I am leaving 914 Mecca for the great white north. As many of yous know, my honey Sue has been slaving away in northern Wisconsin for the past year and a half while I have been living la Vida San Diego. While she shovels snow and scrapes ice, I have been outside building toys, racing AX and going on top-down mountain road romps. I was listening to the Eagles “Hotel Ca” about 10 years ago and suddenly the lyrics clicked. I think you have to live here (and be from somewhere else) a while to understand. Then last week I listened to the Chili Peppers’ “Ca R.I.P.” Sue and me have been contemplating leaving CA for a few years now. The pay scale is lower than other places for what we do and housing costs are silly. Sunshine dollars don’t spend well. I went up there for a few weeks to scout out the job and real estate markets. "Up there" is Menomenee MI, right on teh northern WI border. that would make me a "Yooper" eh. We bought a 1500 sq ft house on a 150x60 lot. Sue loves the house but… My garage is at least 30x30 slab with built in drains, furnace, fully insulated, 15 ft ceiling, 200 amp 220vac. Did I mention that it is a steel truss building? We bought all this for under $60k! The same set up in SD would be well over $500k. Sue and me both make more than 2.5 X our CA salary so why would I want to stay? Weather? Its only weather. When I got back to CA I realized that I would not miss competing with 3 million others to reach my destination. I will not have to compete with the same 3 million to buy milk or gas.
The thing that is killing me is the car deprivation. Driving deprivation. There are not many twisty roads up yonder. They only race 5 months a year. I will miss the constant car fix I get here. There is always someone that wants to do car stuff here. The pasts supply issues concern me as well. Does that mean I will have to “buy” 914 parts now? Oh lord what have I done.
I am looking forward to meeting the cheese head racers. I am sure you guys figure out how to get your share of fast driving in. where do you guys race and how often?
I will be bringing my 73 2.0, my73 V8 car and my Geo tracker. Sue wants me to keep the Tail-dragger but I would rather spend the money on the 2.0 car or the V8. I also have a super nice 74 roller that might make the trip.
So Cal guys should get their shopping lists ready. I have an INSANE amount of 914 parts that I do not want to take with me. I’ll bring ONE extra set of parts perhaps to build the 74 chassis but I have about 15 cars worth of parts here. If you have been here then you know I am not exaggerating

Interesting. I've been contemplating a move myself.

The housing costs in parts of Seattle's Eastside are similar to SoCal. Same situation... I could get twice the house for half the money in other parts of the country.

But, I'm not so sure about the weather thing... I've been looking to go where there's more sunshine. Summers are perfect here and the winters are never as harsh as WI. And I still want to move because of the weather. I'll be interested in hearing from you about this in 10 years.

I figure there's got to be a happy medium between weather and cost of living somewhere!?

Uh oh... watch out for the circling buzzards... I'm already wishing I could rummage through your parts!

Best of luck Sean.

Don't go! (Its awful cold up there.)

I have a feeling I better make some more room under the house...

Aww, you're leaving just when I'm about to move down there. I don't smell THAT bad, do I?

When are you moving? I'm going to be down there at the end of March sniffing around for houses, and I'd be happy to relieve you of some of your 914 parts burden.

Dunno, to each his own. I left California thinking all those same things and until today rue the day I left. It hurts even more that the move was one-way, because today I couldn't afford to move back.

well then, I guess I am only taking a break from CA. The house in San Diego, a 2100 sq/ft redwood craftsman, will be a rental until our return in 5-7 years.

does anyone need to rent a house in SD? the lot is just shy of 1/2 acre. plenty of room for 914s

When is the move going to take place. Location isnt that bad. I have family up in the Crivitz/Pound area. At least you are on the west side of the lake. You can make the Wisconsin Gathering here in June. Your about 3 hours away from the Milwaukee area.

Hi Brian. the move is scheduled for mid/late April. do you guys do any racing? is that gathering in Milwaukee? I would easily drive 3 hrs for an event but evn more if there is racing involved. if I dont AX my car it will get angry and break

Wow, true love will make you do some really strange things!!!! Good luck up there and I figure you'll be back way sooner than you think!

hmmm...fyi...if you think you are about 3 hours north of milwaukee then you are only about 1 1/2 hours from elkart lakeroad america...major racing!

http://www.roadamerica.com/

Depending on where in Northern WI...there are some great twisties amongst all the lakes (do motorcycling up north)

Well come to the great white north eh.

And bring the damn parts with you!!!!! Never can have enough parts 'round here.

Sean,

Sorry to hear you are leaving San Diego. I am a native CA guy and moved to Ohio back in the '80s. There is just no way to drink the midwest pretty once you have lived in SoCal, but at least you are going to a state where beer flows like water.

I hope you end up renting your place and finally move back. Nothing like returning to San Diego and tasting real Mexican food and feeling the ocean breeze.

If you need help unloading some of your parts before heading east, shoot me a PM. I am just up the road from you.

Safe travel and we will keep highway 101 paved for your return.

Cheers,

Jeff

Welcome to the great white North! Keep in touch, I'm a few hours south, we have a couple of nice tracks down here. Porsche club of Chicago races here a couple of times a year.

http://www.gingermanraceway.com/

WE NEED MORE PARTS!

Welcome to the badger state!

Looks like Hy 2 all the way. You will be about 6 hours from out place. You will need a snow plow here. Keep the Cali place. Bring all the parts and rollers you can pack. We don't have any here.

Sean just look at it like this. You can start ice racing your 914 , then there is snowmobile racing. Ice fishing. You can join the polar bear club.
San Diego has nothing on Milwaukie, Wisconsin.
This could be the start of a new trend.
CCLIN914NATION

AAAALLLLLLL right. I knew Wisconsin would eventually become popular! I thought it woudl take significant global warmign first though!

Just be sure you like cheese and beer and you'll be fine. I want to second the idea of bringing all those rustfree California parts back here!

Cheeseheads get first dibs!

(I We need a cheesehead smiley)

brat in one hand, brew in the other, cheese wedge on top... that's stylin'!

anyway, great to have another racer about. i think you'll find plenty of action in these parts.
come on over to the minne-apple when you can too, the grill's always on!

paul

...and bring your rust-free parts with you!

Can you fit snow chains on you V8 914? Hate to see ya go.. need to get rid of those rims ya PM me about,
Gota great place to store stuff, ya seen the property already..
Hope all goes well for you, San Francisco maybe my next 1 1/2 year move due to work also. Hate to leave San Diego too...

Wisconsin Troopers are ticket happy, watch out for them....

Amen Brothers!!!!

And you better have $$ in your wallet. None of that "sign here sir" crap.

As a former Cheesehead, good luck on the move. You'll love the area if you like to hunt or fish. Gorgeous country. Depending on your route, you might want to plan on visiting Brad Mayeur's shop in East Peoria, IL. about two hrs south of Wisconsin. You'll be glad you did. Oh yeah, I have a set of cross country skis I haven't used since I moved to MO that I'd be willing to sell, not that is snows up there.

I would bring many many parts up to the great white north but I would need help with transportation. I am soo tempted, I know where there are 2 fairly nice 914s. one 73 1.7 with a nice chassis and a 1.8 with a fair(by CA std) condition chassis

Maybe you can meet Peter Egan. Commiserate on your maintenance and rebuilding efforts. I keep an eye on his column. Good luck!

should we pass the hat up here for a rail car for you to pack?

imagine unpacking a rail car full of 914...that would be some kinda fun!

paul

that is an interesting idea...

how many 914s fit in a rail car? how much is one? there are 3 nice under 500 914s with nice low rust chassis available plus my blue 74 chassis. i also have 4-6 engines worth of parts flairs, seats, interiors.

we could make some kind of mid west 914 foundation, then repay teh foundation as parts were bought by the parts deprived mid-western 914 addicts. I got 4-5 trannys too. efi systems, doors, hoods, wheels

now there's a project. sounds like camp914-midwest!

i don't know any benifactors, but i'll contact my network and see what can be done. i'm sure good, minimal rust cars are worth much more here than there, and i'd probably buy one of those $500. rides for your cost + a fair profit.

do you have space to house said parts for a period of time?

can you figure how much scratch we're talking about?

paul

OH YEAH. my wife has convinced me to bring teh blue chassis. she wants to see me do a full resto on it