Little things that make you happy

[Blueprint]

I didn't know you review cars that aren't Mazda CX-90/70 variants 

Here's some reading material for your French class  https://www.autohebdo.net/editorial/search?author=daniel-beaulieu

[Firm]

Happy about this news....for a city with lots of Automotive/ Hot Rod / Racing history there hasn't been a local track at all for the last 5 years or so since this place closed down and has sat abandoned. This location had both a 1/4 mile drag strip and a road course, not clear if IHRA has any interest in re-opening the road course, but even if it's only the drag strip, it'll likely make for some fun local events to take the kids too.

 https://ihra.com/millington-tennessee-track-acquisition

[Johnnymac]

That'll be nice for sure and I bet the first year will be a busy one with a lot of pent up enthusiasm.

Have you ever considered having your kids in motorsports?  Maybe there is some junior class for drag racing, I think I've seen that be a thing in some places.

[Firm]

Mrs. Firm wouldn't have it, lol. My son, while he loves cars....knows all the names/models, spends hours playing hotwheels and helping me in the garage, doesn't have much interest (yet) in actually driving or going fast. I offered to get him one of those off-road dune buggy type go-karts (because they have a cage for protection) for Christmas, and he really wasn't much into it. My daughter has a much more aggressive/competitive personality, she'd realistically probably be a better racer, but at 3 years old it's probably a touch early for her.

Like most kids activities though, I suspect it would take a ton of time and dedication to get to a point where they could be even competitive. Stuff like that, you've gotta all be all-in, or not.

There was one of those Junior Dragsters for sale near me recently, looked really well built and it was like $2K for a turn-key car, I thought it was awesome. Mrs.Firm did not share my enthusiasm.

[Johnnymac]

Totally get the hesitation for your wife.  I have seen these videos of young kids in those electric ride in cars that get a bigger battery and motor to do drag races against each other.

For sure if your kid had ambitions of being a race car driver it's a lot of time, money, and effort, but so is pretty much any sport.  With go cart racing at least kids learn advanced driver skills early in life that translates to being a better driver throughout life.

That being said, just having them interested in cars and being around for the maintenance and repairs of them is excellent exposure to build a life long interest in cars.

[Firm]

Agreed! We do have a few of those electric ride in cars, and one of them I've upgraded with a bigger battery, but not to the point where it's dangerous. They use them to run laps around the house, mostly on grass which keeps the speed down.

[Bubba]

On a lesser note, I just gave notice.  What a terrible feeling that is. 

I'm a little late to the party. Congrats on the new gig, GBA.

[Blueprint]

Little birdie No1 leaving the nest soon - she just bought her first home, a nice condo that is walkable from us. She saved enough for her 25% cash down and buys alone. Proud parent here 

[Johnnymac]

Earlier in February me and my sister took my nephew birthday gift shopping.  He's big into hotwheels right now and while browsing I came across these Mattel Brick Shop building blocks sets.  They looked pretty rad so I decided to get one.  The Acura NSX is one of my dream cars and the EF Civic hatchback is the grandfather to my current car (Acura Integra Type S).  Have them on display at work with my McLaren F1 car set.

I find that the prices for these are not too crazy, the NSX was $70 and the Civic was $30.  The NSX has more features like the steering wheel that actually turns the tires, the engine bay details, etc, it took around 4 hours to build.  The Civic is nice with the little details like the red interior, and it only took just over an hour to complete.

Sort of a cheap "man puzzle" activity to do and enjoy either on your own or with your kids and then they look cool in a mancave or office.

[Blueprint]

^ Nice!

I'm itching to get back into building model kits and discovered all sorts of techniques reading and watching vids. The girls even bought me an airbruh for XMas, so once I start I will be all in with the scale paint booth and compressor. Acrylics have improved so much that you can now buy factory-like colours in ready-to-airbrush bottles, so no fumes and no mess cleaning.





Not mine, but this shows what you can achieve: