Racing in LA? Help!

[David Bahr]

After a nine year career of commercial real estate finance, I decided this "responsible adult" thing isn't very fulfilling. So I just quit my job to focus on racing.

Since Southern California is the epicenter of sports cars that is one of two places to which I am considering relocating (the other is Phoenix).

For those of you with experience living in LA, what suggestions do you have for areas in which to live? I am looking for cheap rent without living in the ghetto. Suggestions of places to avoid due to crime or too expensive will be very helpful.

Other words of wisdom are also welcome!

[masraum]

do you have lots of money??

[John Velasco]

Can you tells us your threshold of pain for rent?

[campbellcj]

Actually, if you're looking to be central to more race tracks, you would want to be up north of LA. In fact, I don't think there are even any road courses in LA County.

Somewhere around Bakersfield is probably about right, geographically speaking. You'd have Buttonwillow right down the road, and would be within a few hours of about half a dozen tracks.

Regarding rent, it depends what you mean by "cheap". In West LA and the beach cities, a 2BR/2BA apartment would often be $1500-2500/month. Small (crappy) rental houses typically more than that. In other areas, i.e. inland or significantly north/south from town, half of that or less.

[Chuck Moreland]

Not only is Bakersfield more central to the tracks, but the rent is loads cheaper.

[JavaBrewer]

David,

To better address your question perhaps you should list out in order some of your priorities:

- Access to race tracks
- Community (price range, own vs. rental, retired vs. working, recreational habits, crime)
- Nearest Roberto's
- Climate tolerance

There are others but you get the idea. From what I've seen in Phoenix the community has a lot to offer and the cost of living is more reasonable, however you need to be able to deal with the lack of an ocean and the really hot summer months. California is such a diverse state, I really think its 3 states in one. There's NoCal which to me starts about 1 mile North of Santa Barbara, there's SoCal which starts about 1 mile South of Santa Barbara, and EdenCal which is approximately centered on Santa Barbara. All except for EdenCal have their downsides...it just depends on what you prioritize.

[speeder]

David, Hard questions to answer w/o knowing more about your priorities; one person's hell is another's acceptable place to live. For example, there is not enough $$ in the world to get me to live in Phoenix, but somebody must like it. There are hundreds of thousands moving there. (Same w/ Vegas, fastest growing city in U.S.). Then again, I wouldn't even want to live in the SF valley, (too hot), and that is 10 minutes from me. My cousin loves it. Go figure.

A good person to talk to if possible is Tyson Schmidt, a Pelicanite from Seattle who recently moved here for much the same reasons. We live 1 block apart in Koreatown, an area about 3-4 miles west of downtown L.A. that unfortunately has been "discovered" as a cool old part of town. Rents have gone up quite a bit in the 4 years I've lived here, but L.A. city has rent control so it only raises sharply when someone moves. Best thing to do is get a cheap plane ticket to both places and rent a car and see what you think. That way you could see rents for yourself and what you get for $$.

Once again, impossible to advise w/o knowing more. The other guys are right about Bakersfield being cheaper, (I would imagine), but it is an agricultural area in central CA., hotter than hell and boring as prison. Of course it's cheap, who on earth wants to live there? There are other reasons why I like living in big cities that have nothing to do w/ cars, L.A. has the bonus of being car nirvana. If you come here I'll show you around a little.

[David Bahr]

Thanks for the responses. Further details:

No, I do not have a lot of money. But, I have no debt, no wife and no kids. I have some cash saved up but will work to pay living expenses rather than live off savings. I am not counting on a white-collar job when I get there so need to keep expenses as low as possible.

Priority in the first 12-18 months is to get as many starts in a reliable, competitive car as possible, focusing on SoCal SCCA and NASA. I prefer a car that also has a pro series I can enter the second season; unfortunately the pro series run all up and down the west coast. Sponsorship opportunities are very important. Everything else is secondary to this. (Everything!) Bakersfield is more central to California tracks but I also need to reach the Phoenix tracks so greater LA is my focus.

I'm 31, love to mountain bike and mountain climb plus rollerblade, volleyball, tennis and racquetball. But racing is A#1. I am flexible on the "quality of life" or at least willing to make significant sacrifices to keep costs down so I don't go broke as quickly. Rent not own. I went to college in Phoenix and tolerate heat well. Don't like crime but very willing to live in moderate-income or blue collar areas. I was thinking either inland or north of LA; ocean is not important; cheap is!

#1 is a small house with a small two-stall garage; #2 is a small apartment with a garage in the complex. I can get a small apartment in Phoenix for ~$550. However, I am considering (still conceptual) ~1,500 square feet of class C industrial space in a so-so neighborhood; there's usually a small office and I would throw a mattress on the floor in there and have the shop in the warehouse portion. Weld steel over the windows for crime prevention. Like I said, quality of life is negotiable!

I have a good understanding of Phoenix. My big question is, which parts of LA should I investigate further and which should I avoid? What do you think of the San Fernando Valley, Riverside, or Fontana, for example?

Thanks, guys! And Speeder, I appreciate the offer!

[ZAMIRZ]

Bakersfield is literally the ******* of California, it's perhaps the most disgusting city in this state (and I speak from personal experience). If you don't mind living in a $hitter then by all means go for it, rents dirt cheap because of the aformentioned reasons. It is true that LA county doesn't have any road courses in it, there are plenty of 1/4 miles though. If I was you, I'd probably find somewhere around Fresno or maybe San Jose.

later,

amir

[Joeaksa]

David,

Check out both places. We have several places to race here in the Phoenix area and lots of people active in the sport. Its a 40 minute airplane ride to Las Vegas and under an hour to the coast. 4 hours to Riverside or Pomona, 5 hours to San Diego and 6 hours drive to Bakersfield from Phoenix. Highway all the way...

We do not have the high costs nor the crime associated with parts of the "left coast" but we do have three months of summer where very little moves. We also have 60-75 degree days and 45 degree nights from October until May when you bask in the sun while most of the rest of the country is cold. My swimming pool will be in use in less than 8 weeks...

One thing that many people forget is the Barrett Jackson auto auction in Scottsdale. While you may not be interested in buying or selling a car, the cottage industry that has popped up here in the area to work on, restore or fabricate cars is very nice and in many ways second to none. Very little that anyone needs done has to be taken out of the local area.
I just rented a storage room to store my Jag while I am restoring it and found out that the guy next door has 22 Jag's in the facility and another storage room next door is full of Ferrari's...

Pls check both places out because one persons hell may be aother persons heaven. Personally I hate humidity and being packed into small spaces. 100 meters from my back door is open desert and mountains and its hard to beat the peace and quiet here! 20 minutes drive and I can be in the opera or watching a world champion baseball team or just sit here by the pool with a Tecate and enjoy life.

We also have a very active Pelican group here that does drives and activities together on a regular basis and would love to take you along...

Joe

[Jess]

David,

I'll warn you that most of the people that have replied from SoCal are about to jump on you for asking about Fontana and Riverside.

I'll also admit I grew up near both places in Claremont, a town which is probably looked down upon by many of those able to live nearer to the beach.

Anyway, if cheap and relatively safe are your priorities, you can find something in the Inland Empire (as that part of the world is sometimes called) pretty easily. If you are willing to head east of LA to this part of town, there are actually some areas that are nicer than others, or at least were seven years ago when I got out. Take a look at Claremont and Redlands which are college towns and have some things going on (I know Riverside has a college too, but come on) You might want to check out Alta Loma, Upland, and even Corona too. (I'm not trying to offend any Inland Empire people. If you still live there, admit it, you're trying to get out too )

Jess

[dd74]

Actually, Riverside seems like a great place to live. It's not as populated as L.A., and it appears the rents there are reasonably inexpensive. I'm not sure what race tracks are close to Riverside, since the great Riverside Raceway has long since been replaced by a mall (or something).

Riverside, however, has gotten moderately young in a demographic sense, i.e. a bit more hip with some culture - neither of which are bad ingredients for a fun place to live. The climate is nice and so are the people.

As far as proximity to a race track, I think Willow Springs is near Landcaster, though I'm not sure. Landcaster is more known for warplane skunkworks and the home of the Space Shuttle(s).

[campbellcj]

FWIW, Willow Springs is in Rosamond, which is kinda between Lancaster & Mohave. Trust me, you don't want to live out there.

I really love the area I live in now, but it is a fair jaunt to the track from here. Willow is the closest at about 1:15 drive time.

[pwd72s]

Denis, let's face it...Tyson is an extremely talented hands on type of guy who moved down there for one main reason...the most attractive part of Southern Cali culture...they are gorgeous, and they cover Newport Beach on any given warm weekend... BTW David, in an earlier life, my wife lived in K.C. She swears there are 3 weather seasons there. Insufferably hot, insufferably cold, and the worst season, TORNADO. Is she right?

[Sniady]

Hey David,

I live in the San Fernando Valley, I love it here. I'm close to everything in L.A. buy all the main freeways, but yet kinda secluded

I'd recommend looking for a house to rent in Granda Hills, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Encino, Reseda, basically the west side is pretty nice. You can rent a house out here for about 1500 up.

Places to avoid, Van Nuys, Pacoima, Areleta, Sunland all on the east direction.

[ZAMIRZ]

Originally posted by Sniady
Hey David,

I live in the San Fernando Valley, I love it here. I'm close to everything in L.A. buy all the main freeways, but yet kinda secluded

I'd recommend looking for a house to rent in Granda Hills, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Encino, Reseda, basically the west side is pretty nice. You can rent a house out here for about 1500 up.

Places to avoid, Van Nuys, Pacoima, Areleta, Sunland all on the east direction.

Alright, another guy from SFV in here! Yeah, I'd recommend where I live somewhat because there's a ton of Porsches around here and it's really cool seeing fellow P-cars around you (too many Boxsters though ), but Willow Springs is approximately an hour and a half or so away . Other than that, the San Fernando Valley is cool!

[dd74]

Originally posted by ZAMIRZ
...the San Fernando Valley is cool!

For starters, we have the "other Riverside (Blvd) Raceway!"

[makaio]

Originally posted by ZAMIRZ
If I was you, I'd probably find somewhere around Fresno or maybe San Jose.

later,

amir

Fresno County has one of the highest "strip and burn" (torching of stolen cars) rates in the U.S.

If you really want to live cheap, you could probably rent one of those trailers near Thunderhill for $200 a month. But then you would be in Nor-CAL

[David Bahr]

You Cali folks have a twisted sense of distance to race tracks. :-) My shortest tow last year was three hours to MidAmerica, and my longest was fourteen hours to Pueblo (not counting three hours of traffic and weather delays)! Anything less than five hours is nearly next door! California Speedway is right in Fontana.

pwd72s - weather is relative. Coming from Nebraska and Iowa I think Kansas City is significantly warmer in winter, less windy, and fewer tornados. Summer is a toss-up. Relative to SoCal, though, it can't compete!

Hey, everyone, thanks for the responses. Keep 'em coming!

[Chuck Moreland]

Originally posted by ZAMIRZ
If I was you, I'd probably find somewhere around Fresno or maybe San Jose.

San Jose and Fresno are about as different as two places can be. If you're looking for economy, don't come to San Jose. It's substantially more expensive than Socal.

David, what exactly do you want to do with racing? Maybe track access isn't even an issue?