Best car to track with under 20k

[niterider]

s2k is def a good choice, I would also consider a 240 with and Ls swap. My boy has one with some minor engine work and bolt ons and it is very competetive on the track. It does 440whp on a DynoDynamics and weights 2800 lbs. I beleive the whole set up was like 17grand.

[earlyapex]

had s2000, just incredible in stock form. all you have to do is pads and oil changes. Tons of fun and pretty quick (mid to upper 2:30s at sebring). I wouldn't turbo it though, you'll just completely undo the "no tinker" nature.

[GTM]

I might be a bit biased, but i do have to recomend the Honda S2000. Easy to maintain, cheap to fix. if you can drive this car quickly, you can handle most other cars. Even stock, its a tight chassis with great handling. you can find PLENTY of good cars for 12-20k all day long

[DONI1022]

Honestly i would go with a 240sx. You can source sr's for less then 3 grand these days and can have a pretty reliable 300whp 27000lb track car. touch the motor a bit internally and add a slightly bigger turbo your lookin at 400 plus whp.and this would barely cost more than an s2000 an would be be taking out porches and m3's prettyy easy. there are also A TON of mods for these cars, so suspension stuff is really easy to find and doesnt cost that much.

[icemang17]

you can get a SWEET "spec miata" for around $10k..... which leaves you plenty of $$$ to spend on DRIVING!!!!

[Groundhog]

^^The owner of Speed Ventures runs one (Miata). He averages 1:27's at Streets both directions.

It's light and has very few issues.

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by icemang17

you can get a SWEET "spec miata" for around $10k..... which leaves you plenty of $$$ to spend on DRIVING!!!!

$10k will not buy you a "SWEET" one, but it will get you most of the way to a decent used one that you can drive around the track or compete with at the back/middle of the pack. Make sure to get one with a well-designed and welded-in cage.

One with all wear items replaced and all the blueprinting tricks done to the engine/transmission/differential/ECU/shocks/chassis/bushings/drivetrain bearings/wheel bearings will run about $30k "new" (or more depending on whether you want data acquisition and what kind of seat you want in it). Solidly competitive cars that were built to this level but are a couple seasons old start around $20k.

[davem3fan]

The E36 M3 is the perfect tool for the job, and still is faster than most of your list if driven properly. Miatas only belong on track with other Miatas = Purely in the way!

[smmmurf]

Originally Posted by davem3fan

The E36 M3 is the perfect tool for the job, and still is faster than most of your list if driven properly. Miatas only belong on track with other Miatas = Purely in the way!

Yeah, Miatas are not fast cars, but driving a slow car fast is cooler than driving a fast car slow. Just ask the drivers of the Ferrari, Vettes, etc. that my 3 students passed on Monday. One of 'em was driving a 158hp Saturn Aura rental car and the others a stock Maxima and a stock IS250.



You're right that the most fun you can have with a Spec Miata is racing with other Spec Miatas, though. If you really want to learn how to drive, a low-powered car that does not hide your mistakes will force you to rise to the occasion. I've passed many a GT3/Vette/Viper/you name it in a 1.6-liter SM before. That said, some drivers will be slow in everything, including a Miata. Power only makes them seem less slow on the straights.

[bigjae1976]

Miata. Cheap, handles good, and is pretty durable. And its light so it shouldn't eat tires.

Plus if something breaks, there are always plenty of other miata people that you can bum stuff from.

I'd just use your M3, they come pretty much track ready. Buy a set of track pads, wheels and tires, and some clip in schroth harnesses (when they become available). That would probably be your cheapest option. Just bleed the brakes, swap the pads and tires before/after the track.

[loayoweis]

I know you prefer RWD. I feel the same way. My first Friday at the Track, I took my E46 M3. I was in awe! It was so easy and factory well balanced. I originally wanted to take my small vintage civic with a vtech motor. My mechanic who also is also an instructor recommended to take my m3 until he looked at the civic to make sure he gives it a good once over.

All that said, there were two civics out there and they were fairly quick. I can also tell you that I plan to take my civic the next season God willing. It is surprisingly very tight (post mods). My point simply is if you look you can find a project track car on the magazing/grass root motorsport and they were able to have a track car for well below $5k. Bear in mind that at Summit point, you can hit +125mph on the main straight with the vtech motor and under the right hands my instructor got a 1:25 almost 1:24 around that track.

At the end of the day, God forbid you lose it on a turn. You have no worries. If you are starting out, you do not want to build a 20k car when you first start. You need take it one step at a time.

Every once in a while take your e90 if you want, the track session will wear on your car. Tires/brakes and clutches which I am sure are a pretty penny especially if you have DCT.

Regards,
Loay

[Lemans_Blue_M]

Originally Posted by warzilla

Ok, so I'm going to ask you guys for some track advice here. I want to start taking track lessons and prepare myself for track trips starting next year. Don't really want to use my e92 M3 for now. So what I'm thinking of is buying a 2nd car to use for track and here are my requirements:

- must be under $18k-20k
- light and nimble to drive
- manual
- prefer rear-wheel drive

Here are my early selection of cars I'm thinking of. If any of you guys had these cars now and used them on the track, please give me your opinion on them. Anything would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

1. Porsche 944 turbo - maybe a turbo s version (89-90)
2. Mini Cooper S (drove one today, and liked it but was weird driving front-wheel drive)
3. e46 M3 - a early version (01-03)
4. Porsche Boxster S - 1st gen (00 - 03)
5. Mazda Miata - latest model, soft top

THIS ^^^^

[lucid]

Wait, obviously the answer is a track prepeared E30 M3!

[M3V8Driver]

Even a track-prepped E30 M3 is going to be expensive to maintain. I still say a Spec Miata is the way to go, and if you don't plan to race it, a few mofifications could net you something that is significantly faster than a Spec Miata.

Take my championship winning SM from 2006, which cost under $15K. Add a ported head, headers, lightweight flywheel/clutch, and tuned ECU, and it will put down 150hp to the wheels. At less than 2300 pounds, it will out run most everyday cars on the straights AND outcorner just about anything on the track.

Then there's the modified stock miata option. Buy a 2002 Miata for $10K, drop in a turbo kit, do the suspension, brakes, and wheels and it can be the fastest car on the track in any run group. A friend of mine used to run one in NASA time trials and beat everything in it's class as well as most cars in supposedly faster classes.

I'd also recommend the 3rd-generation Mazda RX-7, but it takes a special individual to modify one properly. But when done so, it can be the most fun and/or fastest car on
the track.

[lucid]

I was kidding. Although you can buy a track prepeared M3 in decent shape in the $10k-$15k range, the S14 is costly to rebuild, and parts in general are not cheap. I recently put in an OEM waterpump, and it was $250+ from Tischer.

There are some really good deals on track prepeared cars right now--regardless of make/model. I wouldn't buy a stock car. One needs to be careful with not inhereting someone else's failed project and making sure that it has a proper cage though.

[Edman951]

There are some really good deals on track prepeared cars right now--

Where do you see these good deals?
Can you give me a few sites that have good listings?

Looking to get a track car.

Thanks

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Edman951

Where do you see these good deals?
Can you give me a few sites that have good listings?

Looking to get a track car.

Thanks

One way is to figure what car you would like to have, and then go to the forums where people who track that car hang out and check out the FS posts. Another way would be to ask around during a track event or contact local BMW, Porsche, NASA, SCCA, etc administrators. For instance, you should be able to pick a up decent track prepeared E36 M3 in the $15k-$20k range (I don't mean race ready, but a car you can have fun with safely).

[Edman951]

Thanks Lucid,
Thats what i have been doing.

[M3V8Driver]

Check the classified ads at bmwcca.org, scca.com (forums), nasaproracing.com (forums), and model-specific forums, such as specmiata.com. Also, magazines such as Sportscar (SCCA) and RACER(on newstands) have good classified ads featruing prepped race cars. If you want a Spec Miata, I can build it for you (or any level of preparation, including SCCA-approved cage).

Found this to be a good deal @ $4500
http://www.nasaforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=30514

[warzilla]

Originally Posted by loayoweis

Every once in a while take your e90 if you want, the track session will wear on your car. Tires/brakes and clutches which I am sure are a pretty penny especially if you have DCT.

Regards,
Loay

Thanks Loay. No, thats been my thoughts exactly. Since I'm going to be new at tracking, I don't want to mess with my M3 first, but train with a track specific car.

Its been tough cause I keep on switching my mind from looking at:

- 944 turbos (951)
- M3 e36s
and
- M3 e46s (cause they are getting lower and lower in prices every month)

I think the 944 turbo is the cheapest car platform I can find right now, but its a 20+ car and has lots of maintainance, tubing, etc. that I will probably have to deal with on a daily basis. Thinking the e36 is the sweet spot, still cheap but not as old as the 944 turbo. The e46 is just on the radar cause I'm seeing cars for 15k now (early models) and I'm thinking maybe in a few months, ie by spring, that may be where I should spend.

But all the advice is well appreciated. Thank you.

[lucid]

One should always keep the cost of a motor rebuild in mind, and factor that into the decision. A motor can always blow for one reason or another. Most people assume it won't and make the decision based on other variables. So, I would look into the costs of rebuilding S50/S52 vs S54 when thinking about E36 vs E46.

[m3larson]

Go out to your local track and see what people are driving and talk to them. There is nothing like spending a day at your local track and everyone is willing to talk about there cars
I say E36 M3...