Sub-32k track car search

i would say lotus elise.

 

Vette Z06 or FRC very competive with not a ton of money. Small single turbo supra like 61mm cars are suppose to do extremely well with basically no turbo lag. Perhaps a 3000GT VR4 or a Dodge Stealth because there both awd. A Cobalt SS or a SRT4 are light and are easy to make a ton more horse out of. For less then 10k you could have a Formula Ford and throw a bike engine (Busa, GSXR1000, etc) engine in one that will rev to the moon and will be a blast to drive yet be as fast as a Radical if setup properly. Sub 2500lbs is very hard to do if you still want it to be a street car I think your best bet is a Formula Ford since they are extremely cheap and easy to work on.

 

+1

What's your time frame to buy? Wanna buy mine? It's in your price range...
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From your list, you can pick up a used 2 liter 2000-2003 S2000 for a really low price these days. Probably half or less than half of your max budget. You can get the weight down to a reasonable level for street driving. If you've got enough storage room, get a hardtop & ditch the softop and softop motor. Take the hardtop off on those days you want sun & fun and put it back on for the poor weather conditions. Get rid of the heavy dual exhaust and get a lightweight single. Pick up a set of 16-17" Volk CE28N wheels (way lighter than stock). That combo should get you an extremely fun car dollar for dollar.

 

The Vette is more than a 1/4 mile car, it can make turns and stuff too,

Like what? and mine isn't a Z06.

 

Im well aware that you arent looking for a drag car. A FRC cost around 20k. Supras are very competive on a race track with the IRS. But you will have a very hard time having a car youd like to drive on the street that weighs sub 2500lbs. My friend drives his Formula Ford to get pizza in ha ha. Unless you want a Honda Hatch your weight requirements will be hard to meet. Im a mustand kid myself so 3k lbs is light. But you said you have basically a limit of 30k, a Formula Ford is like what 5k? Or you could even pick up a shifer kart for cheap and still have change for a street car.

 

I'd say Mini Cooper S. It's easily modified, easily stripped, a hard top (essential for the track, IMO), and the 2006 models are readily available now that the 2007 edition is out. It fits well within your price range.

Moreover, you can definitely use it as a daily driver. It's no SUV, but there is a trunk or a back seat as needed.

The Lotus would be a close second, and I think they're a huge deal when lightly used. A lot of guys bought them, figured out they're hard to live with on a daily basis, and traded them back, so the market is flush.

 

Yes +1, I have heard this a lot also. Those little Lotus's is not great daily drivers.

 

I've heard of Elise going for as little as $27k, that's the way I'd go.

Gary

 

Here's a race car built at Porsche's Weissach facility, that came from Porsche with factory roll cage, no ac, many magnesium parts, weighs under 2500 pounds, is street drivable, has only 10,000 miles, and will probably sooner or later sell for $30K or so. It is one of only two made. Unlike virtually any other track car, I don't see how this one can do anything but appreciate.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200079228043

Note- I have nothing to do with this car or the ebay listing, but I own a similar car, the turbocharged "Turbo Cup" version http://www.ohioconcours.com/2001/pr-01-1525.jpg that I bought new from Porsche Motorsport North America twenty years ago. I've also owned a Lotus Elise Sport 190 track car http://www.ohioconcours.com/1999/s084.jpg , and I like my Porsche better.

There's a big Rennlist thread on the nine turbo cars here http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showthread.php?t=234752

I think this non-turbo car on ebay has most, if not all, of the same modifications from the factory as the turbo cupcars did http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/showpost.php?p=2541679&postcount=45 . And there's a big difference between a factory race car and a track car some 18 year old has cobbed together. My car has been totally reliable on the track and street, for 20 years.

 

I would go for a a E36 M3. Get one in the 15-20k range, then put 10-15k into it. That thing would dominate

 

Do an E36 M w/ H&R PCS. Great track car, and an even better beginners car. An E46 325 with susp/sways would also be a great car.

 

You should look into used Mazda RX-8's. EXTREMELY fun (read: well-handling) cars, even with stock suspension. The rotary engines are a little weird at first, but once you get used to them, you start to love them.

But, I'm a little biased.

I'll also echo the sentiment of the beamer.

 

Do you like american makes? Heres the cars I would look at they are older but pretty reliable {except dsm maybe lol}
Fox body mustang
93-02 Camaro/Firebird
1st gen DSM go for the awd
LS1 swapped RX7
Audi S4

 

Nothing is quite the same car the Lotus is... you'd need a Ferrari F430 or similar to keep up with it in the twisties.

Yes, it's an exotic (unlike the Mini, or the Corvette, or the S2000, or the Z...) But it's a crap daily driver. Even if you're hardcore and young, climbing in and out of a leaky-topped aluminum bathtub of a car is going to get old fast. And you live in Charlotte, lovely town, but it has been known to rain on occasion.

For pure track or weekend use, Elise wins.

Get a Cooper S, certified preowned, with the limited slip. I haven't driven one configured that way, so go drive it, but supposedly it has no torque steer or other fwd b.s. I'm considering an '07 model for myself, and I hate fwd cars.

 

An Elise...no question.

 

Forget all of you guys... I still say Corvette.

His dad won't let him get one because its faster and better than all the other cars you are suggesting because he doesn't want him to wrap himself around a tree.

When I was 16 though, I drove a Jeep Wrangler and I loved it... I still got 2 speeding tickets in it, so it's probably a good thing I didn't have a sports car at first, or you guys might not be reading my posts...

 

the e36 is a good idea also. i had a 95. H&R springs with koni adjs, two piece rotors and some track tires made a fun DE car.

the mini might be a good idea (never driven one)

 

alot of good choices, im honda biased though, I say a earlier S2K and spend the rest of the money on a blower, suspension etc, this will overcome its lack of torque and make it much quicker

 

an E36 M3 sounds good to me. A higher mileage 1999 996 Porsche can be had for ~$25k. An STi would also be fun on the track. Or if you're stripping a car you could get an older WRX and pour some money into it

 

Another vote for an E36 M3. Can get it as a 2 door or a 4 door. I drive one now that is extensively modified for track day work, but it is also my daily driver. I also track my 430, and have driven a fair number of other cars on the track. To me, there is no more intuitive (easy to drive at the limit) car than the E36 M3. There are tons of hop up parts, lots of well sorted packages.

FWIW, I could choose many cars--I choose an M3.

A few random thoughts--turbo cars have issues with heat soak when driven hard on the track--you can fix this, but it can cost big bucks. And adding forced induction to any motor not originally equipped is going to seriously shorten the life of said motor if it sees a lot of track time. Of course, you can totally rebuild the motor with forged pistions, etc. but that can be big bucks. The S2000 is seriously torque deficient (which, to me, makes it a poor daily driver). Plus, many HPDE's are starting to limit or even exclude convertibles--something to think about. Lotus is a horrible daily driver, from a practical point of view.

Edit: In addition, you need to consider what groups run track days in your area. Certain prolific clubs give preference to certain marques (so, for example, the BMW CCA in the Pacific Northwest gives first preference to BMW's).

 

And another vote for the E36, you can strip it down as much as you like, you're looking less than 15k for one, depending on what type of mileage/year/age you want and with another 10k you could go FI and get into the 400hp+ area if you want/need the extra power. There are a couple companies that have had some great success with a twin screw supercharger with heavy track use.
I use my car for Auto-x mainly but will be looking to get into some track events this year, have a nice suspension set-up already and I'm pretty much set to go!