Avoidable Contact #148: Trying to be about it, not just talk about it

[Hagerty]

My son was on the phone with his best friend from school. "Okay, you have right? And in Forza they have the Radical SR8, which is one of the fastest cars in the game? Well, Dad's new car is that car ...
https://www.hagerty.com/media/opinion/avoidable-contact/avoidable-contact-148-trying-to-be-about-it-...

[Tinkerah]

Hear here!!

[Maestro1]

I, too, am a person living his bliss. At sacrifice and certainly uncommon, I have made it through fairly successfully and now have my cars and almost a complete destiny. Blessings to you. Be who you are. Compromising with your destiny is wrong. Very well done.

[TG]

I went from a person who lived paycheck to paycheck to a person with a fairly decent job and a more than respectable shot at a decent retirement... but as I funnel resources away into the concept of living comfortably in my 70s, I struggle regularly with the thought that the time to live is now and so forth. I don't know how wise it is, but it's nice to see someone with the courage to take that plunge. I've bought enough (lower price) toys to satisfy that urge for myself for the most part. When it comes to racing however, it takes up a lot of discretionary income - probably enough to fund 5 decent alternative hobbies - and in my mind has the potential to take something I think is fun and turn it into work. I like a spirited run down a nice windy road - but 5 hours of it, and at a level of precision that is a bit beyond enjoyable, not really my bag - but different strokes for different folks

[Brash]

The Radical is my dream track toy, assuming that Penske isn't calling to offer me a drive in any of his teams anywhere in the world, (or that the Porsche GT3 team isn't going to take a chance on a 36 year old Australian with no GT3 experience). So well done for being able to get one.
But is the engine out refresh really that bad? Is it that far beyond what somebody with an engine crane, stand, a good toolbox and a lifetime of working on cars and doing things twice because I did them wrong the first time can handle?

[Jack_Hagerty]

I honestly don't know the answer. The RPE-V8 is a fairly specialized creature. You also need a factory seal if you're going to race in the Radical series. But that doesn't mean it couldn't be done elsewhere.

[Medicineman]

Jack,
I can relate to your column at a much lower horse power and dollar value but with the same passion.
When I saw the “New Plymouth” Prowler at the dealership I could not afford it but always dreamed of owning one. Fast forward: in July 2009 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 58 years old and my Dad ( my hero) died of cancer four days later.
A few months later as I sat feeling sorry for myself, I saw a 2000 Plymouth Prowler on EBAY auction.
As I had never been to EBAY I immediately asked my wife for her EBAY account number. “Why” she asked and I said “ I’m going to buy me a Prowler”! Her response “OK”.
I bid and watched as others upped the anted toward the end of bidding and with 2 seconds on the clock I won the auction. It was a dream come true for me and what a tremendous blessing. It had 18,000 miles and I added another 19,000 over the next seven years and sold it for a $4,000 profit
Every mile I drove it brought 5,280 (s)miles to my face and allowed me to get past my self pity and instead thank God for His many blessings!!!

[Jack_Hagerty]

I can't express how happy it makes me to read this. Thank you.

[win59]

I have a nice polo shirt with the inscription;

"Those with golf balls golf.
Those with real balls race."

I never found golf very interesting either.

[Nader]

As a fellow racer, I enjoy your content. I race vintage (a '69 Alfa), as a way to manage risk both bodily and financially, as well as a means to lay hands on and push to the limits a car I actually love. Which wasn't really the case with the Spec Miata I had almost two decades before. Funnily enough, I'm now seeing some of the Spec Miatas I raced against in the day, in my current vintage class.

So what are the running costs (outside of engine rebuilds) of that newer Radical? How long to tires last? Does it run on pump gas?

[Jack_Hagerty]

It does NOT run on pump gas. I just bought 30 gallons of C12 for it. Tires last about 6-8 cycles so I'm getting warmers to help with longevity. Uprights and other suspension components are 50-80 hours. I'm budgeting $1500 for every engine hour and an additional $2000 every driving hour; that should cover it, he said, folding his hands in prayer.

[RivsRiv]

My 7th Boattail (3rd Gen Riviera) is my forever car. With the unconditional support of my loved ones. I've no life or lifestyle threatening condition, only the opportunity I've seized to own it. THIS is the one I can afford, to put all my plans, intentions and goals for the car over the previous years of ownership of the 6 that came before into THIS one. I blog about it irregularly, essays similar in length to Mr. Baruth's. I write to document it for me, though it's available for anyone to read. Jack, if you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest and so inclined, drop me a line, I'd make time to hang out with you.

[DUB6]

Boattail Rivs are amongst the coolest cars ever.  This is what I mean when I long for the days when cars had style, personality, and were akin to works of art.  The Buick Design Studio had a lot of home runs, but they shattered the lights on the scoreboard (like in "The Natural") when they drew up that car!  😊

[Jack_Hagerty]

Will do -- thank you!

[barfle]

I raced for a couple of years and went broke doing it. I had my own shop for a couple of years and went broke doing it. Even when I tried working for others, it wasn’t always reliable income.

I recovered from all that, and the fact that I’m part of Hagerty means that I have a toy that some might feel is too expensive, so financially, I’m OK, even though there are plenty of things I’d do differently if I won one of those $10,000,000 lotteries.

I won’t tell anyone else how to spend their money, and I don’t judge them based on their priorites, especially if their different than mine. But for now, I’ll stick with my ‘79 triple-white super beetle that I can drive on the street. It gets plenty of attention, even if it’s not concours ready.

[Jack_Hagerty]

The combination of having "seen the elephant" in racing, as Jeff Cooper once wrote, and owning a triple-white Super Beetle... well, that sounds pretty good to me, regardless of what it cost!

Some day, you and I will both be just as dead as someone who didn't race.

[BMD4800]

Bingo.

[ChevyDave]

Man, that was a lot of talking for an article ostensibly about not talking about it. 😉

[bimmerfan739]

Great piece, even by Jack Baruth standards Thanks!

[Snailish]

Haven't seen a comment about it, the lead picture... kid in the driver's seat, checking it out. Clearly lost in the moment.

20 years from now, photo edges curled up, oil smudged and taped into the lid of a toolbox. Pit row somewhere: "That was dad's car. That's what started all this..."

[BMD4800]

That’s my daughter.

Hearing protection ear muffs, jumping up and down laughing and smiling to the choppy uneven idle of the most ridiculous engine in an even more ridiculous car.

“Please don’t bring the kids to school in that anymore. It scares people.”

Bloody peasants.

[Flashman]

Your articles make me think. Thanks (I think).

[TingeofGinge]

"I put him in the wall rather than lose."

Careful, that's how you raise a Loren Wallace.

...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Oh, Jack - I hate that I love your work. You're like a Hunter S. Thompson, H.L. Mencken, and Peter Egan; except you're none of them and all of them at once. We disagree on EVs, and that's fine, but keep doing the God's Work.

[Jack_Hagerty]

I'd forgotten about those ads! Absolutely brilliant. Thank you!

[BMD4800]

Some live the experience, others fear the unknown. I like to do dumb stuff with vehicles.

Don’t dream, LIVE!
At YOUR level of comfort.

[DUB6]

Hey, BMD400, shhhhh!  You're admitting things to your insurance carrier!  😂

[BMD4800]

I have three different ones.  

[Fritz280]

A wise man once said: “I spent all my money on race cars, skydiving, women and booze, the rest, I wasted”