Read the CSR Rules First If You’re New
CSR 119: The Kings of Summer
Except Summer's about to end and this is van camping instead of being stationary
Brief
Down here, hidden, because it's an absolute wall of text
Backstory, try not to skip please, contains some valuable information
Arizona, Phoenix, USA
Some time around in June of 2012
The harrowing heat of the Arizona sun is starting to remind Scott of his father, John. It has been two long years since his mother has left them. John wasn’t really the most pleasant person on earth to begin with. Most of the time he’d open his mouth, what would usually come out is dry, rude humour and obnoxious remarks. But he was still a fun person to be around just when he’d be in a good mood. Things changed when Scott’s mother got tired of John and divorced him, to start her new life. She moved over to the opposite side of the states in Raleigh, with her parents, in hopes of never seeing John again. Or at least that’s what Scott would like to believe…
John has gradually become this insufferable prick since then, who doesn’t have the mere time to even look at his only son and have a word or two with. His only priorities are now getting drunk with his friends, watching the TV for 6 hours straight in one sitting, but most importantly, poking Scott and making snide remarks at every opportunity he gets.
Scott becomes alert as he hears footsteps behind him, thinking it’s John, coming to pick him up. He turns back while sitting on the bench, and is surprised to see Dan coming this way in a rather scoffed manner. He was almost ready to burst out on John for what he said earlier in the morning. Putting that memory aside, Scott now stands up and heads towards Dan.
Scott: S, Dan: D
S: Yo what’s up?
D: Man tell me you got some coffee or chocolate in that bottle of yours… I need to calm down…
S: Yeah, I got some chilled coffee, as always.
He takes the bottle mounted on his bike to give it to Dan. Within seconds of handing it over, Dan starts chugging the drink.
D: Thanks, dude gulp gulp I can’t appreciate you enough for this gulp
S: Man, calm down you’re gonna go out of breath if you keep chugging like that.
D: What makes you think I DON’T wanna stop breathing anyway, nowadays? gulp
S: Huh, I’m guessing something happened with your parents as well? Also leave some for me you fuck!
Dan stops drinking.
D: Did something happen between you and your dad?
S: Nope, he’s perfect, how could anything go wrong between us.
Says Scott, as he looks away to the distant horizon.
D: Hey you know what? Let’s sit down on that bench, there’s still some coffee left, we’ll share the rest and talk about what happened. Sounds good?
S: Yeah… Sure. You first though.
Dan has a different sort of problem his household. His parents are mostly fine, truth be told. His mother can be a bit protective though, but she’s the mother of a teenage boy, of course she’ll be protective. The problem is his Sister, Joanna. She’s 26 years old, works in a private firm as a computer operator and has the most stereotypical, bitchy elder sister attitude towards Dan. She has done pretty much everything to make Dan feel miserable throughout his life. From ratting Dan out to their parents to quite literally exposing him in front of his high school crush (Don’t laugh, okay? It’s unacceptable 😤), you name it.
Today However, she has crossed the line.
D: So yesterday, when my parents weren’t home, Joanna invited Kyle (Joanna’s boyfriend). Now you know how much I fucking hate Kyle, so I was minding my own business in my room, playing The Outer Worlds. 30 mins later, I hear this racket from the living room and turns out the broke the wi-fi router while trying to snuggle up. Now I stayed quiet about it until this morning when dad pressured me to sputter out.
S: Let me guess, she wanted to get revenge and did something that… (Dan cuts Scott off)
D: SHE BROKE MY HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER CUP TROPHY!
Dan has his face buried in his own hands while Scott tries to console him. He’s talking about the Player of the Tournament trophy he got while in high school, which meant a lot to Dan. After all, he spent months preparing for the tournament to bring victory to his school team.
S: Man… I am so, so sorry for you… Don’t your parents say anything to Joanna ever for her behavior?
D: Nope, she’s the fucking favorite child apparently, when it comes to shit like this.
Silence once again as the Dan tries to overcome the tragedy he witnessed not too long ago, while Scott takes a few sips of the coffee.
D: Yeah whatever, fuck that… What happened to you?
S: Maybe some other time man, leave it for now. I’m not feeling it. Yours was already a gut punch.
D: Alright, fine… Uhhh, since we’re here, why don’t we call Eric as well? Phone him up.
S: He’s grounded apparently. His step-parents are concerned that he might be dating a girl.
D: … And what’s wrong with that?
S: Nothing, except they think premarital relationship equals going to hell in the afterlife.
Dan looks at Scott in silence, thinking about the many bizarre people that roam this planet.
S: Yeah I know, what can you do though… It’s not like we have any rights to make any decisions over them.
D: Would’ve been nice to actually be able to be on our own for a few days, you know. No one to dictate what I do, or make a fuss about what I do. I mean we finished graduating from high school a few days ago. We’re 17 and gonna be in Uni from spring semester, next year. Aren’t our parents supposed to try and push us to live separately, instead of holding and restricting us like this?
S: Tell me about it…
Scott chuckles lifelessly. The two pass 10 minutes looking at the distant horizon, sitting under the scorching heat, as they think about their lives.
Suddenly Dan springs up.
D: Call Eric up, he still has his phone with him right?
S: Uhh yeah he hid it before he got grounded. He can take video calls, why?
D: Call him up and hand me over the phone… I have a plan… I think.
Scott is confused at Dan’s sudden mood shift but decides not to question it. He calls up Eric and gives his phone to Dan.
E = Eric.
E: Hey, what’s up? Wait, What the fuck are you two doing in the middle of the park in this hour?
D: Long story, will fill you in later. I heard what happened to you. Listen, why are we putting up with this stupid bullshit? Why do we have to follow their ways 24/7 when we’re on our way to become mature adults? Why do we…
Eric cuts him off.
E: Cut the bullshit, please. Get to your point.
Dan takes in a deep breath.
D: Let’s go camping!
Scott looks at Dan, he’s even more confused now. Eric is trying his best to not look annoyed.
E: Man, fuck off with that okay? Our parents don’t let us out our houses for two days outside the neighbourhood, let alone camping in some jungle with snakes and animals for a week.
D: I’m not talking about that kind of camping though.
S: What’s your plan?
D: Escape. Run away from our homes. Go somewhere else and return a few months later. I’m sure they’d understand our value in their lives by then. Right?
Scott is starting to look interested, Eric is still in shock at the idea Dan just pitched.
E: You’re kidding, right? We can’t just leave. Besides we can’t go out camping all on our own like this. Where would we even go?
D: Aha! See, I’m not talking about any camping. I want to go on a full van holiday. We’ve never been around the US, guys. Thanks to our rigid fucking parents, we don’t even know how things are in the other parts of our own country. I’m tired of hearing other people roaming all over the country while we sit on our asses and listen to them, sobbing miserably.
S: I… But… You know what, that sounds alright.
E: Wait wait wait! You two are seriously considering this? What about the costs? Where are we gonna get a van from? Who’s gonna help us set up all the camping stuff? Because we’ve never done this before, and we’re sure as hell not gonna get it done at first try.
S: I mean we could combine all the money we’ve saved over the high school years, and if there’s still a shortage… I guess grand or two from each of our houses won’t hurt our parents. Heh heh.
D: Hey, we’re not stealing that money, we’re borrowing it for the recreation they’ve starved us from. We can buy a cheap, well maintained used van online. It could be a passenger van, carrying van, trucks or even a depreciated to death motorhome. As for modifying it to be a camper, I know a distant cousin who lives a few miles from here, he does all this custom van and truck conversion stuff in his own garage. We’re good friends so he’ll do it at almost no charge and even keep our secret. We’ll mostly just have to worry about the cost of the parts.
E: I… Guess that doesn’t sound too bad. We can’t buy something too old and rusty though. Don’t want anything that breaks down mid trip or has so much rust and holes that it can be considered a hazard.
D: Don’t worry, we’ll do some DIY rustproofing and rubberizing regardless of what vehicle we buy. But yeah buying something that’s already in decent shape and resistant to wet environments can save us time, effort and money.
S: I could take a look at the engine. If there’s one thing my dad taught me well, that’s how to work on an engine.
E: I built my once dead MX5 pretty much from the ground up in a year, and Dan has worked on his Fiesta as well.
D: Hell yeah, trust me guys we can totally do this. We’ll start looking for cars from today. Any potential car we find, plop it in the group chat. We’ll buy the car by the first week of August and start working on it everyday, as long as we can. That way we can leave for our trip by the last week of August. Spend the next 4-5 months on the road, planning our trip on the go.
S: I agree, instead of getting bogged down about where to go and not, we’ll plan our course as we move along. But if we’re going out for 4-5 months, we could pretty much roam the entire country around, with tons of stops in between.
E: We can quite possibly go visit parts of Canada and Mexico as well. We’ve never been to any of those places.
D: 5 months of trip should be more than enough to leisurely travel through various parts of the continent. We’ll have to account for the weather change according to the time of the year and climate change according to the location as well. We’ll be in humid spots, dry areas, snowy areas, high altitude places etc. Can’t buy something that works great in dry places but breaks down instantly out of its comfort zone.
S: Yeah… So, I guess it’s final then? We’re running away from our homes for 5 months, living our lives our way in a van, while travelling the entire continent?
D: FUCK YEAH BUD! haha throwback to my first ever CSR hello Yang
Technical Requirements and priorities, definitely don't skip this one
Right, if you couldn’t tell by the brief (or you’re lazy af and skipped it), let me clear up that they want to build a campervan by their own… well, with the help of a professional but not something that’s already done for them. So buy a used vehicle of sort, convert it into a campervan and run away from their homes.
You calculate the price of your car with the calculator spreadsheet I’ll be providing. It’s not 100% accurate but after testing like 30 builds and also help from others on Discord, I can say it’s more than good enough for now.
Why?
Two things, readymade campers might end up being too expensive but more importantly, they’re teens and are tired of adults dictating their moves. They want to do something by their own to boost their morale and confidence.
What kind of cars are they thinking of buying?
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Well, mostly just vans. Minivans, cabover vans, carry/panel vans or just about any van that can be DIY’d into a campervan.
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Trucks or pickups with chopped beds could work, but there will be issues like building a prefab shell, having to work with less space and having to account for higher costs in general.
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If you can / want to yeet an RV with the firetruck body that can somehow fit in the budget then by all means, go for it. I can’t guarantee it’ll make the mark though, but it’ll be a fun read with the reviews. That I can promise.
What do you, the seller, should care about?
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Is the van properly rustproofed? They’ll be going all over the continent, including humid places like PNW and snowy places like Alberta, or salty sea beaches like Miami. Besides it will be almost winter by the time they’re halfway through their trip. I won’t bin you or majorly penalize you for sending in a bare steel vehicle because if it’s like a US brand, you’ll definitely have steel panels and ladder chassis. Rustproofing and insulation is something they’d have to do anyway, but anything that saves them from extra effort and costs is better.
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How reliable is the car and the engine itself? They’ll be covering thousands of miles (possibly upto 10k) and they definitely don’t want a car with an engine that throws a rod everytime they put their foot down, or a car so wonky that the suspension collapses every time it goes over bumps that are as large as Keira Knightley’s chests
jk no offense.
All in all, the more reliable, the merrier. -
Try not to go too new or too old, that’s how the calculator is set up. If your car’s MY is 1997 or later, it’ll be considered relatively new for vans or trucks. So the depreciation rate from '97 is significantly lessened.
Same goes for cars too old. If the MY is 1975 or older, it’ll start appreciating in price because it can now be considered as a classic carHaha no sending cheap old rusty ass cars. You can still send cars from either of those ranges, as I’ve tested. If you however try to go around the rules and exploit the sheet, remember I made it so I know my way around it lol. So trying to be sneaky won’t do you any good. -
Another thing to note that, unless you give them a very good case, chances of them using up their entire budget? NIL. They have a budget of 7 grand doesn’t mean they’ll use the entirety of it unless the vehicle is really really worth that hefty tag.
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Prestige matters only for the purpose of adding a modifier to the appreciation or depreciation rate, by a slight amount. Doesn’t affect my judging, just the pricing.
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Drivability definitely matters here. They’re 17 year old teens who can drive pretty well, BUT THEY’RE TEENS. Make it too uncontrollable or wonky and they definitely won’t choose it no matter how good your car is on other fronts.
Also, they’re fine with driving manuals and will prefer it if it fares better than auto in the long run. -
These boys might be leading a miserable life but they haven’t lost their interest in life yet. They have a lot to live for. So, yeah, don’t skimp on safety. Relatively lower amounts of safety is
for anyone. -
Comfort matters but to an extent. If you send in a car with all around solid axles, it’s gonna have less advantage over something that has nicer suspensions. They need something to go around the continent somewhat comfortably. Nothing too nice is needed. Having a decent interior/entertainment system would however save them extra effort of wiring a lot of things in during the conversion.
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Remember, the van will be completely gutted from the inside for the most part, to turn it into a campervan. But this doesn’t let you to strip out everything from your van, effectively lowering costs. They’re not looking for pre-conversion vans at all. So configure your seating and interior according to what type of van you’re sending. Is it a family/commuter van? I’d expect at least 5 full seats and rear half seats. Is it a panel/carry van? Two seats are fine in that case. Whatever configuration is realistic for your van, just go with it. Minmaxing the configuration would result in
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Offroadability is a thing of consideration. You never know when you need to go down on loose surface. 4x4 isn’t necessary but appreciated if done right. Also, even if your car is an offroader, sending it with a set of offroading tyres isn’t necessarily required.
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Load Capacity is a thing of consideration. Considering the boys weigh about as much as an average 17 year old, you are looking at around 190-200 kg in total just to carry their weight. Then add in 300-400 kgs of stuff for the conversion AT LEAST. So a grand total of 600-700 kg load capacity should keep you safe.
The more your car can carry, the better, but no need to overdo it. -
Hi-roof vans would have an advantage, since you can pretty much stand up inside them without needing to modify the roof and add a pop top.
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The longer and wider your car, the more space to work with, have more gear and live in. Don’t go overboard though.
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Just make sure it turns properly at highway speeds, and can merge into the highway in about 10-12 seconds. Too slow is hazardous for US highways, as far as I can tell. If it’s slower, but can be backed by the vehicle background, I’ll consider it.
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They’re 3 teens who have a very limited budget to buy and build a van and obviously they won’t have a whole lot left after that. Try to keep the service costs low.
The higher your fuel economy the better. I’d say aim for around 19-22 MPG AT LEAST, The more efficient the better. In case of it being a Pushrod V6 Modorjk, I’ll consider down to around 15-16 mpg. -
Design is somewhat of a consideration. Of course, the better the car looks the more it catches their eyes. But as long as your car doesn’t look like a fucking gremlin, it’s all good.
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Turbochargers would be discouraged, unless you can get the service costs and reliability to be tolerable.
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Mileage won’t be accounted for this CSR. It’s all about reliability, age and other factors.
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They don’t plan to get into trouble with their vans so of course the usual catalytic converter (unless your car is from an era it wasn’t a thing yet) is required.
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Going older for the sake of costing low won’t give you any major advantages. There’s always going to be a newer van with much more of its life left that may cost more but will live longer and parts will be easier to find.
Hard Rules And Regulations
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Let’s get this over with. The budget for buying a van is $7000 after the spreadsheet calculations.
However, if it’s a truck, your budget drops down to $6000, due to the extra cost of crafting a prefab shell.
I won’t bin you for going upto a $100 overbudget at most. -
Trim year is restricted from 1965-2005. The round is set in 2012.
This was previously model year due to my stupidity. -
Max loudness of 35
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No minmaxing! Keep an eye on what type of car it is you’re building then configure it accordingly.
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Safe to say that V16s should be out of the equation.
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No meme bodies and meme mods please (this excludes stuff like the firetruck or that big dorito van, though)
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Hard long life tyres are encouraged, but medium tyres are accepted. However, if your car is 4x4, it can come with Chunky Offroad tyres (hard or medium are fine too). Anything else will not be accepted.
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Cats are required if your vehicle is from the appropriate era of requiring a cat.
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I’d highly encourage to go for 91 RON, but 95 RON is accepted, at a slight penalty. If your car is from when unleaded fuel wasn’t a thing, just keep it at 92 RON for the time being.
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Again, not looking for already converted vans. Some of the pics in example are just to give you an idea of how they might be when converted. But send me the standard vans. Hi-roof panel/passenger vans are allowed.
Submission
Naming convention:
Model and Engine Family name: CSR 119 – “forum username”
Trim: Make/Model/Trim of car
Variant: Engine Model/Variant
Message me on the forum with the .car file to submit. While I’m on discord, I may miss your entry if you send it to me there.
The Calculator
Used Car Cost Calculator for CSR 119
Download a copy of the calculator or make a copy of it in Google Drive so you can use it on your own. Calculator is subject to change until the round starts.
The calculator has now been finalized and requires no tinkering (at least I think so). If you were one of the first people who downloaded the previous version named CSR 119 Used Car Calc B1 or B2 then redownload/copy this final version again. Thank you 
It’s 6th of Feb as of GMT+6 and many things have been sorted out, sooo…
The Submissions Are Now Officially Open!
Submissions have started from 6th February, 2020 from 12AM at GMT+6
Submissions will end 7 days later, at 13th February, 2020 from 12AM at GMT+6
Changelog:
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This extra point has been added to the technical requirements:
Another thing to note that, unless you give them a very good case, chances of them using up their entire budget? NIL. They have a budget of 7 grand doesn’t mean they’ll use the entirety of it unless the vehicle is really really worth that hefty tag. -
Transmission preference has been cleared up:
Also, they’re fine with driving manuals and will prefer it if it fares better than auto in the long run. -
Load Capacity is now a judging criteria:
Load Capacity is a thing of consideration. Considering the boys weigh about as much as an average 17 year old, you are looking at around 190-200 kg in total just to carry their weight. Then add in 300-400 kgs of stuff for the conversion AT LEAST. So a grand total of 600-700 kg load capacity should keep you safe.
The more your car can carry, the better, but no need to overdo it. -
4x4 Vehicles with Chunky Offroaders are accepted now:
If f your car is 4x4, it can come with Chunky Offroad tyres (hard or medium are fine too) -
Cleared up this bit of confusion:
Hi-roof panel/passenger vans are allowed.
and
In case of it being a Pushrod V6 Modorjk, I’ll consider down to around 15-16 mpg. -
Calculator has been updated to the final version:
Used Car Cost Calculator for CSR 119 -
Round has been opened
Deadline is 13th of February, 2020. 12AM at GMT+6. Countdown has been added. -
Calculator for pre-1976 vehicles is now less aggressive and more responsive to the year. Thanks to Centurion for this
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Model year restriction of '65-'05 has been changed to trim year restriction.
I’d prefer that all contestants dressed up their ads like the previous used car round. Use whichever website you might prefer, I don’t care. Just make sure it exists in the US.
If you’re not able to craft an ad due to time constraints or sheer laziness that’s fine, just post a pic of the vehicle and its name in the thread.
Wishing everyone a good luck for CSR 119!
Here’s a little bit of bonus for you guys, not one, but two Spotify playlists to set you in the mood for this round:
Playlist 1: If you prefer rock/classic rock, alternative, 80s, synthwave
Playlist 2: If you like indie, electronic, hiphop etc (thanks to Yangx2 for this one 
)
You won’t be able to prove a point unless your stats are realistic.
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