Best used track car for about 7500$ and small amounts of dd
 

I am not sure how feasible this sounds but i am tired of having a 300$ plus car payment. I love the frs but as a daily driver, its wearing thin. I am wondering if having a dedicated track car and some time in the future a comfy car in the future would be a better bet. It would also have to be my dd for a year or 2. Main requirements would be light and rwd. Cheap and solid after market parts. Also around the same power to weight ratio as the frs if possible.

Answer is Miata.

miata. 240sx, bmw's like e36 m3 and maybe some american.

This. Reliable. Cheap parts. Cheap tires. Tons of them are tracked and there is lots of aftermarket support.

I've been looking into a first gen MR2. They have been completely forgotten and people are practically giving them away. I was hell bent on buying an AE86 then ran into these. And oh yah, the 20v 4AGE drops in. (need to modify engine harness)

I like AW11 MR2s but I wouldn't use one for a track car that sees DD usage as well. IMO a SW20 NA would be a better dual use MR2. Very few high end dampers exist for the MR2 (which doesn't mean you can't go the custom route but that's more costly) and other parts aren't all that plentiful. The AW11 NA cars are fun and very light though.


However, by far the correct answer to this thread is a Miata.

I agree with Miata. I was just throwing other options out there. My FRS sees the track days so the AW11 would just be a fun 3 season daily for me.

Thinking back, I probably shouldn't have been so succinct in my answer. If you're going to DD it, one major downside to a track-prepped Miata is that you'll be driving on the street with a roll bar and no helmet. It's up to you whether you want to take on that risk. Definitely something to consider since you said you'll need to DD it for 1-2 years.

As an alternative, I think the 240sx was a good suggestion. Also I think RX-8 prices have dropped into your range. If you can find one with a fresh engine, that could work as well.

Miata, Porsche boxster, Porsche 914 (my current choice).

Miata is the only answer. Probably NB.

But if you REALLY don't want a Miata:

Perhaps an MRS (underrated and forgotten, but very fast),
Track built Ranger (pure project but can FLY),
350z (dubious reliability)
240 (a lot 240s are hunks junk by now though).
An old Fiero could also work.
Also look into BMW Z3s from the late 90s early 2000s.
You might be able to score a Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky for 10-12k.
RX8 and you'll be rebuilding the motor as regular maintenance, remember that.

S2K and E36 M3 are out of that $7500 price range.

Miata. I built my BRZ to take lapping and to auto x and decided I was so far into it I will just buy a Miata as well and make the BRZ my street car.

No sense risking $50k worth of car and mods.

Answer is most definitely Miata, and for me spec Miata is super attractive as Track days start to wear thin, spending half the time getting passed by V8's and Flat-6's with decent drivers and the other half passing them with slow drivers.

Also seriously thought about AW11, running NA beaters can be had for under $2k all day long (with issues though). I get the feeling that working on it can be frustrating and it's one of those projects that you could dump a ton of effort into and end up with not much but memories and some entertaining shenanigans.

Something rarely mentioned: Honda
Preludes and Integras are also dirt cheap with bulletproof powertrains and larger aftermarkets than AW11. Maybe Dave can chime in on his racecar...

I know we all have hard-ons for RWD but when looking for cheap fun you're not going to get a ton of power, FWD can still do the trick. And worth noting if you get into AutoX FWD is seriously competitive on the right course.

Edit: RX-8 is probably the best DD-able non-yacht RWD track capable car built in the last 15 years. But I think it'll be a better DD than Track car, they seem a bit soft stock so require a bit of $$$ to really maximize the grip it's capable of.

Problem is in your budget you have to get a 2004-2006, the least reliable, stepping up to >2006 seems to be outside your budget :(

RX-8 would be the perfect answer to "I have $10k and want a DD that I can have fun tracking occasionally with minimal work"

330ci

Edit: oh wait, "track car". Miata, MR-S... also I see the E36 M3 under $7500 often, but those are usually nowhere in good condition enough to be put on the track.

I wouldn't be too concerned if it's just a roll bar vs a cage. I'd run a hardtop on any track Miata and the bar should be fairly high. Not ideal for sure, but not terrible.

I thought about mentioning the MR-S also but I wasn't sure how much support there was out there for track parts (good dampers, etc). Based on 1st and 2nd gen MR2s I wasn't expecting much :)


350Z's are heavy pigs but decent on the track with the right mods. Any larger/heavier vehicle will have a higher consumable cost as well.

No Honda S2000???

If you can find an S2K for $7500 in good shape you better grab it :)

They are about twice that price near me if they are in good condition.

This doesnt make sense, :lol: wouldnt it be f(cars) d(cars) = miata?

Since everyone already suggested miata, I would suggest an old Mini. With extended axles and some nice tires those things are like golf carts with roofs.

I thought I was done with Calc! Stahp!!

Off the top of my head i can also think of a middle 90's SC400, or last gen Celica.

Fox body Mustang.

3rd gen celica.

Cheap and built proof motor.

I'll give this one to the mr-s. Probably the best track slut to get in the $7500 range.

I'd suggest a dc2 integra, as they're awesome little cars.

But suggesting anything fwd on this forum is sacrilegious apparently.

Miata, 240sx, last gen MR-2, RX8, are your best bets. Each have their own pros and cons. Some worse than others. haha.

Roger... But if you did five year finance for a $12000 S2000 your car payment is like $170-190 unless your finance rate sucked.

I just went and looked, there's maybe 4 decent S2k's under $15k (none under $13k that don't need at least a few thousand in repairs off the bat if done professionally, I dismissed salvage titles).

It's a 15 year old car with at least 80k miles on the clock, it WILL need work to get to the track reliably. Not to mention most previous owners typically don't know what a torque wrench is and treated it like any other Honda.

IMO it's a gamble if you could actually hit the track with an S2000 that I would have 100% confidence in driving at the limit with a budget any smaller than $15k (full fluid flush, tires, brakes, full on inspection of every nook and cranny, roll bar). Better off shelling out $15k-$20k for the car to start with a clean well maintained one and sparing no expense preparing the car.

Waay outside OP's desired budget. Sure he could probably make it work but there's cheaper fun to be had and S2000's are still coming down (last I checked there were only one or two under $15k and they were garbage, now there's a couple worth looking at in person and >10 riced out, salvaged, and beaten half to death).

OK, y'all win... Lol... I respect the Miata, but I doubt I'd ever give up my 86 to be caught in one no matter my car payments!

That said, and with the budgetary constraints... Your limited to the Miata. :thumbup: :burnrubber:

Or do it like me, Miata and a BRZ!

This is my second Miata since I bought the BRZ as well lol.

Thanks for all the advice. Time to do home work. But what has been mentioned gives me a good starting point

No love for the last Integra (DC5) or RSX or 7th gen Celica?
Those are FWD cars made to handle.

OP said upfront that one of his main requirement was RWD.

ZZw30 Mr2 spyder......... I drive one so i can vouch for them being track ready...even in stock form

Ugh DC2 over both of those but the guy clearly stated RWD in his first post.

And there's dozens of posters who come in here talking about how great it is that the 86 is lightweight and end up buying a Mustang.

Why limit your options? Test drives are free, usually.

And in SoCal you can't walk down the block without tripping over 2 <$4k Integras.

No shit, which is why I stated my comment the way I did.

I can't speak for OP, but some people just prefer the way RWD handles especially at the limit at the track. Nothing wrong with that, it's just preference. It's also understandable. There are very fundamental differences in how they drive.

I was also thinking a DC2 integra might be a good choice, but it's clear OP wants RWD and there's no sense arguing with someone's preferences. You either like something or you don't.

No your comment was about this forum's alleged reactions to FWD cars, not OP's preference. Not sure why you're conflating the two. Also no need to be butthurt because OP (or others on the forum) prefer RWD cars. People like what they like.

Sure tell me what I meant since you know what I think when I post.

Not butt hurt. Original response to go to though.