Track day car, easy to work on, 2-3K ish?

[cs3ljw]

Good Afternoon

I am looking to buy a fun car that I can potentially use for the odd track day and work on myself (relatively novice) for 2-3K...

I have a few options in mind:

MX-5 - Seems a good choice, imagine they are easy to work on? Seem to suffer a lot with rust issues though at this money?
Clio 182/197 - I'm not sure these would be that easy to work on, seems a big engine to squeeze into a relatively small car?
Mini Cooper S R53 - I hear the R56 is really unreliable so even though you can get these relatively cheap prefer a 53. Same issues with working on though as the clio?

What are people experiences/opinions with these cars? Are there any others I should be considering... I usually like a quite a left field choice but the options above are pretty obvious... I'd like a corolla t-sport compressor for this reason but one I haven't heard many positives things about them and secondly I've got through 30 odd cars in a short time probably because I always go for something odd.. maybe its time to stick to the norm!

Thanks
Law

Edited by cs3ljw on Friday 14th September 13:35

[Michaelbailey]

I am in the exact same quandary! I have seen all them and in my opinion best one of the lot is the MX5... However me being me I don't necessarily think about whats best but go for whats fastest (very foolish). Im tempted towards an S3 8l or a TT (although I don't want to be the hairdresser of the track days but the 225hp BAM engine is the key component here) but with a little bit of fettling they will make pretty nippy cars. My issue is my daily driver is a B5 S4 which when I have finished putting my new turbos in will be kicking out 450hp. going down to low 100hp cars for a track car would seem a bit pedestrian! I look forward to seeing what people suggest on here.

[trickywoo]

Suzuki Swift Sport would be a good option if you aren't fussed about rwd.

[_Mac_]

If its a pure track car, then I would go MX5 and strip it down to the bare minimum. Sell the bits that are in good nick and put them towards lighter alloys and racing tyres. You don't need to beat everyone on the track - just the last time you posted

[cs3ljw]

I don't know what it is about the mk1 swift sport I've never liked it, I drove one a few years back, though that has reminded me of the twingo 133...

[nunpuncher]

I've just bought an r53 and decided to do a bit of work on it before I started using it. It's not too bad to work on. The engine bay is tight but it has a modular front end so the whole front can be taken off in no time giving pretty good access to the numerous oil leaks you will encounter. I recon if you were handy enough you could probably whip the whole engine out, do some work on it and put it back in in a day.

By contrast I had a slightly newer Mk2.5 MX5 at the start of the year and I gave up trying to work on that. There's loads of space in the engine bay and everything was easy to access but the tendency to rust doesn't stop at the chassis/bodywork. You only had to whisper the word "spanner" at most of the bolts and they sheared.

[cs3ljw]

nunpuncher said:

I've just bought an r53 and decided to do a bit of work on it before I started using it. It's not too bad to work on. The engine bay is tight but it has a modular front end so the whole front can be taken off in no time giving pretty good access to the numerous oil leaks you will encounter. I recon if you were handy enough you could probably whip the whole engine out, do some work on it and put it back in in a day.

By contrast I had a slightly newer Mk2.5 MX5 at the start of the year and I gave up trying to work on that. There's loads of space in the engine bay and everything was easy to access but the tendency to rust doesn't stop at the chassis/bodywork. You only had to whisper the word "spanner" at most of the bolts and they sheared.

This is good to know, thanks

[Nickp82]

RX-8 is well worth considering, they are not difficult to work on and you can get a good one well within budget

[cs3ljw]

Nickp82 said:

RX-8 is well worth considering, they are not difficult to work on and you can get a good one well within budget

I've had two so looking for a change!

[xstian]

I had a Corolla compressor a couple of years ago. I liked it and kind of wish I had kept it. Build quality was excellent and it looked subtle.

I wouldn't recommend it for a track car though, unless you like a challenge. I did a trackday in mine and you soon got the the cars limits in the braking and handling department. All my brakes where fresh before the trackday and I was running h&r coilovers which I had professionally set up and corner weighted.

They are difficult to tune as well. They really need an intercooler, but the MAF sensor is before the supercharger, so adding the intercooler confuses it.

[cs3ljw]

xstian said:

I had a Corolla compressor a couple of years ago. I liked it and kind of wish I had kept it. Build quality was excellent and it looked subtle.

I wouldn't recommend it for a track car though, unless you like a challenge. I did a trackday in mine and you soon got the the cars limits in the braking and handling department. All my brakes where fresh before the trackday and I was running h&r coilovers which I had professionally set up and corner weighted.

They are difficult to tune as well. They really need an intercooler, but the MAF sensor is before the supercharger, so adding the intercooler confuses it.

Thanks, definitely not getting one. I'd also imagine finding any information about a 250 production run car won't be easy, I tried to find information about the supercharger oil that was difficult enough. This backs up what I've heard re the handling aswell!

[ZX10R NIN]

If you can stretch to £3250 then you could get a 2.5T Focus in ST/ST2 form:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[mrtwisty]

I'll throw the mk3 MR2 into the ring as a contender here.

Considering bagging myself a cheap one during the winter and fettling it ready for the spring as a fun road/track car.

Also there is the option of then keeping my eye out for a crash damaged Celica T-Sport, from which to snatch the 2ZZ 190bhp motor - easyish swap into the MR2 I believe...

[danspec]

Here’s a bit of an odd one.

I’ve got a e34 520i manual.

I’ve stripped it out like proper stripped all the extra wires extra fuse box - I think there are 8 wires going to the back of the car.

all the sound dealing is out (I think the only bits are on the door skins.)

Gaz Coil overs, wand handbrake, power flex bushes, twin electric fans, strut braces front and rear, it has got a rear cage. Has loads of bits and pieces done that I’ve forgotten- Got loads of spare rims.

The seat rails for buckets have to be welded in to finish.

I was doing a drift car and got carried away in the garage but I’ve totally lost interest in cars so it has to go.

I’m going to list it on eBay but haven’t been bothered to yet, let me know if your interested. It would be a good project to finish off.

Cheers
Dan

[HorneyMX5]

Pick something with a big aftermarket scene and a car that sold in big numbers.

While it means you won’t be in something quirky, it will mean you hav access to lots of knowledge and cheap tuner parts.

I’ve built track MX5s and an r53, both have been epic.

What do you daily drive?

[cs3ljw]

The focus ST is interesting but I'm concerned it would be a pretty rough one for this price, I'll look into that.

I don't have the mechanical skills yet to finish off a project, part of this is trying to improve myself on that side of things but in the first instance I want something that is usable.

I really don't like the mr2 mk3 I'm sure its a decent car but not for me.

Yeah that sounds like a much better plan, stick to mainstream. My daily commuter is quite quirky I guess... a Honda CR-Z ha

[Frimley111R]

Megane R26. Unbelievable value, cheap parts/uprated parts, easy 270bhp... etc.

[Toed64]

cs3ljw said:

xstian said:

I had a Corolla compressor a couple of years ago. I liked it and kind of wish I had kept it. Build quality was excellent and it looked subtle.

I wouldn't recommend it for a track car though, unless you like a challenge. I did a trackday in mine and you soon got the the cars limits in the braking and handling department. All my brakes where fresh before the trackday and I was running h&r coilovers which I had professionally set up and corner weighted.

They are difficult to tune as well. They really need an intercooler, but the MAF sensor is before the supercharger, so adding the intercooler confuses it.

Thanks, definitely not getting one. I'd also imagine finding any information about a 250 production run car won't be easy, I tried to find information about the supercharger oil that was difficult enough. This backs up what I've heard re the handling aswell!

I wouldn't bother with a supercharged Corolla - in real terms they are not much faster than the 190bhp basic banger TSport...but don't dismiss a gently tweaked Corolla or Celica TSport. You could halve your budget and have a laugh instead.

My daily driver is a 130i with sorted suspension, I have a Sylva Riot and my last track day heap was a stripped out MX5 MK1, in which I learned loads.

I MUCH prefer rear wheel drive, generally, but my wet track day shed is a Corolla TSport. It's gutted out, with nothing much inside other than 2 seats and full harnesses. It's lowered and has about 2.8 degrees of negative camber on the front, track pads and semi-slicks. OK, so it doesn't handle quite as well as a Clio cup, but it's fast enough to keep up with a lot of expensive things out there and in the wet it is phenomenally quick in comparison to most of the cars whose drivers care!

With fresh discs, RB600 and decent track pads, the brakes have never been an issue: I've had them smoking with the discs glowing in the late Winter afternoons at Bedford...they did not fade to the point of terror.

If you don't like being overtaken, Bedford (my nearest track) is too fast a track for cars like NA MX5s, but I had an absolute blast there in mine when I was an absolute novice at track days.

If your local track is shorter than Bedford, with a little more geography than an airfield, MX5s are fantastic fun, cheaply tweaked and easy to work on, when/if necessary.

[Toed64]

mrtwisty said:

I'll throw the mk3 MR2 into the ring as a contender here.

Considering bagging myself a cheap one during the winter and fettling it ready for the spring as a fun road/track car.

Also there is the option of then keeping my eye out for a crash damaged Celica T-Sport, from which to snatch the 2ZZ 190bhp motor - easyish swap into the MR2 I believe...

Aha - I've been thinking about buying a smoky MR2 to do the same thing with the engine and box from my TSport - superb engine into a small, superb-handling rear drive 2 seater...

[Ahbefive]

Megane 225 or a clio are hard to beat.