5k budget rwd road legal ?

[200Plus Club]

Obviously mx5s fit the bill but what else?
Had an n/a mx5 before but was a touch underpowered. Supercharged or turbo versions reliable on track?

Bmw also spring to mind. Just want something that is semi decent and you can play with a little
That we can drive to/from.

[MG CHRIS]

Mx5 turbo 3k will get you a good set up car with 200-250bhp then spend the rest improving bits for track day driving. The engine will go on all day at that level as long as the build as been done well using good parts and a known ecu megasquirt or the new one out me2211.

[Munter]

If the MX5 doesn't have enough power try a Honda S2000

[bicycleshorts]

Purely for track days and the journey to/from?

Surely something like this would fit the bill:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/k...

[200Plus Club]

MG CHRIS said:

Mx5 turbo 3k will get you a good set up car with 200-250bhp then spend the rest improving bits for track day driving. The engine will go on all day at that level as long as the build as been done well using good parts and a known ecu megasquirt or the new one out me2211.

If i could get an mx5 that wasnt rotten and was nicely sorted I'd be happy. The old one used to be a hoot.

[andyiley]

I went the other way you mention, e36 328 1998 £1650 in 2009, everyone makes bolt-on goodies for them, fully poly-bushed, upgraded brakes, seats, harnesses, cage, LSD, remap, exhaust, BBTB, intake 330bhp.

Handles superbly, OK, the mx5 is lighter & cheaper, but the e36 is more robust, and everything comes off & goes back on with ease, doing it myself, that is important to me.

[Robb F]

andyiley said:

I went the other way you mention, e36 328 1998....remap, exhaust, BBTB, intake 330bhp.

Really?

[iguana]

Robb F said:

Really?

Pretty sure its a typo & he meant 230bhp, not 330 I have the same & its bang on 230.

[Robb F]

iguana said:

Pretty sure its a typo & he meant 230bhp, not 330 I have the same & its bang on 230.

I was going to say that's a very impressive remap!

[200Plus Club]

Its got to be rwd and driftable /fun. The old mx5 was a hoot on toyo r1s, cheap as chips to maintain and run. Oil change at every second trackday.
A stripped out bmw appeals tho with a full roof and decent suspension. Followed a well set up 328 round blyton and it was lively enough for fun.

Dont want to get into something that needs big sump mods or oiling issues on track, reliability will be a must.

[McSam]

At £5k you have more than enough budget for a perfectly sorted E36 328i. I've not spent half that on mine, it's brilliant fun and has been utterly reliable for fourteen events so far. I would look seriously at S2000s as well, though, very addictive and starting out with a proper sports car never hurts.

[andyiley]

Robb F said:

andyiley said:

I went the other way you mention, e36 328 1998....remap, exhaust, BBTB, intake 330bhp.

Really?

Yes, you were all right, 230, typo, but 330 would be nice!

[CubanPete]

A well turbo'd MX5 is going to be difficult to beat at this price can be set up well for the track and be driveable on the road.

Nissan 200SX or a Skyline with a torque split controller to adjust to RWD?

[MG CHRIS]

200Plus Club said:

Its got to be rwd and driftable /fun. The old mx5 was a hoot on toyo r1s, cheap as chips to maintain and run. Oil change at every second trackday.
A stripped out bmw appeals tho with a full roof and decent suspension. Followed a well set up 328 round blyton and it was lively enough for fun.

Dont want to get into something that needs big sump mods or oiling issues on track, reliability will be a must.

As long as you fit an oil cooler when turbod on track wont be an issue. Mx5 engines come from the old 323f turbo so the internals are good for around 250bhp before the need to upgrade and still some have got 270 and ran a while before bending rods etc.

[200Plus Club]

Cheers for all above

Anywhere specific for track biased mx5 or bmw other than ph etc?

[Boarder1]

Cat C or Cat D, E46 BMW M3, strip it, put bucket seat in it and you have a decent 340bhp rear wheel drive car.

I picked mine up on Gumtree for just over 4k, 100,000 miles and is the best money I have spent.

[H4r1s]

Some non-BMW options

Mercedes 190E 2.3 or 2.5 16v

Mercedes C36/C43 - no idea if they handle as well as the 190E's and whether you can get a decent one in budget.

Nissan 300ZX
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...

get rid of the 4 wheel steering for track days though!

S2000
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

Porsche 944 S2
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

Plenty of Porsche boxters in budget also

Edited by H4r1s on Wednesday 30th September 14:24

[Munter]

H4r1s said:

Plenty of Porsche boxters in budget also

If I was on a budget, and wasn't prepared to spend 3-4k on a rebuild of the engine after IMS or one of the other failure points, I'd avoid the boxser myself.

There's a reason hartech have a whole page of prices for this sort of thing:
http://www.hartech.org/porsche_996_997_Boxster_eng...

[CubanPete]

MX5OC and lots of groups on facebook

[MG CHRIS]

CubanPete said:

MX5OC and lots of groups on facebook

Nutz forum is pretty good too.