The Rough Start posts we do, where I go digging through Craigslist while sticking to a five thousand dollar overall budget, is a reasonable approach to low-buck hot-rodding at it’s finest. Yeah, I’ve found some pooches over the years…I don’t know which was the lowest point, the skeleton of a car I could barely identify or a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis that was absolutely panned…but there have been some pretty neat finds as well that I wouldn’t be surprised if one of you actually owns now, if reaction is a good judgement. But to some people, five grand is pretty extravagant spending, yet they can still have a riot. If you don’t think you can have a ball for a thousand dollars…oh, buddy, I’ve got stories for days on some of the beaters I’ve either owned, helped out with, or have been connected to.
Tavarish from Jalopnik somehow found himself in a competition where the budget was bare bones, and either he’s the luckiest SOB in the world, or he smashed one out of the park. The find is a 1996 Ford Mustang GT droptop. Ignore the dirt…the car had been romped on at El Mirage, and should clean up. But here’s what’s not completely kosher with the Mustang: the coils have been cut a little bit, the speedometer is inoperative, and the brake pedal is a bit squishy. That, and the exhaust is a hell of a lot louder than it should be, but for a grand, that makes things fun. Yes, it’s low on power…215 horsepower and 285 ft/lbs of torque, but a five-speed and some twitchy handling can actually be fun at that level. What do you think…should I re-adjust the Rough Start hunts to a more basic level?
I think you ought to compete in a series of events with Freddy “Tavarish” and both stick to a $5000 budget….none of this “I just happened to have a Paxton Supercharger alying around in the shop….”