Discussion
Hi,
I have been planning to buy a track day and occasional road car for a while (need to sell a car first!), and wonder what you guys think I should get? I will have around £2000 spare and have narrowed my choice down to either a 2001 MX5, or a 2001 BMW 325. The MX5 has been my plan for quiet a while as it seems ideal and cheap on tyres. However a friend thinks that the lack of power will soon bother me, and I will want more which doesnt seem easy to get without adding a turbo which can lead to problems when racing. However I can have fun in a go kart which only does 40 mph, so I wonder if the lack of power will be an issue.
I will likely be using the car at Brands and Snetterton, and hopefully will get to a couple of other local tracks too, so considering all the above what are your thoughts on the best purchase?
Cheers in advance for your input
I have been planning to buy a track day and occasional road car for a while (need to sell a car first!), and wonder what you guys think I should get? I will have around £2000 spare and have narrowed my choice down to either a 2001 MX5, or a 2001 BMW 325. The MX5 has been my plan for quiet a while as it seems ideal and cheap on tyres. However a friend thinks that the lack of power will soon bother me, and I will want more which doesnt seem easy to get without adding a turbo which can lead to problems when racing. However I can have fun in a go kart which only does 40 mph, so I wonder if the lack of power will be an issue.
I will likely be using the car at Brands and Snetterton, and hopefully will get to a couple of other local tracks too, so considering all the above what are your thoughts on the best purchase?
Cheers in advance for your input
Definitely the MX-5, for the reasons above, plus they are mega easy to work on. You'll be surprised how far a £2k budget can go on one of them, here's what I managed with half of that... http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2... - fun : cost ratio is off the scale!
2001 would be an E46, which I'd avoid. Too big and too heavy for track days. I have one as a road car, and it really doesn't compare to my E36 track car, which itself feels very heavy and disconnected after an MX-5! Smiles per pound, the MX-5 beats nearly everything. I just like touring cars too much, which is why I went the other way.
AdamR172 said:
Definitely the MX-5, for the reasons above, plus they are mega easy to work on. You'll be surprised how far a £2k budget can go on one of them, here's what I managed with half of that... http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2... - fun : cost ratio is off the scale!
Blimey just read that thread - top effort. Wish I had a workshop to do something similar. Food for thought though!AdamR172 said:
Definitely the MX-5, for the reasons above, plus they are mega easy to work on. You'll be surprised how far a £2k budget can go on one of them, here's what I managed with half of that... http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=2... - fun : cost ratio is off the scale!
Another vote for the mx5. I've driven Adam's mx5 round Cadwell (thanks mate!) and I was grinning/laughing like an idiot all the way round. For the cost of them it's a no brainer for the fun they give, also reliable and cheap to run I am going to go against convention and suggest the 325i all be it the compact. The compact as a hatch is considerable lighter than the saloon. 0-60 will be in the 6 's lightened and there are plenty of parts available. 189bhp and a very reliable smooth engine. They are raced a lot. Find a manual one which will take up most of the budget, and you should have enough left over to put some track spec brake pads and a bucket seat. You can then slowly work through updating the car. That's what I did with my e30. Around brands both will be equally fun, but at snetterton you will want the power. For what it's worth in my e30 I found at slower tighter circuits I have a lot of fun and am one of the faster cars, but on fast long circuits I am one of the fastest around the corners, but get blasted on the straights by more powerful cars which then hold me up round the bends.
GTR LUST said:
Funny enough I have been considering the MK3 MR2, seems an excellent alternative to the MX5 for the same money, but the lack of space put me off slightly as I would use it for occasional day to day use!
MR2 is for a blast around the track but not so much for the weekly Tesco shop.The MR2 is no less usable day to day than an MX-5 - I've had both. The MR2 took me and my Dad, plus camping equipment to Le Mans and me and themissus on a 9 day tour of the Scottish Highlands, it is also regularly used for the weekly shop - you can get 5 super market bags across the storage area and another two in the front boot if really needed.
On track the MR2 feels a lot more planted, the MX-5 feels more playful, so I guess it depends on what you want from a track car. As with the BMW, I'd also suggest looking at an earlier MX-5, the mk2s are more prone to rust, due to a double skinned subframe - this is one reason why I went for an MR2, rather than another MX-5.
On track the MR2 feels a lot more planted, the MX-5 feels more playful, so I guess it depends on what you want from a track car. As with the BMW, I'd also suggest looking at an earlier MX-5, the mk2s are more prone to rust, due to a double skinned subframe - this is one reason why I went for an MR2, rather than another MX-5.
Sohlman said:
I am going to go against convention and suggest the 325i all be it the compact. The compact as a hatch is considerable lighter than the saloon. 0-60 will be in the 6 's lightened and there are plenty of parts available. 189bhp and a very reliable smooth engine. They are raced a lot. Find a manual one which will take up most of the budget, and you should have enough left over to put some track spec brake pads and a bucket seat. You can then slowly work through updating the car. That's what I did with my e30. Around brands both will be equally fun, but at snetterton you will want the power. For what it's worth in my e30 I found at slower tighter circuits I have a lot of fun and am one of the faster cars, but on fast long circuits I am one of the fastest around the corners, but get blasted on the straights by more powerful cars which then hold me up round the bends.
I would take the MX5, but if you want an E46 325i, follow this advice. The Compact version has the quick rack and is lighter than the coupe. It will still need quite a lot of work to feel as at home on the track as even a standard MX5.
Edited by abarber on Thursday 20th August 13:57
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