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Okay, so you've discovered drifting. It's the
greatest thing since sliced bread, and you've decided that it's the
sport for you and you want to dedicate your life to it. That's great and all, but before the sponsors, the big drift
competitions, the magazine covers and umbrella girls, you need to
build yourself a vehicle. This is the first chapter of several in an
article on how to start building up a vehicle to drift, or at least
to have a vehicle that looks like it can drift.
Choosing a Car
Drift cars can come in all shapes and
sizes. Choosing the one for you is simply a matter of taste and
budget, so choose wisely.
Ask yourself, "what kind of car do I see
myself in?" The vehicle that you drive is an extension of
your.... personality. It's your outside image to the world so
consider carefully what your vehicle choice says about you. Are you
some kind of pimp mofo, running around in a luxury styled drift car,
or are you more down with old school style in a GTS? What personal
characteristics do you want to display: size, power, elegance,
ruggedness, age,
or individuality?
There's typically two types of personalities that
we run into in drifting. There are guys that will buy the newest,
most expensive, highest powered vehicles available because they're
concerned with winning and the image of winning; and there's the guy
in older or underpowered vehicles that doesn't care what people
think. These guys like the image of being the underdog that puts up
a good fight. There's also occasionally a third category of car
buyer that will purchase a vehicle specifically for the purpose of
being different from everyone else. While this is okay to do, and
may even be rewarding in the long run, make sure that it's actually
a car that you like and be sure that you can deal with all the
criticism that you're going to get.
Now dealing with your budget is the second most
important factor in buying your car. Budget is secondary to taste
only because we're in America and you can finance just about
anything here. So get the car you want, but here's the trick, budget
gets even more important after you purchase your vehicle.
Picture this scenario: You've gathered your life
savings, borrowed from your mom, sold your comic book collection on
Ebay, and told the plasma donor center to suck you dry. Now, with
your $15,000 you're finally able to purchase the drift car of your
dreams, a 1995 Lexus SC300. So you get the car, you get home, and
you call up your favorite tuning shop Drifters R Us and check on
some parts. Too bad you didn't do enough research into parts and
balancing your budget. With the $350 you earn each week, it's going
to take you about 4 months to buy the 19 inch SSRs you want. And
that's only if you save every single penny after your regular living
expenses. But, if you're still
looking for those SSRs, you can get a good deal at the link below:
This is kind of an extreme example, but you see
what we mean. When budgeting for a drift car purchase, you have to
look into:
1. The cost of the vehicle. Can you afford the
vehicle with your current income and will you be able to still
afford the car should anything happen to affect your income? If
you're not happy with the kind of money you're making now, stop
slacking and click the link below:
2. Cost of insurance / registration. Newer
vehicles are going to cost more to insure / register. But older cars
may have the added expense of repairing for smog inspection
(depending on location). Make sure that you do your "due diligence"
when it comes to picking up auto insurance. Just checking around
online might save you big bucks over the course of a year or two.
Don't waste extra money on car insurance when you could be out
getting more parts for your car. Click the link below to get an
insurance quote.
3. The cost and availability of aftermarket parts
support. 4AGE engines enjoy wide aftermarket support. You'll find
lots of parts available, and lots of people knowledgeable of them
because the engine is, and always was, available in America. If you choose a rare car, you'll have a significantly more difficult
time to find the parts you need or you'll have to pay a premium for
them. Start building up a wish list for parts you'd like for your
prospective vehicle and find out how much they cost. Once you've
determined your wish list and prioritized the list, you can see if
your income can support the purchase and installation of aftermarket
parts on your prospective vehicle. In other words, if you can't
afford 19 inch tires on a regular basis, you'd better stick with
smaller vehicles that can look good with smaller wheels. To find
good prices on aftermarket or replacement parts try clicking the
link below
4. The cost / availability of general upkeep and
maintenance. Example: having a 240sx with an SR20 swap is cool as
hell, but your local Checkers doesn't carry SR20 DET head gaskets.
This could be a major or minor problem, depending on where you live
and what kind of connections you have. Depending on how old your car
is, and how frequently you plan on drifting, you should start
building up a contingency budget for repairs, emergencies, etc. for
your vehicle. If you start keeping repair money on the side for a
rainy day, you'll be glad when you need that expensive part so you
can get to work on Monday.
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