Track/daily drive car suggestion
 

I'm looking to purchase an affordable track car that I can also daily drive. I'd like to get some suggestions on which car would meet my requirements. The following are my requirements (not in order of importance).

1. Cheap (<6k or less)
2. Reasonable cargo (no S2000 here)
3. Better than average MPG (>= 28MPG)
4. Availability of aftermarket parts. I'm just looking at wheels/tires/coilovers. Nothing extreme as far as tracking goes since this needs to be a daily drive car too.

Keep in mind speed/power isn't important. This will most likely be a 90% daily driver and 10% track time.

As of right now, I'm leaning towards an EP3 Honda Civic SI. Are there other suggestions?

you can track any econobox and you can get tires for ANY car

you don't need coilovers

so just buy whatever you want and bomb around in it on the track

EP3 sucks IMO. Integra GS-R, EG Civic, Miata, CRX...

Civic EG or EK Hatch. I wish my miata DD could haul stuff like a hatch (like tires to the track!)

1. Cheap (<6k or less)

CHECK!

2. Reasonable cargo (no S2000 here)

CHECK! CHECK!

3. Better than average MPG (>= 28MPG)

CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!

4. Availability of aftermarket parts. I'm just looking at wheels/tires/coilovers. Nothing extreme as far as tracking goes since this needs to be a daily drive car too.

Better than any other car out there! CHECK!

I agree its pretty hard to beat a Civic hatch for the value it provides!

The tough part is finding one that isn't molested or rusted. :brokenheart:

What makes the EP3 inferior in your opinion? Is it the extra weight/strut suspension?

The Strut suspension is not the only problem, there is also an issue with the rear suspension geometry that makes it hard to tune properly. You end up with a lot of rear end "hop" on hard cornering and street driving. Now everyone will say "yes, but you see plenty of DC5 and EP3 race cars" and that's true, when you have the full weight of a race team prepping a car anything is possible ( the Buddy Club and Spoon DC5s come to mind, they essentially had very little left of the original suspension). But for a one man show on a budget you will be MILES ahead with the EG/EK/DC2 cars. Hell, even the CL7 TSX is a better base (Real Time Racing and Spoon both gave up on DC5 development and switched to the TSX/Accord)

Ah, thanks for elaborating. As a one man team, I wouldn't go further than coilovers, so the EG/EK/DC2 makes more sense.

I'm surprised there is so many recommending a civic hatch. Unless you upgrade the engine with something more powerful they are just too slow to be fun on the track in my opinion. You would be directing traffic around you all day long.

Its all up to the driver. Id say experienced drivers would wheel a well prepped, stock powered civic around a track faster than most people here could in their FRS/BRZ :eyebulge:

And I enjoy driving my miata over my s2k on track. Its slower yes, but I can run circles around other s2k drivers in a stock 94 miata at full weight with cheap coilovers and 225/45/15 RS3s. Its not always about the car. The civic offers everything he wants and then some.

Can you think of anything better that meets ALL the criteria?

For that money a EG or EK Civic hatch is a good, safe bet anywhere in the world.

Especially if you can find one that already has a decent B or K series swap done. Saves $$$ and they can be pretty quick!

Warning: potentially deep rabbit hole on the mods with the Hondas.

Hopefully the fact that it will also double as a daily driver will restrain me. :D

define cheap?? Some guys I know have new boxters or cayman S or Vettes and Our FRS or BRZ cars are cheap daily driver track now and then cars compared to them. I also know many guys running around in hondas (Great for AutoX) but I think I am officially too old to be alowed to drive a Civic. lol I just could not be one of "them".