devildog1679 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 So my dilemma is which car to purchase for use in HPDE’s and maybe one day in time trials. I started running my RX-8 in 2005 but unfortunately it got wrecked by a dump truck this past summer. I’m looking to buy a dedicated track car, looking to spend about 3K on the car and another 2K to get ready for track use. I’m thinking about a 1990-1993 Mustang 5.0 LX, 1994-1997 Miata, or a E30\ E36 BMW. I’ve posted on the individual forms for these cars but they are obviously biased. What I want is a car that handles as great or better then my Rx-8 did. Also looking for the car to inexpensive to modify and maintain, the BMW may not fit hear, but not sure since I’m not familiar with them. Any car I get I plan on gutting it to lose weight, all put necessities for street legal use will be dumped. So what are the pros and cons of each? I see the following The Mustang will definitely have the power advantage with 205/275, but with a CW of 3,000 and WD of 60/40. The stang will definitely need an upgrade to the suspension and basic weight loss program. Thinking I can get her down to 2700 lb’s by removing all the non-essentials. It also has a hard top so no need for a roll bar. I can get one for around 3K with 130K on the engine. A good suspension will be around 1.5K. With basic boltons I can get the RWHP close to 200 RWHP (I think). Staying NA the stang can achieve a higher rwhp with mods. The Miata will have the handling advantage with a CW of 2,200 and WD close to 50/50. Power though would be a paultry 100 RWHP upgraded to maybe 125 with basic boltons. I can get her down to around 2,000 lbs by removing all the non-essentials. So which one would be the best choice for a dedicated HPDE car that will see action on both tracks with long strights and shorter ones? For the most part it will be on long straights, Road America is my favorite track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Stock Fox body Mustangs suck at turning. They suck bad. You could spend your entire $5k on all kinds of aftermarket stuff and fix its suspension geometry issues... Oh and the stock brakes are not safe for track use either, and its geared out of the box pretty terribly. I'd pass unless you have more budget to upgrade some additional things. It'd be the best "tinker" and "engineer stuff" car though. Miata - boring, played out, yawn. Will handle better than your RX8, straights will be painful though. Get an supercharger (MP62 would be cool) and that might change BMW - probably about the same as the RX8, little different, might be interesting Why not an E30 though? SpecE30 is really fun!! better than all of those - 2nd gen MR2 NA. I'm a little biased on that last one though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor57 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 The mustang and BMW will cost a hell of a lot more money to keep on the track. The BMW parts cost more, and the Mustang eats up tires and brakes. The Miata is easy because you can probably find a well set up track day car with all the stuff you would want to add, like suspension, roll bar etc. for just over $3k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 older BMW parts are reasonable if you know where to look - ask the SpecE30, Spec3, and GTS guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog1679 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 Stock Fox body Mustangs suck at turning. They suck bad. You could spend your entire $5k on all kinds of aftermarket stuff and fix its suspension geometry issues... Oh and the stock brakes are not safe for track use either, and its geared out of the box pretty terribly. I'd pass unless you have more budget to upgrade some additional things. It'd be the best "tinker" and "engineer stuff" car though. Miata - boring, played out, yawn. Will handle better than your RX8, straights will be painful though. Get an supercharger (MP62 would be cool) and that might change BMW - probably about the same as the RX8, little different, might be interesting Why not an E30 though? SpecE30 is really fun!! better than all of those - 2nd gen MR2 NA. I'm a little biased on that last one though Never thought of that. I'll check out Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 little warning - the entry price on an MR2 will be a little higher than your $3k budget, but it really doesn't need modified any to be a fantastic track car. Add better brake pads, brake fluid, tires, and camber bolts and you're done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog1679 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 little warning - the entry price on an MR2 will be a little higher than your $3k budget, but it really doesn't need modified any to be a fantastic track car. Add better brake pads, brake fluid, tires, and camber bolts and you're done! Just saw that, looking at 3.5K. Now on paper a 1994 Miata and 1993 MR2 look the same. Stock HP is 130 for both but the Miata is 400 lb’s less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 mid engine > front engine MR2 torque > Miata torque MR2 gearing > Miata gearing Miata is a bit more stable and forgiving (yawn), but the MR2 is a real drivers car - does what you ask when you ask it... just don't ask it to rotate when you're not ready drive 'em back to back and go with what you like. It'd be tough to go wrong with either honestly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aardwolf Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 Also consider the C4 gen Corvette. You can pick them up for a song these days. I have an '88 and played with an RX8 several years back at Road America. Maybe it was you, an EVO crashed in front of us in the kink. In that encounter it seemed like the Corvette would turn better lap times. There was just a post on a different forum about finding a track C4 for $1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog1679 Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 Also consider the C4 gen Corvette. You can pick them up for a song these days. I have an '88 and played with an RX8 several years back at Road America. Maybe it was you, an EVO crashed in front of us in the kink. In that encounter it seemed like the Corvette would turn better lap times. There was just a post on a different forum about finding a track C4 for $1000. Shit it was me, the grey Evo right? I got that on video. Never thought a C4 would be in my price range but I can check it out. It would deffenitly handle better then a mustange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laze1 Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 there are many many race parts available for the E30\E36 BMWs...And I bought a full-on NASA legal E36 race car for $3500...you should look at buying an old BMW for track duty..they handle great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renesisfury Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Or maybe another 04 RX-8, I hear they eat oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aardwolf Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Yes that's the one. I was running video too. There was quite a debris field to drive through! Cool to run into you here. How hard were you running the car that session? I had my father along for a ride. I can't wait for spring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog1679 Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 Yes that's the one. I was running video too. There was quite a debris field to drive through! Cool to run into you here. How hard were you running the car that session? I had my father along for a ride. I can't wait for spring! I was pushing her pretty far. After doing more research I think my best choice in terms of price would be a 1994-1997 Miata. I can get it down to 2,000 pounds and whp up to 140 NA or close to 200 with a turbo. Looked at 300zx, 3000gt's, MR2, supra, e30, mustange and vettes. The one that would be the cheapest to buy and modify would be the Miata. A 2,000 lb Miata with 200 whp would be perfect for track use. Any other ideas that come to mind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 its not a bad choice but I'd run a season or two before supercharging it though - a low power car teaches you so much about getting your cornering and braking correct. You just can't mash the gas and get back up to speed, you've gotta get the corners right to be quick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devildog1679 Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 its not a bad choice but I'd run a season or two before supercharging it though - a low power car teaches you so much about getting your cornering and braking correct. You just can't mash the gas and get back up to speed, you've gotta get the corners right to be quick I'll deffinitly take atleast two seasons of NA befre going FI. Another option is to go with IRTB's. There pretty common from I've read, for about the same price as a 5 psi turbo I can be NA. Still need to do more research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weed Wacker Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 What are your more "long-term" goals? Sticking with HPDE's? TT? W2W? If your buying a dedicated track car this could help you get pointed in the right direction. To answer your question with the given choices i would say miata. Otherwise i would say miata, almost honda/acura, early rx7 (1st or 2nd gen) or nissan 240sx. All are cheap, easily accesible, relatively lightweight (nice to consumables) and easy/cheap to source parts at the autoparts store/boneyard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almost heaven Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Whatever it is, best value is to buy a car already set up for racing. Plenty for sale. You can find exactly what you want with a little patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miwifri Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Yup, "Miata" seems to answer a lot of questions around the track these days. They handle great, make a great learning platform and are cheap to buy, modify and maintain (NA). So why don't I have one? Oh yeah, I can afford an S2000 (Miata with more power). Seriously, Miata is a great choice! Mike H1 #23 S2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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