Hawkeye's "Racing" Camry- sad face...

  • Thread starter hawkeye122
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hawkeye122

hawkeye122

3,915
United States
California
gdwest1
I 2001 Toyota Camry. I love this car. Its smooth, comfortable, and really meets my every demand when doing day-to-day driving. Im not convinced there is another sedan in its price range that is better.

Granted, now that it belongs to me (Thanks Mum and Dad!) I plan to do a few things to it, and will document it here.
 
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If I knew a way to post Facebook photos and Videos, this would be much simpler.

Update on the whole vehicle situation.

Ford Explorer-GONE. Good riddance. Gave it to family members who were in desperate need of a car.

4Runner, also gone. We're attempting to add onto the house, and they decided that selling it was our best bet.



For Christmas, I got a GoPro HD Hero 2, so when I go places for the pure pleasure of driving, I try to make a video. I'll post those as soon as I settle on how to post them (For some reason they wont upload to my Youtube channel...)

Recently, I've been offroading in a couple places, and only once did I actually think I was going to die :) great fun though. Recently it's been raining, so I'm trying my hand at some Gymkhana-ish driving in my school parking lot.
 
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On it.

Now I know that people get into circuit racing thru karting, is it the same for rally? Or is there something else I can attempt with a vehicle I have access to?
 
Riiiiight. So, took the Tracker up to a local OHV Park, good fun. Realised I needed better tyres, the ones on it have chunks missing from them... presumably from the rocks.
DSC_3827.jpg



And then, a few weeks later....
Driving, in the rain, car overheats. Awesome. Fill it with water, it keeps it going for a bit.

Finally, dad says "Change the Water Pump, thats probably it".
Done.
Tracker begins to leak from totally different spot. Wow. Really?

Hoping to get it back from the garage tomorrow... Pics will come upon its arrival!


Tips for a possible new car in the near future? Under Ten grand would be good.
 
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Got the Tracker back from the shop. New hoses, new distributor, AirCon now operational, new belts, new sparkplugs. It is now in running order.

Apart from the clutch, which is seriously bad.

Still want a new car... Ideas?
 
Thatman
How much $$$ you got?
Click to expand...

Well, at that point I should have around 4 or 5 Grand. I really REALLY would like to not spend all of it.

For instance, I was thinking an E36 3 Series?

I'd like a sedan or 2-door, preferably not a convertible. Rear-wheel drive. 4 Actual seats. Something worth taking to the track and upgrading over time. At least 20 mpg.
 
Have you considered a camaro? The rear seats arent all THAT bad. And you can get 20 on the hwy. Or if you bend your definition of "actual" seats Get an Rx7, 22 on the hwy and it can have rears seats, I could even fit in them.(im 6'2 for reference)
 
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Thatman
Have you considered a camaro? The rear seats arent all THAT bad. And you can get 20 on the hwy. Or if you bend your definition of "actual" seats Get an Rx7, 22 on the hwy and it can have rears seats, I could even fin in them.(im 6'2 for reference)
Click to expand...

Good to hear, Im 6' 4" haha. Those both sound like pretty decent ideas... Isn't the RX7 expensive to work on, with a short life anyways?
 
Depends on what you get. Series 4 rx7s are a dime a dozen and one you read up on them they can make fantastic track cars with 150 Rwhp(after some mods) and are comparatively light. As long as the engine has been looked after they are solid; likely lasting 150k+ easy. As far as being expensive to work on? Not really, no more than any other car.

Now then, get yourself a Turbo Rx7 and you best ask when the rebuild was because unless it has been meticulously maintained, their lifespan is around 100k-125k.

Series 5 FC rx7s are a bit harder to come by but the same idea holds true. On a side note though, FB Rx7s Actually get even better gas mileage but don't offer rear seats.
 
FireCar.jpg

Temporary upgrade to the Camry, Father is volunteering as a Radio-man for CDF.

I may or may not have taken it to the store to get milk. At a high rate of speed. And was not bothered by anyone. Probably.
 
I second the camaro/firebird idea. If you dont mind a v6 a 4th gen can be had for under your price limit no problem. If you need a v8 there is always the beloved third gens that are a bit old school but still nice handling cars. They are also big person friendly. :D
 
So because my personal car life is a bit pathetic, I've decided that I'll put on the 2 or 3 cars my mates have.

One has an '05 Impreza WRX STi and the other has as Ford Mustang GT/CS with all sorts of For Racing products. Pics to come!
 
And here's the Impreza...
NatesSTi_zps63d69d1e.png


My mate had a Toyota Tacoma, and somehow conned his parents into getting him this... $350 a month in insurance for him. It has all sorts of Cobb bits around the turbo and the radiator. We still havent totally found out what it all is yet. But we know one thing- For 120,000 miles, it runs fairly well. And it's quite fast.
Just kidding. He rolled it off the road with me in it. Totaled.


Then there's my friend Gerrit, who owns this sick Mustang...
GerritsMustang_zps455fc17f.png

He goes to track days in it with his father quite frequently. It's gutted, has racing seats, a battery kill switch, Ford Racing suspension, some sort of Aftermarket front brakes, Ford Racing Radiator and Air intake, and a Ford Racing Exhaust. And then the Motegi wheels and sticky Toyo tires. An altogether legit car.

And then my car...
MyTracker_zps12fb2964.png

Nothing remarkable, but I got up to this spot. I was surprised I made it up there.
 
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Hookay, so I was just given the go-ahead that if I find a buyer for the Tracker, I could use the money for something else. The problem comes in finding a car at the exact moment I sell mine, so I can still get to school. Both Autumn and Winter break are coming, so I'll probably do it then. But, if I find something now, I may just have to jump on it.

I can easily get $1500 for the tracker as it stands, and once we mend the back window (Go to a vinyl shop, have them cut me a piece, sew it back onto the top- $30) and get a new clutch and Flywheel (About $200 all said and done), I can probably get close to $1700-2000.

I now have a job which will net me about $150 a month for potential repairs on the new car.
I'm looking for something with pizazz. Preferably a 2 or 4 door saloon, with some sporting potential. I dont want a rocketship, and I hate the look of the hideous American cars from the 80's and 90's. Obviously, I know it's going to end up being something which ends up having either expensive parts or is just generally hard to work on. But this is a vehicle which I plan to have for some time, to hold me over in my first few years of college. BMW's really would be cool, or perhaps an MX-5? My city is Redding, CA. So, if ya wanna help me look....

Here are some of what I'm looking at-
http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3339493740.html
A bit of a joke at my price, but with Christmas money.... I'd love it.

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3275868476.html
A BMW 2002 with slightly suspect paintwork... This is within my price range come Christmas time. Yeah?

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3299195600.html
A 5-series for $1500. I have my reservations, but it would save me a handful of cash. And it's a 5-series, so I can take people around in it!

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3285026961.html
A 328i for $1800-ish. Still a bit on the old side. But I love the look of it. Except the paint.

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3346725759.html
A massive XJ6. Old, gas-sucking. But its a Jaaaaaaag. And I dont hate the look.

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3353371963.html
An MX-5 that needs a "Mass Airflow box". Few pictures of the interior... but still. An MX-5.

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3362107093.html
A $500 MG that may not run, but allegedly has a new engine. Obviously needs a new top and tyres, but what else? Could I do it with my remaining budget?

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3362749707.html
A 300E. Seems fairly spotless. Eh?
 
FordMKIVJ5
Avoid the MG for a daily, they're notoriously unreliable. :ill:
Click to expand...

:odd:

Not really. MGBs pretty simple. As long as the cooling is okay and it gets regular oil changes, there's not a great deal that can really go wrong with them. Electrics can be suspect, but then it's a 60s/70s British sports car with basically zero equipment - wiring is about as simple as it gets too.

Even in Britain where they rust uncontrollably, MGBs are pretty much the most commonly-used classic cars. And they were popular in the U.S. too, so I imagine parts are plentiful.
 
To be honest, I'm not too sure about the cars you listed. Insuring and maintaining them at your age would probably be a pain. Mainly cost-wise. MX-5 would probably be a good choice, but being a roadster, insurance won't like it. Although as Duffers said, the E30 is actually a good choice.

My personal opinion would be to get something cheap with some tuneability. If you want something fun, buy something that's got potential with some small upgrades if you want. Something to satisfy the insurance company and maintence costs. Maybe a Subaru?
 
Like Medigo said, that list of cars looks a bit ambitious for someone your age. Middle aged men are looking for those to work on. Out of that list, I'd say the MX-5 is your best shot. Maybe a Honda or something? Japanese?

Here's a list of possible cars I could find, I have no idea how insurance works over there so these might be way out of your league :lol:.

1990 Honda Accord
2005 Honda Accord
1991 Mazda 626 (Not running)
1994 Toyota Corolla DX
1988 Mazda MX6
1977 Datsun 280Z
1996 Geo Prizm (Might trade for your Tracker!)
1995 Mitsubishi Galant

I'm sure you have enough suggestions there. I apologise if they're all way too much to insure or cars that you really aren't looking for, but I just went by my very basic knowledge of American teens and what they drive! :P
 
hawkeye122
Hookay, so I was just given the go-ahead that if I find a buyer for the Tracker, I could use the money for something else. The problem comes in finding a car at the exact moment I sell mine, so I can still get to school. Both Autumn and Winter break are coming, so I'll probably do it then. But, if I find something now, I may just have to jump on it.

I can easily get $1500 for the tracker as it stands, and once we mend the back window (Go to a vinyl shop, have them cut me a piece, sew it back onto the top- $30) and get a new clutch and Flywheel (About $200 all said and done), I can probably get close to $1700-2000.

I now have a job which will net me about $150 a month for potential repairs on the new car.
I'm looking for something with pizazz. Preferably a 2 or 4 door saloon, with some sporting potential. I dont want a rocketship, and I hate the look of the hideous American cars from the 80's and 90's. Obviously, I know it's going to end up being something which ends up having either expensive parts or is just generally hard to work on. But this is a vehicle which I plan to have for some time, to hold me over in my first few years of college. BMW's really would be cool, or perhaps an MX-5? My city is Redding, CA. So, if ya wanna help me look....

Here are some of what I'm looking at-
http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3339493740.html
A bit of a joke at my price, but with Christmas money.... I'd love it.

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3275868476.html
A BMW 2002 with slightly suspect paintwork... This is within my price range come Christmas time. Yeah?

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3299195600.html
A 5-series for $1500. I have my reservations, but it would save me a handful of cash. And it's a 5-series, so I can take people around in it!

http://chico.craigslist.org/cto/3285026961.html
A 328i for $1800-ish. Still a bit on the old side. But I love the look of it. Except the paint.

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3346725759.html
A massive XJ6. Old, gas-sucking. But its a Jaaaaaaag. And I dont hate the look.

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3353371963.html
An MX-5 that needs a "Mass Airflow box". Few pictures of the interior... but still. An MX-5.

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3362107093.html
A $500 MG that may not run, but allegedly has a new engine. Obviously needs a new top and tyres, but what else? Could I do it with my remaining budget?

http://redding.craigslist.org/cto/3362749707.html
A 300E. Seems fairly spotless. Eh?
Click to expand...

If I were you, on that budget I'd go take a good look at Japanese imports. And unless you are short, you will have to modify a Miata to fit. Just sayin.
 

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