I'm starting to collect and read the rulebooks and licensing requirements to earn an SCCA racing license. Has anyone here completed, or even started, the process? I know there are a few different classes of license and there are different paths to follow, including ways where you provide the car and those where you rent one for the process. If anyone has gone through this, could you provide info on your own experience in some or all of the following areas?

Rough cost - I know it's not cheap, but I know you're also getting something for the money. Which route did you take and what kind of expenses did you incur?

Timeframe - I know a lot of it also involves several different track and classroom events. Were these spread out over time or could they be completed in a month/summer/year?

Vehicle - if you provided your own, what was it? I'm thinking of either an E36 3-series or possibly a rear-drive conversion to my A4 for use, but I'm open to other cars as well. Horsepower isn't as much of a concern as handling in my mind for this.

I know I'll uncover more questions (and answers to these and the others) as I get into this but I'm looking for personal experiences to see how it went for any of you who have done it. Thanks in advance to anyone who can provide feedback.