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      06-03-2013, 02:23 PM   #19
WarrantyTracker
Track? What Track? I was just riding along . . .
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Drives: Alpine White E92 M3
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: An Undisclosed Location

iTrader: (1)

I would urge you to check out a budget E30 (325i, 2.5L Motronic injection, late 80's, Getrag 260 transmission). You don't need a roll cage, Recaros, or harnesses for HPDE. You don't need to spend anything like $15k. You do need an oil pan baffle and a crank scraper, and best to get an oil temp and oil pressure gauge. Even if you went to a shop for that stuff, it shouldn't cost $1k total to get installed. Just get the car and don't overthink the specs, as long as the compression is still good.

What you will get is a totally different driving experience then your E90, both weekends and on the track. Especially if you're going to the short tracks at Summit Point. It will give you the grins, I promise. If you totally love it, you can think about suspension mods. If you decide to move on later, they are easy to resell to one of your BMW CCA chapter track buddies for what you have in the car $ wise. And you don't need collision coverage or track insurance.

You can also learn how to maintain and repair the motor and driveline yourself. It's an easy motor to work on and there is TONS of help out there on the internet. It's great to flog a car, knowing a new clutch is $300 in parts and an adventure in wrenching. And you can get yourself involved in threads that have more useful things to discuss than whether DSC is better than manual for the track novice, or whether you should get Alpine White Metallic or Black paint. Sigh.
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