Something better than my 120i for less than £5k

[osdecar]

Hi guys,

This is my first post in PH, but I've been reading you for a really long time now. You've got a great lovely forum!

Getting to the point, some time ago my 120i was written off, and I transformed it into a track only car. I really love the way the car handles (and is not just me, every single person on the passenger seat is really surprised about the good handle and how solid it feels) however, with just 170bhp it is a bit underpowered, to be fully enjoyed.

At this point I think I need something more powerful, but I still want to keep the the small 1 series handling. My budget is around £5k, and despite all the powerful cars I could buy with that money, I'm not convinced if any of them is going to behave any better on the track.

At this point, the obvious choice would be the 130i, but there's very few under 5k.

I've also considered the Z4 3.0, but it's exactly the same situation, only the very first M54 engined (228bhp) are on budget.

A good friend of mine has a track only e46 330i and he insists it is a great track car, but I'm not sure that the increase in power is going to be any noticeable due to the increase in weight.

Other option would be the Nissan 350Z 3.5, I love the way it looks and sounds, and I'm sure those 300 horses with a good diet would give me tons of fun out of the corners. But is it going to behave any good anywhere else on the track?

I've been a passenger on the famous Mini R53 and it feels like a great car, but I don't think it's going to be any better than my current car.


I'm completely lost now, every single day I think I've found the perfect car for me, and the next day doesn't look like a great idea...

Could you please give me any advice?

Thank you very much!

[osdecar]

Hi guys,

Thank you all for your answers, they are really helpful.

rallycross said:

130i is the correct answer.
Can be had from as little as £4K.
Save up for an after market lsd
Transfer good bits from your current 1 series.

Or buy a cheap Rx8 with a strong engine prices are low but makes a good budget track car and surprisingly quick round a track.

3 series needs a lot doing to make it much good on track - suspension brakes then weight loss.

Yes, as I said, it is my first option, but there are not so many for that price, probably only the bad units. I just wanted to know if there is a better alternative.

Regarding the Rx-8, the power output is lower than the 130i and I'm not confident about its reliability

E-bmw said:

In that case it sounds like you are the only person to have made a dedicated track car with a standard power output, and perhaps that is your answer.

Stick with what you know and make it better.

A quick googling implies around £1k will see you with 220+ bhp.

Exhaust/intake/remap and you have the car you always wanted.

ETA.
for example, I got 238 out of my e36 328 which had 193 as standard with just those mods above.

Edited by E-bmw on Saturday 21st July 19:45

Probably the 328 engine it's much more tunable than the 120i N43. If you look at the aftermarket parts, all of them are for the 6 cylinder engine. I don't think the power increase is going to worth the money I will have to spend.

Test driver said:

Honda S2000 is worth considering and within budget, very strong mechanically.

It's something I'd never considered, but looking at onboard videos, wow! that looks fast and nimble! I'm adding it to the list. I will test drive that thing for sure, thank you!

Berkshire bred said:

If you like the car that you have and it is track only surely the answer is big turbo or supercharger, more power in the car you already like.

Well, I have a friend with a turbocharged mx-5, and in my opinion, turbocharging it's the best way to ruin your track day. As it is impossible to have a single trouble-free track session.

foggy said:

Is swapping a 30i engine into your current shell not an option?

Yes, that was the first option, but my car is 4 cylinder and the 30i is a 6 cylinder, that means purchasing a wiring loom along with the engine. At the end of the day, it's much more expensive that just swapping the car.




Any opinion about the 350Z?? it looks like the best value bhp for money


Thank you very much!

[osdecar]

Hi Guys,

Thank you very much for your answers.

At this moment, I feel like the 130i and the 350Z are the only two realistic options for me.

Owning a 120i already, I know how the 130i is going to be a fantastic tool on the track. But the 350Z still appeals me more than the BMW.

Bearing in mind I'm planning for a full stripped interior and lightweight work on the final car, plus a couple of modifications on the brakes and new suspension... Which one do you think is going to be a better track car?

rallycross said:

Prices have moved up on S2000 and is no longer a £5k option for anything decent

Well, there are a couple of them advertised for a bit less than £5k.

I've seen some on boards on youtube, and looks like a fantastic car for track use, and I would not like to completely rule it out.

If I go and take a look at one of those sub-5k examples, what would be the things to pay attention at?

mmm-five said:

Can you supercharge it?

Unfortunately, I don't think that's an option. Either because the lack of turbocharging kits for the N43B20A and because of the dramatic loss in reliability.

[osdecar]

Welsh_Meat said:

350z is a great car and can be picked up for 3k

I use a 350z GT (UK Spec) for track and it is lovely to drive... rewarding and well balanced
Comes will all the toys, brembos, heated leather seats, bose audio etc etc

The seats are really heavy so depending what you plan to do with the car i would suggest changing them for buckets

Thanks for the information, mate!

What's the difference between UK spec and imported for the 350Z?

Bose system, fancy seats... I don't really worry about those, as I will remove eventually. Brembo calipers and LSD, are at the top of my list, though.

I already have a bucket seat with harnesses on my 120i, which I will put into whatever I buy.

[osdecar]

Welsh_Meat said:

The GT UK Spec model comes with brembos and lsd as standard... the jap imports do not.

I will be at Brands on the 28th Aug for the evening, I am more than happy to take you round the track for you to get a feel for the car if you like.

Thank you very much for the offer mate. However, I will be on holidays in that period.

Enjoy the session!

[osdecar]

Jakg said:

If RWD, I think 330i / Z4 / 130i. Lots and lots of aftermarket parts available when you want to go track focused.

The 350Z is a good shout, but quite heavy.

Have you considered FWD? You could get a Megane R26 for the same money and that would like be faster than the above on the same track, although not as fun. But again loads of aftermarket support.

330i is a good option, but is almost as heavy as the 350Z (1400kg vs 1540kg) while 70bhp down on power.


I know that everyone says FWD can be great fun cars, but I don't think they are my cup of tea after having had some laps as a passenger.

[osdecar]

Craikeybaby said:

I have a 120i, but haven't taken it out on track because I also have an MR2 Roadster, which I use on track.

It is down on power, but much more involving to drive and accelerates faster due to weighing a lot less.

Most of the cars you have listed are quite heavy cars, why not look at sports cars? You could get a good MR2 or mk3 MX-5 for less than £5k or even a Boxster if you want more power.

Well, there is a common factor between the car you've listed. They are all convertibles and I am not a massive fan of them.

Apart from that, MX-5 are underpowered, the main reason I want to change my 120i is because lack of acceleration, and it accelerates faster than stock Mx-5's.

The Boxster is a good option to buy, but probably quite expensive to run if anything goes wrong, my impression is that the DIY community is quite small in the porsche world, and every issue has to be solved with loads of money.

And regarding MR2, I don't know... cannot say anything against it. Just the fact that I simply don't like it. I love the MK2, but they're not that cheap if you want a good unit.


I might be wrong in every single point, but those are the reason why I have not considered those cars.

[osdecar]

Hi guys,

Again thank you all for your answers!

brillomaster said:

I swapped an e46 328i for a early z4 3.0. Much much better car. Picked it up for £3k, reused the e46 18" wheels with track tyres, upgraded the brake pads. It feels lighter, sits a lot lower with a lot less roll, sounds great. The 3 series always felt like a family saloon, the z4 feels like a sports car. Plus, can get the roof down which you cant do in a one series!

Hi Mate, thank you very much for your feedback.

Honestly, the more I read, the more I rule out the 330i as an option. The Z4 looks like a very good option, but only the worst units fall within my budget. Nonetheless I will keep it in mind, in case there is a good opportunity when I start looking for a replacement, after the summer holidays.

veehexx said:

off the top of my head, suspension bushes was one main point. they seize up and expensive to get bushes sorted. Yeah there is powerflex option, but when i did it on the 1 or 2 pairs on the rear because i had to cut the bushes out, it squeaked on every speed bump.
rear arch rust seems to be somewhat typical but i've a feeling that was down to driver issues than a fault with the metalwork prep.
brakes calipers liked to seize up, but nothing a recon'd caliper wouldn't fix. more likely damage to the dust boot on previous work letting water&salt in to the piston.

if it's 5k as starting prices, like any car, then as long as the mechanical stuff is good the rest can be fixed, ignored or removed imo. for a track car it doesn't matter too much about tatty bodywork or rattles. It did seem a few had gearbox shift issues like grinding, but that was fixed with an oil change.

cant think of any other issues off the top of my head. The s2ki forums could be more helpful.

Thanks mate, I say the same with respect to the Z4, it's out my budget, but I will keep it in mind just in case there's a cheap and good unit out there

Tommie38 said:

Are there any parts on the 120 that could move to a 130?

The bucket seat and harness can be moved to any car.

The solid engine and gearbox mounts, could be moved to the 130i

I'm unsure about the braided lines.

And, most likely, racing pads and, tyres will have to go.


Fortunately, there's few upgraded parts on the 120i at the moment. And that's why I'm trying to decide what to do now. Because the next steps would be a full cage and new suspension, and I want to make sure I do that investment on the right car.

[osdecar]

Humour said:

A 130i is NOT a light car and knocking on 1.5 Tons! Add to this that you are adding more weight on the front axle, compared to a 4 cylinder the response will be different to what you are currently experiencing, Just for reference.

With respect to wanting to go faster, do you feel that you are at the limit of what you currently have? Do you have a Bucket/Harness/Cage/Decent Coilovers/Geo/Sticky tyres and not 15+ year old bushes etc. If yes, then fair enough, if no, then you will always be wanting to compensate with power for faster cars and the fact is there will always be someone faster and/or with a bigger toy/budget.

Given your limited budget, the most bang for buck you will get is to look for a used track prepared car. At a 5K budget you are most likely looking to buy something with close to 10K in prep/development invested in it. Various E36 328's about that gutted and caged sit in the 1150~1250KG wet, with a decent suspension and LSD, you are looking at a potent weapon, that can trouble much more powerful cars in the right hands. I know, I own one

Basically your 5K budget needs to double if you want to start with a road car, it makes no sense to do so given the used options that are out there. Sell the 120i, and used the funds to recondition/further develop what someone else has started! This way you will get the most bang for your buck and most smiles per mile imo.

Humour

Hi Mate,

Thank you very much for your answer. Good point about the weight in the 130i.

Regarding my current car and the limits, I know for a fact I can go much faster on the 120i. But it's not lap times what I'm after, I just want more power, 170bhp feels so underpowered in corner exit that it almost ruins the whole experience.

Regarding the budget, I totally agree with you: an already prepared car it's going to be a much more sensible investment. However, for me, most of the fun is in the garage, rather than on track. If I buy something done, it will feel like cheating, like paying for someone else's work, instead of achieving the goal with my own effort. It just does not suit me.

£5k is just my budget for purchasing the car, and not for the whole project. I know that I will have to put an additional £2-3k at least to have something half-decent.

Honestly, I almost have my mind made. I'm quite sure I will go for the 350Z, although I will test drive a 130i and an s2000 before buying anything.

Still open to some other models that I might have missed.


Thank you all for your feedback!