RickBetterley

That is one pass I will wave off.

Larry Herman

Doubtful. I have run against enough Elises, and a good 993 will walk away from them, at least on a track with any kind of straight. Matter of fact, that is just what my son Mike bought, a 96 993 with 60K for $28,000. It had a package with stiffer springs and Bilsteins. We just put in a roll bar, seats, belts, steering wheel, brake pads, track alignment and prep work for less than $4,000. That's a good value, and the car is very streetable.

Veloce Raptor

DMD should buy a Miata if he wants a dedicated track car.

I got yer wave-off right here:

Larry Herman

You BMW drivers are all the same, so impatient and impolite.

Bull

I would run the Cayman for at least another year, learning to drive and how to run the camera!

Then, i would move to a dedicated track 911, buying one that is already set-up and ready to drive....like one from the Factory maybe????

JackOlsen

In my opinion, an early (69-73) car with a 3.2 transplant and the appropriate suspension tweaks will give you the best bang for the buck of pretty much any 911 up to the present. There's simply no beating absolute light weight on a track. Putting in a 3.6 will cost some more, but I'm no great shakes as a driver, and I still have a daily-driven car that will beat up on most of what's out there in the street legal performance car world.

Drive it to the track, stop at the James Dean Memorial on the way north:



Then strap on a wing and splitter from the trunk, and beat everyone else in the time trial:



Plenty of Elises (and Exiges) present. They're great cars, but they're just not as fast.

Veloce Raptor

sofa king true

Wreck Me Otter

Any track car built from a street car will not retain value...trust me....

I'll be looking into the Elise/Exige route in a few years when used ones start popping up for a decent price.

However, if you want a dedicated track car for $40K or less...this is what I'd get....it'll smoke all of the cars we're talking about here....

http://www.stohrcars.com/carsforsale.php

cooleyjb

Ideal track car in my mind for me has CHEAP consumables.

Most Porsches do not fall under ideal track cars in my book. That however doesn't stop me from wanting one in the future. However right now a car that cost 3-6K for a cheap engine rebuild, tires costing 1500 for a set doesn't fit my level of ideal. Spec Miata, FF are all much more ideal for me.

Why go away from the Cayman if you are just going to run DE's?
I've yet to drive one on a track but the ones that I have seen look like a blast to drive.

Veloce Raptor

As I said......Miata.

Bob Rouleau

Rick and Boston,

I would stick with the Cayman S which is a great handling car. It is also as quick or quicker than the "ideal" track car you outlined.

Boston is certainly infected with the incurable track virus. At the moment he has only a few track days under his belt. A street car will help him learn safely given the fact that it communicates errors more clearly than a full blown track car/racer. I suspect that a track prepared car would slow down the process. That will change of course.

After a season or two, then he might want to contemplate a track car or even go racing. If you want a compromise street/track car, right now there is nothing better than a GT3 although the cost is higher than your theoretical budget.

Having raced, I am done with trucks and trailers for good. If you haven't got a tow vehicle and a trailer already, the cost of those two would nearly buy a good 996 GT3. There is also the question of where to store them. My neighborhood will not allow trailers to be parked in the driveway. YMMV.

Rick - congrats on being slow, you are getting the HWFM spirit!

Best,

A.Wayne

There is racing in CANADA

Chulo

If you are going to go Miata, why not go E36 M3? Strong, reliable, pretty light, and parts have gotten pretty cheap. Not as inexpensive as a Miata, but more fun, imho.

My guess is Rick is fishing for P car answers, tho. Good thread nontheless.

Veloce Raptor

E36 M3 FTMFW, but Miata consumables & parts are MUCH less expensive.

I love 993's, though. And early 996's are going for like $24,000 these days.

TD in DC

OK, I am surprised nobody has mentioned this before, but nobody can give decent advice without knowing priorities, and the order in which those priorities lie for the driver.

For example, if the driver's top priority is to learn how to drive, someone might suggest a car without any electronic aids or much horsepower, which makes it easier to learn how to momentum drive using correct technique.

If the driver's top priority is to drive inexpensively, then reliability and maintenance/parts costs becomes paramount.

If the driver's top priority is to drive without having to wrench too much, then a different car may be adviseable (e.g., maybe even one of those used 996s).

If the driver's top priority is to be fast, well, then a completely different car becomes appropriate . . . etc . . .