Yet strangely people are STILL DRIVING!  

You can start by driving for dollars and identifying homes that look in disrepair or are unkempt, but it sounds like you need to know a bit more which you can learn networking with other new and seasoned investors at meetups.

Too many investors try to be a jack of all trades - marketing on Facebook, instagram, driving for dollars, direct mail, bandit signs, etc. 

He’s ready to test drive a few versions of his selected car.

We were able to lock down our last bit of financing on the way to closing (yes, literally on the drive to closing).

Naturally, most people think cowboys are nuts: who wants to ride in a saddle (i.e. car) on a dusty trail all day (i.e. driving for dollars) and keeping an eye on cows (i.e. looking for overgrown lawns, FSBO signs, foreclosures, short sales, off market deals)? 

Both City and Township have good and bad parts - I still manage myself so I drive the areas and use sites like Craigslist to triangulate and identify the good from the bad areas.

However, this fact should not be the only point to drive your decision.

I know a lot of contractors but youre a bit of a drive away.

That's what you need to think about first...think about what you want, drive around and look at neighborhoods that you might want to live in, go to some open houses, get a feel for the area, and narrow that down a bit.