Serge944

E30.

As a former owner of both 944s and E30s; the running costs, maintenance, and headaches are ALL less with the E30.

dave morris

Miata. Definitely. Early '90s is a great place to look. Doesn't have to be a Spec Miata (or it could be, but an SM will be more $).

They are absolutely fabulous cars. Unbelievable reliability. One of the most fun to drive cars ever. Great balance. Maybe the best transmission ever. And they are cheap.

I own a '91. I may never sell it. Drive it all the time. Mine has a hardtop which i like.

There are Miata websites that will be helpful.

Sterling Doc

A SM is the easiest option. Parts easily available, and cheap from Mazdaspeed.

A 944 or SE30 can be as cheap, but you need to be able to work the internet & parts recyclers to do it. You also need to have the motor built right, once, then they are both very reliable. This should cost between $3K & $5k to have someone do for you, less if you can do it yourself. Due to a longer wheelbase, and greater polar moment these are more forgiving to drive, if slightly less tossable, than a SM.

Between a SE30 and a 944, the SE30 will have a bit more power, and more interior room, and a bit less handling potential than a 944. Depending on what part of the country your in, watch for rust in the E30's, and Miatas. The galvanized 944's are much more rot-resistant. This is one of the big reasons I went with 944's when I started out in the (well salted) Midwest.

My bias is obvious (NASA National 944 Spec Director), but any of these are good options.

If you're going to go racing with it, that's a whole other discussion!

If you need some connections in the 944 world, let me know!

Mike S.

Great questions...yes, 2 seats...we need instruction...right Van? (FYI, Van was one of my instructors in the 911SC!)

I am both able and would be doing both maintenence and most repairs. That's gonna get passed onto the girls too...we all get dirty hands and grease on our clothes. Good learning experience for them. I would have no problem with brakes, bearings, bushings, timing belts, linkages, suspension, water pumps, hoses....I'm the fella in neighborhood who repairs his cars...a mechanical problem solver but certainly not close to being an auto mechanic.

5'8" 160 lbs .... the old guy
5'6" 125 lbs .... older daughter
5'4" 95 lbs heading to maybe 5'6" 110 lbs .... younger daughter

If anyone sends my guessed weights of my daughters to them, you'll be signing my death sentance.

Is there such thing as race seat mount that I can slide front to back or quick change to 2 or 3 predetermined positions? And perhaps use removable inserts for the torso for this range of sizes?

Mike

Circuit Motorsports

This car would be near the top of the list if SRF can't be done

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forum...ad.php?t=29933

A bunch of others are here

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forum...splay.php?f=65

But I'd be all over that ITB VW. Tristan built a heck of a car and it's in top shape.

cobrien

Spec Miata for sure. As others have said, they're relatively inexpensive, reliable, and fun. And you can put the race seat on rails to adjust for different driving positions.

DC5Chick06

944 is the way to go! That's what I learned in!

Eifeler

I'd be fine with an SM for myself but I wouldn't put my kid's on a track in one. To little protection. To keep things in perspective, I bought the wife an Excursion when our first child was born.

The older BMW's and 944's seem to offer a little more substance in the event of an impact. Definitely agree that a pre-built car with proper cage would also be a requirement.

Best of luck and enjoy!

CCA

Size-wise, you will all feel right at home in a SM, and there is great support in SM community. They are very communicative cars. You could post to the http://www.mazdaracers.com/ and see if you can find someone in your area that will let you check out their car.

jaje

An 944 / e30 or SM would be great platforms. Since she is very new to this as well FWD is not a bad option either as you can find some older cars that are fast and nimble as well. An older Civic coupe or hatchback ('88-'99w) with a well done $2-$3k swap (bolts right in with mounts and you can buy a plug and play wiring harness for $200). Put in a decent basic roll cage and seat/belts and you have a safe ride as well - interior room in the hatches is pretty nice. I can fit 4 15" wheels, box of tools, seats and cooler in the back of my Civic with the seats down. You can also easily upgrade brakes on them by simply swapping in an Integra setup (bolts right in). By the time you add all things up and how much you then need to spend - this is a very cheap option as well.

FWD cars are also more forgiving for newer drivers as you can dial out oversteer (almost entirely) until they are ready to learn - then it is easy to handle by counter steer and keeping the throttle in it. This really helps build up confidence in new drivers. Being FWD doesn't mean you are slow either as they can be driven very fast cars as well when the driver really learns how to handle the car.

preetham

I'm in wait for the Toyota fr-s. Hopefully I can manage a test drive as soon as one hits the showrooms.

racer

So

If a Porsche, it seems 924S or 944 (spec 944)
Spec E30 or E36's if BMWs
and Miata/Spec Miata
IT (improved touring) car

all seem to be the popular candidates. All are relatively low hp cars that will teach you to use momentum. At a place like the glen, it means the gas will be floored from T1 until T1 again

Not sure of ages or current experience, but some clubs/regions prefer no more than 2 drivers per car, especially if newbies, since they won't be able to run in the same run group. Did you intend for all 3 of you to be driving one car?

I learned quite a bit in my 914.. but somehow using a nearly 40 year old car seems a bit extreme thee days. A 20 (ish) year old car seems a better way imho.

5:04

I'm partial to the Miata since it's what I learned on, not to mention I work at a BMW shop which turns me off to Spec e30's since I know how much maintenance they require. I put my sister into a Miata for her to learn in. Parts are dirt cheap and they're bulletproof.

Dave in Chicago

I dearly miss driving my 158-raging-hp '88 944 NA, bone stock, with Koni yellows and really good street tires...

Ah, the satisfaction of chasing down and passing much more powerful cars in the twisty bits.

LOVED that car. Stone Grey Metallic, like yours RACER.

Sigh....

CAM14

Very brave of you to guess you wife and daughters weight on a public form. Anyway, I've done many endurance races with some wide variables in height and build. This past year at NASA's 25 Hr at Thunderhill, the other team car had the shortest one around 5' 6" on a good day and the tallest around 6' 2" sharing the same Miata. The car had a Sparco seat with inserts and extra removable pads. I'm right at 6'0" and thin build and some extra padding goes a long way for a comfortable seat built to much larger body types.

On the choice of cars, hard to go wrong with a Miata or E30, I would shy away from the older 2002’s mainly due to their age. There are just so old by now that it is getting difficult to keep them running (yes I race one and know first hand). Something what has not been mentioned yet is a modern V6 Mustang with a 5 s/p. Quick enough to be fun but a ton of room and modern safety and the ability to drive to/from the track and school.

Good luck