Tucson AZ Pelican Members? Any here?

[Menmojo]

I'm considering buying a second home in Tucson AZ. Last week I visited Inde Motorsports Ranch in Wilcox AZ and was very impressed with the facility.
Are there any forum members here from Tucson? Please chime in.
I'm concerned that my Porsche car addiction may not fit in and I'll be solo in southern AZ.
I'm looking forward to any information on the Porsche culture here.
Thanks!

[Barrpete]

The Southern Arizona PCA group is pretty active and sponsor a fair number of DE's and Autocrosses. They use Inde as well as the Musselman Honda track which is a lot closer among others. They also have social activites, car shows, concours, tours, etc. PCA Southern Arizona Region - It's not just the cars, it's the people.
Things slow down a bit during the summer due to the heat, but pick up in the fall.

[DocG]

I am in Tucson for a portion of the year and would be happy to do a drive. There is a pretty good car community there. There are also many good roads for driving and interesting places to go for a day trip. The Mt. Lemmon highway is close and pretty scenic.

[brcorp]

I'm here all year....

[Menmojo]

Thanks for the responses....any others here?
@brcorp is the closest shop for quality work turbocraft in mesa?

[luvndasun]

I'm here all year also. Car is under construction. I'm always up for something though.

[brcorp]

TurboKraft is great!! Chris is a stand up guy. What type of work are you looking for?

[Menmojo]

I know turbocraft has a great reputation and I've seen a few of their fantastic builds. I'm looking for a full service Porsche shop that does quality work for things I can't do myself. Do they also work on non turbo 911's? My wife loves Tucson. I'm hesitant and never want to dial down my aircooled Porsche addiction.

[DocG]

I don't do much summer daytime driving, although that new A/C system on the forums looks promising, but you can drive early in the morning or at night even in the summer. Of course, the winter is wonderful.

[Menmojo]

Almost forgot ask.....what are the emissions regulations in Arizona? My 930's do not have any emission equipment. Currently my cars are registered in Illinois. Since the are older than 25 years old they are exempt with vintage plates. What are the laws in AZ?

[KNS]

I'm in Phoenix and if your car is on classic insurance and registered that way you won't have to go through emissions testing (I think it's the same way down south but not certain). Registration is cheap as well.

Other than a few hot summer months (it's actually a little cooler than Phoenix) I'd think you'd like Tucson. I bought my 993 in Tucson (cars don't rust out here) and I'm dying to go to Inde Motorsports Ranch someday.

[DocG]

Go with the classic insurance, antique plate, no inspection, nice and easy.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

In nearby Cali is also the private Thermal Motorsports park and the public Chuckwalla Valley raceway.

[brcorp]

I do all my own work but for general maintenance Radmacher Porsche seems to have good reviews.

Only requirement for emissions is a catalytic convertor and an unleaded gas fill restrictor.

[hoss4659]

The AZ emission exemption reads "collector car insurance". Get the insurance before doing the AZ title and registration. The insurance carriers that are on the ball will notify the AZ MVD so the skids are greased. AZ uses contract outfits to handle title and registration (and in some cases drivers license renewals). Usually a $20 fee and much easier to deal with. Much of their business is servicing the needs of dealers. If the insurer calls their product something else like "classic car insurance" you may have to get them to send the "Arizona Letter" explaining that "classic" equals "collector". Haggerty faxed it to the service outfit in less than an hour.

Talk to Griffith about upgrading the AC, the factory stuff does not cut it on 100* plus days. Figure around $6k, maybe a bit more for a 930, if someone else does the work.

[Menmojo]

Originally Posted by hoss4659

The AZ emission exemption reads "collector car insurance". Get the insurance before doing the AZ title and registration. The insurance carriers that are on the ball will notify the AZ MVD so the skids are greased. AZ uses contract outfits to handle title and registration (and in some cases drivers license renewals). Usually a $20 fee and much easier to deal with. Much of their business is servicing the needs of dealers. If the insurer calls their product something else like "classic car insurance" you may have to get them to send the "Arizona Letter" explaining that "classic" equals "collector". Haggerty faxed it to the service outfit in less than an hour.

Talk to Griffith about upgrading the AC, the factory stuff does not cut it on 100* plus days. Figure around $6k, maybe a bit more for a 930, if someone else does the work.

@hoss4659 great information! I don't have a catalytic converter on either car. Both also run a fuel cell instead of a standard gas tank, so the unleaded fuel restrictor is an issue as well.
It sounds like if I get "collector" car insurance and register the car as a "collector" car I'll be good? Since I'll still have a house in Illinois I might keep my Illinois antique vehicle plates for now. They are exempt from emissions. I'm glad to hear there are some porsche guys out there.

[brcorp]

Doesn't Collector / Antique status limit the annual mileage??

[KNS]

Originally Posted by brcorp

Doesn't Collector / Antique status limit the annual mileage??

Sort of. I'm not sure of an actual mileage restriction but the state of Arizona assumes you are not driving it as a daily (the intent of the smog exemption is that you are not driving it every day). I've driven mine to work on occasion but it is not my daily.

It can also depend on what county you live in. Some counties have no emissions testing.

[aston@ultrasw.c]

I live in Tucson and I was at Inde this weekend!!

PCA SAR is a great group of Porsche enthusiasts, around 200 members.

SAR have an annual DE event at Inde in the fall.

For emissions: classic car/limited mileage insurance is the magic bullet. No change in registration required. The DMV communicates with insurance companies electronically, so they will not even want to see your policy documents. You just call your ins co, wait a few days, go down to the DMV office and the emissions requirement has evaporated.

[Menmojo]

Originally Posted by aston@ultrasw.c

I live in Tucson and I was at Inde this weekend!!

PCA SAR is a great group of Porsche enthusiasts, around 200 members.

SAR have an annual DE event at Inde in the fall.

For emissions: classic car/limited mileage insurance is the magic bullet. No change in registration required. The DMV communicates with insurance companies electronically, so they will not even want to see your policy documents. You just call your ins co, wait a few days, go down to the DMV office and the emissions requirement has evaporated.

Great info. I just check out your "track rat" in your profile.
Where else do you go to run your race car besides Inde Motorsports?