Hello

My name is Tyson and I just purchased a 1982 320i 5speed for use in the 24 Hours of LeMons in 2009....a 24 hour endurance race of cars that you had to purchase and repair/upgrade for less than $500 total.....Which is tough because it seems everyone in MN thinks their 1984 Toyota camry with a rusted out exterior, and odometer that broke at 500,000 miles 10 years ago is worth $2,500.

I found the car on craigslist and the owner was asking $500....I got him down to $200 even (Woot!). The car has a stripped interior, tons of tacky stickers which are coming off and a very rust free and straight exterior/underside. Car runs like a top and does not seem to have a single electrical or mechanical issue.....not even a slow oil leak!

If anyone has any performance e21 parts (mainly suspension) or some 15" wheels that they could sell us at a reasonable price it would be much appreciated. We are also looking for a stock front bumper and a sunroof handle....as long as it's structurally sound we are OK with it.

If anyone is looking for any parts, we are selling whats left of the interior which is what appears to be a decent camel colored headliner and 2 very good camel colored leather seats.

Thanks

- Tyson

P.S. the website for the race is www dot 24hoursoflemons dot com

So you got a well running and rust free E21 for $200? I'm quite jealous to say the least.

I was reading the article in Roundel of the 24 Hours of LeMons, sounded pretty cool.

Dude I was extatic to find ANY car that runs well for under $500.

I had been scouring Craigslist in all of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and both Dakotas for about 3 months straight. Also looking down near San Antonio & Austin as I'm in the Army National Guard and I'll be down there for training next winter. After 3 months of checking multiple CL cities multiple times a day I was getting frustrated.

Then on a Friday afternoon I saw that car on CL in the Mpls/StPaul category, I called the owner and it was still there. I was worried as hell because I had to leave for Camp Ripley til Sunday night and the rest of my team wouldn't be able to go with me until Monday. When I got home Sunday night I called him and I was shocked to find it there....Told him I'd be coming to pick it up Monday late morning.

We are going to give it the following paint scheme in a couple weeks and then I'm going to call my sponsors from last year to see if they will help us out in 2009.
flickr . com/photos/michaelvaldez/342178781/ (grr newbie registration still wont let me post links)

And a 10 point cage....Hell if the thing survives LeMons with only some minor dents it might make one hell of a race car in the future.

It's a very fun race, but it's absolutely brutal. Last year we were way behind on budget and time....drove 13 hours straight to Detroit, worked on it non-stop (even finishing the roll cage), slept a couple hours....raced 24 hours with only 3 total drivers and then drove 13 hours back home.....It was hell.

Awesome, so you do the race in Detroit?

I was hoping to make it out to watch one of these races this year. I didn't realize it was so close, it looks like the race is actually in Toledo. Only 2 hours away from me.

I'll have to subscribe to your blog so I don't forget. Then I'll also have someone to watch :)

I'm not sure where they will be racing in 2009....I've been talking to the organizer a bit and if we can find a decent track somewhere in MN/WI/IO we would probably have a pretty good chance of having it closer.

I'd be doing Toledo this year, but Uncle Sam has different plans for me at that time.

I hope it's closer in 09....There's nothing worse than leaving MPLS at 7PM and at 7AM the next morning you still have about 60-90 minutes of driving left.

Wait there is one thing worse.

Being absolutely nasty...After racing for 24 hours with only 2 other drivers, being inside a (and I mean this) completely sweat SOAKED firesuit (I could wring sections of it out) for 8 hours, being covered in brake dust/tire dust/engine grime....blowing your nose and having thick black mucus come out. Then knowing you have that same godawful drive back home.

Thankfully we won the Organizer's Choice award which included $500 in nickels....We used $100 of that on a hotel room so we could shower off (it was Sunday night and we hadn't showered since Thursday night).

It was kind of funny....When the race was over we absolutely hated what we had done....When we were going through Wisconsin we started talking about doing it again.

Wait, I found one more thing that sucks....When it's 6AM and you have been racing/spotting/reparing for 18 hours and you realize you still have 6 more to go until the end of the race.

Flat Rock was kind of a terrible track....It was just too small and the infield was way too narrow....The pits were also in sort of a bowl shape and there was no wind, so the exhaust fumes just collected there non stop. It was like sucking on a tailpipe for 24 hours.


Wait....after all that do I really want to do this again? Heh. It was an absolutely horrible yet absolutely amazing experience.

Sounds like a lot of fun!
Keep us updated on the progress.

I loved reading the FAQ on the site!

WILL I DIE?

Safety equipment isn't included in the $500 car-purchase price, so you'll have kind of a fighting chance. But this isn't a brilliant thing to be doing. Get used to it.

haahaha.

Ooooh ok, I didn't realize at first you weren't racing until next year. That's cool though, I'll follow along anyway, it seems interesting :P

You make it sound strenuous (which I am sure it is) but I am guessing it is one of those things where you are proud of yourself as it all comes to a close. Sounds like a real blast.

I first heard about LeMons last year on Autoblog. I'd love to do it but being in college I can't spare the money yet. But hopefully someday...

Hey is that a blue Z in the background of the one picture on the blog? My friend loves them

Do they pronounce it 24 Hour of Lemons ? (like the fruit? given the <$500 limit :tongue)

Welcome, Tyson, and good luck

Thanks! Traggets that is an 81 280ZX Turbo, which you can buy if you want =) http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/608377617.html

Yeah they pronounce it like the fruit.