Track/road car under 3k to buy...
Discussion
DocSteve said:
Well, here it was in action at Anglesey. A full 102bhp of fun and for a charitable cause. Apart from a noisy front wheel bearing that will be sorted soon it was a great track car - consistently hitting just over 100mph before the rocket corners. 
Good work! That looks fantastic. What spec is it? Edited by DocSteve on Friday 1st April 12:48
Basically a standard 1.5 Mazda2 sport that had been owned by someone who’d done some inexpensive mods - coilovers at the front ?make and lowering springs at the back. Came in at £2.5k including new Nan Kang NS2R tyres. Swapped out some RX8 seats for originals as they weighed a lot and were bolted in for a very unusual driving style :-) A bit more weight reduction and some awesome work with the graphics by a local firm and that was it - 400mile round trip to the circuit and a day of learning both the car and circuit. Obviously not that quick in a straight line but its weight and the tyres gave it a lot of grip and ability to attack the tight corners. I was just getting it together by the end of the day really! I’m aiming to take it to Cadwell next….
HustleRussell said:
I think that small hot hatches and MX-5s are the archetypal trackday cars. I view the trackday arms race as a regrettable phenomenon which probably deters a lot of the type of people which trackdays were for in the first place.
Too many people treat it as if it is racing, or half way to racing.
If you have a warm hatch or a standard MX-5, or indeed anything milder, you should not be deterred from doing a trackday. Despite what some are saying, trackdays are for you and your car is suitable.
This.Too many people treat it as if it is racing, or half way to racing.
If you have a warm hatch or a standard MX-5, or indeed anything milder, you should not be deterred from doing a trackday. Despite what some are saying, trackdays are for you and your car is suitable.
Light weight means less wear on brakes and tyres.
DocSteve said:
Basically a standard 1.5 Mazda2 sport that had been owned by someone who’d done some inexpensive mods - coilovers at the front ?make and lowering springs at the back. Came in at £2.5k including new Nan Kang NS2R tyres. Swapped out some RX8 seats for originals as they weighed a lot and were bolted in for a very unusual driving style :-) A bit more weight reduction and some awesome work with the graphics by a local firm and that was it - 400mile round trip to the circuit and a day of learning both the car and circuit. Obviously not that quick in a straight line but its weight and the tyres gave it a lot of grip and ability to attack the tight corners. I was just getting it together by the end of the day really! I’m aiming to take it to Cadwell next….
It looks like a huge amount of fun. A revvy Twin cam 16v is a great thing. Hope to see you on track and hope your trip to cadwell isn't as snowy as it was on Thursday!phazed said:
Arms race 
Funny and true……
Most of us are sucked into upgrades. It just depends on where you are going to stop!
It is though, and it's annoying. That, and TDOs ignoring blatant timing.Funny and true……
Most of us are sucked into upgrades. It just depends on where you are going to stop!
I used to run MX5s with coilovers and standard engines.
When i returned to trackdays a few years ago i bought an MX5. At cadwell it's great fun, but easy to spent much of the day signalling cars to go past. At other circuits it's just frustrating unless raining.
I upgraded to a clio200, but at silverstone last year it was really frustrating again as everyone seemed to be running 300bhp as a min. I'm now plotting another upgrade.
The instances of people timing is really annoying. Right in front of TDOs walking in the paddock too. Race cars doing data analysis. People shouting their new PB across the paddock. It's just nuts! I'm amazed the insurers have allowed them to keep going.
I've passengered in these 300+bhp cars and normally the drivers are lacking in talent. Bullying slower cars.
It's all kind of spoilt it for me. Some people really need to go racing. Perhaps then they'd realise that they aren't particularly quick after all.
Apols for the rant
PTF said:
phazed said:
Arms race
Funny and true……
Most of us are sucked into upgrades. It just depends on where you are going to stop!
It is though, and it's annoying. That, and TDOs ignoring blatant timing.Funny and true……
Most of us are sucked into upgrades. It just depends on where you are going to stop!
I used to run MX5s with coilovers and standard engines.
When i returned to trackdays a few years ago i bought an MX5. At cadwell it's great fun, but easy to spent much of the day signalling cars to go past. At other circuits it's just frustrating unless raining.
I upgraded to a clio200, but at silverstone last year it was really frustrating again as everyone seemed to be running 300bhp as a min. I'm now plotting another upgrade.
The instances of people timing is really annoying. Right in front of TDOs walking in the paddock too. Race cars doing data analysis. People shouting their new PB across the paddock. It's just nuts! I'm amazed the insurers have allowed them to keep going.
I've passengered in these 300+bhp cars and normally the drivers are lacking in talent. Bullying slower cars.
It's all kind of spoilt it for me. Some people really need to go racing. Perhaps then they'd realise that they aren't particularly quick after all.
Apols for the rant
Cadwell, like Bedford GT, is a great circuit for mixing high and lower-powered cars. Lots of twisty bits linked by a couple of longer straights where it's easy to give a quick lift and indicate to let the bigger boys past.
Go try Thruxton or Castle Combe. I've done both in a car with 210-220bhp/tonne and wasn't having to move over often. There were also Clios at both who were running well throughout the day.
brillomaster said:
For 5k id have an early z4 3.0, with £400 track tyres and £400 track brakes.
For 3k id have a ropey e46 330ci, again with the same track tyres and brakes.
230bhp, rwd and a naturally aspirated straight six is a great combo for a track car.
Have to disagree with these. The Z4 has really numb 1st gen electric power steering, which takes the fun out of it a bit, although the engine is obviously nice. For 3k id have a ropey e46 330ci, again with the same track tyres and brakes.
230bhp, rwd and a naturally aspirated straight six is a great combo for a track car.
The e46 330ci, it's just a heavy car and will eat tyres and brakes. It might be decent to start with for a novice, from a fun perspective, but the novelty will wear off and the weight will become an issue. Just my 2p.
TroubledSoul said:
brillomaster said:
For 5k id have an early z4 3.0, with £400 track tyres and £400 track brakes.
For 3k id have a ropey e46 330ci, again with the same track tyres and brakes.
230bhp, rwd and a naturally aspirated straight six is a great combo for a track car.
Have to disagree with these. The Z4 has really numb 1st gen electric power steering, which takes the fun out of it a bit, although the engine is obviously nice. For 3k id have a ropey e46 330ci, again with the same track tyres and brakes.
230bhp, rwd and a naturally aspirated straight six is a great combo for a track car.
The e46 330ci, it's just a heavy car and will eat tyres and brakes. It might be decent to start with for a novice, from a fun perspective, but the novelty will wear off and the weight will become an issue. Just my 2p.
The Z4 steering really is poor, even by electric standards, and the lack of an LSD makes the back end a bit inert. They combine to give a chassis that doesn't engender confidence. The E46 would be an option if you were prepared to go 'full race build' on it, but in anything resembling road trim it's just not a fun car - too heavy, too overdamped, too understeery.
C70R said:
Agreed. I've owned both, and don't think they would be my first choice on track at either budget.
The Z4 steering really is poor, even by electric standards, and the lack of an LSD makes the back end a bit inert. They combine to give a chassis that doesn't engender confidence. The E46 would be an option if you were prepared to go 'full race build' on it, but in anything resembling road trim it's just not a fun car - too heavy, too overdamped, too understeery.
Agreed. A stripped E46 with an LSD, coilovers, polybushes and brake upgrade could be decent fun, but you're still compromising compared to something like an MR2 Roadster or an MX5, unless the big engine is more important to you than the handling. To each their own etc. The Z4 steering really is poor, even by electric standards, and the lack of an LSD makes the back end a bit inert. They combine to give a chassis that doesn't engender confidence. The E46 would be an option if you were prepared to go 'full race build' on it, but in anything resembling road trim it's just not a fun car - too heavy, too overdamped, too understeery.
I remember having a newage Impreza STI and getting really annoyed at the weight of it when I went to Blyton. I was getting murdered through the bends by modded Clios
you looked like you were having some fun 
TroubledSoul said:
Agreed. A stripped E46 with an LSD, coilovers, polybushes and brake upgrade could be decent fun, but you're still compromising compared to something like an MR2 Roadster or an MX5, unless the big engine is more important to you than the handling. To each their own etc.
Exactly. That's three very different experiences right there. Mid engine, rear drive is a challenging place to start if you are driving to the limit for the first time. Another reason why a hatchback or an MX-5 are ideal trackday cars- you can get away with murder, and have a lot of fun doing it.
to each their own is right.... personally, my main 2 priorities for any fun car is a minimum of 6 cylinders and rear wheel drive, so when someone says to me 'which track/road car to buy' i read that as 'which 6 cylinder, rwd car to buy'...
personally, i'd never even consider a renault clio or an mx5, as they don't meet my two main criteria!
(unless you mean a renault clio V6, then i'm all ears)
personally, i'd never even consider a renault clio or an mx5, as they don't meet my two main criteria!
(unless you mean a renault clio V6, then i'm all ears)
brillomaster said:
to each their own is right.... personally, my main 2 priorities for any fun car is a minimum of 6 cylinders and rear wheel drive, so when someone says to me 'which track/road car to buy' i read that as 'which 6 cylinder, rwd car to buy'...
personally, i'd never even consider a renault clio or an mx5, as they don't meet my two main criteria!
(unless you mean a renault clio V6, then i'm all ears)
I'll never understand the mentality of someone who says "I'll never buy a car with X", and thus writing off an entire genre of great cars in the process.personally, i'd never even consider a renault clio or an mx5, as they don't meet my two main criteria!
(unless you mean a renault clio V6, then i'm all ears)
It's a bit like the sort of person who wears a Hawaiian shirt to the local pub, just so people will strike up a conversation with them.
These experts seem to think there are lots of new cars with <6cyls that are worth owning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcxq5IcN3Iw&ab...
JP__FOX said:
phazed said:
Driving Combe on Monday, anyone else?
I do like that track. I have done Combe several times, never been too busy imho.
I may be coming along in my MX5 but not sure if I can make it yet... What are you in?I do like that track. I have done Combe several times, never been too busy imho.
What colour is your MX5?
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