Track Car for £500
Discussion
Evangelion said:
You probably won't find a VTS out of the box; I was recently looking for one as a daily driver and couldn't see a single unmolested one. They've all been chavved-up by the barryboys. Which is probably not what you want for a track car!
i managed to get a basically Mint mk1 saxo vts with FSH (had adjustable shocks all round & a noisy but reasonable oem looking exhaust) for £600 off ebay was almost a shame to rip it apart to track prep it because it was so clean and tidy Evangelion said:
You probably won't find a VTS out of the box; I was recently looking for one as a daily driver and couldn't see a single unmolested one. They've all been chavved-up by the barryboys. Which is probably not what you want for a track car!
My last track vts: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...The donor car, an 89k mile, PH2 on a W plate, cost me £565. Totally standard, just in need of a little love. I then ploughed £2k into it lol
Edited by Sir_Dave on Monday 6th December 09:03
I'm very interested in responses to this thread, as it's something I'm considering for next year.
My fear would be that for £500 you'll pick up a shed of car that will constantly need repairs? Does anybody have any experience here they could share?
I see some MK1 MX5s are available for £1200 - which people rave about - but not sure how mechanically sound these cars are?
Also does buying a cheaper track day car mean that you need to be handy with the spanners otherwise it will get expensive very quickly?
Sorry for the random thoughts/questions...hopefully they're in keeping with the thread topic.
My fear would be that for £500 you'll pick up a shed of car that will constantly need repairs? Does anybody have any experience here they could share?
I see some MK1 MX5s are available for £1200 - which people rave about - but not sure how mechanically sound these cars are?
Also does buying a cheaper track day car mean that you need to be handy with the spanners otherwise it will get expensive very quickly?
Sorry for the random thoughts/questions...hopefully they're in keeping with the thread topic.
I run a Saxo VTS on track too, wasn't the bargain of the century though. MK1 '99 T with 70K and I paid £1000.
The best thing about the VTS is that they are cheap to run on track, they don't drink loads of petrol, 15" wheels makes tyres cheap enough and consumables in general are cheaper than other cars.
Personally I'm not confident enough to spanner on a track car so I get a mechanic to do everything which does rack the costs up. I'm also very picky about the condition of everything so I've spent a lot of money refreshing parts for piece of mind.
A lot of people aren't as particular as me and successfully run cheap track cars for less than I do, so I think it depends on the individual.
The best thing about the VTS is that they are cheap to run on track, they don't drink loads of petrol, 15" wheels makes tyres cheap enough and consumables in general are cheaper than other cars.
Personally I'm not confident enough to spanner on a track car so I get a mechanic to do everything which does rack the costs up. I'm also very picky about the condition of everything so I've spent a lot of money refreshing parts for piece of mind.
A lot of people aren't as particular as me and successfully run cheap track cars for less than I do, so I think it depends on the individual.
steve singh said:
My fear would be that for £500 you'll pick up a shed of car that will constantly need repairs? Does anybody have any experience here they could share?
I see some MK1 MX5s are available for £1200 - which people rave about - but not sure how mechanically sound these cars are?
Also does buying a cheaper track day car mean that you need to be handy with the spanners otherwise it will get expensive very quickly?
It's basically a question of how you want to do things.I see some MK1 MX5s are available for £1200 - which people rave about - but not sure how mechanically sound these cars are?
Also does buying a cheaper track day car mean that you need to be handy with the spanners otherwise it will get expensive very quickly?
I'd say you make a choice: Buy a "disposable" car for £500, take it to the track (with a mate driving alongside). Drive it and see if it lasts. IF it does 2-3 trackdays then you've had your moneysworth and alls good.
IF it dies you write it off and find another. Just be aware that it will still have to be roadworthy, and that tracks won't take kindly to a car that dumps oil all over their circuit, or if a wheel comes off and you gouge a chunk out of the track surface you could be looking at big bills (unlikely, but that kind of thing lurks at the back of your mind on trackdays.
The other option is to buy a decent reliable car, for perhaps £1,000. Something like an MX-5 would be ideal, or a MR2. Spend a few hundred quid overhauling the brakes (new fluid/pads and discs are pretty much a must IMO if you're going on track, plus braided lines if you're going the hole hog). A full engine service, tear out any unnecessary weight yourself. Don't bother with power mods other than ensuring the engine is in good order with new fluids, but consider dampers and bushes to replace worn suspension. This costs. I'd estimate £1,000 to really prep most cars for active track duty, and that's buying cost effective parts and doing the work yourself.
The final route is to buy a performance car, spend thousands on it and then drive it slowly for fear of breaking it.
Any way you look at it, trackdays arn't a cheap past time. I've taken route 2 in the past, and had a great time because I'm not worried about if the car is going to break down/blow up or crash. Brakes are the big issue, IMO, and I'd not be comfortable taking any car on a track when I didn't have total confidence in the brakes.
So, buy a nail, thrash it and take the risk it breaks (but limit your losses), Buy a sorted car and fettle it to maximum longevity/robustness, or go all out and spend a fortune.... the choice is yours.
If you've not done trackdays, there are starter days in things like Caterhams where you hire the car too, and IMO these can work out as good value for money to get a feel for a trackday without buying your car a new set of tyres/ two tanks of fuel/ new brake pads / track insurance.... just a thought.
Both my E36 328's were well under £500, and both came with tax and test. Take your time and jump on the right one when it appears.
Both were undesirable colours with nasty pale grey interiors, the second even had grey plastic non body coloured bumpers.
Both had about £1200 worth of uprated parts and service items, but I could have cut this to about £600 with ease by using standard seats and belts, standard steering wheel and budget ebay shocks.
With clever buying and self building, a decent, safe E36 can be done for under £1000.
The first succumbed to rust around the screen, the second has a spotless shell, is still going strong and might soon receive a 3.0 litre M3 motor.
Both were undesirable colours with nasty pale grey interiors, the second even had grey plastic non body coloured bumpers.
Both had about £1200 worth of uprated parts and service items, but I could have cut this to about £600 with ease by using standard seats and belts, standard steering wheel and budget ebay shocks.
With clever buying and self building, a decent, safe E36 can be done for under £1000.
The first succumbed to rust around the screen, the second has a spotless shell, is still going strong and might soon receive a 3.0 litre M3 motor.
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