bitPimps.lixlink.com

I just picked up a Losi Mini Slider yesterday from the LHS. I was so happy with the deal, they used it for about two weeks to show potential customers how good it was. Then, since I spend way to much there anyway, the let me have the whole deal for $125; as soon as I got it I “snuck” into our local oval (your not supposed to practice there during the week, but someone at the LHS may have “dropped” the key to the gate and I wasn’t going to say no). The thing was way faster than my (Baja) EDM conversion, even though most of the parts are interchangeable. I think it’s the chassis plus the extra weight from the cage/wings, they seem to cause it to initially slide but not snap around, it’s very catch-able and makes for great power slides. On the 220 ft oval (220? I think, if I remember right) with the banking it was almost a perfect line around the high-center of the corners. Just go in high, lift to about half throttle, turn hard left and then back right about half lock and gun it at the same time. I managed spin free slides about 75% of the time by the end of the third battery.

Now the absolutely maddening part; on my way home I stopped at a friend’s house (OK I was hoping she wanted some company) after watching a really boring Dustin Hoffmann movie, and realizing she wasn’t in the mood to make staying worth another bad movie, I went to leave and my car (Slider in trunk) was missing. Probably the guy who stole Shaun's phone. The police say the odds of getting the (full size)car back are about a hundred to one–that’s ok, the insurance will cover it. But I was talking to the insurance guy today, he told me all I need is the original receipt for the Losi and he thought since it was less than a day he could get me the full price back...he also said, ”ONLY THE ORIGINAL RECEIPT WILL BE GOOD ENOUGH.” It is–of course–in the trunk with the rest of the car!

The nearest track to me is a oval track, so I've been considering one of those. The late model wedge body Losi sells for those looks pretty nice too.

Bummer about your real car. I know alot of people hope they don't find it, because you never really know what its been through after that, and they'd rather start fresh. Then a again, I know people with newer cars that got stuck buying an older car with what the insurance paid... either way, you've probably lost your new toy, so, that sucks, sorry.

Thanks,

The bummer about the real car is that it is (was?) a 96 Lincoln Mark VIII Limited, one of 1500. to replace it is going to be tough. Not only are they hard to find but, when you do, they either have 200k on the odmometer or the asking price is 10-12K on a car that without the Limited Edition package would sell for half of that. I wouldn't mind the regular Mark VIII but the Limited Edition had a different induction/cam package, the same as the police version (325hp vs 280). The air ride suspension was also beefed up. I have run down Mustangs and given a Corvette or two fits through our State Park Canyon area.

The Slider isn't a really big deal money wise, it's just the thought of some crack addict taking my stuff that frustrates me. I've been wacthing ebay to see if any pop up in the area, that and the local pawn shops. I don't even know why I posted it, I guess I was just mad and wanted to vent.
ABOVE: Some miscreant doing a burnout in a Mark VIII--not me of course as I follow all traffic laws to the T. So sad someone blured the licence plate, now we may never catch the evil doer.