Trackday car - upto 7k

[ForzaGilles]

Myself and a friend of mine are toying with the idea of buying a trackday car between us with a budget of upto 7k. I've had a look in the trackday classified section on here but IMO quite a few of the cars seem quite expensive for what they are, so we'll probably buy a stock road car. RWD is preferable, although I certainly wouldn't rule out FWD. 4WD is out, as is forced induction, naturally aspirated all the way. Ideally we'd like to spend a minimal amount in terms of track prep i.e not have to spend thousands on roll cages, brake and suspension upgrades etc. Just something that's reasonably suited to track work out of the box. Big running costs are out as well. My shortlist at the moment is:

Porsche 968 Sport
Lotus Elise
Honda Civic/Integra Type-R
Honda S2000
Porsche Boxster 2.5/2.7
Renault Clio Trophy
BMW E36 M3

All advice and opinions welcome

[V8mate]

Add Porsche 944 to the list. You can get track ready ones (i.e. cage and racing seats) for £2-3k and then spend the balance of your budget on replacing any parts which are a bit tired and extra sets of wheels/tyres.

Don't discount the non-M E36s either. Plenty of scope for making them very zoomy!

[ForzaGilles]

Thanks for that V8mate. The only thing that concerns me with the 944 is age. It's going to be minimum 20 years old so could be pretty tired. I really don't want ot have to spend lots of time/money replacing parts and getting it up to a half decent standard. There's quite a nice looking one in the classifieds on here, but at 10k he's dreaming!
I'd thought about the E36 328i as well actually. They seem to be pretty good value, but again will need quite a bit of work to get to that "track ready" stage.

[V8mate]

As soon as we hit autumn, the prospect of Christmas will see wives and girlfriends pushing their OH's track toys onto ebay/PH classifieds. Hang tight for a month and you'll have plenty of 'part-done' cars to choose from.

[ForzaGilles]

Thanks for the advice

[edh]

Very few "stock" road cars make good track cars - I'd look for one that is already built for track work. Maybe even a race car that is or can be made road legal. The 944/968 and E36 are great platforms but both need some work for track use. I'd go for a cheaper car and sink the rest of your budget into maintenance, spares (tyres & brake pads) & track time / tuition.

The one exception on your list is the Integra DC2 - great as a track car in standard spec, but watch out for ones that smoke on VTEC (worn rings)

Your list is quite varied - RWD, FWD, small hatches & 1.5 ton saloons. Lighter cars will cost you less to run, with less wear on the components & cheaper tyres. For RWD the best value is E36 M3 or 328 (don't discount it - lighter than the M3 and still as quick as a 944S2). The 944 /968 is a great handling car, but fairly heavy & will be relatively expensive to look after. The blue 944 with the S2 motor would be a great buy - at 4k not 10k

Another great option would be a Seven + trailer - if you have the space to store it

Edited by edh on Friday 3rd September 12:11

[tim2100]

I would go for a E36 325 / 328. Stripped out and with race seats & harness.

Spend 1-2k on one, buy the seats, and get good replacement shocks. They are quick enough to play, and easy enough to drive.

My mate has one that cost him £500 with 170k miles. It has been faultless on countless days. It has embarrassed much better machinery on a few occasions.

Plus they are cheap enough so if anything does happen, you either hammer back into place, leave it or strip down and sell the bits off.

[ForzaGilles]

edh said:

Very few "stock" road cars make good track cars - I'd look for one that is already built for track work. Maybe even a race car that is or can be made road legal. The 944/968 and E36 are great platforms but both need some work for track use. I'd go for a cheaper car and sink the rest of your budget into maintenance, spares (tyres & brake pads) & track time / tuition.

The one exception on your list is the Integra DC2 - great as a track car in standard spec, but watch out for ones that smoke on VTEC (worn rings)

Your list is quite varied - RWD, FWD, small hatches & 1.5 ton saloons. Lighter cars will cost you less to run, with less wear on the components & cheaper tyres. For RWD the best value is E36 M3 or 328 (don't discount it - lighter than the M3 and still as quick as a 944S2). The 944 /968 is a great handling car, but fairly heavy & will be relatively expensive to look after. The blue 944 with the S2 motor would be a great buy - at 4k not 10k

Another great option would be a Seven + trailer - if you have the space to store it

Edited by edh on Friday 3rd September 12:11

Thanks for the advice. No space for trailer storage unfortunately I have a Caterham at the moment which sadly will be going next year If we had a higher budget i'd get another one, probably an ex racer.
I do like the Integra's, but I feel finding a good one may prove difficult. Agreed on that 944 value.....

[GravelBen]

Suprised the MX5 and MR2 haven't been suggested yet! Even as standard they're great fun but you could get a very well prepared example for less than half your budget.

[ForzaGilles]

GravelBen said:

Suprised the MX5 and MR2 haven't been suggested yet! Even as standard they're great fun but you could get a very well prepared example for less than half your budget.

I'd like something with more power really....

[boxsey]

ForzaGilles said:

GravelBen said:

Suprised the MX5 and MR2 haven't been suggested yet! Even as standard they're great fun but you could get a very well prepared example for less than half your budget.

I'd like something with more power really....

There's a group of us on a BaT day at Donington on Sunday 10th October that includes quite a few boxsters. Come along and try one from the passenger seat. Most of them will be later cars (your budget will only get an early high mileage 2.7) but you'll get the general idea. There will also be a lot of Elises there that day (I'm sure you could blag p/x rides) but I don't know if they would also fit your budget?

[V8mate]

Here you go - building a track car is at least half the fun!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

[swtmerce]

Just a word of warning. There is a HUGE cost difference between running a 328 and a M3 on track. As others have said, the 328 is a blinding car. I built and ran one for two years and it was simply incredible.

[Harry Monk]

Might as well mention the Camaro and the TR7 before 300bhp/ton does.

[ForzaGilles]

Harry Monk said:

Might as well mention the Camaro and the TR7 before 300bhp/ton does.

Err, no thanks

[pikeyboy]

Having a 968 club sport on new oe suspension I can vouch for their on circuit ability. However they are big heavy cars at 1250kg, my caterham although only 919cc will run rings around it and is cheaper to run on track too in terms of tyres and brakes etc.

[gruffalo]

Try contacting Rex on here, he has a seriously sorted E36 M3 that he may be selling, complete with Kumo Racing Series suspension and brakes with R888 tyres, £7K may be enough to secure you a truely awsome track car.

It is a wonerfully balanced car that shows up much more powerful stuff on every outing, brakes are truely awsome.

Do not try and use as a road car though, OK for short runs but now to hard core for pot holed roads, it just hurts.

He is looking to pick up his Lotus Exige complete with supercharged Honda engine next week hence reason for sale, also I think CLUB GT were looking at using it as there trackday car and renting it from him, it really is that good.

[gav dunn]

hi forzagille, i mite be able to help you here, i have a bmw e36 328 full track car with loads of spares. please email me exactly what your loking for. thanks. [e-mail].

[ARAF]

I was looking for a RWD track car 2 years ago. I ended up with an E46 325 compact, then added KW suspension and Eibach ARBs - leaving the rest of the car standard. I use the car on 16s as a daily driver, and have 17s fitted with 888Rs for when I track it. Getting the car and sorting it cost half of what you're looking to spend.

I did look at race seats, caging it and stripping weight out, but then it becomes too focused and loses its everyday usability so I left it standard.

I'm currently having trouble finding something to replace it with, as it's fitted the bill so well.

[GravelBen]

ForzaGilles said:

GravelBen said:

Suprised the MX5 and MR2 haven't been suggested yet! Even as standard they're great fun but you could get a very well prepared example for less than half your budget.

I'd like something with more power really....

Fair enough, but easily attainable with a turbo or SC version - 200-250bhp is easily gained from an MX5 (in a lighter car than your other suggestions with associated lower running costs), or a Mk2 MR2 turbo is ~240bhp standard with potential for much more.

Edited by GravelBen on Monday 6th September 02:00