Choosing a car for fun that would double as a daily
Discussion
Hello everyone 
I am trying to chose a car that will be used as both fun/track days car and as a daily.
I am from Bulgaria and availability of various car models as well as prices are quite different here so my choices are
somewhat limited. Also unfortunately, I do not have the conditions to work on my own car, so 99% of the stuff will be done in a garage.
Comfort and practicality are not too much of a priority because I rarely need a car in my daily life.
Yes the car will be used for commuting, but mostly it will be used for twisty B roads, track days and the
occasional road trip. I do plan to go to the Nurburgring, so reliability is important.
Originally, I was thinking of getting a Nissan 350z, but they are quite rare here, parts for them are even rarer.
That and the fact that I cannot put my track tires in the trunk/back seat has put me off the car.
So I have narrowed my choices to:
BMW E46 330ci - RWD, straight six and I love the styling! What is not to like - well I will have to get improved oil pump for the engine, reinforce the rear sub-frame and potentially rebuild the engine since it will have god knows how many miles on it. Normally I would have no problems with this, but as far as I know getting more power without turbo charger or a compressor is very very hard. Unfortunately that would be "illegal" here because outdated laws and other stupid reasons. So I will be stuck with the 231hp that it comes with, or whatever I can get from a remap and exhaust system. Basically I will be investing alot of money in a car with not very much power.
Honda Civic Type R EP3 (fn2 is also an option) - light, supposedly with great handling and very reliable. The car itself is affordable and the maintenance and parts are cheap too. What bothers me here is the fact that its FWD and that it has only 200hp (altho that its power to weight ratio is a bit better than the E46). I know that the engine can be modded in its NA form for more power up to 240-250hp, but am unsure of how much that would coast here. At least I can put an LSD on it The car is not as common as the other two options, but still parts and a proper garage to work on it should not be a problem to find. Also I am left with the impression that this would be the most reliable option.
Audi S3 8L - what draws me to it is the very tunable and potent engine. There are alot of garages that have experience with tuning and modding these cars here and its relatively easy and affordable to get 300-330hp or even more. Parts are plentiful and relatively affordable. Blow off valve noises <3. Buuuut, it is a bit ugly on the inside, heavy and the QUATTRO is FWD biased. While I have not had the chance to experience the car in proper conditions, what Im reading on the internet leaves me with the impression that it has the worst (as in least fun and least dynamic) handling of the cars here.
My problem is that while I can test the cars in the city (have already tested some) I cannot try them out on a twisty B road or a track, so I cannot form an impression of which one would be most fun. So if you have had experience with these cars on track or a good back road, please share your thoughts and opinions with me it will be really helpful.
I am trying to chose a car that will be used as both fun/track days car and as a daily.
I am from Bulgaria and availability of various car models as well as prices are quite different here so my choices are
somewhat limited. Also unfortunately, I do not have the conditions to work on my own car, so 99% of the stuff will be done in a garage.
Comfort and practicality are not too much of a priority because I rarely need a car in my daily life.
Yes the car will be used for commuting, but mostly it will be used for twisty B roads, track days and the
occasional road trip. I do plan to go to the Nurburgring, so reliability is important.
Originally, I was thinking of getting a Nissan 350z, but they are quite rare here, parts for them are even rarer.
That and the fact that I cannot put my track tires in the trunk/back seat has put me off the car.
So I have narrowed my choices to:
BMW E46 330ci - RWD, straight six and I love the styling! What is not to like - well I will have to get improved oil pump for the engine, reinforce the rear sub-frame and potentially rebuild the engine since it will have god knows how many miles on it. Normally I would have no problems with this, but as far as I know getting more power without turbo charger or a compressor is very very hard. Unfortunately that would be "illegal" here because outdated laws and other stupid reasons. So I will be stuck with the 231hp that it comes with, or whatever I can get from a remap and exhaust system. Basically I will be investing alot of money in a car with not very much power.
Honda Civic Type R EP3 (fn2 is also an option) - light, supposedly with great handling and very reliable. The car itself is affordable and the maintenance and parts are cheap too. What bothers me here is the fact that its FWD and that it has only 200hp (altho that its power to weight ratio is a bit better than the E46). I know that the engine can be modded in its NA form for more power up to 240-250hp, but am unsure of how much that would coast here. At least I can put an LSD on it
The car is not as common as the other two options, but still parts and a proper garage to work on it should not be a problem to find. Also I am left with the impression that this would be the most reliable option.Audi S3 8L - what draws me to it is the very tunable and potent engine. There are alot of garages that have experience with tuning and modding these cars here and its relatively easy and affordable to get 300-330hp or even more. Parts are plentiful and relatively affordable. Blow off valve noises <3. Buuuut, it is a bit ugly on the inside, heavy and the QUATTRO is FWD biased. While I have not had the chance to experience the car in proper conditions, what Im reading on the internet leaves me with the impression that it has the worst (as in least fun and least dynamic) handling of the cars here.
My problem is that while I can test the cars in the city (have already tested some) I cannot try them out on a twisty B road or a track, so I cannot form an impression of which one would be most fun. So if you have had experience with these cars on track or a good back road, please share your thoughts and opinions with me it will be really helpful.
Gary C said:
gt86
Thanks for the suggestion, but that car literally does not exist here. I have seen one example for sale about a year ago and it was like 25k euro for a second hand car with at least 60k km`s on it. It is not an option.I have narrowed down my search to the mentioned cars and would really appreciate it if we could keep the discussion on them
That is why I have not mentioned a budget.ZeroReverse said:
Thanks for the suggestion, but that car literally does not exist here. I have seen one example for sale about a year ago and it was like 25k euro for a second hand car with at least 60k km`s on it. It is not an option.
I have narrowed down my search to the mentioned cars and would really appreciate it if we could keep the discussion on them That is why I have not mentioned a budget.
BMW then.I have narrowed down my search to the mentioned cars and would really appreciate it if we could keep the discussion on them
That is why I have not mentioned a budget.330i E46 BMWs are rear wheel drive and have silky smooth engines, but they need a bit done to the suspension to make them track cars. A chap I know races one, but it's very different to a road spec vehicle. I think it depends on how far are you going to go with your conversion and your budget too.
The Honda is faster than the 330i as a standard vehicle and great fun for a fwd car. I don't know anything about S3s...
If you are prepared to invest in an engine rebuild and minor upgrades to an E46, you might consider a BMW 130i which would be in your budget and is unlikely to need the engine touched. They rev better than the earlier engine, produce 30 to 40bhp more and have earned a reputation for being tough. Standard cars understeer and hop about at the back, but can be sorted out relatively easily and cheaply...personally, now that I have sorted the suspension and steering geometry of my 130i, I wouldn't swap it for any of the cars you are considering.
The Honda is faster than the 330i as a standard vehicle and great fun for a fwd car. I don't know anything about S3s...
If you are prepared to invest in an engine rebuild and minor upgrades to an E46, you might consider a BMW 130i which would be in your budget and is unlikely to need the engine touched. They rev better than the earlier engine, produce 30 to 40bhp more and have earned a reputation for being tough. Standard cars understeer and hop about at the back, but can be sorted out relatively easily and cheaply...personally, now that I have sorted the suspension and steering geometry of my 130i, I wouldn't swap it for any of the cars you are considering.
Thanks for the reply Toed64. Indeed I factored that the E46 will need some suspension work, subframe reinforcement and probably better oil pump. Then again, any of the cars will get some heavy suspension and breaks upgrades.
As for the 130i, it is a great option I agree, however they are very rare here - there is like 1 listed for sale in the entire country. Actually even that surprised me since there were none listed for the past few months. I still keep it as an option if a good one pops up in my region. I considered E90 330i, however it is quite a bit heavier than both the E46 330i and the 130i. I was also thinking about 335i which is really cool, however I am afraid that most of them are quite run down and I will have to pay alot in repairs right after purchase just to have it be reliable. Still I keep it at the back of my head tho
@ZX10R NIN, would Megane RS or Clio RS be better than a Type R? And which gen are you referring to? I briefly considered a Clio III RS 200, but then I read the horror stories about the gear box and decided that I dont want to deal with that.
As for the 130i, it is a great option I agree, however they are very rare here - there is like 1 listed for sale in the entire country. Actually even that surprised me since there were none listed for the past few months. I still keep it as an option if a good one pops up in my region. I considered E90 330i, however it is quite a bit heavier than both the E46 330i and the 130i. I was also thinking about 335i which is really cool, however I am afraid that most of them are quite run down and I will have to pay alot in repairs right after purchase just to have it be reliable. Still I keep it at the back of my head tho
@ZX10R NIN, would Megane RS or Clio RS be better than a Type R? And which gen are you referring to? I briefly considered a Clio III RS 200, but then I read the horror stories about the gear box and decided that I dont want to deal with that.
Edited by ZeroReverse on Sunday 4th November 13:38
Edited by ZeroReverse on Sunday 4th November 13:42
Had the 330ci and now have the FN2 Type R, the Type R is something like 2-300kg lighter and would murder the 330 on a track or b road. straight line performance is fairly similar. My 330 had powerflex bushes all round which helped with the handling. Both engines are fantastic but the 330 is the better daily
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff