Thoughts on 2005 Mazda 3S as track car

So a few months ago I picked up a 2005 Mazda 3 S Sedan with a 5-speed.  It has 150k miles,  runs well and has a clean interior.  The body has a few dents and blemishes.  Clean title. I got it for a little under half budget.

I was originally going to flip it but, I got to thinking I could use it for a cheap track rat.

I am planning to sell my current track car which is a 1998 m3.  I hope to get around 9 to 10 k from its sale.  This is a good thing for my current plan of thining the herd. 

I figure I can have this thing track ready for less than 3k.  I can use it to autocross and do the occasional track day.

Anyone have experience with one of these on track or through the cones?

I can’t keep up with you anymore 

I'd give you a little more than half challenge for it if you change your plans. ZOOM ZOOM BABY!

Only issue is Oil Starvation. The 2.3L will eat rod bearings. Been there, Done that. Other than that, You can play the C1 chassis cross swap and get larger brakes, more motor (with a turbo if you want) and some other fun things. 

I'd actually like to see a 2.5L volvo into a 3. I mean the S40 is the same chassis and all. 

I mean, you can do whatever you want.

I've seen one just like it haul ass through the cones. I dont know if they're class competitive,  but there's about a billion things you can do with them from nearly any angle. At one point, there was even a rally ms3 running around (burmeister? Tripoint?) That had a lot of suspension bits that ended up getting released to the public. 

goodwin racing had a pretty good selection of goodies for this chassis, especially an LSD, and maybe good shocks.

I didn't know about the oil starvation, but I'd kept this and the hatch as a backup thought to the Sonata last year.

5x114 wheel options are all over the place, and pretty cheap; plus it's 4wheel disc... so track pads are a little easier to source.

The oil baffle kit is cheap. I think this is the right one IIRC.

http://www.jamesbaroneracing.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=438

Just some good insurance. Wish I had one on mine. It's not the quick Autox type corners that get it. It's usually more the longer sweepers. 

Lot of options. The popular BBK is the front 300 MM Brakes from the S40 AWD. I ran the volvo bilstiens in mine on the street. There are Koni's out there too. 

We have speed3 front brakes and mazda5 rear brakes on ours, it sure can stop.  Rx8 wheels fit perfectly and are very light in a 18x8

I have a set of FD RX7 wheels that allegedly fit.  They have a set of 225 50 16 BFG R1'S mounted to them.

The junkyard brake options are appealing.

If the motor pops an MZR/Duratec 2.5 is a long block swap for the most part and they are super cheap at junkyards, we paid $700 for a 900 (nine hundred, not kidding) mile motor.  6 speeds from later Mazda3s bolt in with no new parts.  Speed3 transmissions work but need axles and whatnot too.