What's a better Lemons car?
 

88 300E

something Japanese, 190hp Maxima

Golf

Which one is in better condition?

assume each will have issues. 300E does not run, tons of new parts, no title.

Its really a question of what will hold together better.... Trekkors Focus wasn't doing too badly at all when I helped in the pits. A broken wheel stud is what cost us quite a few places....

The more time you spend on the track, the better your chances of winning.

Was reading about NASCAR....one of the first races on the super speed ways, was won by a guy that did 75mph the whole way on one set of tires. No pitting beyond a tank of fuel.

Whatever runs the best.

Transmissions?

The RWD should be better overall IMHO.

What year is the VW?

Lightest, most powerful car you can find.

I like using keywords "salvage" and "parts car" on Craigslist.

A good running car with body damage, no title that won't pass smog is great candidate.


What do you want to drive?
Consider availability of spares and ease of repair.

Our ZX2 gives us easy access to spares.
I bought a complete running ( rolled ) parts car for $400.

Also, picked up a trans/engine as a unit from a body shop that was removed and stored for many years that only had 6k mile on it for $400.

I bring a pretty good amount of spares to each race.
We've done both a transmission and engine swap on Saturday evening and ran all day the following Sunday.


Don't worry about getting penalty laps in your first race, just have fun and work up to 2 hour stints by Sunday.

http://i944.photobucket.com/albums/a...Animation1.gif


KT

Thanks, good info. The Boxster Girl is all excited about it, she'd dying to do a Lemons car this year. I will help as much as I can, but probably not as much as I would like to.

I like the 300E myself. My sense is it was designed to drive for hours on end. Have time and gong through CL is fun, that's for sure.

Once you settle on a car, find out what breaks.

Join a forum for that model.

make sure your team mates understand this is NOT a sprint race.
Help them understand, it's all about logging laps.

Join the LeMons forum.
The 24 Hours of LeMons Forums


KT

Is the 190 hp maxima you're talking about a 3rd generation (89-94)? If so, they are fun cars (the se, which is the 190hp version). They handle pretty well, and are pretty quick, if the car is a manual. My DD is a '93 maxima se, and I love it. If the car is an se make sure it doesn't sound like a diesel while idling. This is a big problem with these engines. (Variable timing cam sprockets usually go bad, creating a clacking sound).

Trekkor's info is spot on. The availability of cheap parts is a biggie, also consider the popularity of the car and year. At our last chumpcar race (Nelson ledges 25:25:25) we had to go a long ways to find a junk yard that had early '90's hondas. We missed about 2.5 hourssearching and repairing. Spares are a good idea, but it seems like something you don't have (or left in the garage because those never break...lol) is what will get you. Fuel economy, the less stops you have to make for fuel means more time on track. Sure the V8's could get around the track quicker, but that lead disapates quickly during a 5 minute refueling stop.

Don't worry too much about penalty laps. I, for one, would rather take a few penalty laps and know that I have a decent car than to take something that can barely get on or off the trailer on it own. Afterall it is an endurance race, it is all about how many laps you complete, not how fast you go.

I like the '80s Benz idea, those cars are tanks with bulletproof powertrains.

between those two, I'd do the 300e and make it as light as possible. I think an S class won a race a few years back?

we've campaigned an e30 for years and its been a fine automobile... we get crap because its an e30, but i'm not about to cage up a wacky car just for the sake of having something wacky.

before you decide, check out the revised rules for 2012.
...many changes limiting the final configuration.
(all designed to outlaw the mighty GPS metro gnome)
Bill K
TeamSwift • View topic - The Geo Player Special Wins at LeMons

Shaun, What Trekkor said..
Also don't underestimate the time it takes to prep a race car (I know your schedule)
I'd vote for the Jap car, MUCH cheaper for parts and crashed donor parts..
Let me know if you need a driver I'll be back this summer!

Look at fuel capacity and mileage. That's become a big issue for our Miata in Chumpcar. We're refueling at 1 1/2 hours, others can go over well over 2 making few fuel stops over a 12 or 24 hour race is a big deal. I vote Japanese, light, rear wheel drive. Helps with fewer brake pad and tire changes as well. There is a Nissan SER that has done very well in Chumpcar in Portland and Spokane. The rules have been changing rapidly in Chumpcar as well. Read them carefully.

I vote for the Ford ZX2 as well - we've got one running in ChumpCar and it's been quite reliable with easy access to spares if we need them.

As a bonus it's relatively quick and has nice, neutral handling.

Regards,
AM

Can you take a 2nd identical car to the track? You'd have at least one of each spare part.

We run a 924S and 944

Parts can be expensive, but whole cars are not.

Our first race we hauleda complete back
Up
Parts car
We nick named it O-negative.

We've either blown the engine #2 rid bearing, or ran like a top.

We've done 5 races. Loosing an engine in the 4th.

Fun car to drive, not the fastest, but if the drivers were better. It could be podium material

oh yeah, did I mention the the mighty Geo Metro JPS (gnome) won the chump race last Thursday at Laguna Seca? .....by 6 laps?
Bill K