Hi, I’m Kayla Sox. I race on Friday nights, drink bad track coffee, and scroll “drag racing cars for sale” like it’s a part-time job. I’ve bought a few. I’ve sold a couple. I’ve also made some dumb mistakes and some sweet passes.
For the full back-story on that endless Marketplace scrolling binge, you can peek at the drag racing cars I kept eyeing (and why) over in my separate write-up right here.
You know what? I swore I’d never buy a race car off Facebook. Then I did. It hooked first hit.
Let me explain.
Three real cars I ran and what they taught me
1) 1991 Mustang LX Notchback (RacingJunk find)
I grabbed this Fox-body from a guy two states over. It had a 347 small-block, a little spray, and a simple 6-point cage. Carb, no fancy screens. Old-school feel. It came on skinnies up front and 275 drag radials in back.
I eventually ditched those heavy skinnies for a set of feather-weight hoops—my full hands-on notes on swapping to Bogart pieces live in this review.
- Track notes: Best was 10.90 at 126 with a 150-shot. On motor it stayed in the 11s. It liked cool nights and a clean pass.
- Good stuff: Cheap parts. Tons of help at the track. I could wrench it in my garage with basic tools.
- Bad stuff: The wiring was “creative” (you know that look—zip ties and hopes). Torque boxes in the rear were cracked. I had to weld reinforcements and clean up grounds. Also, belts were out of date, which tech did not love.
Would I buy it again? Yes. But I’d pull the carpet sooner and check every weld.
2) 1978 Chevy Malibu Wagon (Facebook Marketplace special)
Bracket car vibes. Steel wheels, Powerglide, 355 small-block with a mild cam. Big fan and big trans cooler. The seller met me at our local strip and let me make a pass. Bold move. I liked that.
My leaf-spring wagon eventually got a set of CalTracs and some late-night shakedown laps—if you’re curious how that went, I broke it down in my Calvert Racing track-night story.
- Track notes: 11.50 to 11.60 all day. Dead steady. My kids sat on the tailgate between rounds. I packed sandwiches in the back. It felt like a couch that could launch.
The kids also caught the itch and now line up little 1/10-scale hot rods; our RC weekend saga is over here.
- Good stuff: Super consistent. Easy to stage. It made me better on the tree because the car behaved.
That “tree therapy” turned into a deep dive on bulbs and timing—my honest take on drag racing trees lives in this piece.
- Bad stuff: Heavy. Stopped like a bus. Belts and window net were expired. Rear drums needed love. And the paint was… let’s call it “matte by accident.”
Would I buy it again? Yes, for bracket racing. Not a hero car, but it made money on a good day.
3) 1998 Camaro Z28 (track forum buy)
LS1 with a cam, long tubes, and a 3600 stall. Full interior. It looked clean, smelled like race gas and hope, and had a trunk full of spare plugs.
Before the first real pass I logged a dozen virtual ones—my hands-on with a drag racing sim is chronicled here.
- Track notes: Started at 12.20s. After a better tune and stickier tires, it ran 11.70s. It spun if I got greedy. I learned to roll in and feed it.
- Good stuff: Streetable and fun. I could grab groceries, then hit test-and-tune.
- Bad stuff: Rear control arm bushings were toast. It wheel-hopped in the cold. Also, the driveshaft loop was missing, so I had to add one before tech let me go quicker.
Would I buy it again? Yep. But I’d budget for suspension right away.
Where I actually find the good ones
I keep it simple and local when I can:
- RacingJunk: Most direct “race car for sale” deals I’ve made came from here. The legit ones list time slips.
- Facebook Marketplace: Hit or miss, but there are true gems. I always ask to meet at a track for a test pass.
- Track boards and the tech shack corkboard: My best Camaro came from a post by the scales.
- Word of mouth: Ask the starter, the tire guy, or the lady selling hot dogs. Folks know who’s selling what.
I also set a saved search at PDV Racing because their classifieds pull in fresh, vetted drag cars from across the country before they hit the regular social feeds. If you’d rather scoop up something that’s already dialed in and tech-legal, Hemmings keeps a running shortlist of turnkey racers worth scrolling.
Sometimes all that hunting puts you in front of more than just cars—you meet other speed-obsessed people who practically live at the track. If casual, no-strings hangouts with fellow gearheads sound like your kind of pit-side bonus, check out this direct-to-the-point hookup hub where racers and other locals cut straight to the chase on meeting up; a quick browse can line up a post-race rendezvous faster than a hot-lap cooldown. And if your weekend run card puts you anywhere near the SoCal desert—say Barona, Famoso, or the Morongo Basin—you’ll find a surprising overlap between people who swap lanes and folks who don’t mind swapping partners. The local Yucca Valley swingers hub breaks down upcoming meet-ups, etiquette tips, and member reviews so you can stage adult fun with the same confidence you bring to the starting line.
Small note: I’ve had better luck buying from someone who races that same car at my home track. They can’t hide much when the whole lane crew has seen it run.
Money talk (because it matters)
These are ranges I’ve seen the past couple years. Your town may be different.
- Rollers (no engine/trans): $7k–$20k depending on cage, rear end, and how clean the work is.
- Turnkey 11–10 second street/strip cars: $15k–$35k. Fox-bodies and F-bodies live here.
- 9-second and 8.50 cert bracket cars: $30k–$60k, sometimes more if fresh.
- Big-power late models (blowers, built autos): $40k–$80k. Nice, but inspect heat management and fuel.
If you're fresh to the hunt, brushing up on the basics of evaluating a used performance car is clutch—Hot Rod’s walkthrough on buying a 1971 Dodge Demon spells it out in detail and has saved me from at least one sketchy driveway deal.
I try to keep 10% set aside for “first month fixes.” Tires, belts, fluids, small leaks, little switch that kills the whole car at the worst time. It happens.
A sneaky expense people forget is fuel handling; if you’re lugging 55-gallon drums, read my brutally honest fuel-jug fail story over here.
Quick checklist before you hand over cash
I learned these the hard way, with skinned knuckles and two failed tech checks.
- Title and VIN: Even if it’s track-only, match the numbers. Saves headaches.
- Cage and dates: Look for a chassis cert tag if it needs one. Check belt and net dates. Tech will.
- Tires: Read the date code. Old slicks can look fine and still be junk.
- Fuel and fire: Peek at lines, pump wiring, and any fire bottle. Look for rub marks or leaks.
If you’re weighing the car every round like I do, you might appreciate this deep dive on running a fuel scale right here.
- Welds: Clean, even welds matter. Lumpy welds make me walk away.
- Rear end