How to build a drift car (part I) 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.
