Keep the C4 or... ???

[RedLS1GTO]

This happens to me every year it seems at about this time. I am getting the C4 ready to roll for another season and I keep asking myself if I am doing the right thing in keeping it.

The problem that I keep running into is that the car doesn't have a home in competition. It is an amazing HPDE car but doesn't really fall too nicely into any competative classes. I could pull some power and take it down to ST2 but it goes against everything in me to make a car slower. To make it competative in a class up would take quite a bit of time, money, and effort.

When I run the options through my head I keep landing on one that at first seems outlandish but after a little while starts to make more and more sense. Why build a car when you could buy one. There are a LOT of old Cup and Busch (Nationwide, whatever you want to call it) cars out there. What says C4Gen... the most C4 biased folks I know.

Should I keep the C4 as it is now? Stick the extra money in it (that I would never get back) to make it competative? Sell it and get something new?

Aaaargh. So many choices!

Things like this make it even more difficult... 2008 Petty road race car, $30k! This, I WANT!!

NASCAR #43 Sprint Cup Race Car - eBay (item 270718252057 end time Mar-17-11 08:26:17 PDT)

[Sweet 90]

Simple, do what makes you happy. With the C4, you've been there done that. If you can swing the road race car, DO IT!! You only live once Bryan

ps: even if you sell the C4, we'll still talk to you, I mean we still put up with Jon

[Frizlefrak]

Originally Posted by Sweet 90

ps: even if you sell the C4, we'll still talk to you, I mean we still put up with Jon

What the cat said.

[j-vette]

I personally feel that part of the charm your C4 has is that it’s still street legal. That’s pretty cool. Is there any way you can keep it AND get the other car…?

[RedLS1GTO]

The cat and the dog agree?!?!??!?! Holy crap.

Originally Posted by j-vette

I personally feel that part of the charm your C4 has is that it’s still street legal. That’s pretty cool. Is there any way you can keep it AND get the other car…?

It is "registered" but if one of our fine officers of the law felt the need, there are about a dozen things they could probably write me up for at any given time. Thankfully Ohio makes it easy to get plates. I very rarely drive it on the street however, if I decide to sell it the fact that it could be made into a weekend warrior pretty easily would definitely be a good selling point.

I make a pretty decent living but my car budget (and storage room) is already maxed out so keeping more than 1 car whose purpose is only to race is out of the question.

We'll see. At this point it looks like I will definitely be keeping the C4 for this season, but after that is where I might start seriously looking for something new. Even though a lot of people seem to like it, I don't know how much I could realistically expect to be able to sell the 96 for which is another major concern... although right now it's a mute point because it is in about a bazillion pieces in my garage and I am waiting on a few parts before I can get it back together.

[PLRX]

I remember you mentioned this last year. A car is like a woman, you look at it and after few years you want to replace it. You find a new one with a newer and quieter engine and tighter chassis and it would make you happy for two-three years max.

If you are thinking this is because you already made up your mind. Buy the race car and step into a higher level.

[Sweet 90]

Originally Posted by RedLS1GTO

The cat and the dog agree?!?!??!?! Holy crap.

[drmrman]

Originally Posted by RedLS1GTO

This happens to me every year it seems at about this time. I am getting the C4 ready to roll for another season and I keep asking myself if I am doing the right thing in keeping it.

The problem that I keep running into is that the car doesn't have a home in competition. It is an amazing HPDE car but doesn't really fall too nicely into any competative classes. I could pull some power and take it down to ST2 but it goes against everything in me to make a car slower. To make it competative in a class up would take quite a bit of time, money, and effort.

When I run the options through my head I keep landing on one that at first seems outlandish but after a little while starts to make more and more sense. Why build a car when you could buy one. There are a LOT of old Cup and Busch (Nationwide, whatever you want to call it) cars out there. What says C4Gen... the most C4 biased folks I know.

Should I keep the C4 as it is now? Stick the extra money in it (that I would never get back) to make it competative? Sell it and get something new?

Aaaargh. So many choices!

Things like this make it even more difficult... 2008 Petty road race car, $30k! This, I WANT!!

NASCAR #43 Sprint Cup Race Car - eBay (item 270718252057 end time Mar-17-11 08:26:17 PDT)

Im at the same exact point as you, just thinking about a totally different direction...

I love my C4 and Its the first car that I have ever kept for any significant amount of time but Im starting to loose my spark I used to have with it!

Ive been talking to pete a little and I have really been on the hunt for more HP and I am ready and willing to pull the trigger on some big HP upgrades... But in the end its still my "old" C4...

Now that being said... In the same price range as that nascar and Im sure for the same amount of shock factor for me as that nascar gives you, I could get into a MINT 98-02 viper GTS... When I saw this car I fell in love.
And to know it can be had for 34K... its an EVIL temptation!










Do what ever you want... A car is only a car, and with enough money you can make another C4 just like your track car if your ever feel the need to get back in that car!

Good luck with your choice man! Cant wait to see what you do!

[Frizlefrak]

Originally Posted by RedLS1GTO

The cat and the dog agree?!?!??!?! Holy crap.

Scary....isn't it?

[Wathen1955]

Originally Posted by Frizlefrak

Scary....isn't it?

Does that mean they are like the Bell brothers - ding and dong?

[Taurus]

Originally Posted by Sweet 90

Simple, do what makes you happy. With the C4, you've been there done that. If you can swing the road race car, DO IT!! You only live once Bryan

ps: even if you sell the C4, we'll still talk to you, I mean we still put up with Jon

[Bucwheat]

Get what you want,you only live once.

[socalman]

HPDE is basically racing against the clock for yourself, right? If so, and you want to competitively race, I think you have no choice but to move on. You still have the 87 if you get nostalgic

Sales price? Well, besides what the car itself has to offer, you won best C4 of the Month and have your car featured on the Worlds Only All C4 Calendar

[RedLS1GTO]

Originally Posted by socalman

HPDE is basically racing against the clock for yourself, right?

That pretty much sums it up. I could take it time trial racing as it is with a few easy changes but to take it door to door it would need some pretty major changes.

[socalman]

Originally Posted by RedLS1GTO

Things like this make it even more difficult... 2008 Petty road race car, $30k! This, I WANT!!

NASCAR #43 Sprint Cup Race Car - eBay (item 270718252057 end time Mar-17-11 08:26:17 PDT)

$30k but reserve not met. Seen these without motors- how much do you think this one should sell for? Aren't the motors around $50k?

[RedLS1GTO]

Originally Posted by socalman

$30k but reserve not met. Seen these without motors- how much do you think this one should sell for? Aren't the motors around $50k?

I don't know specifically about the 1 on ebay that I linked. I used it more as a random example than the specific one I would go after since there is no way I am going to pull the trigger in 5 days. It looks to me like it might be from a private owner so you're right, they might have a crazy reserve on it. I have a few random contacts at RCR, and Penske racing and after talking to them I am confident that I could get into at least a Nationwide car (last years style) if not an older style Cup car with some spares, etc for the $25-$30k range.

I could be dead wrong but my guess is that car won't bring more than $35k or so turn key.

[mike100]

I don't think the price of the car is really too important, but rather the total cost of racing that may break you. Random track day fun is only a fraction of the cost. I never went racing because i wasn't comfortable spending my own money. I like to play around though.

I wouldn't do it, but that's just me.



and to the other posts- someday I will have a viper (and/or a 911 P car). settled on a C4 ZR-1 for now- 1/2 the price.

[nypearson]

I would get the sprint cup car, good luck!

[C4fan]

I guess my take on this would be that you're going to spend money on any kind of racing. So, how much would it matter if your putting it into your C4 going to another level. In other words you can't think of it as putting money into a car that you won't get back out. The money you're spending is for the fun not the car.

[RedLS1GTO]

Originally Posted by C4fan

I guess my take on this would be that you're going to spend money on any kind of racing. So, how much would it matter if your putting it into your C4 going to another level. In other words you can't think of it as putting money into a car that you won't get back out. The money you're spending is for the fun not the car.

That's what I use to justify my spending in the first place... I don't count it as money into the car. God help me if I did. I count it as money towards my hobby and towards fun.

My take on going with an ex-cup/Nationwide car is that in theory, for the way I will be driving it (not like JPM) it should hold up and be very very reliable. The hubs, the trans, the brakes, etc are damn near bulletproof in those cars when compared to building up a car that started life as stock.

After I made this thread originally I actually talked to somebody with a major cup/Nationwide team who said that they are planning on offloading all of their old cars for both series in the near future. He wasn't sure about how many road course cup cars there were but he knew there were 2 Nationwide cars. We'll see what happens... this year, the mighty C4 will be pissing off Porsches at tracks as often as possible. Next year, I might take the swing and try to get one step closer to the big boys.