Track Day Car?

[Fraz.K]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone would have any suggestions on a suitable car that I could get for use on a few track days but also the daily commute I have to do as well. Bearing in mind I am 19 and insurance may be an issue, also the cheaper the better and RWD would be ideal! I know it’s a lot of boxes to tick!

Any help would be much appreciated.

[jleroux]

the MK1 MR2 is your friend

[Kawasicki]

I'm selling a lhd bmw 318iS E36. Unusually it has the limited slip option which makes the car great fun to drive. During my ownership I fitted H&R springs and Bilstein sport dampers, as a result it really handles! The insurance group is also lowish and the fuel economy is between about 28 and 38mph, depending on driving style. I have just had the car inspected at a local BMW specialist and it has a clean bill of health. I'm looking at offers around £1300. I can guarantee the car has never had a crash. The interior is like new, and the car has never been smoked in.

Let me know if you are interested.

Shane

[anonymous-user]

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

Owning 2 Mk1 MX5's I'd obviously recommend you take a look at one.

[911teo]

I have to agree with Lex. The Mazda is pretty unbeatable as a fun, affordable and capable track day car.

When considering a car you need to think about the consumables like pads, rotors, tyres etc. The MX5 is not only cheap to buy and insure, but it is also a great car to run economically.

And since it it very balanced and predictable it's one of the best cars to learn in. Being somewhat underpowered you'll learn to keep the momentum going.

Another car that is cheap to buy and wonderfully balnced is the Porsche 924. The Porsche is as usual wonderfully engineered, but it can be costly (certainly more expensive than a Miata) to run.

[jleroux]

the MR2 is closer (handling-wise) to whatever your next sportscar is likely to be (elise, boxster etc). if you can master the handling on an MR2 then it'll hold you in good stead for future sportscars IMO. i was amazed at how similar the MR2 handling was to the elise mark 1.

cheap as chips to buy and run - RWD, reasonably reliable given the age too.

J

[Fraz.K]

Thanks for the great advice, sounds like the MX5 is a winner, I like the MR2 but only the mark 2 and I don’t like the BMW 318 E36 in terms of looks, it’s not the most important thing but if I have got to live with it every day then it is a factor.
How much would I be looking at for a half decent MX5? What year ect?

[anonymous-user]

Depending on what condition you're after and how much work you're willing to put in, anything from £500 to £3k can get you into a Mk1 MX5. A friend bought a £500 car with a shagged engine and took the 1.6 from my track car off my hands and had a cracking car at the end of a weekend for not much money at all. On the other end of the scale, I just bought a very fresh import '97 for £3k.

The early 1.6 (89-93) is the lightest and has the full power (!) 115bhp 1.6 engine. The 94-97 1.8 has every so slightly more power and torque, doesn't rev quite as freely and is a little heavier (side impact bars, etc). Cars that have spent a lot of time in the UK will have more rust than cars recently imported from Japan. IMHO I'd look for a 94-97 Eunos Roadster import as this will likely have the Torsen limited slip differential and will have the marginally bigger brakes than the 1.6. Whatever you do, do not buy a 94-97 UK 1.6 as they have a detuned 90bhp engine.

If you're going to track it, buy a set of Axxis brake pads from Performance5, consider a Hard Dog roll bar or something similar to give it some roll over protection, give it a good service and you're good to go.

Oh, and get on over to Mazda on Track and sign up for a few auto tests as well as Mazda dedicated track days.

[Fraz.K]

Thanks for the advice, i will start looking into it, just to sell mine now (Saxo VTR only bought it as it handles a kart, had old sierra previous much more fun!)

[Chris71]

Get plenty of insurance quotes from marque specialists first - you may have a nasty shock (or for that matter an unexpectedly pleasant surprise) if you're 19.

I'd go for the usual suspects - MX5, MR2 (BTW the later ones aren't as bad as people make out...) and 3 series.

[Munter]

Fraz.K said:

Thanks for the great advice, sounds like the MX5 is a winner, I like the MR2 but only the mark 2 and I don’t like the BMW 318 E36 in terms of looks, it’s not the most important thing but if I have got to live with it every day then it is a factor.
How much would I be looking at for a half decent MX5? What year ect?

Dont write the MK1 MR2 off. I'd have got another after blowing one up IF I could find a good one. I just couldn't at the time. And to me thats the problem with the MK1 MR2 the owners like them and dont sell them, or they are a money pit.

Hence the MX5 as good ones are MUCH easier to find. Plus lots of shiny upgrades available .