Wind-n-Water

Hi NorCal'ers-

I'm looking into a job opening within my company that'll be located @ Moffett Field. I've been living in the DC/MidAtlantic region for the last 15 yrs or so. (Virginia Tech, then back and forth between Southern MD [20619] & Hampton VA [23669])

Looking to get some gauge on the area/region in general, but don't know all the right questions to ask yet. So I'll ask a Q that I'll eventually have to worry about if things work out.

Knowing that housing will be a sticker shock...
What do the track junkies out here do, with regard to places to keep or work on your track car? I personally can downside my stuff (am single) and live in a townhouse or even an condo/apt, but I'm used to having a 2-car garage to keep all my tools and work on my own cars. Are townhouses w/ personal private garages common here?

Currently have a fleet of 3 cars...
- 'Nice ride' = B6A4 1.8TQ (will be paid off next month),
- 'windsurfmobil' = '96 Tacoma 2WD pickup truck,
- 'summer/track fun car' = '96 Miata w/ mild mods

I suspect I'll have to downsize. Unfortunately, if I want to continue feeding my addiction (HPDE) and have physical recreation (windsurfing), it's my 'nice ride' that likely will have to go. :-( Unless there's a way to keep (park) all 3 w/o costing me tons of $$$.

I'm sure I'll have more Q's as things move along.

TIA, and...
Hopefully if things work out & I reloc here... I look fwd to meet'n & make;n new friends at all the social dining and party gatherings, like we have at the MidAtlantic forum. )

-Dean

Morgan Conrad

There are 3 great tracks within a 2-3 hour drive. (Thunderhill, Infineon Sears Point, Laguna Seca)

There is good windsurfing in the area.

Get one of those little "tire trailers" to tow behind the Miata and use it to carry your windsurfing stuff. :-)

Badthorn

Townhomes with two car garages are pretty common. Try doing a search on Californiamoves.com in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, San Jose, and possibly Redwood City, Belmont, San Mateo, Foster City, San Carlos. If those are too expensive you might want to try Fremont or Union City.<ul><li><a href="http://www.californiamoves.com/">California Moves</a></li></ul>

S4V8RCR

The good news is that you will find some awesome windsurfing here (buy a good wetsuit first).

The other good news is that within 2-3 hours you have three of the best tracks in the west: Infineon, Thunderhill and Laguna Seca.

The final good news is that the track season is almost a 12 month timeframe. I did events at Laguna Seca in December and January this year.

The bad news is that it is very expensive to live here (but worth it is in our minds).

You will need to do some searching to find the right setup for your gear, but if you are patient and don't mind commuting a few miles, then you should be able to find a pad to meet your needs.

Good luck.

Audiboy

is getting cheaper by about $25k per quarter since I started getting broker updates back in 2006. So for one who has the cash, good credit, good income, it is finally possible to get a decent single family home around 500k and under depending on the area in Alameda, Contra Costa and some in Santa Clara Counties


County / Average List Price / Median List Price / Average Days On Market
Santa Clara County / $628,249 / $605,000 / 77
San Mateo County / $668,623 / $650,000 / 81
Contra Costa County / $431,141 /$393,400 / 88
Alameda County / $505,744 / $479,999 / 75

s4wood

I emailed you...

Audiboy

what's up Morgan!

dan farmer

You're gonna love it here. Thermal winds blow daily all summer long. If your job will allow cutting out early, after work sailing is easy. For bay sailing, Coyote Point is 20 miles from Mtn View. Wave sailing in Davenport is more like an hour away. The winds are strong, so sails are small. Not Gorge small, but average size guys usually rig a 5.2 on an 8'10' board.

This means you can windsurf out of an A4 wagon. I weigh 210 lb, and did it out of a B5 S4 just fine. A 6.5 fit in the back, diagonally. I think there's a pic in my poster of Gorge Rack on top of the car. 2 boards, 5 sails, 3 masts, and all the rest fit fine. My allroad makes a 7.5 possible, which I use in September.

So one possible plan would be to sell your truck and sedan, and buy a used wagon of similar vintage. Get a quattro wagon and you're set for skiing, too.

-df

Wind-n-Water

something that looks almost like (not mine)....
<img src="http://forum.miata.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=12208">

trackpedia.com was the first place I went to after finding out about the job Req! VIR &amp; Summit Pt have turned me into an addict. LoL!

Tho I don't think my windsurf gear will fit on that... T

Thanks Morgan!

Wind-n-Water

<i>"Townhomes with two car garages are pretty common."</i>

Thanks for the link. I'll take a look to start bracing myself! ;o)