Topic: Buying a completed Lemons car

So if I go in the classified here and buy an already prepped car for $3K how is that handled in regards to the $500 cap?

  Realistically by the time I buy a $500 car and add a cage, fuel cell etc I'm going to have to spend more than that anyway.

  I would much rather build a car but that much time in the shop is hard to come by

2 (edited by jimmy.shearer 2017-10-09 11:47 AM)

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

Engineman wrote:

So if I go in the classified here and buy an already prepped car for $3K how is that handled in regards to the $500 cap?

  Realistically by the time I buy a $500 car and add a cage, fuel cell etc I'm going to have to spend more than that anyway.

  I would much rather build a car but that much time in the shop is hard to come by

If it's been raced in Lemons previously it is probably somewhat known to the judges, that being said, you get a bill of sale from the seller stating that he/she is selling you X car for $500.00 and selling you the roll cage, seat and whatever else would be budget exempt for $2,500.00. Read the rules very carefully, you will find that there is a lot that will fall into the budget exempt category...

Butt Sweat & Beers.

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

You can request the seller provide a residual value, the judges will issue this on request following a race. This becomes the value of the car for BS inspections and may or may not allow some room for improvements.

Apocalyptic Racing - Occupy Pit Lane racing
Racing the "Toylet" Toyota Celica powered by Chevrolet Ecotec.
24x Loser with the Celica. 16x loser in other fine machines
Overall winner Gingerman 2019

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

Steps to follow.

1. Buy car.
2. Email Judge Phil (judgephil@24hoursoflemons.com). Say "We just bought this hooptie-ass turd from [these idiots]. Can we get a residual value on it?"
3. Enjoy some back and forth with Phil, including things the sellers never told you suckers. Get residual value.
4. Fruitlessly prepare for your first race to the penny within $500.
5. PRINT OUT YOUR CORRESPONDENCE AS WELL AS YOUR RECEIPTS AND BRING SOME KIND OF NEATLY ORGANIZED BUDGET ACCOUNTING.
5. Blow it up 15 minutes in anyway.
6. Drink beer.
7. Maybe fix it and race more, maybe not
8. Get new residual value from Judge Phil.
9. Repeat 5-35 times.
10. DOMINATE.

Eric Rood
Everything Bagel, 24 Hours of Lemons
eric@24hoursoflemons.com

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

Ok, who pissed in Eric's Wheaties today?  He is on tear.

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

I blame Andy for asking for a lineup for Gingerman...

LemonAid - Changing kids lives one lap at a time.

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

That was yesterday. He should be over that by now. Maybe someone tipped him off on the pending Margaritaville bribes coming this weekend.

The Pentastar whisperer

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

I want video of the Margaritaville bribes.

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

This will be a weekend to remember/forget. I can already tell.

Eric Rood
Everything Bagel, 24 Hours of Lemons
eric@24hoursoflemons.com

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

eric has greatly over complicated this process. For me it went like this:

- buy car from another team
- worry about the 500 rule and bring all documents I got from the previous team
- bring everything to BS fearing that I get turned away
- judges glance at the car and go; oh, that's the old skid marks car; you're in A
- literally nothing else
- blow up the car 4 times

Owner of the Knights Templar Neon
A&D of middling proportions

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

VanillaHaze wrote:

eric has greatly over complicated this process. For me it went like this:

- buy car from another team
- worry about the 500 rule and bring all documents I got from the previous team
- bring everything to BS fearing that I get turned away
- judges glance at the car and go; oh, that's the old skid marks car; you're in A
- literally nothing else
- blow up the car 4 times


Pretty much this.  Or you could do it the hard way (see above)

Silent But Deadly Racing-  Ricky Bobby's Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Thunderbird , Datsun 510, 87 Mustang (The Race Team Formerly Known as Prince), 72 Pinto Squire waggy, Parnelli Jones 67 Galaxie, Turbo Coupe Surf wagon.(The Surfin Bird), Squatting Dogs In Tracksuits,  Space Pants!  Roy Fuckin Kent and The tribute to a tribute to a tribute THUNDERBIRD/ SUNDAHBADOH!

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

Don't overthink it...the $500 rule is a tool used by the judges to put the spank-down on anybody who attempts to enter a fully prepped racecar. I have witnessed BS inspection at 16 Lemons races and I've rarely heard any discussion about $500. Generally, the judges simply ask a reasonable series of questions regarding how you prepped and prepared the car as they look around for expensive racing parts or high HP engine swaps that should not be part of the build. Lemons is built on the premise that reasonable people can make reasonable judgements...and the judges do a great job maintaining the spirit of Lemons on and off the track.

#9 Audi CQ Scooby Doo Car known as the Mystery Machine, #44 Audi 4KQ painted as a tribute car to the 1989 IMSA  car driven by Haywood, Stuck, and Rohrl, and the #95 Audi TT Lightning McQueen.

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

Something Phil Likes (Budget irrelevant) <-------------------------------------------------------------------------> BMW/Real Race Car (Budget important)

Depending on where you are on this line, you will get more or less attention by the BS judges.

I brought a car that prepped correctly and with a team of good drivers belongs in A class.   BS judge looked at our sorry ass team and sloppy suspension and stuck us in B.  We broke, fixed, drove slow and finished at the bottom of B. We had fun and got to 'race' all weekend.

Buy a car, make it safe, make it run.  Go race.

Be a hero and buy something fun.  Theme the heck out of it.

Team whatever_racecar #745 Volvo wagon

Re: Buying a completed Lemons car

Mysterymachine wrote:

Don't overthink it...the $500 rule is a tool used by the judges to put the spank-down on anybody who attempts to enter a fully prepped racecar. I have witnessed BS inspection at 16 Lemons races and I've rarely heard any discussion about $500. Generally, the judges simply ask a reasonable series of questions regarding how you prepped and prepared the car as they look around for expensive racing parts or high HP engine swaps that should not be part of the build. Lemons is built on the premise that reasonable people can make reasonable judgements...and the judges do a great job maintaining the spirit of Lemons on and off the track.

/agree

If you are comfortable with the price, buy the car and worry about it later. If it was a proper Lemons vehicle, the judges won't care. The worst that will happen is they will give you penalty laps and you race. If you show up with a real racecar, then that is another issue all together.

1992 Saturn SL2 (retired) - Elmo's Revenge -  Class B winner, Heroic Fix winner x2
1969 Rover P6B 3500S(sold) - Super G-Rover - I.O.E Winner, Class C Winner
1996 Saturn SW2 - Elmo's Revenge (reborn!), Saturn SL1  Dazzleshipm Class C x2 and IOE winner
1974 AMC Javelin - Oscar's Trash heap - IOE,”Organizer's Choice" and "I got Screwed" award winner