So Cal folks: Where do you track your cars?

[Ho Hum 74]

Hi folks,

What's the P-Car and track family like in So Cal? Never know when work may send me off there and I'd like to understand the environment. In Chicago we have 4 great tracks (Road America, Grattan, Gingerman and Blackhawk) within 3 hrs of the city so it's kind of a mecca of driving options. What tracks are near the So Cal (South of LA) area and how often do you get to drive them?

Thanks
Tristan

[Jack Olsen]

Buttonwillow
Streets of Willow
Willow Springs
California Speedway

Then, within a day's drive, there's:

Las Vegas Motorsports Speedway
Las Vegas Club Track
Spring Mountain in Pahrump
Thunderhill
Laguna Seca
Sears Point (Infineon)
A couple of tracks in Arizona

Our season runs 365 days a year, here, too.

(I grew up in Libertyville, by the way.)

[Ho Hum 74]

Thanks Jack,

Sounds better than expected! Now can you recommend a nice family neighborhood around the Santa Ana area?

Tristan

[Axeman]

Originally posted by Ho Hum 74
Thanks Jack,

Sounds better than expected! Now can you recommend a nice family neighborhood around the Santa Ana area?

Tristan

Definitely not Santa Ana!! Stay away from there. But very close by is Tustin and Tustin Ranch where I lived for a while. Very nice neighborhood.

[concentric]

Originally posted by Ho Hum 74
Thanks Jack,

Sounds better than expected! Now can you recommend a nice family neighborhood around the Santa Ana area?

Tristan

Santa Ana is a great town. I lived there for 2+ years. Most of the families are hard-working middle-class people of Mexican, white, and asian descent. They make great neighbors. There are some areas of town that I probably wouldn't choose, but there are some really nice older neighborhoods in the downtown and South Coast Metro area. I live in Costa Mesa, which is a great town too.

Jason

[Ho Hum 74]

We have offices in downtown Santa Ana so anywhere within 30 mins - 1 hr striking zone would be good.

Thanks all

[Tinker]

Bring lots o money.

The fixer/entry level price for homes in Santa Ana start at $375k. Maybe a two bedroom/one bath with 900 [/]. And that is definetly not the best neighborhood.

Tinker

[concentric]

Originally posted by Tinker
Bring lots o money.

The fixer/entry level price for homes in Santa Ana start at $375k. Maybe a two bedroom/one bath with 900 [/]. And that is definetly not the best neighborhood.

Tinker

Have you lived there Tinker? I find it hilarious that you guys are generalizing about a city of 400K+ people.

Jason

[Rick Lee]

I'm starting to eye that area and have been wondering these things myself. If I move, it will be to Irvine, where the lady already has a house and my 993 will finally have a garage - YES!!! But job prospects are the big factor at the moment.

[Ho Hum 74]

Richard,

I think Irvine is decent too. I really need a bigger garage Currently I live in an older part of a really nice family-oriented northshore suburb of Chicago but my wife is killing me about having 1 non-functional (non-working) sports car. To get a decent size house here with 2 car garage will cost me $600k. Hopefully you can get something similar???

Tristan

[v9ff]

60 West to the 605 North to the 10 East to the 57 South to the 60 West to the 605 North to the 10 East to the 57 South to the... you get the picture.

[COLDBASS]

Real Estate is so out of control here its amazing. Within the last 3 weeks I have been outbid on 2 properties. One in Bixby Knolls and one in the Historic section of Anaheim. My fault, I am looking for an older Spanish Style with no updates other than electrical and plumbing. $600k doesnt get ya very much these days...
If ya like 60-70s style track housing, I saw some decent homes in the $400s in the North part of Fullertion just off Imperial Hwy, and east of Harbor. Neighbors...well this is So Cal so it will be a rainbow of folks with unique prefences. At least my current home is paid off, so no hurry for me, but prices are rising and you will not have much time for decision. Have your financing ready before ya look.

Try this link, not extremely accurate but neither is MLS .. it will give ya some info...

http://www.realtor.com/Default.asp?poe=realtor

Good Luck
Bob

[MotoSook]

Umm...look Tristan, if you think you are going to move away in the middle of the night and make off with my engine stand..you better think again BUDDY!

I've got guys out west too. You better explain this or we'll be waiting at the house for you when you get home this week!

[speeder]

Wow. $400k for a tract, (not track), house in the bad part of Orange County?? Holy shizzle.

Unless of course you meant "track", as in it comes w/ a race track, then never mind.

[MotoSook]

Originally posted by Ho Hum 74
I really need a bigger garage Currently I live in an older part of a really nice family-oriented northshore suburb of Chicago but my wife is killing me about having 1 non-functional (non-working) sports car. To get a decent size house here with 2 car garage will cost me $600k.

Tristan

Tristan, it's your neighborhood. You can get a fairly large house with a 3-car garage for 300-350 in a top tier school district within the Chicagoland area.

[Joe Bob]

Pikers.....CONDOS, start here at 600K.......

[sammyg2]

The median single family home in Orange county is now over $500k. That includes the rough areas, condos, townhomes, etc.


A nice three bedroom house in a decent area of orange county is going to be higher than that.

I need to find a job that pays as much as mine someplace where the houses are still afordable, I could sell my house, move, buy a new house with cash and get a couple of GT3s

[Zeke]

I thought this thread was about race tracks, not housing tracts.

I had a house in Mission Viejo from about 1982 to 1992. In 1990, it was appraised at $275,000 (4br/1.75ba/1800sqft/pool). 2 years later I had to take $220,000 for it. When it got to the bottom, that house would have sold for $180,000. Today, it's around $600,000.

My point here is that the houses are inflated in value just as they were in '89-90. If the interest rate goes up 2 pts., the bottem will fall out of the CA market. There will be a foreclosure on every block.

Come to CA and buy a house about a year after the crash. You'll make some serious money. BTW, I've riden this roller coaster up and back (or level) 4 times now. There is no way you can convince me that there won't be a 5th.

And, I wonder if all the tracks will stay in business. Ontario didn't. Riverside was a victim of land prices escalating and suburban growth.
This could actually happen to Willow Springs someday. You ought to see all the new houses within 2 miles of the track. 20 years ago it was 20 miles. Buttonwillow is hard in the farmland. Probably safe from developement. And last, Sears is some spectacular real estate. On SF bay between the wine country and SF. Hard to imagine it staying put forever. But now that the NASCAR people own it, it is well financed.

[motion]

What is it with all you people wanting to move to Orange County lately? Tough winter or what?? STAY AWAY!!!!!

Seriously, if you have money, you are welcome to move here. We need fresh new money to prop up the housing market.

I remember 2 years ago dreaming that someday my house would be worth a mill... now its pushing 1.2 mill. Things are pretty out-of-control around here.

[JP911]

I live in Mission Viejo and it's a great neighborhood, but lacks character. I would check out Orange if I were you. There are some really cool areas with interesting, older home designs. If you'd be willing to check out south county, have a look at San Clemente, Dana Point, and Capo beach.