Track Car Choice

[NickR33]

hi motorsport heads!

as seems to be a pretty common thing to do I went and bought a super clean GTR with all the fruit early in '09... I was intending to track it like my old 33GTSt but other priorities have gotten in the way and now I've grown attached to it I'm a bit gunshy about taking it out on the track... I've never been able to take a car out and treat it nicely, red mist descends and I always end up thrashing the thing to within an inch of its life (and often beyond)

sooo I want to keep the R as a street car... its a bit loud, thirsty, harsh and demonic for normal people on the street but I have something wrong with me so I enjoy driving it... even at the speed limit... yes I'm a little strange but my mum says I'm just special

I'm not really concerned with times, I just want to have some fun again but don't want to constantly worrying about 'what that noise is'... something I can use for autocross, motorkhana stuff as well as some track work... something that's easy on brakes and tyres and isn't too nice to be left on the street as we only have a 1 car garage

anyway enough drivel... I've narrowed it down to an early Mazda MX5 or an E30 325 BMW... both can be had for 5-7K and will let me throw some cash at setting it up for the track

(Your probably thinking why the girls cars, well its all about the corners!... 99% of cheap trackday thrashers are going to feel slow in a straight line after getting out of the R anyway)

I need your opinion peoples... which one?

I'm open to other suggestions as well but the criteria are:

sub 10K

RWD

N/A

light as fark

easy(ish) to work on

road registered

ps. does this make me gay?

[Roy]

MX5. Good base, can make it as fast as you like if one day you want to go bonkers with it

[NickR33]

cheers Roy... I've always wondered why more people don't put rotors in them! a 20B N/A would be interesting...

[Beer Baron]

yep of the 2 options I would go the MX5. more options for racing it around australia as they are a very popular club race car.

also look at some 80s alfa track cars around the place. lots of those around and they are great fun to drive.

[Beer Baron]

ps, don't put the rotor in it. as cool and as fun as it would be the cost of owning and running the thing would just go right out the window and it would also make it ineligible for any class of racing that it would be competitive in. keep it cheap and simple with the original donk in it and you will have fun. not sure how much better the 1.8 is over the 1.6 but I seem to remember they are quite an improvement.

[zebra]

Another vote for the mx5, Chubbs (EvilWeevil) just went 1:58 at EC and his car is nearly standard, Also qualified 6th at the last MRA round at Oran Park and that was a field of quick cars.

[ARTZ]

why not get a 33 or a 32 gtst ,can pick em up for under 5k easy these days in pretty good nick, another 5k for mods and your flying...also if you wanted, instead of buying brakes for it just take the gtr ones off and buy new ones for the gtr...etc etc...most of your bits are interchangeable..swat i'd be doin

[S13Deviat]

MX5!!! I am currently hunting for a primo NA6 or NA8. For 10K you can get a decent NA6 with plenty of mods + cash left over. On the flip side, you would most prob be better off paying an extra $2K and get an NA8 with few mods for your 10K budget....

I dont know the difference in power between the 1.6 and 1.8 but i think they both would be just as enjoyable as each other. Having driven Evil Weevils NA8 i have to say i am a huge fan and enjoyed the it considering the power reduction coming from my S13 track car!

So in short for 10K budget racing NA8 is your answer

[zebra]

Ive driven a standard current model MX-5 at MDTC and loved every second of it, Makes me wish I had somthing lighter and more nimble than my R33.

[NickR33]

definitely no motor swaps on the cards... I was just wondering why its not more popular

Alfas are great but I'm just wary of them from a reliability point of view... my old man has had many over the years and they aren't cheap to fix... but then again would be no worse in that area than the E30

I thought about 32GTSt but everyone asks stupid prices for them or they have rubbish mods (or both) and at the end of the day its a turbo RWD so will go through tyres and I'll end up upping the boost or doing something silly with it

Had a 33GTSt and they're great but too heavy for what I want... I want sub 1200kgs... sub 1000kgs would be ideal

if I was to go turbo it would be an S14... but I don't want another turbo... I wanna have some n/a fun... I like AE86's too but the prices people want for them are hilarious

[No Crust Racing]

Of those two go the MX-5 Nick, but have you considered an NA S13? They are dirt cheap to buy and cost SFA to maintain. Being so simple they are also very easy to work on.

It might just be but I like the idea of something over my head, roll cage or not.

[Kinks]

another vote for MX5, I haven't even driven one but it will handle better stock and be cheaper to take care of than a BMW.

[No Crust Racing]

I know there are plenty of BMWs in motorsport but you will find a great community and a lot of resources surrounding the MX-5.

The cost different to service, repair, and modify would be notable too I'd reckon.

Still prefer to see you in a Nissan, even if it is NA.

Side bar, S15 Autech track only from auction? Cheap as chips... newest car you'd get in that price bracket?

[Kaido_RR]

S13 with n/a sr20 with quads?

problem also with 86 is the 4age its hard to get good power out of them. mate build a work 4ag with huge hks cams and major headwork (stock bottom end) and only push 145hp i think at the rears or maybe it was 170hp cant remember

i hate to say it buy if you want NA and lightweight honda is the go EG civic with a b18c or k20 will net you 200hp+ sub 1000kg and be very quick only problem is they are FF

Edited August 11, 2010 by Kaido_RR

[NickR33]

the beauty of the MX5 over Silvias is there plenty of ones out there that have been reasonably well looked after...

I just showed my wife a pic of an MX5 andasked her what she thought... her reply was "its cute, is it fast"... me "not really"... her "well why do you want it then"... lol she may have a point...

[No Crust Racing]

S15 Autech....

[bigmikespec]

the beauty of the MX5 over Silvias is there plenty of ones out there that have been reasonably well looked after...

I just showed my wife a pic of an MX5 andasked her what she thought... her reply was "its cute, is it fast"... me "not really"... her "well why do you want it then"... lol she may have a point...

If she thinks it is cute and likes it then there is no way you can get it... in my experience, the more they hate it the cooler it is. Like when I had my 240Z and my missus would not step foot in it!

[Kaido_RR]

S15 Autech....

weren't they all convertibles ?

[No Crust Racing]

Nah that was Varietta's I think, Autech's were NA's I believe?

[NickR33]

yeah considered a Civic but for motorkhana type stuff nothings worse than understeer... major fun killer

seen some impressive results from pretty basic civics tho... prices for aftermarket Honda parts are much cheaper than skylines/silvias etc