Which daily driver for occasional track use
Discussion
Looking for a bit of advice from people who do track days.
I'm looking to buy a fast road car which I can also chuck round a track two or three times a year. I've never raced anything bigger than a go-cart and don't want to be competative, just have fun doing something I've always enjoyed and never got around to.
I need four seats because I have two kids and a better half who need transporting around and the car would be kept on a drive not garaged, although I could fix the garage if that would make a difference.
I'm currently looking at:
Evo vii
Nissan R33 GTR
Nissan R34 GTT (worried about this in the snow and ice - comments?)
All of those can be had for under £10k which I'm comfortable spending and would be great road cars, but would they be any good on a track? And would I always be fighting the technical wizadry and eating tyres?
Alternatively, I could push the budget to £25k but I'm struggling to justify that for one car, however it would mean I could afford a cheap daily driver and something a bit special for dry roads and track days like a Lotus Exige or Europa. If you've done it, was it worth it?
Sorry for the longwinded first post. I'm not first to ask this, but I couldn't get the search to work, so links to existing posts will not offend.
I'm looking to buy a fast road car which I can also chuck round a track two or three times a year. I've never raced anything bigger than a go-cart and don't want to be competative, just have fun doing something I've always enjoyed and never got around to.
I need four seats because I have two kids and a better half who need transporting around and the car would be kept on a drive not garaged, although I could fix the garage if that would make a difference.
I'm currently looking at:
Evo vii
Nissan R33 GTR
Nissan R34 GTT (worried about this in the snow and ice - comments?)
All of those can be had for under £10k which I'm comfortable spending and would be great road cars, but would they be any good on a track? And would I always be fighting the technical wizadry and eating tyres?
Alternatively, I could push the budget to £25k but I'm struggling to justify that for one car, however it would mean I could afford a cheap daily driver and something a bit special for dry roads and track days like a Lotus Exige or Europa. If you've done it, was it worth it?
Sorry for the longwinded first post. I'm not first to ask this, but I couldn't get the search to work, so links to existing posts will not offend.
It depends how you drive it. If you go at it hard then with a possible 25k budget I'd buy a dedicated toy and a daily driver. I used to run a 2002 STI as both but after the inevitable upgrades, tyre wear, brake wear, wheel bearings etc then it was cheaper to have a dedicated toy....not much slower either.
Even with your lower budget you could get a toy and a dedicated work horse. I have a focus that I use for work and the VX for fun (hoping to do some trackdays next year). You can get a VX/Elise for £8k now, and just get and old workhorse for £1500 or so, gives you the extra you may need for insuring two cars etc.
Worth a thought IMO.
If you really want to get one car at the lower end, how about a 4 door M3? I'm not a beamer fan at all (can't stand them if I'm honest, but that's an owner/kudos issue rather than the car itself). But from what I've heard they're very capable both on road and track.
Worth a thought IMO.
If you really want to get one car at the lower end, how about a 4 door M3? I'm not a beamer fan at all (can't stand them if I'm honest, but that's an owner/kudos issue rather than the car itself). But from what I've heard they're very capable both on road and track.
It depends on your driving habbits. On paper two cars will always be a better use of the money. There are plenty of hardcore track cars around for sub-£10k that will demolish most realistic daily drivers for three times that. The only thing is whether or not you'll get bored trundling round in a 1.6 Focus 5 or 6 days a week and only playing with the track/B-road toy on sunny Sundays.
I've tried both approaches and neither is perfect. On balance I'd go for two cars, particularly if you could afford to run something vaguely interesting as the sensible car. £5k would pick up a very respectable mk1 or 2 Scooby WRX or even an E36 M3 saloon, and the remaining £20k would set you up in some very serious machinery (Caterham Superlight R with change perhaps?)
I've tried both approaches and neither is perfect. On balance I'd go for two cars, particularly if you could afford to run something vaguely interesting as the sensible car. £5k would pick up a very respectable mk1 or 2 Scooby WRX or even an E36 M3 saloon, and the remaining £20k would set you up in some very serious machinery (Caterham Superlight R with change perhaps?)
If your only doing 2 or 3 trackdays a year a dedicated car would be a waste of space in my opinion. Your better off getting something great on the road that'll suit your lifestyle and you'll use all the time but can handle being thrown about a track once or twice a year. With this in mind I'd look at the Evos / Subarus so you have 4 doors for the easy life with the kids. If you really don't find it a bother folding seats how about Honda DC5 ITR?
After reading another thread earlier, how about getting a dirt cheap track toy, like an MR2 Turbo? Mid-Engined, RWD with stacks of power. Should be able to pick a good one up for sub £2.5k. Then you are't spanking loads of money on something that'll see a track 3 times a year (as mentioned above), could also be used for the occasional Sunday drive or PH hoon.
JakeR said:
I'm with Herman on this,
2 or 3 trackdays should be manageable in a road car, though you might want to budget some spare wheels/suspension/brakes
True, but it applies to the road too. A Caterham is still more fun down a B-road than a Volvo estate, but it's crap for trips to Ikea. 2 or 3 trackdays should be manageable in a road car, though you might want to budget some spare wheels/suspension/brakes
It's not just quantifiable things either it's perception. For me at least an M3 or C63 AMG saloon does not feel as special as a similarly fast sports car or coupe. It is obviously a personal thing though, if your ultimate track car was an M5 Touring and you had the money to run one you'd probably never need anything else.
If you are serious about only doing 2-3 days a year you should consider hiring from BaT or similar. That way you get a proper track car with none of the hassle of buying/maintaining/insuring it.
If you get the bug after that and want to do more frequent trackdays that's the time to get a dedicated track car of your own.
Steve H
Trackaction-Online
If you get the bug after that and want to do more frequent trackdays that's the time to get a dedicated track car of your own.
Steve H
Trackaction-Online
t11ner said:
If you are serious about only doing 2-3 days a year you should consider hiring from BaT or similar. That way you get a proper track car with none of the hassle of buying/maintaining/insuring it.
If you get the bug after that and want to do more frequent trackdays that's the time to get a dedicated track car of your own.
Steve H
Trackaction-Online
Not a bad idea, but if I go for the two car option it'll be to have a cheap wagon dor load lugging and people moving and a fun two seater for dry days on the road and the odd track day to really open it up and push myself.If you get the bug after that and want to do more frequent trackdays that's the time to get a dedicated track car of your own.
Steve H
Trackaction-Online
boxsey said:
If the kids aren't too big then a Porsche 968 is in your budget.
The kids are tiny, but the problem with little kids is that they have long legs which can't bend over a seat bolster, so at age 4 the eldest takes up more leg room than a harlem globetrotter. It's one of the big reasons the A4 has to go, any 4 seat daily driver will have to pass the kids leg room test before I can consider it.Gassing Station | Track Days | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff