Beginner Need affordable RWD Car

Beginner Need affordable RWD Car

Author
Discussion

TheKnightCoder

Original Poster:

3 posts

95 months

Wednesday 27th April 2016
quotequote all
Hi I am new to track days and am looking for some suggestions for my first RWD sedan/coupe track car(No hatchbacks)
I would like something with a low track maintenance cost so I can get a lot of track time out of it
I would like something I can modify in the future
I would like to get through my first track day with less than £5k overall

From the research I have done I like the toyota MR2 and BMW 3 series (328i)...
Which would be better for maintenance? Which would last longer? Which is easier to work on?
Thank you for your help and suggestions

Edited by TheKnightCoder on Thursday 28th April 00:00

ukpanda

16 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
I am no expert, I am in the same boat as you, I have about 2K to buy a car, and then will plod along with doing it up as I go (£300 a month say)

I would say from the MR2 and 328i that the 328 would be more reliable? I believe they are good engines, but I think you need to make quite a few mods to lighten it up and make it track worthy, I might be wrong might be good out of the box

Cars I have looked at - MR2 (Newer shape), 328i, Clio 172/182, Civic Type R, MG ZS 2.5 V6 (Been told to avoid), Suzuki Izuzu 1.5, Ford Puma & Mazda MX5

I am really torn between the Puma and MX5 at present

I think I could get a good Puma for 1k and a good MX5 for 2k

Have you done any track days? I am on my 3rd on bank holiday, its very addictive!

TheKnightCoder

Original Poster:

3 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
Never been to one but it looks super fun...
How are cars transported from the track once its over? I assume most are road legal,
do people carry 4 spare tires in their car?

motorhole

658 posts

219 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
I assume your plan is to drive to/from the venue in said car? If so a modicum of comfort is likely desirable - in which case the MR2, MX5 and BMW are good options. Don't write off an RX8. They are cheap to buy and the engines arnt that expensive to have rebuilt. It's not unfeasible to buy one and have it running with a fresh engine for under £5k and if you keep on top of the maintenance it will last many trackdays. Other alternative is to consider upping the budget a bit and looking for an S2000.

If you have towing capability I'd consider writing off all those options and going for a kit car type thing! If it doesn't have to be road legal, one of those will provide the most pace and fun for the least outlay.

ZiggyNiva

1,134 posts

185 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
V8 or 3ltr Soarer

SloppyClock

144 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
I had my first track day in my MR2 MK3 last Saturday.

I haven't done any mods apart from weight saving. No door panels, no carpets, no transmission tunnel, no frunk cover, no rear shelf.

Gave it a full service, fitted Toyo T1R's.

And HOLY COW what a car!

Out braked and out cornered cars far more powerful (350Z and Z4 come to mind immediately); its only a 1.8 but with no weight is really goes some.

I bought mine a bit over the odds. Runs like a dream, cant even begin to describe how nimble and well weighted the car is.




Best of all, full service costs peanuts. Body parts cost peanuts. Someone drove into the side of it a couple of months ago and buggered the wing. Cost 35 to get a replacement.

Mod options? Handling can be vastly improved with under car bracing, coilovers, etc. Power wise you can go crazy for little money. Many garages offer fixed price engine swaps, with 2ZZ being the most popular. Bosts BHP to 190.

I met two other guys with MR2 MK3's on the day. One bought his for £300, the other owned his for 10 years and turbo'd it. Latter had a BHP of 235.

Furyblade_Lee

4,107 posts

223 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
motorhole said:
I assume your plan is to drive to/from the venue in said car? If so a modicum of comfort is likely desirable - in which case the MR2, MX5 and BMW are good options. Don't write off an RX8. They are cheap to buy and the engines arnt that expensive to have rebuilt. It's not unfeasible to buy one and have it running with a fresh engine for under £5k and if you keep on top of the maintenance it will last many trackdays. Other alternative is to consider upping the budget a bit and looking for an S2000.

If you have towing capability I'd consider writing off all those options and going for a kit car type thing! If it doesn't have to be road legal, one of those will provide the most pace and fun for the least outlay.
Definitely consider a Prodrive-tweaked RX8 PZ edition. We sprint one, and pretty much striaght out of the box you will get performance on a par with a lightweight special DC5 Integra type R at a 1/4 the cost. Don't ask me how, they just do!!!

You should pick up a tidy one with good engine for around £2,500 ( a not PZ one is around £1K!!!! And 95% as good )
They key then with RX8 is to shift as much weight out of it as you can, and there is a lot to be lost.... Mechanically leave it standard, just fit decent tyres and brake pads. Ours is now on its 3rd season of sprinting, mostly being double driven, and half a dozen Trackdays thrown in. It has so far been 100% reliable and has won the 2.0 standard production class sprinting numerous times, including Goodwood. Personally for your budget I would not looks anywhere else!

TheKnightCoder

Original Poster:

3 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
Great suggestions, I am stuck between buying a road legal car and hiring a transporter. Is it legal for me to drive a transporter with a standard cat B UK licence? Insurance is still pretty high for me as I am 22. I am not really too interested in using this car on the roads, just need the cheapest option to transport the car to and from track.
Is hiring a transporter something that is common? I think it would be more cost effective than insurance/mot ect

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
TheKnightCoder said:
Great suggestions, I am stuck between buying a road legal car and hiring a transporter. Is it legal for me to drive a transporter with a standard cat B UK licence? Insurance is still pretty high for me as I am 22. I am not really too interested in using this car on the roads, just need the cheapest option to transport the car to and from track.
Is hiring a transporter something that is common? I think it would be more cost effective than insurance/mot ect
You'll need to take a test to drive a transporter or tow a trailer.

That said, and meaning with no malice at all. But if getting it to and from a track is a financial concern, then I wonder if track days are maybe a little too pricey at the present? The cost of entry, tyres, consumables and the potential for an off and big damage, are all going to be a lot ore pricey than simply getting back and forth from a venue.


As for cars. Well there really are only so many cars that are RWD in your budget.


If you want cheap to run, then something lightweight and easy on consumables might be an idea. Also if you want to mod, then consider the market for any such cars. Also consider if you want to actually go and compete in any events, as car selection may well limit or even prohibit what competitions you might be able to enter.


It's probably also worth noting, that on a track day, there is no podium, no price money, no trophies. So ultimate speed might not be as important as it might be for competitions.


Obvious contenders:

RWD saloons - these are often heavy however, but cheap to buy. Some have lots of mods available, some none at all.


BMW's are the most common and likely. Can be suitable. But will need work as even the 3 Series is still fairly lardy with lots of interior.

Mercs, Jags, even Lexus could all be contenders.



Past generation sports cars - maybe not the most powerful. But usually fun out of the box. Usually lightweight.

MX-5
MGF/MGTF
Z3 (heavy compared to others)
MR2, Mk1, 2 & 3
smart Roadster


others

350z - probably not the cheapest to run on track
RX-8, engine issues aside, probably a very good candidate tbh

other older Jap cars:

RX7's
300ZX
Starion


classics -- these can often have a wealth of mods if you want to grow with the car.

TR7
MGB
Dolomite
maybe even a Wedge TVR
924
944



And of course kit cars. Easy to work on, mainstream parts usually, cheap on tyres, brakes and consumables. Suited to track work. But may need more R&D to dial in, but should be hugely capable from the off. e.g.


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/k...

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
ukpanda said:
MG ZS 2.5 V6 (Been told to avoid)
Why?

Oilchange

8,422 posts

259 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
RWD! duh...

Edited by Oilchange on Thursday 28th April 17:08

Zoobeef

6,004 posts

157 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
Nobody's mentioned a vx220 yet. Not many down that low at the minute but I paid just over £4k each for my 2.

zsdom

760 posts

119 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
ukpanda said:
I am really torn between the Puma and MX5 at present

I think I could get a good Puma for 1k and a good MX5 for 2k

Have you done any track days? I am on my 3rd on bank holiday, its very addictive!
Puma's are dirty cheap, Mine all in cost me less than £450 for the car, uprated suspension, brakes, bucket seats & harnesses, full exhaust, and strut braces, stripped out & sitting around 130bhp I'm happpy with it



Edited by zsdom on Thursday 28th April 17:38

E-bmw

9,106 posts

151 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
Being biased I have an e36 328 they are good, reliable, well built, everyone makes upgrade bits for them.

The best bit for me is even on a 17 year old example every bolt undoes without shearing, every nut comes off without losing knuckles & it all goes back together afterwards making the job of upgrading so much easier than on many others.

After 5 years of ownership & trying lots of mods mine stands me at around £3,500 with an original purchase cost of £1650, unfortunately I could not buy mine for that now. It would cost at least £2000 now.

Edited by E-bmw on Thursday 28th April 17:37

ukpanda

16 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
ukpanda said:
MG ZS 2.5 V6 (Been told to avoid)
Why?
I mentioned it at my local motor club and someone just said no
I think they look like good cars

ukpanda

16 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
Really swaying to one of these!

zsdom said:
ukpanda said:
I am really torn between the Puma and MX5 at present

I think I could get a good Puma for 1k and a good MX5 for 2k

Have you done any track days? I am on my 3rd on bank holiday, its very addictive!
Puma's are dirty cheap, Mine all in cost me less than £450 for the car, uprated suspension, brakes, bucket seats & harnesses, full exhaust, and strut braces, stripped out & sitting around 130bhp I'm happpy with it



Edited by zsdom on Thursday 28th April 17:38

ukpanda

16 posts

95 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
You should perhaps go to one before laying down any money where would your local track be
TheKnightCoder said:
Never been to one but it looks super fun...
How are cars transported from the track once its over? I assume most are road legal,
do people carry 4 spare tires in their car?

INWB

896 posts

106 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
MX5 vote. Total hoot, low cost, low weight and nice gearbox.


300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
ukpanda said:
I mentioned it at my local motor club and someone just said no
I think they look like good cars
Suspect just an MG/Rover hater. No technical reason not to consider them.

200Plus Club

10,677 posts

277 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
quotequote all
SloppyClock said:
I had my first track day in my MR2 MK3 last Saturday.

I haven't done any mods apart from weight saving. No door panels, no carpets, no transmission tunnel, no frunk cover, no rear shelf.

Gave it a full service, fitted Toyo T1R's.

And HOLY COW what a car!

Out braked and out cornered cars far more powerful (350Z and Z4 come to mind immediately); its only a 1.8 but with no weight is really goes some.

I bought mine a bit over the odds. Runs like a dream, cant even begin to describe how nimble and well weighted the car is.




Best of all, full service costs peanuts. Body parts cost peanuts. Someone drove into the side of it a couple of months ago and buggered the wing. Cost 35 to get a replacement.

Mod options? Handling can be vastly improved with under car bracing, coilovers, etc. Power wise you can go crazy for little money. Many garages offer fixed price engine swaps, with 2ZZ being the most popular. Bosts BHP to 190.

I met two other guys with MR2 MK3's on the day. One bought his for £300, the other owned his for 10 years and turbo'd it. Latter had a BHP of 235.
Not just me then that thinks these are the trackday bargain of a lifetime if you get a sound engine. Proper handling and brakes, just fun things to drive. 200bhp would be nice. So much better than my mk1 mx5 was and no real rust other than odd one with subframe issues.