Topic: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

I'm Jake, an all around shade-tree mechanic with friends as uninterested in mechanics as i am in their conversations about World of Warcraft.

I've finally convinced some of them that they need to get into some aspect of Lemons racing, as my pockets just aren't plenty enough to go at it alone. After a weekend of selling my cousin on the idea, pitching it to my girlfriend, and my brother, I think I may have them interested in competing in the Monterey Rally.

A little about me, I'm a graphic designer that designs advertisements for newspapers all around the country. I own three vehicles, a 1974 Super Beetle I rescued from my cousins garage where it had been sitting for ten years, a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 244k miles on the clock, which I've replaced nearly everything on except for the original engine and transmission, and my daily driver, a 2015 VW Passat Tsi Wolfsburg Edition. I live in Indiana, so the rally is going to be a drive to get to, which leads me to my first question.

Pertaining to people from other states that compete, do you purchase the car first, then drive it to the rally to get the bugs worked out?
Or do you fly there then pick up a car off of craigslist?

I know the stipulations are that the car needs to be insured, but what does one do about registration? Or is the ten day grace period in California, okay to compete with?

Im trying to work out a budget right now, but I was wondering about some of the recipes for obtaining and competing that you guys have come up with or any tips pertaining to camping/lodging literally anything that could help me sell this rally to my friends and family.

Thanks,
-Jake

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

what does one do about registration? Or is the ten day grace period in California, okay to compete with?

Vehicle has to have current registration in your name.

Steve made Lunar Lemons go to the DVM and register their acquired-that-day van before they could compete in Hell on Wheels.

That guy that likes the Oldsmobile Diesel for some reason.

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

It has to be a proper, road legal car because you'll be driving it on roads. For hundreds or thousands of miles. A temporary tag may be legal, but the judges may say no to it.

Duff Beer Civic (#128) -- 2014 Sebring - Class B (#1 of 7), 2016 Barber - Class B
1981 Jet Electrica 007 [Plymouth Horizon TC3] (#128) -- Mk.1 - Index of Effluency Eco (IOEe) @ 2016 Lemons South Fall, Mk.2 - Judges' Choice @ 2017 'Shine Country Classic, Mk.3 - Index of Effluency @ 2017 Southern Discomfort

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

jcolee wrote:

Pertaining to people from other states that compete, do you purchase the car first, then drive it to the rally to get the bugs worked out?

I highly recommend purchasing the car in advance, driving it a few hundred miles towards the starting point and having some oddball, unobtainable part fail catastrophically (say, for example, a van Doorne Variomatic transmission), renting a U-Haul truck and trailer to get back home, then jumping in something else and driving day and night to catch up with the rally on Day Two. Given a choice, that's how I'd do it. Or, you know, also if not given a choice.

I agree you'll want real registration. I believe the organizers will not look favorably on any temporary and/or grace-period approaches. The same for insurance, even if your policy automatically covers new purchases for a few weeks. For registration and insurance, Lemons will want to see paperwork with your name and the vehicle in question specified unambiguously.

How about using your Super Beetle?

1982 MG Metro 1300: IOE 2015 Pacific Northworst GP, Longest Distance 2010 Cd'L Box Wine Country Classic
1980 KV Mini 1: Worst of Show and Fright Pig Supremo 2009 Concours d'Lemons
1978 H Special: Second-Round Elimination 2010 Lemons Pinewood Derby at Sears Pointless
1967 SAAB 96: IOE 2012 Pacific Northworst GP, Organizer's Choice 2022 Hell on Wheels California Rally

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

I'm all for enabling people.

So allow me to offer up my craigslist skills. And my ability to go and fetch pretty much any car you may like to own and then pilot on the rally.

I may or may not already have a car here at my place that does not belong to me and that is destined to be on the rally.

Fly in to San Diego a couple days early. Thrash furiously in my driveway to make it semi-roadworthy. Drive toward Monterrey as your shakedown run.

Some states apparently don't need to see the car and I can just mail you the title and you can get plates and reg from your home state, then bring them with you. Or we can register it here in CA. We'll have to figure out those details of what is or is not possible.

Please let me add that there are several limousines here in my local area that are under $2K that would make a very comfy ride...

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

I too am all for enabling.

i know of a limo in MN that has Lemons pedigree.

It can be had VERY reasonably.

It even sports an Initial-D livery.

That guy that likes the Oldsmobile Diesel for some reason.

7 (edited by jcolee 2017-05-11 04:38 PM)

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

badbadbenbernenke and jfbeam, thank you for clearing that up. I definitely want everything to be legal and agreeable with the organizers, i just didn't know how it would work with being from out of state.

mharrell wrote:

How about using your Super Beetle?

I've thought about using the Beetle multiple times, but its not really a 4 person car, to travel 4,000-ish miles in. I think if my brother and cousin bail, my girlfriend and i are going to run it in the Beetle with a roof rack, and packed to the brim. She just needs to get much better at driving stick, first. Haha.

Spank wrote:

I'm all for enabling people.

So allow me to offer up my craigslist skills. And my ability to go and fetch pretty much any car you may like to own and then pilot on the rally.

I may or may not already have a car here at my place that does not belong to me and that is destined to be on the rally.

Fly in to San Diego a couple days early. Thrash furiously in my driveway to make it semi-roadworthy. Drive toward Monterrey as your shakedown run.

Some states apparently don't need to see the car and I can just mail you the title and you can get plates and reg from your home state, then bring them with you. Or we can register it here in CA. We'll have to figure out those details of what is or is not possible.

Please let me add that there are several limousines here in my local area that are under $2K that would make a very comfy ride...

The assistance would be very much appreciated, whats in your driveway? How many people have run limosines in these races? I did see the one that ran the rally in February on Roadkill. I've been scouring the craigslist in the Monterrey and San Francisco Bay area, and have found a couple of 80's Diesel Mercedes for around $500-$700.

I suppose I'm more set on arriving early, picking up a car, and wrenching because then i know that with my Passat having driven us to California, that we'll have a way back to Indiana. And if the car we get fails, we could hopefully jump in with other teams (possibly?) or junk the car and pay for a bus ticket back to Monterrey to drive back to Indiana. At least thats the contingency plan.

But it has also crossed my mind of dollying a car with the Jeep, to California.

Thanks for all the responses by the way, i've now started a facebook group with my companions and am shoving Lemons Rally stuff down their throats. Stay tuned.

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

The assistance would be very much appreciated, whats in your driveway?

Too much to list. It's a long driveway.

But if you find something in San Diego or nearby, give me a holler and I can assist with the picking up and storing of said vehicles.

A few of my personal multi-passenger favorites:

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/6064647163.html

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/6099343922.html



https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/6116441019.html

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/6123242221.html

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/6077047878.html

overpriced:
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/6108918382.html
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/6112265183.html

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

After doing a bit of research (need to a whole lot more) I've come up with a loose budget divided by the 4 of us participating.

$425 Vehicle Rego for Lemons

$500
-700 Vehicle Cost

$200 Insurance and Registration (Maybe Cheaper?) How do we pass smog? Buy Smog Exempt?

$300 Gas to CA and back in my 2015 Passat

$200 Spare Parts?

$300 Gas for Rally Car

$550 for Hotels, AirBnB, Camping, Couch Surfing, Whatever Possible

$2575 TOTAL /4 Idiots = $643.75

Is this totally unrealistic?

Any tips on the budget? Or situations you've faced when competing in the rally?

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

10 (edited by Shvd_Box 2017-05-22 09:44 PM)

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

The first one we spent about a grand each, the second one was cheaper because it was on the east coast and hotels are cheaper out there.

Right now our expenses are as follows

Car $750
Reg $195
Upfitting car with necessities $200
Driving from FL to CA and back $900*
Insurance $55 (will only be insured in August)
Hotels (already booked) and Rally Registration $1074
Fuel during Rally $350*
Theme and Shenanigans (can't tell you this based on counsel suggestions)

That's $3474 for those playing along at home.

*fuel prices based on an average of $2.75 a gallon
*** "Team" currently consists of myself and another idiot.

Hell On Wheels "Totally Not a Rental Car" Chrysler 300
Retreat From Moscow "Traded a Bar Tab for a Wagon" Subaru Legacy
Monterey Car Weeeeak -Dishonorable Mention- "Cocoa Beach A.S.S. Team" Oldsmobile Wagon
Fail Inc Motorsports Intergalactic Headquarters

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Shvd_Box wrote:

The first one we spent about a grand each, the second one was cheaper because it was on the east coast and hotels are cheaper out there.

Right now our expenses are as follows

Car $750
Reg $195
Upfitting car with necessities $200
Driving from FL to CA and back $900*
Insurance $55 (will only be insured in August)
Hotels (already booked) and Rally Registration $1074
Fuel during Rally $350*
Theme and Shenanigans (can't tell you this based on counsel suggestions)

That's $3474 for those playing along at home.

*fuel prices based on an average of $2.75 a gallon
*** "Team" currently consists of myself and another idiot.

Minus the rally fee, $500ish isn't bad at all for hotels. I had around $550 in the original budget for hotels. Will you be staying at hotels the entire time? Also, what are you driving?

Im really hoping to get all 4 of my potential drivers on board. If not, it'll just be my girlfriend and I, and we'll probably end up driving my Super Beetle, and we'll be one with the vinyl seats by the time we hit Colorado. Did I mention she doesn't know how to drive stick? Also, when are you leaving? Maybe we could set up a bit of a convoy or something along those lines, depending on the route.

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

12 (edited by EyeMWing 2017-05-23 02:25 PM)

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

The winter rally cost me:
$550 car
$338 auction fees (buyer's, gate, etc.)
$33 sales tax (MD)
$100 title
$51/2 years registration (MD Street Rod/Historic)
-$200ish/year insurance (The insurance company PAID ME to add a 1990 Japanese station wagon to my policy)
$1165.30 basic maintenance pass (brakes pads, rotors, filters, all fluids) and I-don't-want-to-die-in-a-fireball fuel line replacement and I-would-prefer-if-that-expensive-gasoline-didn't-leak-out-before-even-getting-to-the-tank fuel filler replacement, rear end suspension bushings (I can't remember why but I think it had something to do with not wanting to die)

$195.52 Harbor Freight tools (this is because I didn't feel like packing)
$425 rally registration
$649.95 hotels (including the night before and 2 nights after start/finish)
$108 hotel voucher I had laying around.
$10.74 alcoholism (I see the problem - I didn't drink enough!)
$158 food (including $27 at Waffle Houses)
$8 parking in assorted spots in Buffalo.
$20 beverages

$350 fuel (I can only find actual evidence of $187 worth of charges hitting my credit cards, so YMMV.)
$15 en route repairs
$8 en route pack of socks (I ran out in Memphis, somehow.)


So $2037 for the car (and eternally decreasing thanks to the insurance).
$1953 for the one-off rally costs.

I ran it by myself, but aside from food the majority are fixed costs.

I plan on keeping the car and doing a super-rad build, so I likely overspent by quite a margin there. If I hadn't, I would have halfassed the pre-rally repairs and saved about a grand.

Post rally repairs... Well, I'm $700 in on a parts car so far.

Driver, Pit Monkey, Rod Buster and Engine Fire Starter
Team FinalGear

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

jcolee wrote:

Minus the rally fee, $500ish isn't bad at all for hotels. I had around $550 in the original budget for hotels. Will you be staying at hotels the entire time? Also, what are you driving?

Im really hoping to get all 4 of my potential drivers on board. If not, it'll just be my girlfriend and I, and we'll probably end up driving my Super Beetle, and we'll be one with the vinyl seats by the time we hit Colorado. Did I mention she doesn't know how to drive stick? Also, when are you leaving? Maybe we could set up a bit of a convoy or something along those lines, depending on the route.

To answer your above questions

Hotels are great for decompressing/hanging out with other ralliers/planning your next days route. You'll only be at the hotel for 8ish hours a night if you run late, like we always manage to do even though we leave at the ass crack of dawn.

This is what we're bringing
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e336/Superfa1/Doris%20the%20Wagon/30EE1AEE-2CD7-43EB-BC51-A2588CD47D42.jpg

Our current plan is to leave on Friday 8/11, we have to take 95 up to 10 then hang a left. We're going to cut north-west in Texas to avoid every major city there and wind up on 20 because we need to stop in North Arizona on the way out to Monterey to drop off our contingency plan.

Hell On Wheels "Totally Not a Rental Car" Chrysler 300
Retreat From Moscow "Traded a Bar Tab for a Wagon" Subaru Legacy
Monterey Car Weeeeak -Dishonorable Mention- "Cocoa Beach A.S.S. Team" Oldsmobile Wagon
Fail Inc Motorsports Intergalactic Headquarters

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Shvd_Box wrote:

To answer your above questions

Hotels are great for decompressing/hanging out with other ralliers/planning your next days route. You'll only be at the hotel for 8ish hours a night if you run late, like we always manage to do even though we leave at the ass crack of dawn.

Our current plan is to leave on Friday 8/11, we have to take 95 up to 10 then hang a left. We're going to cut north-west in Texas to avoid every major city there and wind up on 20 because we need to stop in North Arizona on the way out to Monterey to drop off our contingency plan.

That's not a bad idea. We might be down two people, judging by touching base with my brother and cousin today. Hotels do sound like a pretty good idea, but I'll have to wait until we register to get the nightly stops, I believe... to begin booking.

On a lighter note, I posted to Facebook about looking for a car, and my buddy sent me a message saying that he's got a 1989 Buick Century behind his house that is mine if i can get it running. He apparently removed the header and replaced the upper seals, gaskets, and valve gaskets as well as new valves, spark plugs and intake and exhaust seals. I haven't worked on these very much but he's saying that it has the same engine as the Pontiac Fiero which im not sure is a good thing... this weekend I am going to be taking a look at it.

I've also had someone approach me about buying their 1976 Buick Century Fastback with a Chevy 350, and a TH350 Transmission that would probably be a decent runner, that's had some body damage.

And lastly, Spank from the forum has turned me on to a 91 Lincoln Limo that looks amazing.

Kind of going over the options currently, as I'm not 100% what is wrong with the 89 Buick Century.

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Its OFFICIAL, my girlfriend and I are registered.

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

jcolee wrote:

Its OFFICIAL, my girlfriend and I are registered.

Which wedding registry?

1990 RX7 "Mazdarita"  1964 Sunbeam Imp (IOE 2013 Sears Pointless) 2002 Jaguar x-type (Winner C-Class 2021 Sears Pointless)
Gone bye-bye
1994 Jaguar XJ12 (Winner C-Class 2013 Sears Pointless)  1980 Rover SD1 (I Got Screwed 2014 Return of Lemonites)

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

cheseroo wrote:
jcolee wrote:

Its OFFICIAL, my girlfriend and I are registered.

Which wedding registry?

Autozone, O'Reilly, and... In-N-Out. Haha.

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

jcolee wrote:

Its OFFICIAL, my girlfriend and I are registered.

Does....does your wife know?

Hell On Wheels "Totally Not a Rental Car" Chrysler 300
Retreat From Moscow "Traded a Bar Tab for a Wagon" Subaru Legacy
Monterey Car Weeeeak -Dishonorable Mention- "Cocoa Beach A.S.S. Team" Oldsmobile Wagon
Fail Inc Motorsports Intergalactic Headquarters

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

The beetle will be fine, you know half of the guys will bail, because going on this trip is a really, really stupid idea.

I'm going air cooled this year, too. I hope.

I Survived Hell on Wheels, Car Weeeak, Route Sucky Suck, etc.

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

I buy things local, and in the vein of if I don't see it, then nothing is wrong, drive from CO to the start. To date that has netted me a broken windshield, a blowed up alternator and a lack of brakes in WV.

Always bring tools.

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

After a long debate, and 3 of the 4 people having the time off approved, and the scouring of craigslist to find a vehicle suitable...

We picked up our new-to-us 1996 Ford Escort Wagon.

A little back story, the car was owned by a man who is big into mid-90's fords. He's actually a Ford Festiva enthusiast (I did not know those exist) and even has one that has a miata-swapped turbo engine, that runs 11's. The car has been well taken care of, has 219,000 miles, He's recently purcahsed snow tires for it, 5 months ago, replaced the transmission fluid, full tune up, and the car drives pretty well, slowly. Maybe it wasn't the riskiest decision, but i feel like it was better to play it safe after putting so much money on the line, it being our first time, us having to travel 4,600 miles round trip, NOT INCLUDING the actual rally. So it'll have about 6,000 more miles on it, by the time we are done.

On Saturday, we also checked out a diesel Mercedes wagon and sedan, before settling on the escort, that were owned by my cousins father. And lastly there is a picture of some inspiration, which might be what our theme is based on.

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/1CBCEB02-67EC-471D-96C1-6E5BEEDB783E_zpsxqmmjwds.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/39454200-82D4-4D5C-BF35-F8E8DE2C369C_zpsyjhc1hps.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/A568174D-B885-41D5-8AC8-A12A47D89AB4_zpsvmp8udbc.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/8D320999-82F2-42CA-9F15-AE6D1A9DB553_zpsykvd0w1w.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/A5574601-E365-437A-8EB1-0EB7F4198DE2_zpsou04hour.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/AA5987F7-0797-43FD-B83E-85C6CBA26AD9_zpsjludx6uv.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/E82111F9-D21F-4702-BCC3-77DCD457206A_zpsxsdztdma.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/81DB981D-563A-48BD-A374-80CFF2463C28_zpsffvhelex.jpg
http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss194/j_colee/2924D59D-BCAA-430A-8560-EF8A4ADD9944_zpskhl8pae8.jpg

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

I would have gone with the 300TD. Since that's what I usually drive to work. My wife used to have an Escort like yours. Five miles in one of those is enough, never mind 6000. May the odds be always in your favor...

Tradewinds Tribesmen Racing (The road goes on forever…)
#289 1984 Corvette Z51 #124 1984 944 #110 2002 Passat
Gone but not forgotten, #427-Hong Kong Cavaliers Benz S500
IOE (Humber!) Hell on Wheels (Jaguar)

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

With the 300td, you could burn the other teams waste oil.

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

jimmystikx wrote:

With the 300td, you could burn the other teams waste oil.

siphon used oil from the waste oil barrel at the track smile pass it through centrifugal filter and should be ready to go smile

https://www.facebook.com/greatglobsofoil/
This car....Is said to have a will of it's Own. Twisting its own body in rage...It accelerates on.
1978 Opel/Buick Isuzu(C>B>C>B) , 1996 Nissan Maxima OnlyFans (B) , Sold 1996 Ford Probe GT(B),

Re: Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

Type44 wrote:

I would have gone with the 300TD. Since that's what I usually drive to work. My wife used to have an Escort like yours. Five miles in one of those is enough, never mind 6000. May the odds be always in your favor...

I've only driven it around 20 miles so far, but it didn't seem TOO bad. My mother owned one of the late 90's steel body ones, which were so ugly, they were cool.

As for the 300TD, are you referring to the wagon or the sedan? The sedan is turbo, and the wagon isn't. But those cars are definitely in the cards for the next couple of years. I've never owned a diesel nor do i know much about them. My only concern is that i've seen them running for around $800-$900 on Craigslist, whereas he wanted $1,000 for these two. Maybe it isn't too bad of a deal?

DD's: 2015 VW Passat TSi Wolfsburg, 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd., 1974 VW Super Beetle
Race Cars: 1996 Ford Escort Wagon