Jap track car max budget £2k ( done lots of searching)

[kpb]

samwise77 said:

Cool, preludes sound interesting what kind of weight can i expect to get it down to? also do the lsd equpied cars make much more money,

As for the mx5 they sound perfect i just wish there wasnt so many of them ! i know that means plenty of parts etc and i guess there are popular for a reason maybe im being too fussy !

I think the BB4 is around 1200kgs so you should be able to shave a bit off that, but it is already lightened with no 4ws, abs etc. I'd imagine you could get a non-lsd Prelude down to a similar weight.

BB4 cars are sought after as a highpoint of Preludes (perhaps bar the mk5 Type S) but I sold my last one for £900 in January. It was non-LSD but the boxes can be had for £200 - in fact a lot of non-LSD standard cars have been fitted with them from broken motors, so it pays to shop around the forums rather than perhaps focus on trying to find a BB4.

[samwise77]

cool, that sounds promising, thanks for the info

[Escy]

If you've got the skills, space, time and a bit of extra cash you can use short term you can build a Mk3 MR2 Roadster running the Celica 190 / Corolla T-Sport 2zz engine for a good price.

Edited by Escy on Sunday 28th September 17:04

[rev-erend]

How about a Nissan sunny GTIR.

I know of a local selling his rolling shell minus engine and box for peanuts..

Great potential for a track car and future classic.

[Escy]

rev-erend said:

How about a Nissan sunny GTIR.

I know of a local selling his rolling shell minus engine and box for peanuts..

Great potential for a track car and future classic.

The engine and box are the expensive bits

[AA999]

Track driving vs fun is not all about BHP the engine may have.
For many its about the RWD torque/power vs grip levels.

A low powered engine car can be quite fun if you put some cheap low grip tyres on it.

I assume you have set you sights on a RWD car, as FWD on track is, well, just boring after a while. Especially if you're just on a track day and not racing them.

[samwise77]

thanks for all the input, i would prefer rwd yes although i would make an exception for another dc2 if one came up as i feel its unfinished business i guess, as for the sunny gtir/ pulsar i have had them in the back of my mind but i ve been told the gearboxes are made of chocolate??

[GravelBen]

samwise77 said:

as for the sunny gtir/ pulsar i have had them in the back of my mind but i ve been told the gearboxes are made of chocolate??

They certainly have that reputation. Plus they don't actually do anything better than an Impreza.

[OldBob]

Give £1500 to the "do as they likey's" to nick you an R35 GTR a day before then - £450 for a Silverstone track day - finally £50 for a taxi home when you dump it. Sorted.

[dern]

I would have an rx8 over a prelude... much better car for what you want. We had a 4th gen 2.2 si vtec and it was a great road car to a point but the rx8 we have now is miles better.

Engine rebuilds should the worse happen are not that expensive and you get a new warrantied engine for a couple of years. Get it done at the right place and you'll get track cover for that engine warranty too. We had ours two years and then rebuilt the engine and just this morning had the post run in inspection and it goes like a train. The handling is really lovely rwd neutral handling and you can completely feels what's going on. I don't know what it's going to be like on track but it feels like it should be great.

It's my wife's car but I'm so taken with it now it has its fresh engine I'd quite like one too. The engine builders have offered me an 04 with a new engine for 3k and I'm seriously thinking about it even though we already have one and I have a kit car with a turbo rx7 engine in.

Cheers,

Mark

[neil jdmr]

Rx7 fc3s turbo 2,

Easy 300hp with minimal mods, rwd and proven well on track and rally in their day.

Don't buy into the whole rotary engines are unreliable myth. Regular maintenance which will be mandatory for a track car anyway and for hard use it will be as reliable as a piston engine.

Btw most rotaries lose compression due to water seals from shoddy maintenance than apex seal wear.

[dern]

neil jdmr said:

Don't buy into the whole rotary engines are unreliable myth.

I agree that it's not as bad as is made out and a lot is caused by bad maintenance but to suggest that the unreliability or at least the lack of longevity is a myth is plain denial or wishful thinking. Having rebuilt two of these engines this year I completely accept that these engines will not last as long on average as piston engines and I know that they will require more looking after but I also know that the way they drive makes it worth it.

[Dakkon]

Just be aware that once you start tracking anything the costs do go up, I bought an MR2 Turbo a year ago for £1900 and have since spent another £4k this year, new set of tyres was £500 alone, then you add decent pads & disks etc etc. However, trackdays are amazing, so my man maths makes it all worth it

[samwise77]

Well i ve found a new job which means i can keep the teg for track and sell bits for a cheap daily/ towcar... very useful thread i think though. will be doing cambelt next as its due then some ds2500s and should be away as it already has ad08rs all round

[Horse Pop]

You don't seem to see that many manual Altezzas for sale. The majority popping up are automatics.

[Riknos]

Horse Pop said:

You don't seem to see that many manual Altezzas for sale. The majority popping up are automatics.

quite.

I was tempted by this one but the price is too much personally:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-TOYOTA-ALTEZZA-RS20...

[dufunk]

Celica or mr2 beams redtop hard to find but quite a few imported into ireland at 2k mark, 10 bhp down on the blacktop but 120kg down on the altezza. The celica would sit with dc2's on the track few vids to prove it also could get it down near 1050kg fairly easy.

[SonicShadow]

If you're going the MR2 route, I'd get a cheap Rev3 NA. You can get them well under £1k, which gives you plenty of change for some decent tyres, and spare consumables like discs / pads.

[Dwmotorworks]

Just to chuck a spanner in the works ,

Have you thought of a mitsubishi gto ? Cheap, plenty power for the money , and with a little fettling can make a fun track car .. Ive had mine for 3 years now , and won't change it for anything else. Put it this way , i managed on my first visit as a novice with no track experience to crack 9 mins on the nurburgring ...

[jcmr2]

Mr2 Mk2s make great track cars, although they are quite heavy, they will take a lot of abuse and give very little trouble, put a set of ebc yellow stuff pads all round and a set of Toyos 888s and you have a great little track car.