Track day car hunting.

Been reading this site and decided I should make an account and post.

Basically i'm looking for a track day car with reasonable inexpensive consumables and with a initial buy in of around $5k. I have a new Subaru WRX right now and don't want to build that, before I bought it I was thinking of getting a BRZ but I needed a sedan because I have kids.

So basically this started where I was looking for an AE86 for a track day car after driving a friend's at an autocross. The only thing is they are getting RIDICULOUS. By ridiculous I mean that it's literally impossible to find a Corolla GTS that isn't complete garbage around here even if you pay like $8k. They are all beat to E36 M3 with mismatched panels, messed up paint, and who knows whats underneath. I don't even bother at that point after I see a good 10% of the cars exterior parts missing, lol.

So I don't know much about what is available as far as lightweight RWD cars so I did a good deal of reading on this site.

What I want is a car that is fairly lightweight, that I can find parts for, and that is good for track days. Something I can put wheels/tires in as well (a hatchback) is a huge bonus. Also no verts so no miata.

944/924S seems to fit and that is what I am looking at now. I believe I may be able to find a 944S(1) for my budget.

FB RX7 - don't like these very much. Always heard bad things about the rotary and people having them fail, failing to pass smog, need rebuilds, etc. If your opinion differs please prove me wrong.

E30 interests me but I feel that I could find a 944 or 924s which pretty much interests me more and cancels this car out. Seems E30s are at a point where I could get more 944 for my money than what I would get for an E30.... drift kids seem to be buying E30s now probably why.

S30 Zs are probably more than $5k these days from what i'm seeing now. Seems like an $8k or so car. Always heard S130 and Z31s have terrible handling compared to the other cars I mentioned here.

So my question is what else should I look at? I didn't know, for example, that the 924s even existed and i'm sure there are many 80s and 70s cars i've never had of before or that are not coming to mind because maybe I never considered them sporty (such as my opinion of Corollas 10 years ago). Some cars I like such as a Triumph TR8 that are different I can't afford within budget but that gives you an idea of what I am open to. Not open to things like a Triumph GT6 despite being that I can find multiple within my budget I read that their trans is beyond garbage. Want something mechanically solid.

Alfa Milano or gtv6 are conpareable to 924s, 944 or e30. Likely easier to work on that the Porsche. I owned a Milano for a while, and although I just used it as a DD, it would be a good track car too.

Alfa?

I usually see them sell for like $8k, can they go for $5k or less? Milanos when I see them lately are selling for big money for some reason.

Also heard the trans for them is fairly bad and expensive to rebuild when the syncros go. My problem is that is a job that I cannot do, engine or trans rebuild, have no experience in that. Is what I heard here an exaggeration?

I like that V6 quite a lot. I just don't think they are in my budget and I always thought of them more of a cruiser than a track car, no?

BMW E36. Prices are down to comparable to E30's, and easier to find in decent shape. M3 if you can find a one at that price. Otherwise, a decent 328is.

Nissan 240sx is a good option too, but they can command a bit of a premium due to the drifters.

Also, where are you located?

Located in Las Vegas, from Oceanside CA and that is where I shop for cars usually.

Didn't consider a 328is. Good suggestion, i'll check those out.

Mr2 of some variety?

We've got less than half your budget invested in our track car. Simple and bulletproof. You can find older Zs for a song and aftermarket support is still good.

Only because I'm a cheap bastard .... http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/1982-celica-gt-with-70k-miles-for-800/61706/page1/

I like FBs but they're getting to be really expensive now, and they require a lot of work in order for you to not get cramps in your point-by finger.

Find a ratty C5 Corvette and drive it. The beauty of the C5 is that the consumables don't need to be consumed as often, so what looks like an expensive affair is really just a buy-in to reliability.

Knurled wrote: Find a ratty C5 Corvette and drive it. The beauty of the C5 is that the consumables don't need to be consumed as often, so what looks like an expensive affair is really just a buy-in to reliability.

Huh?

How does the car being reliable mean it won't eat tires/brakes/gas (what people are refering to by consumbales) at a prodigious rate compared to something like a Miata/E30?

ggkthxnore wrote: I didn't know, for example, that the 924s even existed and i'm sure there are many 80s and 70s cars i've never had of before or that are not coming to mind because maybe I never considered them sporty (such as my opinion of Corollas 10 years ago). Some cars I like such as a Triumph TR8 that are different I can't afford within budget but that gives you an idea of what I am open to. Not open to things like a Triumph GT6 despite being that I can find multiple within my budget I read that their trans is beyond garbage. Want something mechanically solid.

The GT6's big problem is not really the transmission but the differential. Getting an aftermarket LSD will help a lot but they aren't cheap.

What about an X1/9 or MGB GT? Or if you like the TR8 why not the TR7?

Mr2 of some variety?

Actually not a bad idea. A MR2 supercharged would be interesting, but I never driven such a car but I have a friend who has autocrossed them. I'll ask him his opinions. I assume consumables would be cheap on it. Only problem is that I would like a car that I can haul tires and things..... however this car I think would be so cheap to run I may just buy one. Forgot about these totally as i've not seen one in a very long time.

We've got less than half your budget invested in our track car. Simple and bulletproof. You can find older Zs for a song and aftermarket support is still good.

Yes. I would like a Z but are good ones above my budget? They seem to be above the $5k mark right now. I've been told that in stock form and replaced worn out suspension that they make great track cars so they interest me.

How does the car being reliable mean it won't eat tires/brakes/gas (what people are refering to by consumbales) at a prodigious rate compared to something like a Miata/E30?

Yes a Vette would be outside of what I want. IIRc they are fairly heavy. They have wide, expensive, tires as well....

The GT6's big problem is not really the transmission but the differential. Getting an aftermarket LSD will help a lot but they aren't cheap.

Ok, i'll have to read up more on those. I do like the GT6 quite a bit probably by the time I break a LSD I could buy an aftermarket one maybe. Good to know i'm wrong about the trans.

What about an X1/9 or MGB GT? Or if you like the TR8 why not the TR7?

I'll have to read more about these. I've only heard bad things about a TR7 and I feel that the buy in for that car would have to include a brake upgrade among other things to bring it up to the level of say a 240/280z. X1/9 doesn't seem to have any advantage for me over a MR2 at first glance.... Don't know anything about a MGB GT, i'll look it up. Thanks for the suggestions a more vintage europeon car is interesting to me i'll read up on all of these.

I'll keep my options open, probably will go for what I can find best at a price rather than looking for a specific model. If anyone has any more suggestions on what I should look out for let me know.

edit: wow there are a lot of fully prepped x1/9s for sale for cheap. Wish I had a trailer, lol. Unfortunately I have to drive it on the street. Also apparently people use Subaru diffs on the GT6 which are fairly cheap from what i'm seeing..... very glad to know it's the diff that's the problem on that car as that is the one I may be most interested in.

ggkthxnore wrote:

The GT6's big problem is not really the transmission but the differential. Getting an aftermarket LSD will help a lot but they aren't cheap.

Ok, i'll have to read up more on those. I do like the GT6 quite a bit probably by the time I break a LSD I could buy an aftermarket one maybe. Good to know i'm wrong about the trans.

What about an X1/9 or MGB GT? Or if you like the TR8 why not the TR7?

I'll have to read more about these. I've only heard bad things about a TR7 and I feel that the buy in for that car would have to include a brake upgrade among other things to bring it up to the level of say a 240/280z. X1/9 doesn't seem to have any advantage for me over a MR2 at first glance.... Don't know anything about a MGB GT, i'll look it up. Thanks for the suggestions a more vintage europeon car is interesting to me i'll read up on all of these.

I am not saying the GT6 is world's strongest transmission either but if don't abuse it should stand up to stock horsepower. I don't know the GT6 would be the best idea for a first track car though especially if you are driving it to track days. Also if you are tall forget about the GT6. The red 280Z that is seen earlier in this thread was bought for ~$1000 already prepped so deals are out there. The TR7 isn't a bad car. In all honesty it handles better then the previous TR series cars and it has an awesome driving position IMHO. It was really disliked by a lot of Triumph fans at the time it came out cause of the styling and has never really lived down that. It isn't the fastest car though and like any of the these more vintage cars will need a little bit of upgrade work to be suitable for track work (i.e. general refresh of the suspension, better brake pads and shoes and probably some work to upgrade the cooling system). Hopefully racerdave600 will weigh in on the X1/9 vs MR2. I know he has had both.

Ah good to know. I probably should stick to something "easier" you are right.

I'll see if I can find anything on X1/9 vs MR2.

Also my height is not an issue for any car, lol.

An MR2 would be good except it can't haul, you'll find one within your budget but they're not going cheap these days. The MR-S is actually a bit better all-around than an AW11 performance-wise, it just looks like Malibu Barbie's beach cruiser instead of a futuristic space fighter that transformed into a car to avoid detection (nothing some appearance items can't fix). Only the SW20 is a bit heavy on consumables, it's quite a different car to the other two.

Rotaries - yes they're maintenance-intensive, even the latest ones.

E30s - this might be the best fit for what you want even if you don't find them interesting, yes they're starting to suffer from Drift Tax.

924/944 - a bit more maintenance-intensive than an E30 but it could work too.

S30 Z - if you buy one of these it will either need a frame-up restoration or you'll have to pay for the one somebody else already did on it. Once they're put together well though, they'll do just what you want and may be the most reliable of the bunch and one of the easiest on consumables.

C5s - probably the best dollars-for-performance deal out there, but on the track they will eat consumables like a black hole - something that's hard to avoid at that performance level, but there it is.

Milanos can easily be found for under $5k, most of them are between $1500 and $4500, a gtv6 is more but you can still find cheap ones. I don't think the transaxles are that bad, they don't shift really fast, but it's no worse than something like an mk2 vw once you get used to it. Good used ones are cheap too. If they are maintained properly the engines will last 300k miles easy. Lots of people use them as track cars, they handle quite well and are mostly pretty durable.

E36 M3 [/thread]

Everyone bags on corvettes for how they eat gas/tires etc. My question has always been, when you get any car to that performance level, won't it do the same? I know they're a little heavy, and that does matter, but it seems to me (and I might be wrong) that part of the reason other cars are cheaper on consumables is that they're just plain slower. If you slowed a C5 down to miata speeds you'd get much longer life out of just about everything.

For a $5k buy in, GRM had a very convincing article. Then again, I'm a little biased.

FC RX-7

Is someone suggesting that we can find C5s for 5k? Cuz I'll take two right now if that is the case.

Miata?

I'll chime in on the X1/9 vs. MR2 part. The X1/9 feels like a formula car. It's fantastic on track except for the low power. They also require a lot of maintenance that the MR2 does not. Depending on the year, there are certain parts that break or require updating. The good news is that they are big lego sets and everything between years interchange. I drove them for years in autocross and track days, and for sheer fun, is hard to beat. I even remember running Hoelscher's DSP X1/9 at little Taladega, and it shamed cars with 3 and 4 times the HP at an open track day.

That said, I also autocrossed a AW11 MR2 for years, and then built it into an ITA road race car. It's faster than the X, even if it doesn't have the same awesome feel. But it's bullet proof if you have all the old used car issues fixed. It's also very easy on tires and brakes, and will outbrake a Miata in a straight up fight. You also can drive it to events, but don't count on taking a passenger. All the tires will fit in the passenger seat area if you stack them correctly. I drove it this way to it's first three events. Not sure about the supercharged version, but mine was very inexpensive to run. I did have about $8k in when i finished, but I'm pretty anal and it looked like a show car when it was finished.

I've also owned a few 944's. I prefer the Turbo by leaps and bounds, but the NA's also make great track cars. You need to sort the #2 rod bearing oil starvation issue it you take it or a 924 to a track or autocross. They make baffled oil pans, and an accusump is also a good idea. I know a few people that tried running with a bit of extra oil, and in the end, they all lost their motor. You've been warned. They feel a lot more at home on track than at an autocross. My experience with an autocross is that to get a good time, you have to drag them around the course screaming and kicking. On track they feel entirely different and are magic.

X1/9's and MR2's feel at home on either.

Geezum, this IS GRM right? Buy cheap miata, add roll bar, buy turbo bits, and tune it with MS for around 200 whp. Some preventive measures will keep it alive on track and if you ball it up, buy another shell.

In reply to Spinout007:

First post says no miata.

No verts, miata with a hard top?

How light weight? track prep a V8 S-10?