Riddle me - trackable car for $6k, non-convertible, room to carry a full set of tires, RWD

Like I said earlier, RX8. It won't blow up on track, it's easy to work on, and needs the last amount of prep to go hit the track in your budget. As a bonus it will still be pretty comfortable driving to/from the track.

No mention of a 2wd Cherokee yet? Come on guys!!!

I would love to build a street version of this thing.

You can make I6 strokers out of parts bin junkyard parts too :) ^

I think I need to clarify that what I'm really looking for is a functioning car for the budget, not a 6-12 month project . So no engine swaps, Datsun 510s with SR20DET that only "need a little work" or similar, sorry.

Based on the comments and my experience driving them, I think the top three list looks like this right now:

• RX8. Me likely magic doritos, I like Mazdas and I've owned RX7s of each generation so I'm not scared of them. Downside, I have to be my own rotary specialist, but at least a couple of local shops can help with some of the work. Plus, if I manage to get my act together and get my CT/TT license this year, I'd get access to the Mazdaspeed program.
• Porsche 924/944 - I have concerns over the ergonomics as I never seem to be able to sit low enough in them so the steering wheel is in an awkward place for me. It would be gamble to see if I can sit low enough if I drop my Recaros in there, but if not I have another flipper on my hand. Upside - the local shop that does the bigger jobs on the 996 would happily work on the car.
• E36 M3. They've always left me a bit luke warm - and I'm talking about the Euro versions here, not the detuned US one s - so they're a bit of a distant third. Same shop that works on the 996 also does BMWs (and "BINIs"), so I'd have decent backup.

The dark horse would be an FC RX7 if I could find a nice one. So far the only nice one I know of sits in my neighbour's garage and he ain't selling that one.

On my 924, I feel like a little old lady with the racing seats, while the 951 with the stock seats has me a little high.

I think you'll be okay, but to be sure see if there's someone with a track prepped 924/944 in the area you can sit in briefly (or at the next track day). At least the seat mountings are shared with the 911's of the period (I got lucky and was able to mount the seat rails to the frame) so seat mounting is pretty straight forward.

http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=40809

Regular E46? My instructor at my last track day had a 330 coupe with just mild suspension work, wasn't lacking for anything. Won't fall apart as much as an E36, plenty of power. You can outfit it from a catalog without searching for obscure stuff, good brakes, etc. Only real weakness is the cooling system, which is well documented.

In reply to ProDarwin:

The silvia chassis is a good one, but compared to other stuff in that price range, they only make sense sub-$2k unless you just HAVE to do one

Down the road (not now) the proven swapability of the 924/944 could be appealing

How much is an SR20DET these days with electronics?

I just found this: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/4870301873.html

May have to make a trip over there before the drifters get it.