How to Build a Drift Car - Part 1

Okay, so you've discovered drifting. It's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and you've decided that it's the sport for you and you want to dedicate your life to it. That's great and all, but before the sponsors, the big drift competitions, the magazine covers and umbrella girls, you need to build yourself a vehicle. This is the first chapter of several on how to start building up a vehicle to drift, or at least to have a vehicle that looks like it can drift.

Choosing a Car

Drift cars can come in all shapes and sizes. Choosing the one for you is simply a matter of taste and budget, so choose wisely.

 Ask yourself, "what kind of car do I see myself in?" The vehicle that you drive is an extension of your personality. It's your outside image to the world so consider carefully what your vehicle choice says about you. Are you some kind of pimp mofo, running around in a luxury styled drift car, or are you more down with the old-school style of a Toyota Corolla GTS (AE86 / Hachiroku)? What personal characteristics do you want to display: size, power, elegance, ruggedness, age, or individuality? 

There's typically two types of personalities that we run into in drifting. There are guys that will buy the newest, most expensive, highest powered vehicles available because they're concerned with winning and the image of winning; and there's the guy in older or underpowered vehicles that doesn't care what people think. These guys like the image of being the underdog that puts up a good fight. There's also occasionally a third category of car buyer that will purchase a vehicle specifically for the purpose of being different from everyone else. While this is okay to do, and may even be rewarding in the long run, make sure that it's actually a car that you like and be sure that you can deal with all the criticism that you're going to get.

Determining Your Budget

Now dealing with your budget is the second most important factor in buying your car. Budget is secondary to taste only because we're in America and you can finance just about anything here. So get the car you want, but here's the trick, budget gets even more important after you purchase your vehicle.

 Picture this scenario: You've gathered your life savings, borrowed from your mom, sold your comic book collection on Ebay, and told the plasma donor center to suck you dry. Now, with your $15,000 you're finally able to purchase the drift car of your dreams, a 1997 Lexus SC300. So you get the car, you get home, and you call up your favorite tuning shop Drifters R Us to order some parts. Too bad you didn't do enough research into parts and balancing your budget. With the $350 you earn each week, it's going to take you about 4 months to buy the 19 inch Speed Star Racing wheels that you want. And that's only if you save every single penny after your regular living expenses. This is kind of an extreme example, but you see what we mean. When budgeting for a drift car purchase, you have to look into:

1. The cost of the vehicle. Can you afford the vehicle with your current income and will you be able to still afford the car should anything happen to affect your income?

2. Cost of insurance / registration. Newer vehicles are going to cost more to insure / register. But older cars may have the added expense of repairing for smog inspection (depending on location).

 3. The cost and availability of aftermarket parts support. Toyota Corolla GTS (AE86) 4AGE engines enjoy wide aftermarket support. You'll find lots of parts available, and lots of people knowledgeable about the 4AGE because the engine is, and always was, available in America. If you choose a rare car, you'll have a significantly more difficult time to find the parts you need or you'll have to pay a premium for them. Before buying a drift car, start building up a wish list for parts you'd like for your prospective vehicle and find out how much they cost. Once you've determined your wish list and prioritized the list, you can see if your income can support the purchase and installation of aftermarket parts on your prospective vehicle. In other words, if you can't afford 19 inch tires  on a regular basis, you'd better stick with smaller vehicles that can look good with smaller wheels.

4. The cost / availability of general upkeep and maintenance. Example: having a 240sx with an SR20 motor swap is cool, but your local Napa Auto Parts doesn't carry SR20 DET head gaskets. This could be a major or minor problem, depending on where you live and what kind of connections you have. Depending on how old your car is, and how frequently you plan on drifting, you should start building up a contingency budget for repairs, emergencies, etc. for your vehicle. If you start keeping repair money on the side for a rainy day, you'll be glad when you need that expensive part so you can get to work on Monday.