The RX7 is a trailer only car and I hate towing. I can tow, and I do tow, but I'd rather drive in a stock rallycross class and not tow.
The Civic is very very good. It's good enough that I should be finding the time to run 25 autocross events a year and attend nationals. However, I'm not willing to dedicate that time to autocross. I can realistically run 8 local events a year in the car.
So what I have is two cars with very very limited utility. None of my kids have ever gone for a ride in either car and Mrs. Deuce doesn't want to drive either one for any reason. On top of that, the RX7 means I have to house and pay for the truck and trailer as well. I teach a lot of students, in fact teaching is my favorite part of driving, and neither car is particularly good for that.
So that's where I'm at. I want to free up the four parking spaces that house the Civic, RX7, truck, and trailer, and replace them with something I can participate in things with, teach my kids, teach other people, and be relatively comfortable driving 3+ hours to events. Something that could tow a small utility trailer with the go kart would be a huge bonus. Deucekid#3 is bugging me to get behind the wheel at an event, so I'll probably be dragging it along for a couple of years at least.
Edit: I'm well aware that I said I hate towing and now I want a racecar that can tow the go kart. Life is what it is. Towing smaller things is better than bigger things.
In reply to mazdeuce:
It's funny how that happens. I sold my E36 race car last week. I moved the E30 race car to my buddies shop... I retain 1/3 of the whole team but I'm out of the business of owning and maintaining it mostly. I am just a driver who shares duties now. My enclosed trailer sold this AM. As soon as I deliver it... the big honkin' diesel truck goes on the block.
I am so happy to have an empty parking space and no need to go to the garage to "get caught up". I might build a lotus 7 or pick up some eclectic vintage thing... or another bike or two. But not today. Today, I'm just going to bask in that emptiness for a while until my path becomes clear.
Having owned four different e46 models (1 manual wagon, 2 ZHP sedans and now 1 M3), I would vote for it heartily. Great fun to drive, can be bought cheap now and pretty robust, once the few typical BMW wear items are addressed.
I'm not in a real hurry. I think I might already have the Civic sold, and that's a deal that would have me co-driving it the rest of the year. The probable new home for the RX7 is with the guy that I co-drive rallycross with, so I'd still have a seat with him. If I can get this all done before summer then it will be a huge weight off me. The big hitch is that Mrs. Deuce has asked me not to sell the truck. Twice. It might have to stay parked out back until I can prove I can live without it.
This would be a great car. I've had 2 ZHPs and loved them to death. They look good in Imola too. Price is a little high, but not by much.
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5469255533.html
See, I had a friend with a ZHP for a year and the car was a never ending series of headaches. All of the issues were just typical BMW things, nothing that I couldn't handle, but man did that car constantly ask for attention. It did life a rough life and have well over 200k on it, so maybe it was an outlier.
Hal
SuperDork
3/29/16 2:48 p.m.
mazdeuce wrote: The big hitch is that Mrs. Deuce has asked me not to sell the truck. Twice. It might have to stay parked out back until I can prove I can live without it.
I agree with Mrs. Duce. With the kind of home projects you get into you will be sorry if you get rid of the truck.
paranoid_android74 wrote:
What about a Saab?
A particular relative has left me permanently associating Saabs with large scale drug importation and distribution. If you drive a Saab, and I meet you, I'm likely to treat you with a bit of cautious respect, just in case.
EK Civic? You should be able to find one that isn't rusted to near death down there. Pick the number of doors you want, keep it stock or very slightly modified, add hitch, profit.
I've seen them used as tow pigs for karts in the past.
I'd actually like a rust-free one for the same thing myself.
Cheap to maintain track car / rallycross car for $5k = Miata. Just bite the bullet. Add a big front sway bar for track days and go have fun.
E46 is a great car, but I wouldn't want to try to rallycross one on a tight budget. Miata will be more enjoyable on the course and cheaper to keep running.
Miata is the clear and obvious answer, which was the whole point of the thread, what else is there?
EK Civic is a solid idea but if I was going to go Civic I'd be looking at the beginning of the most recent generation, so 2006+. Fantastic cars, I really like them.
Turbo Volvo 200/700 series wagon? One of the winningest cars in crapcan racing.
I feel you on the Mustangs, they are everywhere and readily available with a manual. As big of a hypocrite as it would make me, given how much E36 M3 I have talked about Furds and Mustang owners in particular, I am seriously considering one for my next autox/rallyx toy.
mazdeuce wrote:
Miata is the clear and obvious answer, which was the whole point of the thread, what else is there?
EK Civic is a solid idea but if I was going to go Civic I'd be looking at the beginning of the most recent generation, so 2006+. Fantastic cars, I really like them.
You can find an acceptable alternative answer, but you won't find a better answer. But then, you knew that. So, it comes down to what flavor of compromise you like best.
Personally, if I wanted a track/rallycross car that wasn't a Miata, I'd get an E30. Add Konis + H & R springs and go hoon! They have torque, a decent chassis and feel very playful. See this: Motor Trend E30 -- Watch the Team O'Neil Rally School bit at 3:56. 
You can go E36 or E46, but they get a bit more numb with each generation.
Like torque, don't mind a comparatively "cornering challenged" car: Mustang.
FWD: I just don't see the point of tracking a FWD car. Don't get me wrong, Fir instance: GTIs. The wayward understeer-like-a-berkley then lift -- "E36 M3!, here comes the rear end!" is entertaining. But why bother when there are better handling alternatives for cheap?
Yup. They're just available and cheap and they make fantastic noises and will leave big old 11's down the road. They're not the precision scalpel a Miata is, but the FS PAX is .814 and the CS PAX is .819 so they're about the same there. Base class for NASA TT is TTD for the 05-06 Mustang GT and TTE for the 1.8 Mistas, so the Mustang is theoretically a bit faster there. I'm SURE the Miata is faster at rallycross, but I should be able to run AT tires on the Mustang, so that's a huge plus.
I do think a Miata would be better for teaching my kids though.
moxnix
HalfDork
3/29/16 8:23 p.m.
the 1.8L (94-05) miatas are in ES (.807) not CS.
id say mustang but im a bit of a ford fan. this question is actually hard too come up with a good answer for.
mazdeuce wrote:
Yup. They're just available and cheap and they make fantastic noises and will leave big old 11's down the road. They're not the precision scalpel a Miata is, but the FS PAX is .814 and the CS PAX is .819 so they're about the same there. Base class for NASA TT is TTD for the 05-06 Mustang GT and TTE for the 1.8 Mistas, so the Mustang is theoretically a bit faster there. I'm SURE the Miata is faster at rallycross, but I should be able to run AT tires on the Mustang, so that's a huge plus.
I do think a Miata would be better for teaching my kids though.
These come in stock V6 stang sizes.
The BFG K02 is available in 255/55-18. This is a 29 inch tire. One of the common Mustang tire sizes is 245/45-19 which is 27.7 inches. This leads me to believe that I can fit the BFG's if I pay attention to backspacing and such. Or a 225/65-17 is a half inch shorter but my reading says that 17's only fit on smaller brake cars. Which is maybe the way to go?
Mistas are still cheaper.
mazdeuce wrote:
I do think a Miata would be better for teaching my kids though.
Slower cars may be "easier" to teach someone in, but if there is a true desire to learn you can do it in something more powerful.
My first time on track, ever? A Yamaha R6, which was also my first motorcycle.
mazdeuce wrote:
paranoid_android74 wrote:
What about a Saab?
A particular relative has left me permanently associating Saabs with large scale drug importation and distribution. If you drive a Saab, and I meet you, I'm likely to treat you with a bit of cautious respect, just in case.
Gotcha, that's too bad.
If you ever meet a guy driving a black 4 door C900 weaering this t shirt, it's me:
Mustang, Mazdaspeed6, CTS-V, ZHP, and for a true odd ball, Volvo C30?
