Beginner Need affordable RWD Car

[vsonix]

ZiggyNiva said:

V8 or 3ltr Soarer

nice idea but probably not for the same money

[iguana]

300bhp/ton said:

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.

1st point is incorrect, he can drive a regular 3.5t beavertail car transporter & can even tow if train weight is sub 3.5t- that would take a light track car & trailer & tow car, but it is possible.

Link-

https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

A transporter isn't cheap to hire for the day tho, but cheaper than booking a firm to take it there- I do this regularly for work.

Your 2nd point, agreed.

[300bhp/ton]

Thanks, I stand corrected on the transporter, although the op would likely need to juggle the figures and ensure the transporter had the correct plate rating.

[Craikeybaby]

Another vote for mk3 MR2, the earlier ones, pre-face lift, are known to have potential issues with the engines, so can be had cheap. Even a face lift one can be had for under £4k.

[E-bmw]

iguana said:

300bhp/ton said:

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.

Your 2nd point, agreed.

Very valid point, lots of us forget about the "hidden costs" & think it just costs £129.00 OPL for the day.

Fuel £80+
Tyre wear £50+
Brake parts/wear £50+
Servicing/fluids £30+
General prep work 4-hours

This is without travel to/from or any subsequent repair work.

Plus the cost of the day makes for an expensive hobby.

[motorhole]

E-bmw said:

Very valid point, lots of us forget about the "hidden costs" & think it just costs £129.00 OPL for the day.

Fuel £80+
Tyre wear £50+
Brake parts/wear £50+
Servicing/fluids £30+
General prep work 4-hours

This is without travel to/from or any subsequent repair work.

Plus the cost of the day makes for an expensive hobby.

Deffo...

My E30 isn't too bad on pads and tyres - the current set have done 4 trackdays and still loads of meat left on both. But fuel...including getting there and back I'm looking nearer £100 - £120. Change oil every 3-4 trackdays at 6 litres of synth a pop, brake fluid every 2 at about £20.

The other thing worth thinking about is if you're driving more than 2-3 hours there and back, you might want to consider staying in a B&B the night before.

[Sohlman]

I would suggest a saloon over a sports car. It will give you far more flexibility.

Get a road legal BMW 6 cylinder. Keep it that way. They are great to drive, pedals well spaced for healing and toeing. Relatively quick and benign handlers. A great car to learn rwd handling.

Strip out the interior and you can easily fit a spare set of wheels and tyres and some basic spares plus jacks etc. buy track day insurance with recovery for each day and you will be able to get home.

£1500 can buy you a reasonable car. Spending a bit more is even better. Find a well looked after car and then sell all the good bits like interior. Fit some buckets and harnesses and you can get a roll cage for about £600.

Start with a standard car that does not handle perfectly and you can learn how to drive at slower speeds. As parts wear out upgrade them. Each upgrade you will appreciate and you will then learn going that wee bit quicker. The biggest factor for going faster is you. Get tuition and learn how to really drive.

I suggest once safety items completed remove as much weight as possible. Seats, carpets, sound insulation etc. the more weight you remove the less strain you put on brakes and suspension and tyres. The first thing you should upgrade is brake pads and brake fluid. Then suspension. Not some cheap coil overs, get some well respected components. These will then wear out the bushes which will be replaced by polybushes, then track tyres, then top mounts so you can dial in negative camber. By this stage you will now have a very quick well sorted track car.

[E-bmw]

100% agree with that plan as it is pretty much exactly what I did.

There is lots of experience out there in t'interwebland on whatever car you chose to buy.

[rallycross]

TheKnightCoder said:

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

]

MR2 roadster mark 3 or Mx5 1.8 is what you should focus on - plenty of choice of either an no need to spend anything close to £5k. Drive them both and see what you prefer. A 6 cylinder 3 series is a numb steering/heavy/soft thing on track and needsa decent amount spent to make it anything close to as good as the above (on track).

The MR2 mk3 is surprisingly good on track, make sure its got some really good tyres with stiff sidewalls and put some good brake pads and dot5 fluid and you have a great mid engined track car with an LSD that is very light on tyres and brakes and should be bomb-proof reliable.

The downside of the MR2 v's Mx5 is if its wet you will have less fun that the Mx-5 as being mid-engined it can be tricky to catch on a slippy / wet track.

Dont be put off by on paper performance once you are on track its not the BHP figure that gives you the fun factor (or laptime).

[CABC]

rallycross said:

The downside of the MR2 v's Mx5 is if its wet you will have less fun that the Mx-5 as being mid-engined it can be tricky to catch on a slippy / wet track.

for me this is a huge benefit of the 5. as per the on/off sun/showers at Bedford last week i actively wait until it's wet: more fun, more skill development, empty track and far less wear&tear. it truly is win-win-win-win. even at Cadwell rain is great, though admittedly i'll drive more within my limits on most corners there.

[QBee]

All good stuff.

I would stress the cost per event point - it is a very expensive hobby, without even breaking anything.£300-400 per event.

Getting to/from the track - I am lucky, living within 100 miles of many good tracks, but after a day on track you can be knackered. I drove to/from the tracks for my first 25 track days, but had a number of occasions where I had to stop repeatedly on the way home just to wake myself up. If you have access to a tow vehicle you can hire a good car trailer for £60. Then you can take a spare set of wheels and things like trolley jacks with you.

If you must go RWD (too much watching the Top Gesr tts tatting about powersliding on Dunsfold airfield, I guess) my vote would be the MX5, and not to strip it out or get hung up about speed and power. Keep it road legal and enjoy it on summer days/weekends too. You don't need shed loads of power to go fast, you need to learn how to drive a track, carry speed and stay on track. If you can lose the RWD hang up, consider a Clio 172/182.......I did Cadwell Park Tuesday evening, and had real difficulty catching a well-driven Clio on that twisty circuit. It was one of the fastest cars on track. And I have a 315 BHP TVR..... If it had been wet, I would have chosen to be in the Clio all day long.

And the best £20 you can spend is on 20 minutes of one to one tuition with one of the instructors. I have been driving twice as long as the OP has been alive, and still learnt a lot from an instructor at Castle Combe.