Somewhere during the course of my 35th year on this planet, I decided it would be a fantastic idea to become a race car driver - it sounds fun right? Don't get me wrong, it's a blast - probably the most fun I've had in my life. What it's not however, is inexpensive.
There's a rule in racing: Never race something you can't afford to push off a cliff. Wise words to be sure, but it quickly puts a damper on the fun when you realize that even a basic race car will cost thousands of dollars, and can potentially cost several thousand more in parts and maintenance over a race season.
So why am I stupid? The list is fairly long, but here are the highlights:
- 1. I'm 35 - I really should've taken this up while I was in my 20's. That's when you're supposed goof off and make silly mistakes.
- 2. My wife and I just bought a new house. We're in that lovely phase known as "house poor"
- 3. We just had a kid. Our son Zachary to be specific. Time to act like an adult...You know...don't do anything stupid, like buy a race car.
- 4. We've decided to have my wife stay home with Zach. It's the best thing for him, but her paychecks are sorely missed.
As you can imagine, all of the above has us stretched kind of thin
Perfect! Let's go racing!!
So here's my plan: I'm still going to go racing, but I'm going to do it on as tight a budget as humanly possible. I haven't crunched the numbers, but I figure my total budget will be less than some guys will spend on tires. The idea behind this Blog is part diary as I build up my car, and also a way to show my succeses and failures in keeping costs down. At some point I'll put together a spreadsheet adding up all my costs and savings for this project - hopefully it will be proof that racing doesn't have to be outrageously expensive. That, and my favorite, spreadsheet making, fool - Rachel would be VERY proud of me...
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