Reliable trackday car under £7k

[dabooga79]

I have been asked to investigate the costings of buying/running a track day with my 2 directors from work. It will primarily be used by at least two of us, if not all three at each track day we attend. We would most probably use it as a reward & incentive for loyal customers/introducers too.

As a result we would like something that was reliable enough to run for the majority of the day as we swap & change between drivers but also easy enough to work on during or inbetween track days. We will have the use of a large barn to store & maintain the car but also like the idea of buying a road car and converting it to track use ourselves. I would like to spend no more than £7k initially on the car & conversion. The other thing to bare in mind is the fact that all 3 drivers are used to fast road cars (Cosworth, Ferrari F430, 535D etc.) yet are track day novices and as a result I would think this would rule out the lower powered yet reputationally (if that's a word!) good handling cars. The cars I had in mind were E36 M3, E30 325i or 200SX.

Any recommendations or comments?

[Steve H]

So long as you have the budget to run it properly then the M3 is probably a good option. Plenty of power but great handling as well and lots of mods available if you want them.

Also looks the part to customers etc

The E30 is a decent car but really fits into your lower-powered category and the SX200 would take some work to get into the M3 league for pace or handling.

HTH

Steve H

[dabooga79]

Running costs won't be an issue once we have the car. Just want to buy the right car in the first place to have the most fun for the money.

[tertius]

M3 is probably a good shout, but some alternatives:

944 S2 or turbo
BBR MX-5 turbo

[wackojacko]

E36 M3 and some slicks would be hilariously quick and great fun out of the box.

Or a cheap westfield ? May be a
a little underpowered but sensational
fun and easy to maintain.

Modified Mk1 or
mk2 golf that has
already had the
money spent on it ? Underpowered thon


M3 M3 ......... M3
keep us posted on what you decide on

[Herman Toothrot]

You could get a CAT D repaired Elise or VX220 for £7k perfect track toy.

[wackojacko]

Herman Toothrot said:

You could get a CAT D repaired Elise or VX220 for £7k perfect track toy.

did cross my mind also , but vx220 clams are getting rarer and harder to aquire , elise S1 for that price would be a dog (head gasket , electrical gremlines etc)
E36 M3 spares are readily available and not stupidly expensive compared with the pace it would have on track with the addition of slicks/ R888's etc

Edited by wackojacko on Friday 14th January 23:26

[chrissimp]

BMW spares not expensive - mmm?! I think an old thrashed M3 might be maintenance intensive and need lot of those spares. How about a Mazda MX5. Cheap to buy and cheap to run. Very nice handling and will reward skilful driving. Could also embarrass more powerful cars on the twistier circuits. An excellent car for someone new to race track driving.

[SteA]

The 200's "can" be made to be very quick on track, but they can also be quite labour intensive and not that friendly for novice track drivers

An E36 M3 Evo would be a good punt and well within your budget, decent pads are cheap (with good fluid and weight loss, the standard brakes should be fine although opinions differ), standard size tyres are pretty cheap and you can get coilovers for a pretty good price too. I would also swap the diff internals for those from an E46.

My E36 at Oulton for the first time the other month, without decent brake fluid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN-3HZlgR1g

[wackojacko]

^^^^ great Video

I didn't say they where cheap for parts, I said they're cheap to maintain compared with machinery that is similarly quick around a track that's fairly forgiving but quick
in the hands
of most drivers

[NightDriver]

I'd go for a proper track car from the start, old clio cup car or similar...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2385232.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2363157.htm

[The Big G]

How about a Ginetta G20, but its at the top end of your budget at £6900.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2251450.htm

[wackojacko]

EPIC !

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2385232.htm

[fwaggie]

dabooga79 said:

I have been asked to investigate the costings of buying/running a track day with my 2 directors from work. It will primarily be used by at least two of us, if not all three at each track day we attend. We would most probably use it as a reward & incentive for loyal customers/introducers too.

As a result we would like something that was reliable enough to run for the majority of the day as we swap & change between drivers but also easy enough to work on during or inbetween track days. We will have the use of a large barn to store & maintain the car but also like the idea of buying a road car and converting it to track use ourselves. I would like to spend no more than £7k initially on the car & conversion. The other thing to bare in mind is the fact that all 3 drivers are used to fast road cars (Cosworth, Ferrari F430, 535D etc.) yet are track day novices and as a result I would think this would rule out the lower powered yet reputationally (if that's a word!) good handling cars. The cars I had in mind were E36 M3, E30 325i or 200SX.

Any recommendations or comments?

If you are interested in an M3 which has had a few upgrades for track days (coilovers, drivers seat, steering wheel, serviced and set up by Thorney Motorsport, Red Purple oil in diff, box and engine) please PM me.

[R1 Indy]

i would say some form of 7, plus a trailer.

you won't get more fun for your money!

[macgracing]

If its fun you are after, something Caterham-esque is the best choice. We run a Lotus and a Westfield and the Westfield is the one that is the most fun and laps a lot quicker than the Lotus purely because its so much lighter. Also cheaper to repair should you hit anything! They are very simple to run and maintain too. Having said that, a stripped out, track focused Lotus would be a good option if you don't want to be exposed to the elements.

[scz4]

Has to be an E36 M3. Let me know if you don't get the private mail I sent you, I seem to be having problems with these.

Basically this will be on the market shortly for not much more than your budget. All the track orientated parts and work is done, ready for fast road or track use, spent a crazy amount converting it. Only done 84k miles. Even better, I have a full AP big brake kit (front and back) in a box which the buyer would have the option of buying.

http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...

Edited by scz4 on Monday 17th January 19:41

[funtimee]

Another vote for E36 M3 here, that's what I had. Mine was completly standard and still lapped very quickly..

[SimonV8ster]

What about the running costs of an M3 on track ? Can't be cheap can it ?

[funtimee]

The e36's are not too bad. Pads are cheap as are tyres. It's only when you go mad and start putting much bigger brakes etc on then replacing pads and disc's becomes very expensive.

If you keep it fairly standard it won't cost you a fortune.