Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - Best used track car for about 7500$ and small amounts of dd

rice_classic · 02-19-2015, 02:14 AM

The last person who asked me for advice for "Track car on a budget" got the reply... "if you're asking that question then the track itself might be out of your budget".

However, I not only started tracking on a budget, but also racing on a budget... really racing on a budget like as a bartender, renting a tow vehicle and borrowing the neighbor's trailer!

But your budget and desires (which IMHO are a bit myopic but whatever) give you very limited options to:
-Old (American, MR2, Nissan.. yada yada)
-Gay-ish (and probably your best option, you know you want to)
-German (E30, 944, E36 maybe E46)

Or maybe a combination of the 3.

But here's the kicker... purchasing the car is the cheap part.

So keep that in mind when making a decision. The running costs, track entry fees, wear items add up and FAST. Pads/rotors/wheel bearings/hubs/ball joints/tie rods/bushings... Those things, if you track enough could all need regular replacement.. annually for some, every few weekends for others. So also take into account facilities to work on the car.

I could go buy a fully built, turn-key spec miata right now for $5k and then spend $20k playing with it at the track this year just for one example.

Good luck.

02-19-2015, 02:14 AM	#59
rice_classic Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: Nevermorange FRS Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 4,174 Thanks: 757 Thanked 4,208 Times in 1,808 Posts Mentioned: 78 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	The last person who asked me for advice for "Track car on a budget" got the reply... "if you're asking that question then the track itself might be out of your budget". However, I not only started tracking on a budget, but also racing on a budget... really racing on a budget like as a bartender, renting a tow vehicle and borrowing the neighbor's trailer! But your budget and desires (which IMHO are a bit myopic but whatever) give you very limited options to: -Old (American, MR2, Nissan.. yada yada) -Gay-ish (and probably your best option, you know you want to) -German (E30, 944, E36 maybe E46) Or maybe a combination of the 3. But here's the kicker... purchasing the car is the cheap part. So keep that in mind when making a decision. The running costs, track entry fees, wear items add up and FAST. Pads/rotors/wheel bearings/hubs/ball joints/tie rods/bushings... Those things, if you track enough could all need regular replacement.. annually for some, every few weekends for others. So also take into account facilities to work on the car. I could go buy a fully built, turn-key spec miata right now for $5k and then spend $20k playing with it at the track this year just for one example. Good luck. __________________ SCCA T4 - FRS