Track day car for under 2k
Discussion
Morning all,
I'm looking for a track day car for under 2k. At the moment it's a bit of a toss up between a 3 series BMw or a 205 GTI.
I'm not really that fussed about being the fastest on the track , I just want to have fun and not worry about it costing me a fortune when things go bang !!
If anyone has an suggestions of what to buy , let me know.
Cheers
Toby
I'm looking for a track day car for under 2k. At the moment it's a bit of a toss up between a 3 series BMw or a 205 GTI.
I'm not really that fussed about being the fastest on the track , I just want to have fun and not worry about it costing me a fortune when things go bang !!
If anyone has an suggestions of what to buy , let me know.
Cheers
Toby
Go with the Beemer all day long. My first track car was an E36 325 - never missed a beat and gave SO much fun. RWD offers much greater possibilities for honing skills and having fun once the initial rush of going fast is passed. If you go with FWD it'll only be a matter of time until you want to trade to something driven by the correct wheels
I was facing this decision too recently, and have ended up with a 205 mi16. I could just as easily ended up with a Beemer too, but it came down to the condition of the cars that I saw for the money.
If, as you say, your criteria is fun, and cheap to fix then go the Pug route. They're a great road and track car and loads of fun. I'm planning on keeping mine for maybe a year, and then upgrading to RWD but for a bit more cash.
Bottom line for me was.... if it's really only 2k that you want to spend, then go for a decent 205. It'll hold it's value and they're easy to work on. If you can stretch to anything over 2k, then i'd probably go for a decent Beemer.
Just my 2 pennies worth!
Oh, I may have to change this thread.... the 205's first track outing at Bedford is coming up in 2 weeks so will have to see if i'm eating my own words as all the 318s come flying past me grinning!
If, as you say, your criteria is fun, and cheap to fix then go the Pug route. They're a great road and track car and loads of fun. I'm planning on keeping mine for maybe a year, and then upgrading to RWD but for a bit more cash.
Bottom line for me was.... if it's really only 2k that you want to spend, then go for a decent 205. It'll hold it's value and they're easy to work on. If you can stretch to anything over 2k, then i'd probably go for a decent Beemer.
Just my 2 pennies worth!
Oh, I may have to change this thread.... the 205's first track outing at Bedford is coming up in 2 weeks so will have to see if i'm eating my own words as all the 318s come flying past me grinning!
I've had a number of track cars at varying values and my advice would be to look at Toyota MK1 MR2's -nice one would be £1,200 ish and then spend a bit on braided brake hoses and maybe suspension.
It will be far more fun than any FWD car you'll buy for the money in my opinion
Another good option would be a MK1 MX5/Eunos Roadster, although you'd have to be patient and find one with a half cage ideally.
Both these choices are a) Japanese with the associated reliability b) depreciation proof (the MR2 is actually appreciating) c) cheap on consumables and offer big club followings include classic insurance policies.
Cheers
Simon
It will be far more fun than any FWD car you'll buy for the money in my opinion
Another good option would be a MK1 MX5/Eunos Roadster, although you'd have to be patient and find one with a half cage ideally.
Both these choices are a) Japanese with the associated reliability b) depreciation proof (the MR2 is actually appreciating) c) cheap on consumables and offer big club followings include classic insurance policies.
Cheers
Simon
I'd say 200 sx, MR2 or MX5.
Japansese reliability.
If you buy a standard car you need to budget a fair bit to make it useable on track, starting with the brakes/suspension.
You could buy one ready to go like this 200 sx for sub £2k
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/308173.htm
You might find a scruffy road/race prepared MR2 Mk1's for around £2k on this website;
http://www.mr2championship.com/
Japansese reliability.
If you buy a standard car you need to budget a fair bit to make it useable on track, starting with the brakes/suspension.
You could buy one ready to go like this 200 sx for sub £2k
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/308173.htm
You might find a scruffy road/race prepared MR2 Mk1's for around £2k on this website;
http://www.mr2championship.com/
tobster said:
I was thinking of getting a high mileage 325i for about 700 quid and then putting decent suspension and brakes on.
If the engine goes pop then I can always strip it for parts and pick up another high miler.
Glad to hear you're thinking of the important things. The last thing you want to do is go on track and have your brakes give up within a couple of laps. It's amazing the amount of people that take their car on track for the first and go sliding off the circuit because their 'road brakes' can't take the heat. This leads to the inevitable red flag and temporary circuit closure and a consequent dive in your popularity with the other drivers that are there to enjoy the day.If the engine goes pop then I can always strip it for parts and pick up another high miler.
E36's can be had for very good money if you're not in a rush. I bought a 1995 328i coupe in november for £350 after haggling. It has 165k on it, but with receipts a plenty and a replacement steel block. The rest of the money came off due to a minor bump taking the front bumper off and some rust spots. I've gutted the insides and sold the bits for about £100. All the parts to fix the bumper came from a breakers on coventry for £45. A pair of Cobras with subframes were swapped for fitting his bedroom carpet, and I scrounged a pair of TRS 5 points from a mate who works for a race team.
Some bushes, shocks, pads, discs, braided hoses and bits and bobs like radiator pipes and stuff have totalled about £950.
All in it now has a very nicely sorted chassis with a fairly strong 193bhp for about £1,300.
Any more money will go on E46 caliper carriers to space out the calipers and use bigger discs. After this I may need bigger wheels though.
Try looking for non-runners or spares-repairs if you don't mind some work. E36 parts are now super cheap and there are lots of second hand bits about now.
Some bushes, shocks, pads, discs, braided hoses and bits and bobs like radiator pipes and stuff have totalled about £950.
All in it now has a very nicely sorted chassis with a fairly strong 193bhp for about £1,300.
Any more money will go on E46 caliper carriers to space out the calipers and use bigger discs. After this I may need bigger wheels though.
Try looking for non-runners or spares-repairs if you don't mind some work. E36 parts are now super cheap and there are lots of second hand bits about now.
Not yet. Well, nothing more flash than rebuilds all round, new hoses and pads and such. If I wanted improvements, I wouldn't go for anything as expensive as one of those kits. A set of BMW 840Ci calipers would be ideal, they are 4 piston brembos and appear from time to time on ebay and go for about £150 per pair add these to a set of E46 caliper carriers and 330Ci discs and you're up for most conditions. Similarly a set of E36 M3 brakes went before christmas for about £75. They aren't the best, but they're better than the normal E36's.
The MR2 tracker I had was running standard calipers for ages before I bagged a set of GT-four brakes. The only problem I had was warping discs. Decent pads, (EBC blue) hoses and discs and good fluid, like Dot 5.1, will be enough for 20 minute sessions providing you haven't got massive horsepower and lots of weight.
The MR2 tracker I had was running standard calipers for ages before I bagged a set of GT-four brakes. The only problem I had was warping discs. Decent pads, (EBC blue) hoses and discs and good fluid, like Dot 5.1, will be enough for 20 minute sessions providing you haven't got massive horsepower and lots of weight.
If you're looking for tuning bits, keep an eye open on places other than Demon thieves. Although they have a lot of choice, you do have to pay for it.
Your money will be far better spent on the chassis than it will on the motor. It's hugely satisfying to overtake a car with an obvious amount more power than you. A high mileage E36 will have utterly destroyed OE suspension, even the M-tec upgrade won't be too clever after 100,000+ miles.
Mine has 165000 on the clocks, so I'm leaving the engine alone. I don't want to put any extra stress on it at that age really.
And if it pops, I'm thinking of doing something silly and greasing up a 4.4 V8 and wedging it in.
Your money will be far better spent on the chassis than it will on the motor. It's hugely satisfying to overtake a car with an obvious amount more power than you. A high mileage E36 will have utterly destroyed OE suspension, even the M-tec upgrade won't be too clever after 100,000+ miles.
Mine has 165000 on the clocks, so I'm leaving the engine alone. I don't want to put any extra stress on it at that age really.
And if it pops, I'm thinking of doing something silly and greasing up a 4.4 V8 and wedging it in.
Check out my profile, I bought a track prepped 1.9 GTi last year for £1150, and a decent twin axle trailer for £800. This way I don't have the expense of taxing/insuring/MOTing an extra car and don't have to worry about any modifications not being MOT friendly and getting it home if it breaks down on (heaven forbid) I crunched it. The trailer's paying for it's self steadily shifting a few cars about for a bit of extra cash.
The Peugeot's great fun with about 150bhp and 800kgs, along with plenty of cheap spares about on Ebay and stuff. Keeps up with a lot more serious stuff on track, and if it all went wrong then I can just a another 205 and re-shell it over a few weeks, just a lot of labour rather than £££s
The Peugeot's great fun with about 150bhp and 800kgs, along with plenty of cheap spares about on Ebay and stuff. Keeps up with a lot more serious stuff on track, and if it all went wrong then I can just a another 205 and re-shell it over a few weeks, just a lot of labour rather than £££s
Another to consider is a Porsche 924s.
I recently bought one off ebay on a whim and i've been pleasantly surprised by it.
The mechanicals feel bombproof, its plenty quick enough(160hp) but most impressive is the handling.
It's very nuetral with great steering, it rewards fluid driving.
They are cheap as well, £1k will get you in one with good mechanicals but a tatty body.
I recently bought one off ebay on a whim and i've been pleasantly surprised by it.
The mechanicals feel bombproof, its plenty quick enough(160hp) but most impressive is the handling.
It's very nuetral with great steering, it rewards fluid driving.
They are cheap as well, £1k will get you in one with good mechanicals but a tatty body.
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