£4-5k on a car for the ring in July

[sgtbash]

Hi Gents,

Just making sure I'm not missing any obvious candidates for a trip to the ring in July. Currently have these on the cards:

Honda Civic Type-R FN2 - had one before, and I know I could rely on the K20 to provide a bit of fun, might be a bit slow though.

Porsche Boxter 3.2 986 - never had a Porsche but think it would be a good laugh, I think this generation don't have that many problems?

Mk3 Toyota MR2 - reliable and great handling, slow though.

Clio 182 - think this would be a bit of fun too. Never had one.

BMW Z4 3.0 - could be a good shout.

Any suggestions ?

[Vsix and Vtec]

You've covered most of the obvious ones, I'd probably also add Fiesta ST.

Out of those though I'd probably take the FN2. Remove the back seats, through service, then put decent tyres on it and enjoy yourself. It's only slow if you have to use the brakes for the corners!

[soad]

A Mini Cooper S? R53, unless they’re likely to overheat?

The days of a £5k DC2 ITR (or even S2000) sadly are long gone.

[jaydeeuk1]

The Mr2 is the one most likely to get you there, but pre 2002 engines especially don't like long high G corners and will suffer oil starvation. I don't think they're suitable for track use

Id probably go porsche out of that list. With good breakdown insurance.

Or Citroen AX diesel and see if you can beat 9.55. Probably be more fun too.

[sunnyb13]

£5k is a good budget could get a lot of different cars for that

-megane R26

-bmw F30 320d (Chris Harris choice)
-bmw 335i e92

-Audi s3 8P

-Abarth 500
-Mini Cooper jcw

Gti mk5

[pti]

soad said:

A Mini Cooper S? R53, unless they’re likely to overheat?

The days of a £5k DC2 ITR (or even S2000) sadly are long gone.

I just bought one for a bit of track fun. I couldn't tell you whether it's any good on track yet but it's a hilarious little thing on the road.

[Mr Tidy]

Someone bought a BMW Z4 for a trip to Spa. Here is the story:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145979

At that budget I'd be very tempted by a BMW 130i though.

[pti]

Mr Tidy said:

Someone bought a BMW Z4 for a trip to Spa. Here is the story:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145979

At that budget I'd be very tempted by a BMW 130i though.

I have one of those as well

[Chucky-egg]

Megane R26. Much more raw than a lot of modern cars, really involving, capable and FWD with LSD so unlikely to put you into the barriers backwards unless you drive like a total whopper. There’s a reason you see so many RenaultSport cars at the ring.

Clios are loads of fun, but I’d much rather drive an R26 there and back.

[ZX10R NIN]

I'd say the Megane is the pick from the list above:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501258...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501178...


BUT the GTC VXR trumps them imo:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501238...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409144...

This one needs a bit of tlc but it's cheap:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202502028...

[Mr Tidy]

pti said:

Mr Tidy said:

Someone bought a BMW Z4 for a trip to Spa. Here is the story:- https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145979

At that budget I'd be very tempted by a BMW 130i though.

I have one of those as well

As a former 325ti Compact owner I keep wondering if I should have bought a 130i, but I ended up paying a fair bit less for a 330i with the same engine!

[paddy1970]

In my opinion, driving a front-wheel drive vehicle around the ring can feel somewhat unengaging compared to the thrills offered by rear-wheel drive. At this price point, I believe a bbr 200 Mazda MX-5 NC is also a strong candidate, as it provides a superb balance of agility, reliability, and enjoyment (a bit under power but at least you won't crash it too fast). BMW Z4 3.0, for around £4,000 to £5,000, are generally in very poor condition, with significant looming maintenance or repair costs that would likely overshadow your trip.

Below an example of a bbr 200:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2025011480...

Edited by paddy1970 on Tuesday 4th February 21:42