s2000 vs modified NC miata vs ??

After some thinking about realism with 2 kids and life the MG isn't going to be done anytime soon. Sick of borrowing cars and being on the sidelines with Autox it's time for a toy. My wife would like whatever I get to be 2 seat and have a convertible top. A targa may be ok however she isn't the biggest vette person. I want something that is fun to drive primarily. Budget lets say 10-15K all in ready to race. Less is better if I'm not giving up fun. Suspension and bolt ons are ok but no "projects".

"the answer" is easy. Miata particularly 3rd gen and then send some cash to Flyin Miata. Can I build a car that will "fix" what's wrong with the 3rd gen for all in <15K and what's the recipie with Flyin Miata look like?

However that kind of money will get a pretty nice S2000 which we like and I would run Bstreet which would be more competitive than a NC with a half way STR build. AP1/AP2 here? pros/cons of each? Can I get a good S2000 for 10-13K?

Anything else? C5 vette is a good option but I'd need to have myself and the Wife drive one to see what she thinks. Boxsters scare me from the IMS and potential cost of maintenance but are the issues overblown? Am I passing on a great car for this use out of fear of potential costs?

Z3 BMW I'm not the biggest fan of the looks, Z4 not sure if the car is a better option for this budget.

I know this is a jumbled mess but Help me Hive mind! Short version is 15K to spend on Car+Tires+any required mods, must be fun to drive and convertible.

There is a Z3 for sale locally for $9k, iirc.

When I got the chance to drive one I loved the steering feel, pedal feedback and placement.

If I were to buy a two seater, date/autocross car it would likely be a six cylinder z3.

$15k budget... I have not owned an NC, so can't speak to those, but I have owned an M Coupe and AP1.

If you're thinking Z3, you could probably go M Coupe for that money. Great all-arounder. Otherwise, if you're thinking auto-x, I'd skip any of the Z3's. Z4 has much better suspension and better power, and should be down to the price point.

Love my S2000. I think you'd have a hard time finding a decent AP2 that hasn't been abused or molested for your price. I lucked out and got an '03 (AP1) for $16.5, but it was absolutely cherry, low mileage, single owner, full records unicorn. For auto-x, I hear either version is about equally competitive, especially if you upgrade your wheels and tires to a square setup. The AP1 is a bit more of a handful, but the extra couple hundred RPM on top can make the difference on some course layouts. The extra torque of the AP2 is supposed to be most noticeable on the street, not Auto-x.

An M Coupe was a more practical and elegant all-arounder than the S2000, but the S2k will be more practical than any drop-top Z3. The S2000 also has higher build quality, fit and finish, and is a newer car.

One of the few other 2 seat droptops that can be a good auto-x car is a FC RX-7 and a C4 Corvette.

What's wrong with a NC Miata(early years) except for the factory shocks?

Friend of mine sold his CR S2000 in and bought a fully STR prepped NC Miata for under your budget cap. As a daily driver it's much nicer than the Honda but not quite as competitive (for him YMMV) at our local autoX.

For that much money and wanting reliable/fun/wife friendly, as always the answer is the ANSWER.

I'd go for the S2k AP2, the better performer and performance-value of the two, and IMO better looking.

You'd be stretching your budget for a Corvette, and remember consumables for those aren't cheap.

If you're sticking the street classes, I'd go with an AP2 due to the wider stock wheel package. Going to a square setup in either version puts you in STR.

That said, I had an experienced S2K guy argue that an AP1 with the CR suspension would be competitive in STR without being punishing on the street (which is why I didn't want to do STR).

I was in the same situation earlier this summer. That said, the S2K has a really wide transmission tunnel and after autocrossing one I knew it wasn't a place I'd want to spend a lot of time in.

So I bought an NC.

I really like it. The OEM tires are no good for autocross though (learned that yesterday), but it's still a ton of fun and a comfortable runabout.

I shoukd clarify that i've owned an NC in the past and loved it. It appears afte some pricng an S2000 may be out of reach. A local has a very nice boxster for sale. Are they scary money holes?

The answer may prevail here. Id look at NBs but prices arent that far off NCs.

A Boxster has similar running costs to a Corvette at best. At worst, it's the scariest money hole this side of an R35 GTR (as in, needing IMS bearing service).

I think:

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/4688217708.html

Plus This:

http://flyinmiata.com/index.php?deptid=5683&parentid=0&stocknumber=03-90010

Plus whatever suspension you want is where I would be going. That is under 15K easy and for occasional (read non-competitive) auto-x, who cares where you class. It will be great fun on the street and be more comfy than the S2000. I love the Honda (got a bit of back road time a few years ago) but my MR2 Spyder had more drivers space...

Interested in an NB 10AE Miata? Well below your budget. Has issues, but I still DD it every day.

EDIT: Also has various Flyin' Miata bits.

How big of a factor is being competitive in autocross? Unless you are very into it I think I'd rather have an earlier miata + turbo and other go fast bits of your choosing.

In reply to DaveEstey:

He's the NC on tall guy head room?

Head room is close-ish. I could gain an inch by modifying the rear seat mount, but I don't see an immediate need for it. I'm fine driving for hours in the car.

The C5 is a beast and reliable. If you've never owned a Corvette, it is something you should check out.

I'll just leave this here as a reminder, because you know you want to...Duratec Powered Locost For Sale

rotard wrote: The C5 is a beast and reliable. If you've never owned a Corvette, it is something you should check out.

The c5 is also one of the few drop tops in existence that doesnt look retarded with the top up OR down. It looks pretty good both ways. Not a lot of convertibles do, in my opinion.

KyAllroad wrote: Friend of mine sold his CR S2000 in and bought a fully STR prepped NC Miata for under your budget cap. As a daily driver it's much nicer than the Honda but not quite as competitive (for him YMMV) at our local autoX.

Tim?

An s2000 will probably be a more competitive local autocross car compared to an NC, but both are great cars. The NC will probably be more comfortable to deal with on a daily basis. I find the s2000 to be a more exciting autocross car, especially an AP1.

Ap1s can be found below 10k if you look hard enough. I got mine for 7.5k with 105k miles on it. Ap2s seem to hold their value better than that so you'll be hard pressed to find a clean one in your price range.

Matt B wrote: That said, I had an experienced S2K guy argue that an AP1 with the CR suspension would be competitive in STR without being punishing on the street (which is why I didn't want to do STR).

FWIW, I'm still on stock springs, koni yellows, a front bar and square wheels/tires. The car is just as comfortable as it was stock and it's very competitive locally (several FFTD's and typically in the top 5 raw and pax times).

I absolutely loved my S2000. I'd say an AP1 should be well within your price range, and an AP2 rear subframe and upper(?) wishbones will fix the rear geometry issues (not sure how this affects autoX classing). There are also some mix/match with OEM spring/shock/swaybars from various years to make a more aggressive suspension setup on a budget. I'd also suggest a 2002/2003 for the glass rear window.

I bought mine with 110,000 miles on it and sold it at 144,000, and other than a rear wheel bearing (car hadn't had the axle nut re-torque done) and some top wear it was just routine maintenance. MPG was low 20s daily driving and ~29mpg on the highway if I stayed near the speed limit

jsquared wrote: I absolutely loved my S2000. I'd say an AP1 should be well within your price range, and an AP2 rear subframe and upper(?) wishbones will fix the rear geometry issues (not sure how this affects autoX classing). There are also some mix/match with OEM spring/shock/swaybars from various years to make a more aggressive suspension setup on a budget. I'd also suggest a 2002/2003 for the glass rear window.

Unfortunately, anything that changes the actual geometry of the suspension automatically bumps you way up into some of the high mod classes. On the same topic though, you can get a rear bumpsteer kit for an AP1 that changes the toe curve and is easier to install than an AP2 subframe

In reply to Spoolpigeon: Yeah, probably the Street Prepared class.

So it looqsks likely that I will end up with a NA Miata with some mods. It will push my buttons well while I wait for the MG and is just a ton cheaper than the other options. As the plan with this one is to use it and sell in a few years, Keeping the cash around and not tied up in a more expensive car will be a nice bonus.

Thanks for playing and I did really appreciate the advise