wilfred

But I thought it's better to learn on a low hp rwd car like a Miata, am I wrong?

allegretto

Elise front or rear clams make Porsches look cheap to fix

mnorek

Alan is probably right, but it all depends. Do you wanna go fast? Do you want to race? How big's your checkbook or (more aligned with the expression on my wife's face) how stupid are you being right now?

I (try to) race a 1988 BMW 325is. A 996 Porsche GT3 is cheaper to own and keep in tires and brake pads. I think a 997 GT3 will be, too, but I'll let you know that in 6 months.

frayed

Some great input in this thead.

Miatas are hilariously fun for a spell. .. but lack of power requires quick migration to wheel to wheel racing to sustain adrenaline levels. Especially on big tracks.

S2000s (early ones) PITA to drive and IMO if you buy a Honda stay FWD and buy an ITR, which would be my second pick for fun, fast, reasonable cost track car.

Brings me to the E36 M3. All the reward of a reasonable hp RWD car, but very benign. Trick is to get one well maintained. Nothing is expensive to repair, but one updated with good bushings and fresh cooling system is a huge plus. Great thing is that a well driven one car mess with high hp cars.


Damn, really? Well perhaps in stock classes running a car of this weight with weak single piston brakes makes you go through pads like mad.

But in my experience bmws are good on tires and cheap to buy.

Finally, Alan Smithee refrences the Mcoupe. . err, I'd suggest otherwise since the rear suspension is a PITA to setup and the car is not as forgiving to drive as the E36 cars. They inherit the E30 rear suspension.

008

nkhalidi, in reality the Elise is not that expensive to fix, there are specialists that can repair or replace clams relatively cheaply and besides how often do you really hit a wall. Oh, I forgot.......;-)

Alan Smithee

But that can be fun and educational, and the M Coupe feels more 'sports car' than 'sports sedan'.

Folks keep bringing up the Elise, but they have not fallen below the $30k upper limit indicated by the original poster, especially track-prepped. I'd recommend against them also because they are trickier to drive at the limit for a beginner (more so than an M Coupe? I don't know), and because they require a trailer and tow vehicle (read: larger investment for a beginner) due to their wee size. Plus, a little time over on EliseTalk will show how fragile they are if so much as a wheel drops off the track...

996FLT6

For me always try FWD cars ie hondas. Very forgiving through a road coarse and low matintenance. You be surprised how competitive they are. RWD/AWD/FWD they all the same but one maybe better laptime wise. Mike

CP

If he is truly going for an entry level track car, no racing, then the NA Miata is hard to beat. The buy-in/running and maintenance costs are peanuts compared to anything German. Blow an engine? $2.4k gets it replaced. Try that on a BMW or a Porsche. The shifter beats all the BMWs and Porsches I've ever owned/driven, and that's no lie.

It is pretty low on power from the factory, but at 2,200 lbs, once he gets a good suspension, sways and track tires, he'll be 5-10 MPH faster around the corners. It is a heck of a fun car to drive. If he does not have to abide by class rules, then throw in a Jackson Racing or a Flying Miata charger, and he won't loose to too many BMWs and Porsches, even in the straights.

Best bang for the bucks for beginners IMHO. But then I'm no track hound, so please take everything I say with a grain, no make that a 50lb bag, of salt.

CP

mooty

i got a new front clam and one headlight. labor, paint and all = 9k

carrering

E36 M3 is a great car to learn in for that price. The S52 motor is strong and very reliable. The car itself is relatively cheap to maintain and its perfectly balanced. With just a set of street tires, it will be a great learning tool.

WalkerInTN

I'm suprised to see so many convertibles mentioned in a track car thread. That seems like a bad idea for a starter track car. I don't know of any tracks that would let you run without a rollbar, so right off, a bar would need to be installed.

Some type of hardtop seems like a much better choice.

TraqGear

FWIW I found an 86 944 with 190K miles and a one owner car on RL classifieds. Went to Jax, picked it up for $4500. Took it straight to P in HH and replaced motor mounts, timing belt, small leaks, few other problems...dropped another $3500 there. Ran like a charm and survived my 19 year old's first track day a few months ago. Still in great shape for another in Sep. Great weighted cars for the track and cheap enough to make mistakes in. Probably what his Dad should have started out with. But, I'm a power monkey and like the added speed of a 911. (don't tell my son that)

008

Just sold my 05 elise for $30k, it had about 5k track miles on it, never required anything but normal maintenance. The tires and pads are very inexpensive and last forever because of the light weight. It has an integrated roll bar stock and can accept a harness bar. Hypersport in Atlanta can replace a clam for around $1.5k and most body shops can repair the clam on a track car for considerably less. Other than a porsche they are the only car you can run at the track all day long and drive home in stock trim.

Terry L

I have driven my 2005 Elise to and from track events for the past 2.5 years with no problems whatever - no trailer required. You can fit a lot more stuff into that car than you might think. Of course, separate track tires and wheels require a friend but lots of guys both street drive and track the Yoko A048s, the Toyo RA1s, etc. I grant you that Hoosiers would be a little tricky but a new guy should not be on them anyway. Actually, I very much like the Yoko AD07s which are the base car's stock tire. As far as tricky at the limit, the limit is pretty high and while the car can be spun, it can also be caught. And when it does spin, it is amazing how tight the spin is and how little distance you travel if you go both feet in. (From what I have heard.)

wilfred

What about the WRX or EVO? Are they reliable on tracks? Like run all day and still be able to drive it home? Or are they only good for "1/4 mile at a time"