Most durable budget 4dr track car.

Chumpcar results seem to indicate that there are legions of $500 E36s that are plenty durable for track car duty.

My choice would DEFINITELY be a '90-'94 Protege (or if you can find it, a Mercury Tracer LT-S with a stick). Here's the one I drove to work today:

215k miles. I bought it for $400 a year and a half ago with 20k fewer miles and 3 less trips to Deal's Gap on it.

Everything you can do to a Civic Si, you can do to a Civic Sedan. Longer wheelbase makes it more stable on track and lower CG because no hatchback.

^^^^Dang, I can't remember the last time I saw a protege as clean as that. If I could find one like that, I'd definitely rock it. They are cracking little cars that are pretty indestructible mechanically. Sigh

For the ones that suggest E36, the OP lives in Canada and wants something he can DD in. That takes the E36 out because it sucks in snow. I'll admit to have never driven an E36 M3 in snow, but the regular E36 is terrible even with winter tires. Also, for a DD, it's nice when the little things around that great drivetrain actually work and don't deteriorate. You know, windows, electrical accessories, headliners, etc... At this point E36's are great fodder to make a dedicated race/track car.

fanfoy wrote: ^^^^Dang, I can't remember the last time I saw a protege as clean as that. If I could find one like that, I'd definitely rock it. They are cracking little cars that are pretty indestructible mechanically. Sigh For the ones that suggest E36, the OP lives in Canada and wants something he can DD in. That takes the E36 out because it sucks in snow. I'll admit to have never driven an E36 M3 in snow, but the regular E36 is terrible even with winter tires. Also, for a DD, it's nice when the little things around that great drivetrain actually work and don't deteriorate. You know, windows, electrical accessories, headliners, etc... At this point E36's are great fodder to make a dedicated race/track car.

I DD my E36 in Canada. Good snow tires are a must. Otherwise I don't find it any more of a challenge than a FWD car. Ground clearance can be an issue -- but that's not exclusive to a BMW. A moot point, anyway, because I think the OP indicated he had a Subaru for most driving.

I'd second the Rx8 -- a friend tracked one for years and it was gentle on consumables other than fuel. But the track isn't mpg friendly, ever. Plenty fast, too.

A small fwd sedan will be fun, but you will tire quickly of the limited hp.

In reply to Mmadness:
$4k =/= $7k man, that is almost double the budget.

In reply to colaboy: Me too, 98%* are ragged out or need more than the car is worth in maintenance. And I've seen more than most, because I worked with BMW for 3 years. They were almost ALL in poor shape. The few that weren't, the owners wouldn't part with.

In reply to SlickDizzy: Tuner crowd? Don't forget marque posers... yuppies... etc. Basically every person that has an E36, that is not an E36 enthusiast, has not taken care of these cars for jack. So that is the leftover 2%* above. Good luck finding one that has been taken care of for the target budget.

*percentages pulled out of thin air but I'd bet beers that it is at least 98%. The BMW guys I worked with wondered why any of these owners even bothered with oil changes, considering the state of their cars.

I think you hit it on the head, colaboy. Neon, Focus. Both are good platforms, and if you actually wanted a hot one, I've seen Salvage title SRT4s and SVTs for your target budget. Hell, high-mileage SVTs might be in budget with a clean title at this point, although 5-door models are hard to find. I'd also look at the Mazda 3 too.

pinchvalve wrote: Everything you can do to a Civic Si, you can do to a Civic Sedan. Longer wheelbase makes it more stable on track and lower CG because no hatchback.

Came to post this.

A lot of great food for thought in this thread. I appreciate the input.

I think the E36 is out because of they do tend to be rusted/miled out beaters here and comand a decent dollar when they are not. No disrespect to the platform, or any other for that matter, just trying to find a fit for me.

That is a lovely Protege, the P5 are plentiful and cheap here. I do remember driving one years ago, gutless but a likeable chassis. I suppose that can be said of many of the potential candidates.

I need to look at aftermarket costs and consumables as well. Ultimately it's just going to be the platform plus a set of Koni Yellows, a swaybar and brake pads. On that note, the tire size is also a factor. Replacing the 235/40/17 Starspecs on the MX5 is not exactly cheap, so something that has to "squeeze" a 205/50/15 has it's appeal.

I'll be the first one...

P71?!

Conquest351 wrote: I'll be the first one... P71?!

LOL, ya there is a guy here who occasionally runs a Grand Marquis. I think he can do half a lap before the brakes go out.

This thread made me
If e36 isn't the answer for a 4door track car, I don't know of anything else that I would even consider*.

*(Disclaimer, I would rock my DD '91 sho on a road course or autox pad before 98% of the other suggestions here, but I'm not recommending them as they aren't noob friendly)

as said by many ... CIVIC ... I've seen many reliable track day Civics with >200k mi. .... they just keep on tracking ....

Powar wrote: My choice would DEFINITELY be a '90-'94 Protege (or if you can find it, a Mercury Tracer LT-S with a stick). Here's the one I drove to work today: 215k miles. I bought it for $400 a year and a half ago with 20k fewer miles and 3 less trips to Deal's Gap on it.

THIS!

I loves me some Hondas, but I wouldn't choose one as a "reliable" race car. Look at what cars survive LeMons and Chump. Very rarely are they Hondas, B-Series motors aside. Hell, we've probably destroyed a measurable percentage of the country's EW blocks.

poopshovel wrote:

Powar wrote: My choice would DEFINITELY be a '90-'94 Protege (or if you can find it, a Mercury Tracer LT-S with a stick). Here's the one I drove to work today: 215k miles. I bought it for $400 a year and a half ago with 20k fewer miles and 3 less trips to Deal's Gap on it.

THIS!

+1

Add Escort LX-E to the list. Also 1st gen Kia Sephia. They're all the same E36 M3.

I still want to see a rowdy 88-92 626 GT done up for some track work. They're like the Proteges but on steroids.