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Mustang or Camaro


yellowbird

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Not trying to start an argument but I am looking to buy a car to compete in this series and was wondering which car is recommended. Have raced Porsches for the last six year and am tired of the poor fun to dollor ratio. Anyhow, from an ease of build, cost, etc. which one is the better starting point? Also what model it better of either brand?

I like and have owned both cars so I do not have a preferance.

Thanks for the input.

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My personal opinion...

 

for GMs: 3rd gens are cheaper, easier to get down to minimum weight, and have a couple of maintenance advantages (more room around engine, no opti-spark). However, the 4th gens have much better steering feel. 4th gens may have more torque, but 3rd gens are lighter, so take your pick. Lap times wont be any different.

 

for Fords: stick to the 5.0, nothing else matters since the suspension parts are interchangeable anyway, so get whatever is cheapest (unless you need it to be pretty...)

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I agree with Al - the Fords and 3rd gen Camaros are cheap and easy to work on.

 

The 4th gen Camaro has the one advantage of needing to be restricted to get to a power level, but it's more expensive to fix, and harder to work on (think changing sparkplug wires).

 

The directors have done a GREAT job in leveling the playing field though, so there's no one car that has an advantage, so you're pretty much left to personal preference and wallet size.

 

There's cars available from $6-7k, I'd recommend getting an existing car over building one any day (as I don't follow my own advice).

 

Where are you located? Come out to a race and see some of the cars that are already competing. If you're truly on the fence, maybe that could help you decide.

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Yellowbird? You're not the guy that runs the RUF Yellowbird at PCA races, are you? Giving that up for a Camaro is, well.....not right.

 

I'm in the same situation - Porsche racing fun to $$$ ratio is forcing me out of PCA club racing.

 

It seems there is a better aftermarket suspension market for the Mustang, but I'm a Chevy guy so I'm going with a 3rd gen for the same reasons the guys have already mentioned.

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What they said....if you want to run a 3rd gen Camaro the best deal around is Jim Carrol's 1991 Z28 CMC/ITE silver streak racer. The build list is so long that even I can't list it all in one post...figure $18,000 in car and parts and as to labor, well, an easy $4,000....and you can buy one man's folly...err, hard work, for $12,500 and start with an almost brand new racer...give Jim a call at (707) 489-0624...this car will win CMC race...buy it and I'll dirve it at Sears Point and prove it....RP

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For CMC, the best car is the best deal that you can get on a finished or near-finished car. The rules appear to be level enough that driver difference can overcome car variations relatively easily.

 

...my emotional favorite is the 3rd gen f-body though I drive a 4th gen f-body... The reason for this is that this is the car that I got the best deal on.

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Seems that here in SC the 5sp Mustangs are more readily available. How much ballast do you typically have to add for the mustang versus the camaro. Reason is that I still enjoy doing D.E.s with the PCA and am an instructor so...when I run with them I would run without the ballast. Lighter car....easier to keep up with Porsches!

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KeithO must have been reading my mind. A complete, or near-complete car is really the way to go. Provided it has all the required safety gear, don't do ANYTHING to it besides a good once over, then go out and race it.

 

As an example - in June of 2003, I bought an east coast former A/S car that wasn't built to the full extent of the A/S rules. It was a perfect fit for CMC, with a few minor changes. I paid $4500, brought it home to Texas, flushed the brake system, changed pads, dyno'd, then raced it.

 

A good CMC car can be purchased for ~$6000-$9000. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. The Mustang coupes sometimes require ballast, depending on the driver's weight, and fuel. That hatchbacks weigh a bit more, but it's easy to get a Mustang down to fighting weight.

 

CMC is a driver series, not a car series. Any car allowed in the series can be a winner, provided the nut behind the wheel is any good.

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I can't speak for others with Mustangs, but my 84 GT hatchback is between 150-200 pounds underweight without ballast, depending on fuel load. That's with driver.

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