6

5/29/2009 12:34:52 AM

see last post, page 5.

5/29/2009 1:29:03 AM

Sell the Vette for more than $11.5k, and I'll split every penny above that with you. That's an honest offer, really.

As for what I do? I kidnap Somali Pirates, and sell them for carbon emissions trading to Japan.

OK, my bigger trades have involved Google, Apple, E*Trade, and some commodities. I've also worked as a mechanic/ independent contracting (industrial equipment relocation), and buy/sell cars. The above offer really is legit btw. It's no secret how I feel about personal finance, namely never finance anything, save and invest as much as you can. My trades are no secret either. Get in the market, last year, now, NOW. I currently hold ETFC, AAPL, GE and CAT, the latter are up nearly 50% in less than three months (and subsequently my positions have been reduced significantly). Some money market accounts have killer return at the moment as well, I'm talking 5%+. I plan to buy more stock as soon as I get rid of the Corvette, feel free to ask me which when that happens. Currently I'm thinking about shorting Delphi (that's a pink slip and not fully publicly traded, rather risky). May be too late for that, with GM bankruptcy imminent, we shall see. When I feel the housing market may show signs of real improvement (I'm guessing w/in a couple of quarters, but I'm patient), I will invest heavily in construction. Then again getting financial advice from TWW is probably not a constructive venue, and I assure you I'm not worth as much as quite a few people I know on TWW either, so I probably shouldn't even be the one you're asking.

But really, what does any of this have to do with a 10+ year old 911 that's worth less than 30k (crap, mine's not even worth $25k). Threads pop up every day here, talking about getting a brand new car for more than that, which'll depreciate more in it's first year than most cars I've owned have cost to buy outright, and I'd kill to have the low stress steady income those people have, and being able to pay other people to work on my cars instead of being a grease monkey, often working until 4am doing a side job or trying to button up a car before a track event...

5/29/2009 1:56:05 AM

cool, sorry for the thread diversion

I was just curious

GL with the sell

cars depreciate so fast, so I don't blame you on that no financing plan

what do you think about the C4S, in terms of performance, vs your 996?

do you feel that awd is worth the extra weight and does it perform as good as or better than the rwd version?

5/29/2009 2:05:05 AM

I don't like or want 4wd, especially in a car like the 996, where the chassis feels like it can handle another 100hp easily. The c4s (only the s, not the regular c4) would be faster around a roadcourse, but only due to it's wider track and wheels/tires. Believe me with just ~300hp, this chassis is not traction limited.

Compared to my car, there should be no contest, but my car's currently running a full gt3 suspension and is much lighter, so no surprise there...

I no longer fancy a turbo, but getting rid of the drive to the front wheels would be the first thing I would've done...

5/29/2009 3:27:27 AM

Quote :

"and I'd kill to have the low stress steady income those people have"

I hope you are kidding with low stress wording?

5/29/2009 11:29:50 AM

Quote :

"As for what I do? I kidnap Somali Pirates, and sell them for carbon emissions trading to Japan. OK, my bigger trades have involved Google, Apple, E*Trade, and some commodities. I've also worked as a mechanic/ independent contracting (industrial equipment relocation), and buy/sell cars. The above offer really is legit btw. It's no secret how I feel about personal finance, namely never finance anything, save and invest as much as you can. My trades are no secret either. Get in the market, last year, now, NOW. I currently hold ETFC, AAPL, GE and CAT, the latter are up nearly 50% in less than three months (and subsequently my positions have been reduced significantly). Some money market accounts have killer return at the moment as well, I'm talking 5%+. I plan to buy more stock as soon as I get rid of the Corvette, feel free to ask me which when that happens. Currently I'm thinking about shorting Delphi (that's a pink slip and not fully publicly traded, rather risky). May be too late for that, with GM bankruptcy imminent, we shall see. When I feel the housing market may show signs of real improvement (I'm guessing w/in a couple of quarters, but I'm patient), I will invest heavily in construction. Then again getting financial advice from TWW is probably not a constructive venue, and I assure you I'm not worth as much as quite a few people I know on TWW either, so I probably shouldn't even be the one you're asking."

= loving parents.

5/29/2009 4:17:15 PM

Hopefully everyone's parents love them!

5/29/2009 6:35:42 PM

Actually Dan, the only money I spent courtesy of my family was when they gave me $10k upon leaving the U.S. -my father was treminally ill and my mother couldn't afford to continue taking care of him here- 7 years ago. He died earlier this year btw. Anyway, I spent $3400 of that to buy a 944 turbo which I later sold for a profit, the rest I invested.

6/1/2009 4:18:49 PM

I agree, its no one's business but your own. I was just TWWasizing you.

6/1/2009 6:09:07 PM

Quote :

"I hope you are kidding with low stress wording?"

Actually, it's very stressful. I have a feeling that most people would be stressed by their worth fluctuating by a large amount often.

In other news, couple of pictures from the last few days, here's the 911 and GT3 at Bryson City:


and at Tsali (simply awesome trails btw):


It looks like the Corvette is sold. I'm not making as much money as I thought on it, and unless I have somebody to give me close to what I want for the 911, I won't sell it. Some oiling upgrades/seats +brakes and I shall keep it for a while longer yet.

6/1/2009 10:52:22 PM

why does the GT3 have yellow lenses on the headlights?

6/2/2009 8:33:05 AM

Why do you guys leave your numbers on the car? That's kind of a cop magnet. Are you at the track that often!? If so, I'm insanely jealous.

6/2/2009 10:16:28 AM

They're not cars, they're race cars.

I gotta say.. that pic could use a funny caption...

6/2/2009 10:19:27 AM

I wish I was cool enough to sport magnetic numbers on the side of my car

6/2/2009 10:22:09 AM

.

Quote :

"Threads pop up every day here, talking about getting a brand new car for more than that, which'll depreciate more in it's first year than most cars I've owned have cost to buy outright"

Truth. People used to ask me how the hell I could afford 2 cars and a sport bike at age 23. Answer was, all three of them combined cost me less than the BMW 3 series the person was typically driving, or even the brand new loaded Accord they had just purchased.

P.S. All purchased with cash, none financed. The house I closed on Friday is the first time I have EVER been in serious debt, and it terrifies me, heh. And that's a no brainer deal right now anyways.

[Edited on June 2, 2009 at 10:24 AM. Reason : .]

6/2/2009 10:23:17 AM

I think anyone who takes 7 grand and puts himself through all of college should be running GM. I think it was substantially more than that for the first year.

6/2/2009 6:34:12 PM

seriously, buy used, pay cash. my '06 A4 was $14,5 and people think "because I drive an Audi" etc... when in reality their loaded Accord/Camry/Civic/Focus cost more than my Audi

6/2/2009 7:43:18 PM

We are all college educated. WE GET IT.

6/2/2009 8:17:42 PM

It's all about priorities. Some people want to be driving something new or something else often. Nothing wrong with that, just realize how much money it takes. Also, obviously when you finance a car, you can't have just liability or + comp, you have to have full.

OK, today I got some more camber in the front, and softened the front sway bar (middle out of 5 adjustment points). Reset the drop link so there's no preload. I left the rear at one from full stiff, out of 4 points. It rotates a bit faster now, and turn in is not quite as immediate but still quite sharp. On the limit cornering grip is higher yet, but it has a tendency to step out in slower corners that I have not experienced before. Tomorrow I'll have it re-aligned, and will post alignment settings. This week I intend to order some brakes also.

Oh, so my numbers are on there because they were free, and I have them reserved through several organizations so I don't have to put #s on the car each time I do a track event. I'm currently doing 1-2 weekends a month, and I'd like to stay around there if I can. Alas, I might get magnetic #s, or vinyl #s that don't stand out quite as much for the quarter window. They have been taken off as my next event is not for two more weeks, and I'm doing a lot of driving w/the car. Corvette's gone, and it's officially my only car again.

Here's some more pictures from last weekend;




The car actually drives nicely over dirt roads also, if carrying adequate speed. They got a lot of looks, which was a part of the reason I took the #s off. Nice side benefit however, I feel like when the car gets a lot of attention, the bikes on it are less likely to be messed with. I also saw an early 70s vintage 911 w/a bike rack at the rafting center in Bryson City, which I thought was very cool. I'd love to own one, a 73rs replica. I wonder if I should try to add that instead of swapping this for a GT3...

6/3/2009 2:16:13 AM

why are people so concerned with how people acquire finances. it is none of your business. if you earn it good for you. if it was given to you good for you. i will never understand the jealousy people have any why people look down on people who don't live the norm. people prioritize differently. and those priorities change as they grow. give the man props for assembling a quality stable. stop bothering with how he got it. congrats on the nice krout bro.

6/3/2009 8:03:10 AM

Well to each his own. It sucked working on the car and not getting any sleep over the course of the last 48 hours, but... I guess I prefer doing this.

Anyway, here are the brakes that just came in -as usual I was worried about spending too much on the car now as it will undoubtedly cut into my profit margin when I sell it since brakes are a cost I won't be getting back in any form, but I'll get to enjoy it on track more.

So, this is the front brake rotor, almost an inch thick and directional. Next to an ATE bottle of brake fluid:


Rear:

So purty!

6/4/2009 9:35:01 PM

this thread is worthless without pictures of the old ones!!!!11

6/4/2009 9:48:21 PM

The Pagid Yellow endurance brake pads have shipped. I'll take pictures when I do the swap -currently running a slightly less aggressive "track only" pad, the Porsche Sport pads, which are close to Pagid Blacks. I hate spending so much on this stuff, the pads alone go for $600 but they're supposed to last a lot longer than most pads (easily 7 or 8 events), and I've loved their complete lack of fade on GT3s and C2s I've driven, along with their great modulation and bite. It should sound like a train coming to a stop on the street though, which is unfortunate...

6/6/2009 12:53:07 PM

your fam cant help you out with a daily driver?

6/6/2009 3:05:36 PM

oh hey i think i found a rt 4wd civic....you can DD it!!!!!!

6/6/2009 3:12:12 PM

Well I'd ask your mom, but if you're not done paying your mom back for your S2k yet, I wouldn't want to impose...

I think I want a Saab 900 Turbo SE. I would still buy an old Rabbit GTi, though the latter doesn't make much sense, has hardly any more utility than the 911. I enjoy driving the 911 often, I don't mind swapping pads on occasion though, so I'll probably live with it.

6/6/2009 3:18:33 PM

Quote :

" People used to ask me how the hell I could afford 2 cars and a sport bike at age 23. Answer was, all three of them combined cost me less than the BMW 3 series the person was typically driving, or even the brand new loaded Accord they had just purchased"

Yep. People spend $30k on boring, pedestrian stuff all the time and don't think anything of it. For that amount of money, I'd have, say, my SV650, GP1300R, my '66 Chevy pickup all fixed up, a C5 'Vette, and an early Bronco/FJ40/TJ Wrangler. I can't imagine spending $30k on, say, a new Accord.

Quote :

"why are people so concerned with how people acquire finances. it is none of your business. if you earn it good for you. if it was given to you good for you. i will never understand the jealousy people have any why people look down on people who don't live the norm. people prioritize differently. and those priorities change as they grow. give the man props for assembling a quality stable. stop bothering with how he got it. congrats on the nice krout bro. "

I think there's a big difference between jealousy/being a hater and simply being curious or wanting to know what someone's doing right in case you want to do the same.

6/6/2009 4:31:06 PM

^^

slow2k been paid for , for over a year

my civic however....i financed all 2000$..... i put it on a 5 year.....2 to go

maybe your fam can help me with a condo in your unit

6/6/2009 4:59:16 PM

Duke, it's more than about just not wanting something boring. Brand new cars depreciate a lot, obviously. Financing forces you into higher insurance, so on. Moving cars has been a great source of income for me, and I find it hard to believe people spend so much in depreciation and the like.

Quinn, a condo in my unit wouldn't work for you, the gf + the dog. When are you getting an Odyssey btw? :p You def. should buy a house soon dude, this is the time. I've thought about it myself, but I don't want to have that much money in real estate at the moment, which is partly why I ended up with getting a condo. Also I travel a lot, so it didn't make much sense for me, I can't maintain a house. Besides I think there's still more money to be made in the stock market. I'd almost lost my ass on oil futures last year, but I've more than made it up so far this year. If you're not trading/investing, and have a steady job +still pay rent, it's a no brainer. Just buy a house with a yard, as land appreciates, not the mortar and brick placed on it...

6/6/2009 5:46:10 PM

Quote :

"Duke, it's more than about just not wanting something boring. Brand new cars depreciate a lot, obviously. Financing forces you into higher insurance, so on. Moving cars has been a great source of income for me, and I find it hard to believe people spend so much in depreciation and the like. "

Oh yeah, you're preaching to the choir, big-time. I was just saying that people don't view spending $30k on a new Accord as frivolous, but if they saw a Corvette or Porsche, a couple of classic trucks, a motorcycle, and a jet ski in my garage and driveway, most would think I'd either won the lottery or lost my mind.


At a bare minimum, I go into every vehicle/toy purchase looking to be able to at least drive it for a year or more and break even without having to find a sucker to sell it to. Preferably, I can drive it for a couple of years and then sell it for a profit.

[Edited on June 6, 2009 at 6:59 PM. Reason : ]

6/6/2009 6:57:26 PM

^^


If your parents will buy it for me I will take it dude. The GT3 project is awesome but eventually dont you need to pay off the college bill?

6/6/2009 8:25:16 PM

^why are you even up in everyones business? You like sinking money in hondas and he likes sinking money in porsches... to each his own

6/6/2009 9:28:07 PM

Because I Ahmet . You can also see above that he is my financial adviser.

[Edited on June 6, 2009 at 9:31 PM. Reason : if he can turn 7 grand into a paid off mortgage and a porsche 911 , what can I do?]

6/6/2009 9:30:48 PM

After the long debacle with seats, I finally decided to go with GT3 "like" seats in carbon fiber, along with adapters/tracks. Total weight 24lbs per seat (stock power seats are just over 65lbs I believe, and factory GT3 shells as previously in the car are around 30lbs if I remember correctly). They're supposed to ship out Monday. I'm also thinking about going with a lightweight battery.

Quinn, when I was in college, I actually wanted to be a financial advisor, but it seemed like all venues led to selling life insurance, which I don't condone nor had any interest in...

6/7/2009 1:24:22 AM

How about any time you make a stock pick, just post it in here so we can follow along. None of this, "oh, 2 months ago I picked [insert obvious stock here] and sold out of it at [insert high profit gain point]". Because I know I'd love to play along with someone that actually knows how to make money in this market (unlike myself).

6/7/2009 7:22:37 AM

^^

Wow, how light can the car get? It's going to be an absolute monster soon. I think that brake rotor is the size of my rim.

6/7/2009 8:41:37 AM

An early U.S. market 996 weighs around 2950lbs wet. European cars are 50-75lbs lighter (no side airbags, fewer emissions stuff, different bumper mounting, etc.) I would love to get my car down to the 2800lbs range, but am not stripping it or doing anything radical or expensive. Removed are tool kit/spare, complete rear seats, seat belts/buckles, floor mats. Added are the roll bar/harnesses. I'm guessing it's only about 15lbs lighter than stock currently. This though, for a car perfectly livable everyday with great A/C, stereo, low noise and exceptional handling + more grip than many race cars. Anyway, most likely I will only do seats/light battery + an oil pan baffle and consider this particular car done. Unless I can sell it at a ~$7500+ profit, I will keep it for the foreseeable future.

6/7/2009 11:37:01 AM

These are the exact seats, but I went for gray stitching/black leather;

6/7/2009 11:53:57 AM

Everything behind the front seats is fair game but you dont really want bare metal in the cockpit >.<. 2800lbs would be sweet. It pushs >300hp right? Any plans to do anything with the motor?

6/7/2009 1:14:13 PM

I don't want a loud car, only removed the rear seat stuff as they're useless with the roll bar, identical to a GT3/GT2. Front seats were logical as I need them to hold me in place + harnesses with the performance envelope of the car. The engine has ~300hp, and is stock (remanufactured and with 997 accessories though). I have no further plans for the car other than what I've already mentioned, though I found a GT3 drivetrain for $20k, that would be money I could never get back from this car, +it's a whole ton of fun now and I want to enjoy it after all this work and $.

6/7/2009 2:53:41 PM

I'm pretty sure those seats aren't FIA approved... track car... ?

6/7/2009 4:55:16 PM

I sure have enjoyed living vicariously through Ahmet's 911.

6/7/2009 5:47:38 PM

They are indeed not FIA approved (but they also go for ~$1800 as opposed to over $5k list for the factory seats), I hope they won't prove to be unsafe (!). The roll bar sits immediately behind them, and I think seat integrity won't come into play in the vast majority of crashes. These allow me to run the 6 points again which I think would prove to be much safer than factory seats/3 point belts in the vast majority of cases. If you care to comment here, I'm all ears btw.

Also, I wouldn't call this a "track car", I put the car on track often and do DEs and time trials -which does not require FIA seats- but it's certainly no race car, I mean it is my only car and as you can see above I use it plenty. It is also not going to see any wheel to wheel as I don't have the budget to do that with a 996. I'd love to do that with something cheaper though. BTW, are you going to be back in spec e30 anytime soon?

6/7/2009 5:52:18 PM

I'm pretty darn sure NASA requires FIAs for TTs I know THSCC does. If not FIA, then you're supposed to have a seat back brace. Not needed for HPDEs. I dunno, personally i'd err on the side of caution and safety. I wouldn't trust seats w/o a solid safety rep, especially in carbon fiber which is tricky business. But yeh, they'll probably be fine unless you get stuck with a picky tech inspector. But again, i'm not condoning trying to cheat a safety tech inspection.

I wish. I'm moving to Boston in a week and will be carless for a few years while there. A parking spot there is about $200 a month. Garage? LOL!

I wish i had more time. I'd make a trip up to VIR when you're there for a ride in that baby.

6/7/2009 9:10:56 PM

I read that the particular set I got are fine and that a third party has gotten them past TUV approval for resale in Germany. Of course I can't verify though I'd rather not pay 3x if these will work fine. The seat rails look very solid and fewer bends vs. factory + will accommodate harness mounts, which was paramount.

I've ran time trials w/NASA w/out any safety equipment past a helmet, they do not require FIA seats. I believe THSCC does though, you're right on that one. Normally any non FIA seat is legal w/a brace and I'd consider putting a brace behind them, but they sit literally against the roll bar -which is a part of the reason why I am willing to give these a try-. Passing tech is not my issue. I appreciate that there are tech regulations as an instructor when I have to get in somebody else's car, but I wouldn't ride in many cars that pass tech, and would ride in some that don't... Would you ride in my car?

I'll probably do the VIR event with Chin, c'mon down! I was just there, and may go again sooner but I'll almost certainly make the Chin event.

Oh and Boston may not be conducive to a hobby of cars/track events but it's an awesome place to live none the less. If I had a job lined up there, I'd move in a heartbeat. Actually I'm interviewing in DC and may be moving w/a few months. My sister's moving to Boston as well and I may follow after a year or so.

6/7/2009 10:28:50 PM

more pics!

it seems like getting FIA seats would have alleviated any potential headaches but you obviously know more about this stuff than i do. definitely nice looking seats i look forward to checking them out in the future.

6/8/2009 1:50:46 AM

Quote :

"why are you even up in everyones business?"

OH LOOK WHO HAS COME TO THE DEFENSE OF HIS BUTT BUDDY MY SONS.

BUTT BUDDY MY SONS.


And yes, my sons, he is also up in everyones business.

The ass end of their business my sons.

ASS END SONS.

6/8/2009 10:46:08 AM

^how did they ever release you from holly hill.

6/8/2009 10:51:32 AM

Never been to this Hill that you speak of my son. Never been son.

Anyway, I'mma take dat 911 out wit my VTAK Miata son.

6/8/2009 11:07:06 AM