Davito

I went from tracking a 991.1S coupe to a 944S2, couldn't be happier. Agree with StoogeMoe 100%, just wanted to add that you have some options on the 944s. Base 2.5 NA will give you 150HP at the wheels, my 3.0 NA makes about 200HP at the wheels, there are some turbos out there with 350+ HP.

Maintenance and track consumables are cheaper than my 991.1S (or any modern Porsche), no need to worry about paying track insurance and the 911 stays clean for the weekend drives.

Cheers,
David

JSETarga

Thank you all for your input and help. I will try to find a way to test some track cars. I think that will be the best thing for me to start with.

SkeerRacing

First off, bravo to you for wishing to not only continuing to track, but in a responsible and safe manner! You'll find yourself so much more comfortable on track in a car that has been prepared for that environment.
It does depend on competition based on location and region, but I would absolutely recommend Spec Boxster in this case. They are not the fastest in a straight line, but it then becomes about the driver maximizing the momentum and really putting the car on the edge as speeds much lower and safer.

In terms of the enjoyment factor, it does change from person to person. At a recent test day I was at, we had 997/991 Cups, 997/991 3R's, and a couple more Stuttgart Specials... but drivers were waiting in line and taking turns to drive the Spec Boxster! IMO it's the highest smile per mile car you can get.

The boy

From my experience 944's are a ton of fun. I've been driving on track now for 6 years now in my 944na sp2 racer and being a college kid not having the budget to afford anything else, that forced me to learn to get the most out of what I have. I personally run in the red run group with Potomac and there is no better feeling then passing new 911s, caymans, and even the occasional gt3 because of your skill not the car helping you.

On the other hand also being an instructor as well I know a lot of people (especially in lower run groups) can get very frustrated with the lack of power even thought they may be driving much better than the newer cars that seem to just pull away from them.

Its all about what your looking for and the level of challenge. Also turbos are notoriously difficult/slightly temperamental so a lot of the racing community has switched to s2's/ 968's for reliability and cost. Something else to think about.

BFT3.2

I'll 2nd The Boy's post in a story about yesterday at Lime Rock. CVR had an advanced DE with tons of track time, during the last session of the day myself in my 95% Spec Boxster running RE-71 tires and my friend in his 380hp 996 GT3 played cat and mouse for the last 15 laps of the day. Lime Rock is not a horse power track but he still has twice the power i do but 600 extra pounds as well. I knew he would pull away from me on the straights so I rung the **** out of her in the corners and would consistently close to 30' off his bumper before he would gradually pull away, the whole time saying over and over in my head "don't over brake keep your momentum!". Looking at the data, we drove 13 consecutive laps at times between 104.03 - 104.64 -It's not my personal best but in five years on track I've never had so much fun. He is a good driver with higher HP so it was really gratifying as a driver knowing I was getting all I could out of the car. Im sure there is more on the table too.

Footnote: Yes.. earlier in the day I had to give a lot of point bys on the straight to modern GT3 and faster race cars but so what. It gives you someone to chase where only skill will help you catch them, not HP.

GoatFarmer

E36 M3 BMW race prepped cars can be had for 15K - 20K. Track prepped E46 M3 can be had for 20K. I know this is a Porsche forum, but BMW's are very popular for good reason in the DE/track day scene.

Mike Murphy

I agree, an E36 is quite underrated, though, they have been shooting up in value lately.

josserman

Perhaps try renting race cars for now, owning one can be a headache and while most people (myself not limited) fall in love the the entire experience, if you don’t have time for a 2nd job or the funds to basically have a fully time mechanic, you’re better off doing rentals. Not to mention, in a rental situation you can just hop on a plane, fly to a track anywhere in the country, and go drive it!

Mike Murphy

Agree. A full day Miata racecar might be $1400/day versus my own car, about $800/day. Depends on how often one tracks Is imagine.

mbean

My wife and I share an '86 944 turbo and love it! It's got zero nannies, not even abs and it's teaching us how to carry speed and not just rely on HP to go fast down the straight. If you might get frustrated being passed by faster cars on the long straights it might not be the one for you, but if you want to have fun outbraking them and carrying speed through the turns I highly recommend it. Nothing is more fun than chasing down a big HP car through the turns at WGI in a car that is teaching you how to actually drive correctly, that costs a fraction of the price of their new car. Get a cage, all the safety upgrades, replace the fuel lines and have fun! Take care of all the lines and things that might leak and you will enjoy yourself. It's a lot cheaper to buy a car that's already built compared to building one yourself, so talk to the instructors or advanced drivers in your region for leads on a fully built car.