Where are all the $7-9k cars for sale?

#1

Seemed like there was bunches of good deals on built cars. All I see now are 11-12k cars. Not saying they aren’t worth it. I got a guy looking at a lower buy in price.

#2

Everyone honestly believes their car is worth a lot because they know the sweat and tears that went into it. But it’s only worth what someone else will pay for it. Offer $8k.

#3

Everyone thinks their car is worth alot because they know how much MONEY they’ve put in it!

I think you’re seeing a general trend; as we slowly climb out of the effects of the recession prices are staring to increase all across the specialty car market. I follow some makes/models on the used car market and have definitely seen a substantial increase in the last 6-8 months.

It sounds as though the series is seeing some growth (not that I have any hard data) and we all know about supply vs demand.

Also, try finding a rust free chassis in any of the northern climes…I hope you guys in the south appreciate the ability to find good solid cars - and spares for that matter.

#4

build costs have gone up too.

Drive-gear.com

#5

Not to say that one cannot be competitive in a $7-9k if you drive like Timmy Barber. If you want to compete on a National level you will need a better car…Anyone who is not a complete DYI person take a pen out & start filling in the blanks on your build sheet, you will find out soon enough that a new competitive build will run $18-30k depending on who you have do the work.

#6

Agreed. 8k for a competitive car is a steal. Se30 will start joining the ranks of SM in the coming years…

#7

I am very determined to prevent that. We are about comradery and fun. We are not about me me me personal success. IMO the SE has done very well in keeping folks focused on helping each other and generally just having a good time. Even the folks that are fighting for podium positions really don’t seem too obsessed by it. This is the primary charm of SpecE30. It’s what makes us genuinely special. Sure, I’m genuinely special, but I mean it’s what makes our series genuinely special.

And we’ve been exporting our worldview to the other regions. We started infecting Mid-Atl with smiles and good cheer a couple years ago. It’s infectious. Mid-South and FL started out that way. NE is a tougher nut to crack because Jersey types carry so much anger, but we’ll wear them down.

Now that we let Magnolia finally win, the MidWest is happy. Next is California.

Near as I can figure, the Miata guys don’t hardly help each other for squat. If you were on fire most of them wouldn’t piss on you. Most of them are there to do well. You are the competition. We do not want to become like SM.

#8

Near as I can figure, the Miata guys don’t hardly help each other for squat. If you were on fire most of them wouldn’t piss on you.[/quote]
Untrue, uninformed statement.

It’s called “racing”.

You’d be surprised how similar the cultures actually are. I’ve had fierce battles followed by huge smiles in both series. I’ve run around searching for parts for guys in both series.

#9

Near as I can figure, the Miata guys don’t hardly help each other for squat. If you were on fire most of them wouldn’t piss on you.[/quote]
Untrue, uninformed statement.

It’s called “racing”.

You’d be surprised how similar the cultures actually are. I’ve had fierce battles followed by huge smiles in both series. I’ve run around searching for parts for guys in both series.[/quote]

I certainly agree that you have far more contact with them than I do. But in the years when NASA was getting a lot of them, they did not seem nearly as much of a “bunch of buddies” as we are. Also, I’ve poked around their forums a bit over the years. It seems to me that relative to large # of Miata racers in the country, the Miata forums are surprisingly sparse, and there’s a lot of bitching. In SpecE30, the failure of one driver to help out another in the paddock or with data and tips would be perceived as a gross breach of our culture. In SpecMiata, I got the impression that failing to go help a competitor would be perceived as reasonable.

But as I said, you know better than I. You can also be a lot more objective.

But never better looking.

#10

I had this same perception when I started racing SM a while back. Coming from the GTS paddock I was worried, as we were a tight bunch and I wanted more of the same. The series didn’t quite have the same paddock feel, true. But one of the podium guys at one of the tracks I went to a lot spent about an hour and a half on the phone with me one night talking me through how to get faster in every section of the track. He didn’t know me from Adam. And he was primarily an SCCA guy, too. So yeah, if you need help there, you can get it by just asking. I didn’t spend a lot of time in the series before moving to SE30, but I assume that if I got more familiar with the faces there, the asking part would be as unnecessary as it is in SE30 and GTS.

#11

Here’s the way I sum it up for those trying to decide:

SM=enthusiasm for the racing comes first
SE30=enthusiasm for the marque comes first.

Which is probably why the commraderie seems better–when you are done racing you hang out and share your passion for BMWs. So there’s another layer there.

#12

[quote=“Ranger” post=70346]
Now that we let Magnolia finally win, the MidWest is happy. Next is California.[/quote]
It’s MAGAGNOLI.
It’s Great Lakes.
And Thank you for letting me win :stuck_out_tongue:

I put together a build sheet last year to replicate my car for someone. Assuming that the motor and major mechanicals were good, not rebuilding anything, I want to say I was around $14k. No spares and minimal wheels/tires. You could be logbook ready for less than $10k, but competitive spec will take a bit more.

#13

[quote=“Z3SpdDmn” post=70371][quote=“Ranger” post=70346]
Now that we let Magnolia finally win, the MidWest is happy. Next is California.[/quote]
It’s MAGAGNOLI.
It’s Great Lakes.
And Thank you for letting me win :stuck_out_tongue:

I put together a build sheet last year to replicate my car for someone. Assuming that the motor and major mechanicals were good, not rebuilding anything, I want to say I was around $14k. No spares and minimal wheels/tires. You could be logbook ready for less than $10k, but competitive spec will take a bit more.[/quote]
I’ve been referring to you as Magnolia for years. Being inaccurate is hardly a reasonable criticism of a decent jape.

You’re in KY. Here in the deep South we think of that (fondly) as Mid-West. Great Lakes is Yankee country. The got no manners up there and they talk too fast.

Re. letting you win. The absurd is it’s own form of humor. If the statement had any basis in truth it wouldn’t be humor. But since it doesn’t, the joke works. My jokes aren’t always going to reduce everyone to shrieks of laughter, but I can certainly construct one properly.

Geez, being the National SpecE30 Director of Morale can be such a burden sometimes.

#14

I’m getting ready to post mine for sale. Waiting for warm weather to get it out and get photos. It’s the gray #199 in the Mid-Atlantic (not the one in my profile pic). I’m not using it enough to justify having it. It runs great. Finished 4th and 5th the last weekend I raced (I attribute that to the car and not to my driving). I’ll be renting and I’m getting into Chumpcar for some less expensive track time.

If anyone is interested, you can email me at jls8177@yahoo.com or wait for my official posting soon. I have a ton of spares including engine and trans and lost of wheels. Will be asking $10,000 with discount options on the truck (04 GMC Yukon 2500 4x4) and trailer 2006 Halmark 24’ w/elec and AC).

Jason
443-3 zero 6-3540

#15

[quote=“Ranger” post=70372]
Geez, being the National SpecE30 Director of Morale can be such a burden sometimes.[/quote]
I get your humor and I appreciate it!
The fact that I was amused by your commentary didn’t come through in my reply. Keep up the good work! :wink:

#16

[quote=“Z3SpdDmn” post=70380][quote=“Ranger” post=70372]
Geez, being the National SpecE30 Director of Morale can be such a burden sometimes.[/quote]
I get your humor and I appreciate it!
The fact that I was amused by your commentary didn’t come through in my reply. Keep up the good work! ;-)[/quote]
Was a little concerned that I’d crossed the line from barely amusing to annoying. A joke can seem harmless enough but then you unwittingly stumble into a minefield of someone’s "button"s. Ask Brendan, he’ll tell you.

#17

I’ve got about $8500 in my car, probably closer to $9000 now that it’s got extra wheels. I woudln’t sell it for less than 10k. The paint job alone is worth that.
:lol:

I love my E30, but I am not a BMW fanboi. The marque doesn’t mean that much to me. The car being a good, solid package that’s easy for an amateur to drive is what brought me into the fold.

My first race weekend I had no idea what tire pressures to run. At all. I asked another competitor. I didn’t even get a vague response. “Trade secret”.
:huh:

That could have made me sour on the whole thing, but one guy doesn’t make or break the atmosphere. Most everyone else is much more accomodating and helpful. I’m just happy the DriveGear guys let me hang around with them.
:stuck_out_tongue:
Even the Rich Guys With Splitters have been polite. To my face anyway. :lol:

#18

[quote=“ddavidv” post=70484]I’ve got about $8500 in my car, probably closer to $9000 now that it’s got extra wheels. I woudln’t sell it for less than 10k. The paint job alone is worth that.
:lol:

I love my E30, but I am not a BMW fanboi. The marque doesn’t mean that much to me. The car being a good, solid package that’s easy for an amateur to drive is what brought me into the fold.

My first race weekend I had no idea what tire pressures to run. At all. I asked another competitor. I didn’t even get a vague response. “Trade secret”.
:huh:

That could have made me sour on the whole thing, but one guy doesn’t make or break the atmosphere. Most everyone else is much more accomodating and helpful. I’m just happy the DriveGear guys let me hang around with them.
:stuck_out_tongue:
Even the Rich Guys With Splitters have been polite. To my face anyway. :lol:[/quote]

Re. not getting help with tire pressures. Speaking as national director of morale, that’s messed up. That would never happen in the SE.

The Drivegear guys are awesome. I was at VIR some years ago and one of their rentals got smacked up. As the rest of us experienced problems or suffered battle damage, the Drivegear guys let us strip parts from their smacked up rental.

The value of your car isn’t a function of what you have in it. It’s a function of what others will pay for it. It’s a hard truth that I’m often on the bitter end of.

#19

I couldn’t care less about the marque. I just like having a fun car with fun people to race it with, and I’d like the car to not be 100% totally gay. That said, I also have a Spec Miata, but that’s what I’m referring to. I like the SE30 as a car better than the Miata, and the group as a whole is a lot better.

The fact that someone wouldn’t share air pressure with you is messed up. Hell, I’d rather they lie to you and tell you to go out at either 11psi or 56psi cold than just be a douche. But I digress.

Ranger, despite your play to keep SE30 from going nuts, there are more than a few $6500 engines already in service, and I believe a podium at nationals probably requires one. Especially at Miller.

#20

<<…looks at trophy from Miller…>>

Nope. Not required. :woohoo: