What's it like in Arizona?

[nokones]

I just wish that the local SCCA Region would go back in putting on autocross events during the summer months again. At least, they are reconsidering it again and talking about it. Anyways, there are events in Tucson during the summer. I'm looking forward to the move.

[Motoracer838]

I moved to Show Low AZ late last year (it's in the White Mountains about 3 hrs east, north east of Phoenix) the weather here is nice, not to cold in the winter with some snow, not to warm in the summer with highs in the 80's-90's... A much slower pace of life, I got tired of what Denver had become... oh yeah, no emisions testing here also about 2 hrs from Flagstaff.

Joe

[arcane73]

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I moved to Phoenix (Ahwatukee area) in August of '13. I came here from New Orleans and have been fine with the heat. Sure, it's hot in the summer.....it's the desert. Stay out of the sun, you'll be fine. In NO, you break a sweat as soon as you step out of the shower!
My 68 has copper license plates (antique car) and allows me to skip emissions testing. I believe Maricopa county is the only area that requires testing, but I could be wrong. My daily is an 03 Mazda with 193k miles on it. Pull up to testing center once a year, they plug in a code reader, I pay and drive away. Done.
The spring/winter is gorgeous (minus all of the snowbirds and the added traffic) and like others have said, great car culture. GG show in scottsdale 2 times a year, the ongoing Saturday night cruise-in at the Pavilions in Scottsdale, SCCA races here and Tucson, not to mention all of the sporting stuff to follow if that's your thing. Plenty of great drives around if you want to get out and stretch your vehicle legs.

There are even local events (Vintage Air and ridetech seminars as an example) at the local speed shops on occasion. The Vintage Air one is tonight and I'll be going there after work.

Scorpions.....my wife got popped by one in the bed when she rolled her leg over on it. There was an amusing amount of profanity followed by an early morning call to a pest control company. She now has a UV flashlight that she looks under the covers with before crawling into bed. We've seen a few in the house in the 5 years we've been here, but the pest control has curbed that to almost a non-issue now.

[Jaymzz]

Been looking at different areas and there is some great deals on houses there compared to Oregon.

[Cdog]

Hey Y'all. I just ran across this thread and thought I'd offer some input. I married an AZ native and relocated from SoCal back in 2007. We live in N Scottsdale and enjoy living here. We left CA for much of the same reasons I see in the thread. Politics, expense, taxes & crime. I'm into Cars, racing, boating shooting, outdoors and camping. All of which AZ is perfect for.

I race SCCA in SRF3 and just bought a Formula Enterprise. SCCA does auto cross here in the valley but is non existent for local club or Majors events. Locally I race Pro Auto events and NASA is here as well. For SCCA AutoClub/Fontana, Buttonwillow & Willow Springs is a reasonable drive. I just returned from Laguna Seca, It's about an 11 hour drive. Another track just opened on the outskirts of town called Apex and another is in the works called Attesa in Casa Grande. We also have Inde MSR in Wilcox, Wild Horse Pass/Firebird, AMP, Chuckwalla outside of Desert Center & Thermal club in Palm Springs.

Here's a ling to Pro Auto Schedule.
http://new.proautosports.com/forms/p...20SCHEDULE.pdf

I like to say while the rest of the county is freezing for 8 months we're out side BBQing. For the other 4 months we're the BBQ. LOL.

I'm a full time Real Estate Broker here in AZ since 2005 so if you need any help give me a call. You really have to watch out which areas you move to here as HOA's are very prevalent in the newer cheaper areas and they can be very restrictive.

Corey Condit
480-720-7649

[Jaymzz]

Thank you! Still need to fly out there to see what it's like but is tough with my wife working six days a week at the post office.

[Alponcho]

Seems like there are a few of us from the area...Wondering if folks know each other or ever get together? I’m kinda new to the scene and realize it would be great to connect with others as I approach the end of my build and start the transition to the driving/racing side of the hobby. I have car buddies here but they’re mostly Pontiac guys either into restoration or drag racing. I also have friends who do events with expensive new cars, but that seems like a different culture.

[SSLance]

Hey Y'all. I just ran across this thread and thought I'd offer some input. I married an AZ native and relocated from SoCal back in 2007. We live in N Scottsdale and enjoy living here. We left CA for much of the same reasons I see in the thread. Politics, expense, taxes & crime. I'm into Cars, racing, boating shooting, outdoors and camping. All of which AZ is perfect for.

I race SCCA in SRF3 and just bought a Formula Enterprise. SCCA does auto cross here in the valley but is non existent for local club or Majors events. Locally I race Pro Auto events and NASA is here as well. For SCCA AutoClub/Fontana, Buttonwillow & Willow Springs is a reasonable drive. I just returned from Laguna Seca, It's about an 11 hour drive. Another track just opened on the outskirts of town called Apex and another is in the works called Attesa in Casa Grande. We also have Inde MSR in Wilcox, Wild Horse Pass/Firebird, AMP, Chuckwalla outside of Desert Center & Thermal club in Palm Springs.

Here's a ling to Pro Auto Schedule.
http://new.proautosports.com/forms/p...20SCHEDULE.pdf

I like to say while the rest of the county is freezing for 8 months we're out side BBQing. For the other 4 months we're the BBQ. LOL.

I'm a full time Real Estate Broker here in AZ since 2005 so if you need any help give me a call. You really have to watch out which areas you move to here as HOA's are very prevalent in the newer cheaper areas and they can be very restrictive.

Corey Condit
480-720-7649

Hey Corey, will you be at Inde Labor Day Weekend for Pro Auto Sports? I just reserved a paddock spot with Electricity for my RV for the weekend so I guess I'm going! I can't wait.

And I agree, we need to find time and places to get us PT guys together more often. My car is now way more street friendly and has AC, so I'm in. Maybe we could do a rolling shop tour thing where we all visit each others places and check each other's cars out closer? I'm in the NW part of the Valley but am wiling to travel anywhere. Heck, I drove out to East Mesa yesterday just to get my tires mounted up.

[Cdog]

Great to see some activity here with us AZ guys!

SSLance - Unfortunately I'm going to miss that event this year. I did last year and the Memorial weekend. Great track! Stay in touch. Hopefully we will meet up sometime soon.

[Sbeck09]

I feel late to the party here, but I'm glad the idea of getting together came up. Non of my current circle of friends is very technical when it comes to cars/fabrication so I think it would be great to have an occasional get together and bench race. I sometimes hit the Pavillions in Scottsdale on Saturday evenings for the weekly car show. I can actually start hosting something for us monthly or quarterly after next April when I'm moved. I'm in North Phoenix now and won't be moving that terribly far. Just have to get away from some of these prying neighbors and porch pirates!

I moved here from Texas 7.5 years ago and compared to there, we barely do any racing. Easily 2 or more events to choose from in the region any given weekend Feb-Nov. I'm going to need to learn about all the smaller events here so I can stay busy running when my project is done.

-Sean

[Cdog]

How’s the Desert Ridge area for a meet up? Tons of cool bar restaurants to meet at.

[Alponcho]

Desert Ridge is convenient, right off the 101, has some good places to meet up...Barrio Queen as an example.. but the area is always slammed...couldn’t park together that’s for sure.

[Sbeck09]

What about the Hooters or something along those lines by Metro Center? Not the greatest area, but it's much more central.

[Cdog]

Desert Ridge is convenient, right off the 101, has some good places to meet up...Barrio Queen as an example.. but the area is always slammed...couldn’t park together that’s for sure.

Yeah that's what I was thinking. I don't have a running car LOL! So I'm just rollin the Duramax. I figure the first meet up could be just a get together. Beers, food. See how it all rolls out before we do any car stuff. There's an event on Saturday mornings off Scottsdale & Mayo that's pretty big and has a lot of exotics. I go to Lifetime fitness and see all the numbskulls out there in traffic trying to take pics of the cars.

- - - Updated - - -

What about the Hooters or something along those lines by Metro Center? Not the greatest area, but it's much more central.

I guess we will have to see what kind of participation we can put together and where everyone's coming from...

[SSLance]

I'm good for Desert Ridge or anywhere near N. Scottsdale. Would like to bring my car though and I'm not real keen on parking it where I can't see it.

[Sbeck09]

I thought the Scottsdale/Mayo event was our regional 1x a month Cars and Coffee thing? My truck ain't close to done enough to participate with that, but I would love some real car talk. I'll go anywhere in the valley.

[oleyeller]

Just a thought.....

[77thor]

Reminds me of this oldie...

""May 30th:
Just moved to Phoenix AZ... Now this is a city that knows how to live!
Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! I watched
the sunset from a park lying on a blanket. It was beautiful. I've
finally found my home. I love it here.

June 14th:
Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an
air conditioned home, drive an air conditioned car. What a pleasure to
see the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:
Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus
and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing lawn for me.
Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:
The temperature hasn't been below 100 all week. How do people get used
to this kind of heat? At least it's kind of windy though. But getting
used to the heat and humidity is taking longer that I expected.

July 15th:
Fell asleep by the pool and got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body.
I missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson
though. You’ve got to respect the sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:
I missed Fluffy (our cat) sneaking into the car when I left this
morning. By the time I got to the hot car for lunch, Fluffy had died and
swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the $2,000 leather
upholstery. I told the kids that she ran away. The car now smells like
Kibbles and ****s. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat.

July 25th:
The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer! And it's hot
as hell. The home air conditioner is on the fritz and the A/C repairman
charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:
Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. $1,500 in damn house
payments and we can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here?

Aug. 4th:
It's 115 degrees. Finally got the air conditioner fixed today. It cost
$500 and gets the temperature down to 85, but this freaking humidity
makes the house feel like it's about 95. Stupid repairman. I hate this
stupid city.

Aug. 8th:
If another wise ass cracks, "Hot enough for you today?" I'm going to
strangle him. Damn heat. By the time I get to work the radiator is
boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!


Aug. 9th:
Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and sat on the black
leather seats in the car. I thought my ass was on fire. I lost two
layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass. Now my
car smells like burnt hair, fried ass, and baked cat.

Aug. 10th:
The weather report might as well be a damn recording. Hot and sunny. Hot
and sunny. Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do **** for two damn months
and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it
ever rain in this damn desert? Water rationing will be next, so my $1,700
worth of cactus just might dry up and blow into the damn pool. Even the
cactus can't live in this damn heat.

Aug. 14th:
Welcome to HELL!!! Temperature got to 115 today. Forgot to crack the
window and blew the damn windshield out of the car. The installer came
to fix it and said, "Hot enough for you today?".....
My wife had to spend our $1,500 house payment to bail me out of jail.

Freaking Arizona,,,
What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?""

[silvermonte]

I always get a kick out of it when they talk about the humidity in Arizona. Living in the midwest with humidity easily being in the low to mid 90s is always a joy. My god parents moved to outside of Flagstaff a few years ago, when they come back to visit in the summer they always say that they cant believe they ever considered the Iowa weather to be decent now that they are used to weather in Arizona.

[ProjectSideOiler]

I moved to AZ January 1986. South Scottsdale area. There until Early 1999 then moved 10 mi north in Scottsdale. Great place to live but now About 10 min north of Desert Ridge Mall.
Typical 5-6 deg cooler here but can be up to 15+ deg cooler in summer. This morning it was 66 deg out and high around 90 but humidity under 20% even now. I love it when humidity is in the single digits.

Being on edge of desert when we first moved in would see scorpions but now it’s been close to a year without seeing any. Have had 2 rattlesnakes on back patio in 8 yrs, javelina, Mountain Lions, Bobcat are around. Had Bobcat watching me a couple days ago and did not know until I replayed security video.

I will never move from where I am at now if someone gave me a free house in another state or even in AZ.

It is without question one of if not the best states for car people.

Our property taxes here are a fraction of anywhere else.

On a 1 1/4 acre lot with total privacy. I do have a couple cheap cameras but mostly to watch for the parts being delivered by UPS, FedEx and truck freight.

I have A/C ~ Heat in shop so outside in summer does not matter as much as fighting cold and or bugs elsewhere.

From here it’s 1 hr 15 min to Prescott and not much more to Flagstaff.

The positives outweigh the negatives by such a large margin as I said above will never move.