Scootin159

I would also vote for a WRX, except for two things: 1) They are about the most expensive car out there to insure for a teenager and 2) they've got a lot of horsepower and AWD to hide bad driving - that means that when he does mess up, he's more likely to mess up BIG. Luckily the Impreza chassis always shows very well in safety tests, but safety can only combat physics to a certain point.

An S2000 is also a good solid pick, but loses a lot in the "practicality" relm (does this matter to him though). There's something to be said for teenagers having 2-seater cars though - makes them much less likely to be chosen for the "party mobile".

An '89 Civic CRX Si would also be a good choice, although I just saw in another thread that they got a "death trap" safety rating.

How's he feel about a Mini cooper? I've seen it argued as both "cool" and "girls car". I'm in the former category, but then again I also liked my Miata. VW GTI is likely in the same category to him.

4porsh

My vote is for a BMW E36. My friend sold a sweet well set up E36 w/ roll bar that you could show up to dinner in for 10k. Great driving car for street or track.

onefastviking

Let me take him for a ride in the Spec Miata, he won't be thinking chick car when we get done passing 911's.

Oh, and have him bring a change of pants with him.

onefastviking

Oh, and the silver with red hardtop car I am usually driving at the DE's is for sale. It's a great DE or entry level Spec Miata car. It's not currently street legal although I guess it could be without much trouble. Driving no hp momentum cars is a great way to improve driving skills, and this Miata is dirt cheap !

Chris M.

Is the teenager paying for this car? If so, you can't beat the price of a 944.

rlm328

You may want to also look at the VW GTI, it is a good solid performer. The other top on my list would be the BMW. The 944 although a hoot to drive is still a 20 year old car so there will be maintenace issues. The drawback with the Mini is that some tracks do not allow them, TWS for example.

MUSSBERGER

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

MUSSBERGER

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

TR6

I was going to actually post that you should let Viking take him for a ride in a miata "chick car" and he will never look at a miata the same again. But then I read Viking's own post! He beat me to it!

Seriously, I absolutely agree with Viking. If he wants to learn to be a FAST driver, learn on a momentum car like a miata or a normally aspirated 2.5L 944. I'm now driving a miata on the track and wish I'd started with one two years earlier. Too many drivers progress through the ranks with the go-pedal covering up their bad habits. In a momentum car, there is nothing to hide behind. You as a driver are either fast, or you aren't. (I'll get off the soapbox now...)

Now the challenge you are throwing into the mix is that the car needs to be his daily driver too. That changes the equation a bit. If you were talking a 100% track car, a spec 944 or spec miata would be the ticket. As a daily driver and a DE car, a miata is a great dual purpose car. Put in a suspension and roll bar and go have fun. But if he is driving it daily on the street, a 20+ year old 944 might also end up teaching him how to work on the car more than he wants (not a bad thing, unless he needs it to get to school or work the next morning). I would stay away from a 928. Period (I know I'm asking for the 928 fans to jump me). A 928 is an expensive car to have things break on and they are old enough that plenty of things will be breaking.

I think an E36 BMW would be an outstanding choice for a DE/daily driver combo. The BMW straight 6 is fairly bullet proof providing that you don't starve them for oil. And the parts, while more expensive than a miata, are still fairly reasonable for a German car. And they are relatively simple to work on (for a German car). And there are LOTS of suspension/track upgrade parts available for E36's. And a 2.8L E36 is still somewhat of a momentum car, so he'll have that going for him. Regarding the E30, I love the older E30's and they are great cars. But as an E30 instructor told me at TWS last weekend, the E30 parts are getting hard to find and they are getting expensive. E36 parts are much more plentiful. And if you buy a 96 or later E36, you have the benefit of OBDII.

My 2 cents. Hope this helps.

Scootin159

Just curious - why is the mini "not allowed" at various tracks? I could see a convertible being banned, but a hardtop?

lowside67

S2000 is a nice choice if the budget allows for it, otherwise an E36 328is is a GREAT car to start in - easy to find, consumables are reasonable, tons of parts available, lots of track setup info, very nice and neutral, the list of pros goes on forever. Cons are fairly minor - radiators are a bit of a weak point along with plastic impeller water pumps, also, rear sub-frames should be reinforced for maximum reliability. (fairly cheap).

-Mark

Larry Herman

Have you seen some of the mini crashes lately? They really come apart. Not something I'd put my kids in.

mglobe

From what I understand, there was more than one incident at TWS of Mini's flipping, and in at least one case, the doors flew open when the car went upside-down.


With respect to DD/DE car suggestions, I second the comment on the S2K. In the long run it may be cheaper to buy and own than any of the Porsche alternatives, makes a good track car, and a good daily driver without the Miata chick-car stigma. Another very good car, albeit a fwd one is the Mazdaspeed3.

E30 and E36 BMW's are good choices also.

Scootin159

Odd you say that, as everything I've heard about the mini has praised it's safety record. There's some famous comparisons between it's crash testing and the Ford F150 (pre-2004) out there.

I searched the internet to try and find some "bad" mini crashes, and this is all I could find: http://www.0-60mag.com/online/?p=2834

Granted that car likely has a full cage, but still...

Veloce Raptor

Larry's right: when Mini's roll on rack, they tend to shed key body parts like doors. This is why (for example) Lone Star Region PCA no longer allows Minis at its DE events, despite them being fun-as-hell cars.





Professional Racing and Driving Coach