[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!