Hey everyone quick question.I hope you can help me make up my mind.I have a bone stock 89RS with an auto.It was a freebie.Should I build that or: I have seen on this site and on CMC a car (I believe it was a 95 Z28) That has some work done to it 13x,xxx miles on it for $5000.You probably know what car it is.The only problem is it will cost $17 - $1900 to ship cause the car is literally across the country (Car is at Cali. coast and I am at Va. coast).I have not done any math to see if I would come out ahead any if I buy versus build to get mine close to what this is. Future plans are keep auto xing,finish hpde's and finish building on my way to CMC.Thanks for your input.
Mitch if you see this I wish I could take you up on your offer about sending it too you to make it CMC legal.But Texas is pretty far too.

it is ALWAYS cheaper to buy something already built and ready than it is to build your own. Anyone on here that has build a race car will tell you that.

What kind of shape is your RS in by the way?

This car http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=11033 is street legal and will get 28mpg on a road trip. A plane ticket and $400 in gas and a long weekend and you'll have a great start to a CMC car. It already has suspension, coolers, wheels, brakes, seat, fire ext, steering wheel, tow hooks, diff, ARP studs, and a good start on the cage.

This!

The buy already built vs build my own debate rages on forums all over the net.

If the car is built by some one who knows what the hell they are doing, then I would agree.

But CMC is a different animal. The rules are written to allow a weekend warrior to build a car to go racing. So you get all kinds of builds out there ... some a LOT better than others.

I have yet to see a car come from CA that wasn't a basket case and would NEVER leave my shop, Blaine's masterpieces are the exception.

You can easily spend more money undoing and redoing a car's mess than just building it yourself.

My car isn't done yet, but (engine and all, not counting the actual price of the car) there is probably over $20,000 (sadly) invested in my 3rd gen (I'm going AI and not CMC, CMC may save you $8k in engine parts). There's about $2,500+ in parts stacked in the corner right now, it also has a $500 clutch, full rear end rebuild and new limited slip (probably $1,500 or so), glass hood, lexan windsheild ($275), all the cage parts, $700 in a race seat, Koni's and full suspension, brakes, etc. And this doesn't even count the tools I bought during the build (Mig, Tig, tubing notcher, air compressor, etc). It's NEVER EVER EVER cheaper to build a car. (And you'll likely have or buy those tools anyway...eventually).

Anyway, without getting into a full accounting lesson... Go buy something that's COMPLETE (or very nearly so). Race cars are trading for pennies on the dollar right now. Or, buy the one Alan has listed, take a helmet and drive it home (once he finishes the cage in it), gut the rest once you get home and you're "there".

Edit:

As Mitch said, assuming it's a legal build that's reasonably well constructed....then BUY! We have some horror stories on this board about cars that were not legal and cost a good bit to straighten out the mess.

BUY!

It is ALWAYS smarter to buy.....and in today's economy....there are FIRESALES on all things racecar!

Trackbird I too have a lot of the same tools not all but some. Being a mechanic helps a lot.The only thing I am not 100% confident in doing is installing a cage.This car has a start on one and can be finished at a later date.

Blaine that is the car I am sea - sawing over.It sounds like a good starter car to build on as I keep improving.Wish I could fly out but honestly I am a chicken shit and will not fly.I have thought about it but I just can't make myself do it.

1meanZ the car is in descent shape.It has some battle scars,a running 305 I was gonna use until it blew,hard top car,I got most of the interior out to put at least a roll bar in for now for a little extra safety.Other than that its bone stock.

With the list of stuff this car has already done to it and the LT1 it sounds good.Blaine any chance of a video of it running and or moving?

He may be able to get you a video, but I can also assure you that it will be just as Alan describes. He's prepped a lot of cars on this board and is quite well known. I'd fly out to see Alan and drive a car back east with no hesitation.

Buy.

Adding photos/costs to the Before/After thread would just make me ill.

Heading into the garage to work on it...daydreaming of a BlaineFab carbon fiber hood...

Just to pile on what everyone else said..

Generally buying a finished/near finished car will always be cheaper.

Some exceptions (some of which others have already mentioned):
A) If the previous owner did crappy work that you have to undo then re-do. Some examples: not legal cage, cutting corners causing expensive stuff to break (engine build), tedious little f-ups on expensive parts (hackage). After the education that Alan, FRRAX, and Corner-Carvers has given me I cringe at some of the cages that I've seen. If you build it you know what's in it.

B ) Misleading information in the description (getting hosed). If you build it you know what's in it.

C) If you are overly particular and want things done YOUR WAY and won't be happy with the way someone else did it. In this case last case you are stuck spending $$ anyways. For me, little shit bothers me and I want to do it my way because I think I can do it better, and I enjoy doing it. But I always underestimate how much time and money it takes to do things and at this point in time I have no life because I took too much on. Life requires a balance that I don't really have. How much time do you have to dedicate to building a car?

Are you a car guy or a racer or a little bit of both? More one or the other? Does the car matter to you or do you just want to race? Or is racing not that important but you want to have a cool car to do it in?

Kevin;

Are those Koni Sports, or an alloy body, threaded, coilover, (remote reservoir?) Koni racing damper?

Sell your car and it should pay for shipping and/or remaining work.
I'd recommend having Alan finish the cage. There are a couple other options if you're not up to flying.
Train
Ship it
Driving service (there are services that will drive a car anywhere for you)

Dave

Find someone on the east coast, pay for their flight, give them gas money, and it's as good as done! You could have them send you pics of the car, along with their opinion.

X's whatever, buy it!

I've looked at most GM CMC cars for sale, there is a nice 3rd gen in Vegas for $5000. But if i was on the east coast, this would be mine http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=13606 with trailer and spare's for $5000.

Buy the car.

I have absolutely nothing at all to add! The FFRAXers are CORRECT!!!!

I threw 3/3 Koni SA's on it. Nothing too special right now, just some ground control springs/perches on all 4 corners and yellow Koni's.

I am very much a car nut wrenching on them for a living driving them for my getaway from reality.I want things my way in the car but this car looks like it is in the right direction to get going a little quicker. I do not know anyone that could handle a cross country trip with those seats.I have seen a couple others but I do not want a full on race car yet.So Blaine how about a video could you let me know?It would be a big help.Thanks everyone

Not a 3rd gen but I think this car will sell with trailer included for less than asking price.

http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=18820

And this one just needs a cage.

http://ccfbg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10613

Or one of these ones for a bit more, very fast!!!

http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.ph...3077#post163077

http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=17230

Or get two and this trailer. LOL

http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=19210

Rocky,

Alan Blaine pointed me to your post. He built the car but it's back with me now. I don't have a video camera but my work cell phone can take video so I'll try and get you something that way. If you have any specific photos which weren't in the flickr album let me know and I can upload more.

-Matt

You would need some much better foam, as the OE foam from the Kirkey cover is inadequate for 20 minutes, much less a cross-country trip.

That being said, I drove my Z from Alan's shop to my house (750 miles) in 11 hours, only stopping for gas. I did add a seat cushion though. The shoulder supports feel great, and the increased headroom is awesome.

Firehawkclone I did not see your post.I saw that car at Summit Point and I forgot all about it cause I figured that would be sold.Thats exactly what I am talking about.That car was in good shape and not too much done to where I can still put my own touch on it.Gonna PM him to see if he still has it.Thanks

Rocky,

I looked into buying this car a few months back. It was a great deal... unfortunately I live in a condo and have no where to store a back up motor, trailer, and other parts so I had to pass on it. Furthermore, I don't have a truck to tow all of it. I saw many pictures and spoke with the owner many times, he seems to be an honest and upstanding guy. Due to my living situation and my desperate will to start racing, I bought a cheap street legal 4th gen Trans Am and am building it at my own pace. It will cost more money in the long run but is easy on my wallet right now.

With that said, If I wouldn't have already purchased my car and was looking for a car to buy I would buy the Blaine car and have it shipped here. Either car you choose looks to be a great choice. Personally, I am partial to the 4th gen and we all know the great work that Alan does.

Rocky, Where exactly are you on the Va Coast? It ain't that big! I'm at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, And to add my .02 cheaper to buy than build.

Rocky,

I sent you a PM with links to a couple short videos.

-Matt

Matt I got the pm thanks.Beach cruiser I actually live in mathews If you do not know where that is it is the next county up from gloucester.Who would have ever known this would be a hard choice.Thanks for the input I will think about it over the weekend and make a decision.

Yep, played High School football there once or twice eons ago. My Kids live in Poquoson. Looking to play at VIR with it? A friend of mine just built an AI mustang down here in Chesapeake.

yeah I am planning on running VIR With something,I want to go do an HPDE at Hyperfest at Summit Point,and hit some Autox's

Mike(PF Flyer) is well known/respected here at frrax, and most likey with his local group since he's running an instructor mark on the car"X". It's a crazy deal too! It wouldn't take much to make it race legal im sure. And a 1/2 ton truck will pull it to the track easy

Ok thanks everyone but I think for now the best thing is to move forward with what I have and when I get to a competition level of driving then I will buy one that is pretty much ready to go.

I can tell you that you'll be waaaaay ahead to buy either of those cars. If you want to build one, it's fun to do. If you can scrape together a few grand, you can buy a heck of a car. If you haven't seen this thread (and I suspect you have):

http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?showtopic=9864

Grab a sheet of notebook paper and write down what you'd like to do to your own car (think of it as a thread full of suggestions) and write down the price (like "Afco Radiator - $350), etc. When you get to the price of the cars you're looking at, stop. I can assure you that you won't make it to the end of that thread before you "bought" one of those cars (including Eric's 2002 in the classifieds...with enclosed trailer). If you still want to build, we're gladly here to help. But we're also trying to save you a very large pile of money by suggesting a pre built car. Heck, I paid more for mine (up front) than Mike wants for his...with trailer. Then I started down a very long and expensive path.

Your results may vary (as always).

Also, if you buy Mike's car (or any of the others), you can spend money on track days and not car parts. That's the fastest way to move towards "competition ready driving".

Just my thoughts.