As others have stated look into the alternatives, we luckily have 5 to 6 active clubs where I live. The SCCA is where I started and had gravitated over to PCA events also, all great people. Different clubs have different feels and see which best suits you, some are all about formality and rule adherence and others are more laid back more concerned with driver enjoyment, both have their drawbacks though.
IMO you'd be best not spending any money initially that was not necessary, concentrate on having instructors or those more knowledgeable than you to ride with you and give you pointers, that's much more valuable than scorching horsepower or high priced suspension upgrades. Good Luck.......
