9.5 Degrees

Hey guys I know this question will get as many answers as there are cars, but I'm ready to make the jump to a race car. I'm not a good mechanic or wrencher and budgets are always limited so that's why I wanted to ask the experts about their thoughts on the more trouble free cars for racing regardless of make.

In California there seems to be more organizations to race a P car than any other.

I've thought about Spec Miata but that limits you to really NASA and the Spec Pinata reputation is weighing on my mind. The other is that you really have to spend a lot of $$ to have an engine that will compete near the front in that series.

The 944 spec class is interesting but everytime I go out to the track there is always something breaking down in those cars. As much as the owners say they are pretty bullet proof, they really don't seem to be.

What about 911? I know they have a high initial buy in, but do they seem to be reliable after that?

Any Honda racers out there?

I really want to make sure I make the right choice because I know I'll be stuck with this car for a few years anyway and don't want to make a mistake. Thanks!

Vampire

You can buy older 911's (80's) that have PCA logbooks for a reasonable price $14-$20K. I think they are very solid.

Building a car is expensive.

Buy in price may not be as expensive as the operating costs. Some spec classes are more affordable because of tire specs. Also . If you have to buy a truck , trailer, storage... then the buy in cost becomes a small % of overall cost over a 5 year span.

Look for good classes to compete in in your area.

Running at the front is more expensive and more effort and not any more fun than mid pack results. That's what I keep telling myself!

Steve113

Best Value/Most Reliable type of race car = Oxymoron

sorry to bust chops but I dont care what class you run it takes great prep and lots of luck to be reliable

TraqGear

I went from GTB platform in PCA to spec miata. Mostly SCCA. Between SCCA and NASA, all the racing you want with a tremendous learning curve. Couldn't have made a better decision. That being said, I'm in pursuit of another Pcar, as I miss racing with my PCA buddies as well and big talent lies there too...just not in such concentrations. So, buy two cars!

dp35

Lots of misinformation here. Spec Miata races with both SCCA and NASA, with the SCCA races being bigger in my region (Nor Cal). We usually have 40-50 cars, and occasionally over 60. Have that many equal Porsches (or anythings) race regularly all over the country for several years, and they too will be judged by some hilarious crash video compilations.

A top quality Spec Miata engine costs around $5K (and btw is not required to run up front in regional races). That's relatively cheap in racing terms. If you're planning to contend for wins, you should be more concerned with tire costs, especially outside of Spec Miata.

Cory M

what is your budget and where in California do you live?

Matt Romanowski

Spec Miata is not really spec. It's more like "mostly similar Miata." If you want spec racing, the best is Spec Racer Ford.

J richard

No one answer, need to ask yourself a whole pile of questions.

1. Are your passions in a particular marque or car, if so you may not be satisfied with anything else.
2. Do you want to compete or just participate? This includes how much you are willing to invest in time, effort and travel to events.
3. If it is racing above all then what series and platforms are big in your area? Having a car you love with no one to race is a drag.
4. What can you afford in terms of operation and maintenance. If you aren't doing it yourself it can be considerable.
5. What kind of upfront investment can you make? A purpose built or factory racecar will be built for purpose and IMHO will be cheaper overall. Building a car is always a looser financially.

Within the p car field the air cooled 911 is a great car. A spec series will keep costs in check as much as possible. Spec 911, boxster,or 996 are great options if you have the competition. Open classes will get $$$. 944 is a bit of a crapshoot some are very reliable some not, but the racing is great.

Outside of the pcar spec miata, the new GA B spec, BMW are pretty reliable but cost can be similar to the Pcars. Always wanted to try ford spec racing. Hond challenge is interesting but my impression is they break a lot.

Anyway lots of opinions you have to figure out what turns your crank...

CAM14

Couple of thoughts:
1) It really depends on what you want to achieve, one can easily win their class if you race in an obscure class. But IMHO, running mid-pack in a large and competitive class is more fun.
2) Any car you are doing wheel to wheel racing with, you should be financially prepared to walk away.
3) If you do not enjoy/have time for/have limited talent for the mechanical side, then should consider an “arrive and drive” service in your area. I know Marc Hoover does something like that in NoCal and sure there are other options in your area.
4) Generally speaking, the more mature “spec” series are more cost effective. Both Spec Racer Ford and Spec Miata have a good package.
5) Do not have a great deal of experience with Honda racers, but when they show up at my local events, they do not seem very competitive. They seem to break a lot. Plus I just do not want to race a front wheel drive car, but that is just my strong preference.
6) The largest factor to being competitive is the driver in any class of cars or race series.
7) The largest cost will be tires. To run up front will require a significant part of the budget to be directed towards tires. The spec series I’m most familiar with (SM) has a good tire package in both NASA and SCCA.
8) A budget build is very subjective. Generally speaking, it is cheaper to buy a car than have it built. Whatever direction you decide to go, do not compromise on the quality of safety equipment. Good safety equipment is money well spent. The cage will always be part of the car, so do it right the first time.
9) At the end of the day, it is about having fun and new experiences. Big horse power does not always equal more fun.
10) Having a car that is legal for more than one class can provide more oppertunties for track time.

Hope this help, good luck, it is a lot of fun.

consolidated

iRacing

...or Spec Miata

M758

Alot depends on build prep. There are 944's are that build cheaply with old used parts or have not been sorted out. These tend to fail. The cars that have been gone through are much much better.

Even so racing is an abusive enviroment. That means all cars are ridden hard and put away wet. Plus in racing, especially in spec class, when something not right you see it right away.

BTW... I have been racing my 944 spec for 10 years now. I has been mostly reliable, but things happen. I bent valves twice due to my own driver error both in the last 18 months. I had one motor pop due to metal fatiuge. I had one motor spin a bearing due my error on timing belts (that was back 2002). I have had clutch fail after 5 years of racing on it.

Currently my car has motor that is down on power due to still using the original rings from 1984. I have had two chances to replace them, but did not. These probalby 160k miles on them and 6 years of hard racing. I also have some electrical issues and have been having them for a few years. The real issue is that I have been band-aid the bad 30 year old wiring rather than fixing it right. The issue is that problem has really only been annoyance as I never missed and racing laps due to it.

If you want to buy a race car and never work on it then you will need to pay someone to do it while you are not looking. Ever car needs work and has it problem areas.

multi21

At least in the 944 spec class, the "consumables" are reasonable meaning that if you DE or time trial, a car with higher weight and HP will cost you more for tires and brakes than actually racing wheel to wheel.

I've had my share of problems with my 944 and I don't maintain it myself but always have a shop do the work because of time or expertise constraints. In fact, my engine went out at the last race I did with Joe P. at Autoclub in March. I've had broken axles, cv boots, etc. it does happen. The guys I race with in NASA have a lot of knowledge and if something goes wrong, everyone helps to get that racer back on track. The most incredible bunch of guys I've raced with. Even if things get heated on track, everyone are friends back in the paddock. Can't say I've seen that anywhere else. So from that stand point, track support is important.

In SoCal there are a lot of options for P cars. I think POC is trying to get a spec tire for many different cars or classes. Because I run 944 spec, I really haven't been paying too much attention to the discussion on the 911s Boxsters etc, but IIRC, a lot of guys in POC want a spec tire to try and contain tire costs. Makes a lot of sense especially since POC has a power to weight classification that will put a lot of different cars in same class. I think a spec tire is key to keeping costs down in any series.

IcemanG17

Some of the best advice I got years ago, but never took

"What part do you think is cheap?....the racing part or the Porsche part?"

Its mostly true

Since you are in Norcal another good option is Spec E30.....VERY large fields with NASA locally...& not to expensive to run-purchase.....also not as super developed like Spec Miata....you really need a top level car to run up front in Norcal.....vs a "solid" car in E30 (assuming you are a talented driver)

mhm993

SM is as close to Iracing in cost as any class could be. The consumables are nearly free and most parts come from Napa.

hacker-pschorr

Problem with Spec-Wrecker Fords is you automatically need a trailer & tow vehicle. I've seen spec-piñata's driven to and from events.