idiot in a Prius decides he needs to be in my lane. Now I am driving a rental waiting for the door to get replaced and the rear quarter panel fixed. And all this happened while I was not drag racing! Imagine the chances of that!

I don't take issue with the money, we all waste money. When it comes to money i'm a no regrets guy, that's why i tend to go all out. I get buyers remorse when i go cheap, not when i go high quality.

Race cars don't bother me when they are built from something that was near death or undesirable. Like a good 4cyl notch or lx hatch.
Now taking a good condition well running car and turning it into a race car, just isn't sensible. And it happens all the time. That's something that irks me a bit.
At the chassis shop right now is a 2nd gen lightning, cut down to nothing being turned into a 6-7 second race truck.
You know what's left? The cab, which is now cut down a few inches (height). Not the chassis, suspension, engine, interior, nothing. Could have went to the junkyard, took an f150 cab for $500 and been done. Instead a good truck, destroyed.

In the end, these things are other peoples property. Does it reflect on how smart i think they are? Ya. But realistically guys that cut up good cars don't care what i think anyway, so....
Eventually most people figure out that it was a mistake. But it's usually too late for the car.

Trying to convince another guy what to do with their car is like trying to tell them they are marrying the wrong woman. They just aren't going to listen, even if you been there before.

GroverDill said:

Questions like these make me glad I kept my car all stock!

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In that case, what do stock foxes go for? I'll give you that, plus $1k. Seems pretty fair, right?

If you ask me, the guys who build real budget racers are the guys with the most sense. They get the most enjoyment for the $. They blow a motor, and $500 and 2 weeks later, they're back in the game. happens when you're racing, and when you have a little less than $50k in your car, as in my case, " happening" is pretty nerve racking. I'm not nearly done with the car, and I hope I get every dollar that I ever spend on it back out of it in the form of enjoyment. However, I've learned that the more money you put in, the harder it is to extract enough fun back out of it.

I screwed up, big time, a little over a month ago and through my own fault, blew up the motor in my stock '97 Corvette. Now, I freely admit that I'm an idiot for letting that happen. That said, I already found a supply of LS1 short blocks in the states going for $1,500 each. I'll bet I actually end up with one for less than $1k. Frankly, after all the money to fly my broke best friend over to visit me in Germany, the partying, the rock concerts, driving around the country, racing at the 'ring, etc... Paying ~$2,000 or less to get her in good running shape again is not so bad... I'll brush that dirt off my shoulder and take it as a lesson learned. If I had done something stupid and broke the billet-internal mustang short block, I'd be crushed.

My new philosophy towards cars is to get the most you can out of the least expense. After that, for everything you spend, you get diminishing returns. I won't sell it, but if I end up wrecking/destroying my mustang, I will not replace it. I will end up repairing it cheaply or with some other affordable sports car, maybe even another foxbody. My cheap daily driver is going to be something with low insurance, maintenance, repair, and fuel costs that is far from pretty and that can get a ding without getting more from me emotionally than a 2nd glance.

Don't justify your expenses by saying that it's about the same taking the hit of depreciation on a new $30k car. Doing that is also financially stupid for most of us average guys. Realize that you're doing something financially disruptive for the joy that it brings you. If you can't say that the joy is worth more than other things you could do with the money, then stop spending the money.

in all things you need to ask; is the juice worth the squeeze?

GroverDill said:

30k I would likely wave bye bye to mine for that kinda coin

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Tempting...