best cheap car to turn into a track dog.

[Own Goal Hat-Trick]

im thinking along the lines of an 80s porsche 911 or 944.

something thats cheap, has pretty good driving characteristics to begin with, and a good platform to turn into a track-only type car.

i love the wrx, but im looking at either tracking the wrx and getting another car for a daily driver, or getting something else that will be designated as the race car.

obviously this is going to be a long process but im curious to see if anyone has any experience/opinions about this.

[Mad_Bishop]

There's something to be said for older rx-7's, although older rotarys are a pain as they're prone to blowing seals badly. Also, Nissan 240sx (s13 or s14) or Pulsar (NX) even a miata wouldn't be bad choices. I'd also give consideable thought to mk2 or mk3 turbo supra or a Scirrocco(sp?) or first generation BMW M3, although the last two are probably going to be harder to find. In a perfect world I would find a Subi SVX with a straight bdy and little miles, but then I'd be hard pressed to turn it into a track car (plus there's little aftermarket support for them)

I'm a bit biased, though, as I would want something RWD simply because if I were to find an AWD car, I['d probably end up rallying it.

[Own Goal Hat-Trick]

yeah, im looking for more reliabilty than the 80s rx7 will give.

im kinda leaning towards a porsche. i need to get ahold of my friends father, who for a while had a pretty sweet 80s 911 that was tracked.

those nissans arent a bad idea, but im not sure if theyre FWD or RWD.

a miata isnt a bad idea, ive heard good things about them at the track, at least in terms of handling, but as far as speed goes theyre known to be "slow as piss".



hmmm...

[Mad_Bishop]

yeah, im looking for more reliabilty than the 80s rx7 will give.

im kinda leaning towards a porsche. i need to get ahold of my friends father, who for a while had a pretty sweet 80s 911 that was tracked.

those nissans arent a bad idea, but im not sure if theyre FWD or RWD.

a miata isnt a bad idea, ive heard good things about them at the track, at least in terms of handling, but as far as speed goes theyre known to be "slow as piss".



hmmm...
all the nissans named are RWD. In fact, I think all the cars I listed save the SVX are RWD.

Hell I got a beater CRX I'd be willing to let go










just kidding.

[MatadorCE]

im thinking along the lines of an 80s porsche 911 or 944.

something thats cheap, has pretty good driving characteristics to begin with, and a good platform to turn into a track-only type car.

i love the wrx, but im looking at either tracking the wrx and getting another car for a daily driver, or getting something else that will be designated as the race car.

obviously this is going to be a long process but im curious to see if anyone has any experience/opinions about this.

an MR2 or a Miata would fit the "cheap and with good driving characteristics" category.

last time I checked, 80's 911s were still going for quite a bit and although 944s can be had for very cheap (a co-worker picked a 944S in good condition for about 3K), the parts and maintenance won't be cheap.

[Foosinho]

Believe it or not, Miatas and Dodge Neons are unbeatable (in the hands of a decent driver) in their autocross classes. I saw one guy with a Subi 2.5RS with gravel tires who was unstoppable at a local rallycross.

Short answer - it really depends on what you want to do with it. Autocross, rallycross, drag, wheel-to-wheel, ...?

[FearM9]

So does "track" mean something different than "auto-x". We don't have tracks around here but we do have auto-x stuff and those are held in big parking lots on a very tight course. And yup...see alot of Miatas at those things.

What about an older generation of a BMW 3 series?

[Own Goal Hat-Trick]

i mean like actual racing on real course (i.e mid-ohio, summit point raceway, ect)

im kinda inspired by a my friends dad from years ago who had a late 80s 911 that, well, wasnt for street use.. :)

[Foosinho]

You want to race in a circuit, or are you just interested in hot-lapping on "track days" at Mid-Ohio?

One guy who autocrosses here in Dayton has a nicely equipped Ford Probe (no joke) that he tracks too. Camera mounts, Hoosier tires, the whole bit. He does alright with that.

I would think the WRX wouldn't make the best track car. AWD becomes less of an advantage on dry tracks. 944, or a 3-series BMW, or maybe an S4 (back to AWD again...). I bet you could find a nice domestic (the Neon again?) or rice-burner (ooh! ooh! Skyline!) that would work as well.

[Own Goal Hat-Trick]

You want to race in a circuit, or are you just interested in hot-lapping on "track days" at Mid-Ohio?

One guy who autocrosses here in Dayton has a nicely equipped Ford Probe (no joke) that he tracks too. Camera mounts, Hoosier tires, the whole bit. He does alright with that.

I would think the WRX wouldn't make the best track car. AWD becomes less of an advantage on dry tracks. 944, or a 3-series BMW, or maybe an S4 (back to AWD again...). I bet you could find a nice domestic (the Neon again?) or rice-burner (ooh! ooh! Skyline!) that would work as well.


well, no circuit racing yet, so itd just be a track days, seat time or FATT or whatever the regional tracks offer up.

youd be surprised about the wrx and AWD... the pretty highly modded ones (im up to 300hp, btw :) do well, and similarly, the STis do beautifully. just requires some different driving techniques...

lol, im never buying a neon. ever.

the 944 or m3 is kinda what im thinking. lol maybe ill just do a, what is it, nissan 240 conversion to a silvia or skyline? ha!

[Foosinho]

well, no circuit racing yet, so itd just be a track days, seat time or FATT or whatever the regional tracks offer up.

That'd be fun.

youd be surprised about the wrx and AWD... the pretty highly modded ones (im up to 300hp, btw :) do well, and similarly, the STis do beautifully. just requires some different driving techniques...

Actually, I wouldn't be that surprised - I used to own an AWD Audi, remember? Sure, it wasn't 300 horsepower, but... There is a reason that Audi continues to use AWD on their race cars, but on dry tracks I think AWD has some disadvantages compared to RWD. On even a lightly misted track, I'd take the AWD seven days of the week.

lol, im never buying a neon. ever.

It's a little weird to be jealous of a dude who owns a Neon, but the guy was untouchable, and readily admitted that it was the car. Put that car in a different auto-x class, and the results aren't quite so favorable, but...

Additionally, the Neons on the North American rally circuit do alright for themselves.

the 944 or m3 is kinda what im thinking. lol maybe ill just do a, what is it, nissan 240 conversion to a silvia or skyline? ha!

All solid choices. You'll have to let me take it out for a few laps sometime. :D

[Coach_McGuirk]

If you're looking into eventually racing, you need to contact your local SCCA office and see what cars are filling most of their fields. A 911 is going to be classed quite high, and your opportunities to race may be limited. SpecMiata is a HUGELY popular class, the cars are relatively inexpensive, and you can have a top running Miata for around $18K. "Slow as pi$$" is relative when the cars you're racing against are the same.

Miata's are rear wheel drive and are a great car to start with. If you decide you want to invest more time and $$$ into racing, you can move into a GT car like a 911.

Check out www.scca.org for information on what cars are in what classes, and for the phone number and website of your local SCCA office.

[microbrew]

Too bad the S2000 is too new and/or not common and cheap enough.

[Mad_Bishop]

an s2k would be my ideal for a track car. Most mags give it bad reviews because it's poorly designed for street driving, because it's so perfectly designed for the track (along the lines of the NSX). Slap a JR supercharger on it....drool.

I'm really considering getting rid of my CRX and buying a 240sx for a rally car. BUt if I get a 240, the temptation to drop a sr20DET into it and do a s13 conversion may be too great. I'm in love with SCC's 240 prject car:
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/tech/0211scc_projsilvia03_zoom.jpg

seriously thinking about painting the CRX flat black if I keep it, too.

[Coach_McGuirk]

It is so tempting to go nuts on something like that, isn't it?

The only think is that, if you do plan to race it, either in SCCA or NASA, you've got to check the regs before you drop so much into the car. If it's just for your impromptu street "races", then have at it. Just remember, street racing is illegal and dangerous.. ;)