Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 starts NCM Motorsports Park’s King Of The Heap winter racing series. I will be there, one way or another, at some unholy hour of the morning. If I have no luck at all, you guys will get a photo gallery or two. But if I have any luck whatsoever, I’ll be behind the wheel of a car. What kind? I dunno…your guess is as good as mine, though the more inappropriate for the events, the better. In one day, you do a 1/8th mile dragstrip run, an autocross, a lap of part of NCM, and a rallycross. Yeah…beaters in the dirt! I’m excited and so are a lot of other racers…we have guys coming in from Massachusetts and Texas for this deal!
With that in mind, I put together another one of our Would You Rather choices, this time that follows the KOTH rules: must be 2wd, can’t be a rollover prone vehicle, must be $1,000 or under in value. Given the nature of the event, I did the proper thing: hit Craigslist and found the first two beaters that will probably run. Remember: don’t race anything that you wouldn’t willingly shove off of a cliff! Take your pick between the two!
1. 1999 Oldsmobile Alero
Ad: “1999 Oldsmobile alero 4cyl auto 146k miles clear title runs great asking $800”.
Oldsmobile didn’t go out on a high note. Instead, they went out as GM’s leftovers. Based on the equally forgettable Pontiac Grand Am’s N-body chassis, we have to say that first impression is of a clean sedan that might still be used as a daily beater. Then we remember GM’s horrific quality control of the early 2000s and remember that they had already hung Olds out to dry until death. Kill it.
2. 2002 Toyota Camry LE
Ad: “Power Lock, Cold AC / Hot Heater, CD Player. Cruise Control, DVD Player. Cloth interior is in a Fantastic Condition.”
The Toyota Camry has been the symbol of dull but responsible family sedans for years, with this particular generation being the dullest of them all. Is it dead-nuts reliable? Of course it is. Is it so vanilla that I want it to die? Yes, it is. No mercy should be shown. Toyota is on a kick to prove that the Camry isn’t rolling Ambien. Treat this thing like a getaway car.
Under a thousand dollars and ready for their moments of glory! Which one would you take on a cheap-car thrill adventure?
FWD tiny-engined crap.
And now, for a review of a diner where you can eat the chef’s vomit! Hooray!
No. Stoppit.
If the Camry has a manual, that might give it the edge, but I’d be worried that one that new under $1000 has some serious gremlins. Got to have something that will make it across the finish line, Plus, the later Camries are seriously ill handling. And the Alero isn’t much better, but I’d take it if this was an automatic vs automatic and there were no other choices.
I’d keep looking – there are better beaters you can use as a starting point. Something like a Probe GT or a stick shift Neon, maybe.
Go with the Camry. Somehow you’re going to end up daily driving it after the event is over.
Alero. Its got a spoiler.
Camry ad is likely a scam. Those things ain’t THAT cheap, boring as they may be…