This time last year I bought a Class 12 that hasn't been raced since 2012. I bought it and took it right to a prep shop. If you are like me and expect things to work and hopefully not fail you will want to improve on everything there is on the car. Whatever you bought the car for expect to double that just to make your first race. If you buy a car that says fully Prepped, find out the list of what's been done or replaced. There are many levels of prepped and there is life expectancy to each part. Learn what the expectancy is and you will be able to value a used car. Remember used should always be cheaper than new to build all said and done. If you can get spares, fuel cans or up to date belts and nets those things add up in the thousands fast. Then you need a trailer, neck restraints, helmets and suits. If you can get any of that you are ahead. I think no matter what level of car you buy you will have 50-60k into the whole deal just to make it to your first race. It's always cheaper to buy a car that's done as a package deal then to find a cheap car and piece it together. Even if that car is done but $50k.