mattewrc Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 Hey everybody im new and am saving up for a car to use. I read on the site that a low cost, 2wd, fwd is best for novices. Any opinions on this? Anybody want to reccomend an affordable car that they think would be great for a newby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce L. Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 check out the BMW e30 3 series - NASA has the Spec E30 class. They are a fun, reliable car and there is a significant group of competitors around you. Check out http://www.spece30.com. FWD cars are, in general, not the best handling cars because they try to use the front wheels for everything - acceleration, braking and steering. But, you will get polarized opinions on both sides. cheers, bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Racing Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 check out the BMW e30 3 series Somebody asks for a recommendation on an affordable race car for a newbie and you suggest a BMW? Interesting. C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadracetransam Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I would start in a RWD, domestic, older, salvaged model. Part are cheap, plentyfull. Older models are easy on the vallet. Look for (relatively) high stock HP and torque so you won't need to spend $ on the engine, suspension you will upgrade on no matter what car you buy. FWD you will not be happy with, turn, steer, brake, accelerate to 2 contact paches vs. 4. Also look for a model that lots of people mess with, those have a lot of aftermarket part choices. Choices=low $$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattewrc Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 I would start in a RWD, domestic, older, salvaged model. Part are cheap, plentyfull. Older models are easy on the vallet. Look for (relatively) high stock HP and torque so you won't need to spend $ on the engine, suspension you will upgrade on no matter what car you buy. FWD you will not be happy with, turn, steer, brake, accelerate to 2 contact paches vs. 4. Also look for a model that lots of people mess with, those have a lot of aftermarket part choices. Choices=low $$$. Thanks! Can you think of any specific models? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff D Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Miata. RWD, cheap, reliable, Mazda built a ton of 'em, MazdaSpeed support, and they are plentiful in most regions. The older 3-series BMW's could be a good choice. RWD and the older ones are not expensive. Not sure of the cost for parts but they are reliable. Best thing to do first is see what others in your region are running. Then you will have a group of folks to ask questions, get advice from, and race with. For example the Nissan SE-R's seem like a good cheap car to run but the OH/IN region has almost none of them. Obviously that wouldn't be a good car for our region. Scan around the forums a bit. I think this question has been asked about 1000 times so you should be able to find plenty of opinions on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944-Spec#94 Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 check out the BMW e30 3 series Somebody asks for a recommendation on an affordable race car for a newbie and you suggest a BMW? Interesting. C. Good Point. Check out Porsche 944 spec. http://944spec.org Seriously you can build and race spec E30's or 944 spec cars for under 10k and have realy great time. I know it seems like these cars are "expensive", but the nice thing about them is that they are well built. Porsches are very strong race cars and last. You could be some econbox and race it too, but then can be breaking all kind of parts. A 944 spec car once built can take a serious pouding on the track. My maintence budget is most for oil changes ever 3 events. Including entry fees, but not travel costs I figure you can competitivly race a 944 spec car for $650 per weekend including tires. I developed this from racing my car since April of 2002. Considering entry fees are 1/2 that $650 cost racing 944 is about as cheap as it gets. I have no direct experience with Spec E30, but I would expect similar costs. Plus the 944 is rwd with a 50/50 weight balance and spite of low hp (130's at the wheels) the car are as fast as many other more expensive cars in the corners. Great to toss around and easy to drive fast, but still takes lots of work to extra that last ounce of speed. Chassis are really strong and safe as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prod Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 I'll second the Miata and E30 BMWs. Miatas are pretty much dirt cheap, and they're everywhere. The E30s are really not expensive either. I personally am working on getting an FC RX-7 built for racing. I should be able to get it on the track for less than $6k. The car itself and performance mods is going to be under $2k, it's all the safety equipment (roll cage, seats, harnesses, etc) that makes it expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce L. Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 check out the BMW e30 3 series Somebody asks for a recommendation on an affordable race car for a newbie and you suggest a BMW? Interesting. C. yeah, what Joe said ... I bought my e30 for $700 and am replacing a lot of parts and buying a lot of new stuff and am still coming in under $10K. Some have done them for $7500. Junkyard parts are plentiful (2.4 million of these cars were sold) - standard practice is to throw in a $600 engine if your's blows. There are lots of stories of their reliability on spece30.com. I think the most important thing is to find out what is being raced in your area because bigger fields are more fun. Also check out the attitude of the racers - in some areas the Miatas sustain a lot of extraneous contact. Also, buying a used racecar is a good idea - often 50 cents on the dollar "invested". Get it checked out by someone knowledgeable. Check out Dave Gran's new book "Getting into racing ..." cheers, bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattewrc Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 thanks to everyone that replied for the great advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granracing Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Matt, What's your defination of a low cost car? Someone I race against, Zephyr, is selling his two Hondas very cheap! Both are less than $2,500 - one of which I've raced against and pulled me on the straights at Watkins Glen (my car is also a front running ITB / H5 car). He drives the cars to the races, the maintenance costs are low, and is fairly easy on tires. You can find him on http://www.honda-tech.com in the road racing section or shoot me a PM and I could put you in touch with him. Just saw you're from the D.C. area. Zephyr races quite often at Summit Point with Honda Challenge. Might be worth looking into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhakar Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Don't forget the 90s Subaru models. The CG8 coupe can be found for cheap with a torqy little 4 banger, NO turbo, and AWD. They are cheaper to get than a Bimmer and 300K is just getting started. Anyone with moderate wrenching skills can keep one on the track for little money. Not to mention that you can switch it to a dirt setup for under 400 bucks(800 with tires) and RallyX or Rally if you get a competition license. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmw22 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 1st generation RX7. You can buy one race-ready for $2000-$3000. Rotary engine lasts forever and 13" tires are cheap. Fun car to drive and would be a great starting place. And when you're ready to move on, you can get your $2000-$3000 back by selling it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 First if I may say, If you are a newby interested in racing....remove the word "cheap " from your vocabulary. All of the suggestions above are great. here in the DC region you have access to alot of knowledgeable racers and drivers. Have you been to any NASA events yet? If so it would be obvious what cars are plentiful. For getting started in HPDE, drive ANYTHING ! leave it stock, make it safe and just drive it. Always put safety and driver improvement above power and other car mods. Perfect scenario: Save your money and buy a prepped race car. You'll save money in the end if the car you buy is worth a damn. The least financially consuming series are the spec classes. E30, Miata, CMC, 944cup and Honda Challenge. If you got a reliable car under 1000$ (is that possible? ) Expect to spend another 4-5,000$ on all the stuff you need to meet minimum requirements for competition. Still a 5K + investment. So Cheap is relative. Good luck and welcome to our sickness, I mean hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FocusTed Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Also check into the NASA Spec Focus Series. These cars are pretty cheap. The bolt on parts from Ford Racing do not cost a lot. The Suspension and Brake package is like $1,100. Plus they are very easy cars to race. Great for new racers. Plus these cars are still made and there is a lot of aftermarket parts. http://specfocus.drivenasa.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhakar Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I would have to agree with the Focus as well. If the WRX had not come out I might well be driving one due to the low cost to run. You an also find them for CHEAP as most people don't think of a Focus for a track car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XAIX Posted December 24, 2006 Share Posted December 24, 2006 Go kart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shawn M. Posted December 24, 2006 Members Share Posted December 24, 2006 Go kart. great if you are a kid. Not the same as a car. Similar learning curve, without the weight, power and size of a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
National Staff Jeremy C. Posted December 29, 2006 National Staff Share Posted December 29, 2006 http://WWW.HONDACHALLENGE.COM Used ready to race cars can be had starting at 3500 bucks! That can't be beat!!! If you interested in more info, just let me know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaje Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 WWW.HONDACHALLENGE.COM Used ready to race cars can be had starting at 3500 bucks! That can't be beat!!! If you interested in more info, just let me know! I'll second a HC car. I bought a championship winning H5 car for $3000 in great running shape. Just needed to be fitted to a different driver (I'm 6'4" and the previous owner was much shorter and smaller). This included a spare rebuilt engine and head / drivetrain / 3 sets of decent tires and wheels and spare body parts. I'm using this car to get my regional racing license (SCCA though as they are local to me in Kansas). I've had the car out to the tracks several times and had a blast. 115hp but it is 2000 lbs and great for a starter race car and cheap and reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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