Track Cars.. On a Budget.

[Carlysh]

Yeah I went to rx-7 club and there is a thread the community saying to a guy that stick with the Miata because is super cheap, but they also stated that a Rx-8 is really good and can find one at a decent price

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by synchromesh

I wish I were still in my 20's and had an extra parking spot for a sub 10g track-ready vehicle. I don't really judge in any circumstance anyways.


If one tracks an e30 M3, don't be surprised it will cost as much as a 2009 M3 to keep in tip-top shape. If I saw one on the track, honestly would respect the e30 more than a 2015, though.


You might want to avoid the MR-2. Convinced even the lightest of contact with someone on the track will result in an uncorrectable spinout. Almost bought an showroom N/A one ten years ago for like 4 thousand bucks.


Strange to not see any mk1 GTI's on the road anymore.

I've seen lots of mr2s collect with others on track. They really spin. You just need to know how to drive them.

[Carlysh]

Maybe next year I build one of these since it was my first car, problem is aftermarket support are bad, maybe swap a 4g63 to it

[Dave-ROR]

^^ at the very minimum replace the head with a non-jet one.


I miss my old Conquest and always keep an eye out for an 88 or 89. Hard to find a nice one for cheap. I bought mine for $900 and it was a perfectly good car. Rallycrossed and autocrossed it. It was a blast. Spun a bearing doing donuts with it eventually Ended up parting it out for well over 3k.

[Carlysh]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

^^ at the very minimum replace the head with a non-jet one.


I miss my old Conquest and always keep an eye out for an 88 or 89. Hard to find a nice one for cheap. I bought mine for $900 and it was a perfectly good car. Rallycrossed and autocrossed it. It was a blast. Spun a bearing doing donuts with it eventually Ended up parting it out for well over 3k.

Yeah I miss it a lot. was fun and fast, I sometimes check the forums starquestclub to see what they are selling

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by Frost

Just got the XP10's dropped in today and literally just came off bedding them. Track day on the 10th. Looking forward to that.

Have you had rotor overheating issues?

I once cracked a rotor at the track, but I knew they were near minimum thickness limit so came prepared with replacements
Since then I just replace them well before they get to minimum thickness and have had no problems.

[jawn]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

I've seen lots of mr2s collect with others on track. They really spin. You just need to know how to drive them.

Yeah, my buddies run an AW11 MR2 in LeMons. Aside from their engine bay catching on fire, it's been fine for wheel-to-wheel racing.

[avishenoy1]

Great starting point for track builds: http://www.japaneseclassicsllc.com/

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by avishenoy1

Great starting point for track builds: http://www.japaneseclassicsllc.com/

Not really. A good starting point to buy a JDM vehicle but that's about it. A USDM car will always be cheaper to build and parts will be far more easily found than many performance Japanese cars that don't use parts sold at Autozone.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Carlysh

Yeah I miss it a lot. was fun and fast, I sometimes check the forums starquestclub to see what they are selling

Man I haven't been on that forum in probably 10 years. Do they still have that really terrible 1990s style forum software? hah

[strat61caster]

@rice_classic What's the budget for a reliable tow vehicle and trailer to get the racecar to the track?

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

@rice_classic What's the budget for a reliable tow vehicle and trailer to get the racecar to the track?

Hugely depends on how much you want to work on something, how much you are towing and how often/far.

I spent a bit over 10k on my 10 year old Chevy Suburban, but it's a 3/4 ton with the 8.1 big block which has a larger rear end, axles and beefier transmission. Payload is a fair bit over 2,000lbs and tow rating is 12,000lbs.

A diesel of similar vintage like the Ford PSD 7.3's in 250 or 350 trim (prefer 350 dually) are around the same cost, more with lower miles, etc but lacked the interior storage which I wanted (out of the weather, etc).

On the smaller side, a Toyota 4Runner V8 from 05-09 will tow up to ~7,000lbs and do so very reliably. You can spent ~15k on a decent one with 100-150k and it'll last a good long time but I wouldn't try to pull an enclosed trailer with one. Shorter wheelbase so less stable towing also. For a bit more, a 5.7 Sequoia or whatever works as well. About the same capacity but a larger vehicle. Also 08+ so look at 20k or more probably.

Some say VW Touareg.. but I don't trust VWs to be reliable long term. Easier to find than the Toyotas and cheaper with lower mileage.. so no one else does either Supposedly the second gen is better but more expensive.

Or you can spend 30-70k and buy a new tow vehicle

I also know some people who have bought old F150s for 3-6k that will work, but I'd limit long distance towing.

Most important thing to look at IMO is payload and tow rating. Don't look at just the tow rating. You may find that you have no capacity for more than 2 people and a few bags of clothes....

Oh yeah, if you don't mind creeper vans, those can tow very well also. You can even get PSD 7.3 E series Fords.

[Carlysh]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Man I haven't been on that forum in probably 10 years. Do they still have that really terrible 1990s style forum software? hah

i think so, it looks so outdated lol

[Carlysh]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

If you can afford a "dedicated track car" then consider buying a used race car. That way if you want to go racing you can and since it's dedicated you can set it up specifically for track without having to make any concessions regarding streetability in your setup. Meaning you can go super stiff or in the case of a FWD car (if you went that route) you can setup to be suuuuper loose which is dangerous on the street but fast on the track and very rewarding to "get right".

The other part to consider, since it will be dedicated to the track, is safety. Buying a used race car means you get a race seat, 5pt/6pt belts and a cage so you're safe in the event you ball it up. Also, since it's a used race car it has ultra low resale value so you can get into something fun, fast and is also affordable to "ball it up" vs anything else.

CRX:
http://classifieds.racerconnect.com/details.php?id=474

E46:
http://nasaforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=129883

Civic: (formerly raced by Shea Holbrook)
http://nasaforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=129961

NASA National Championship Car:
http://classifieds.racerconnect.com/...c/details.html

ITS Prepped 240sx:
http://classifieds.racerconnect.com/...-/details.html

i like the crx, i dont mind fwd
and the 240sx looks good thanks for the site i check all the miatas too