Personal attack by mdrums!

 

Hands down 996 GT3 -- the best value at the $50K mark... but you say no 996...

Next my immediate thought was M3... but no BMW

then I thought modded STI/EVO... but you want euro

VW -- could not think of any FWD car that I would consider for track use, especially with a GT3 in the garage

there is no Audi option... piggish boring and engine too far forward in the price range you mention.

I got it... CAYMAN

 

How about an aircooled 911 (tons of fun, dry-sump motor, and it will keep your reactions in tune for driving the also rear-engined GT3)? My highly modded (but street-legal) 73 does laptimes with a 3.8RS and uses 15" RA-1's (try pricing those compared to GT3 tires).

 

944 Turbo. Keep it < 350hp by running modest boost on a modern turbo, strip it completely and have fun. You can probably do it all for < $20k. It's the path I'd like to go down next year.

 

BMW E36 or E46 is a pretty compelling track car in your price range
abundance of aftermarket parts
easy to work on
etc

it tics all of your boxes and you can get a pretty sweet one for not a ton of money....

I am not saying this particular one but something like it

http://www.autokennel.com/AutoKennel...lub_Racer.html

(no affiliation)

Or Like grant mentioned a track prepped 964

 

I'm with PJ, why no BMW?

E46 M3 is quick enough when driven well, They're cheap-ish now, lots of aftermarket support, reliable, etc. They're a little heavy but that's the only downside. E36 is an even cheaper platform that's just as fun to drive but lacking good power.

My E46 M3 is an extremely simple setup. Street coilovers, camber plates, aftermarekt front sway bar, Square wheel and tire combination, upgraded pads, fluid and brake cooling and that's about it. Keeps up just fine with all but the most prepared / dedicated track cars out there. My car could easily be replicated for ~20k

Andy

 

+1 on the Cayman. Gen 2 is pretty much plug 'n play, mod as time and budget permits.

 

Based upon your parameters- Cayman. Hands down. A few bits and pieces and you have an awesome track toy. But I can't resist suggesting you reconsider and track the existing toy to within an inch of it's life. "Saving the car" for the next owner is to me never a good idea. So what if you have an extra few thousand dollars of depreciation for whatever reason? Get your track insurance and have fun

 

From personal experience, the Lotus Elise or Exige. Well within your price point, no better handling cars, amazingly cheap on track consumables. Frankly, the only real problem is they're not as fast as GT3s, but my 190 hp Elise ran similar times to well driven Boxter Ss, so I assume the 240 or 260 hp Exiges will stay with or outrun Cayman Rs.

 

What's your present pace with your car? Laugh all you want at a Miata, but if you look at the videos I posted from a week-and-a-half ago we're running Spec Miata times while I'm patiently waiting behind a .1 GT3 and an RS.

I'd figure out where you want to go as a driver, rather than focusing on equipment. That said, my stock class RSA that still had the catalytic converter on it was good for ~2:03 at Thunderhill when the track was slower than it is now, albeit on Hoosiers.

 

Go visit Tony Colicchio in Milpitas (TC Design). Period.

Word on safety equipment/nice cars--after nearly 30 years doing this, and only one more-than-spoiler damaging off (wrote off the RSA @ Sears in a race), I experienced my first rollover last fall on the inside of T6 @ Thunderhill. Student slowly spun in a stock E36 M3, but we hit a rut as we were sliding ~25MPH. Rolled twice. All stock safety equipment worked fine, but I (to that point) got my bell rung more than I ever had in my life. (Over the winter in finally learning to snowboard I'd get it rung at least as hard three more times.)

We'd rather you be around to get out of a damaged car and fight another day, than obsess over what a secondary owner may or may not find objectionable years from now.

 

Horstair-

Consider the E46. I picked up a 35k mile 2006 M3 Competition with coil-overs, Brembo GT brake upgrade (6 piston front/4 piston rear), race headers and exhaust, BBS LM's , CSL front clip and boot lid, and some other stuff for $28k. I am using it as my daily drive b/c it is really nice but I am always tempted to strip it and go to track. I have a friend here who is selling his 2007 GT3 RS b/c he is now so into driving his M3.

Go over to M3forum.com or bimmerforums.com and browse the classifieds.... tons of cars, many half way to where you would want them for track. My .02 cents is that the e36, however nice and inexpensive, is just too underpowered.

Otherwise, I have a VERY nice 6-GT3 that I'll sell you a little over your budget so I can get into a 997-3!

 

My car is an '02 with 48k miles, probably one of the nicest in the country, owned by a professional detailer it's whole life, never daily driven, never in rain, snow, etc. Being realistic with myself I'd get MAYBE $20-21 out of my car if I sold it as it sits right now.

Lots of modified E46's in the $20-25k range on M3 forum all the time.

Andy

 

Late to the thread, but have you ever driven a 996 GT3??? Back in 2000, I ordered a 996 Cab and turned down delivery becuase it was a POS. I HATE the 996 styling- and view it as a serious abomination of the 911 lineage. With that said, I decided to order a gorgeous 997.1 GT3 back in 2007 and then made the mistake of DRIVING a 996 GT3. I immediately bought the 996, canceled my 997 order, and made it my dedicated track car. Why? It is much more raw than the 997.1 - which to me means more rewarding... And at the current $50k price point, it is the perfect track toy...

Talk to Mooty about his experiences with tracking 996.2, 997.1, 997.2, RS variants and the Cayman. After owning literally 10+ GT3s and a Cayman, he is building a stripper 996.2 GT3. That should tell you something.

Now if the 6GT3 is absolutely a no-go, I'd recommend the mid-90s M3 (E36). Mod the hell out of it, and you can still have a very fast track car for $25-35K. The E46 is just too heavy! Maybe the bimmer guys have figured out how to shed weight, so it is worth a look...

My $0.02,
-Blake

 

As everyone said E46 M3 would be the best car for your purpose and budget. But dont know what I am missing here...you are willing to buy a track car for 50k in addition to your current GT3, but dont want to risk your Gt3 on the track? I can understand if you wanted a 10k track rat...to play safe. Honestly i have considered this myself.

Worst case ...if you wreck your GT3 i think it will either be totalled and insurance pays for it in full or value of the car be diminished after repairs but the car will be in warranty. I highly doubt it will drop in value by 50k. A 50 k track fund/insurance for your Gt3 will go a long way.