[gottagofast13]

As you're contemplating a dedicated track car, I'd first suggest giving a lot of thought to where you want to go: will you always be happy doing HPDEs or is there a chance you might move to club racing?

I've done it and I've seen many others who build a fun dedicated track car and then eventually decide they want to do club racing. Often times people build their car just putting the parts they want to on the car and then the car is over-prepared for certain classes and under-prepared for others...or it's a car that's not competitive for any class.

If you think doing just HPDEs is the route you want to go, it's tough to beat E36 M3s bang for the buck. It's very competent, much easier on consumables than your E90, and the S52s will keep going and going. If you find one that has been well taken care of, you can typically save a lot of money buying a car that already has track suspension and other goodies.

For cheap racing, Spec Miata is tough to beat. You can do HPDEs in a car like that until you're ready to make the jump to racing. While the cost of entry is relatively minor, if you want to run at the front of the pack it can be very expensive - doing engine rebuilds relatively often, changing wheel bearings often to reduce rolling resistance, etc, etc. In a spec class every little thing you do can add up to a sum that can make a real difference...the guys at the front are spending a lot of money to make sure everything is working perfectly. Find a mentor that's been down this path and can help you know what you're getting in to.

Good luck!