Will,

After some research I'm concerned about the maintenance cost of the 944 I was/am considering an s2000 model 2000 that i saw, do you know anything about them. Remember I'm a newbie to track days and racing so if you could give your experienced opinion it would be of great help.

I appreciate your input and will market your car to some other friends as well.

Thank you,

[name removed]

Funny you should ask about the S2000—I have one as my daily driver!

I wouldn’t be too worried about maintenance costs with a 944, 944S, or 944S2. Yes, they have their quirks, but the major stuff (which is what you care about at the track) holds up well under the abuse and for a 20+ year old car.

The turbos are a little more finicky, and are more difficult to work on because the engine bay is so crammed with stuff.

That being said, I think the car I’m selling represents a solid vehicle that will go around a track faster and safer than anything else I can think of for the same money.

But, it will set you back more in maintenance time/expense than some slower variants of the 944.

Which brings us to the S2000. Absolutely fabulous car. I will probably never sell mine. Ever.

I have daily driven my 2001 since I purchased it in 2004. I have also autocrossed it extensively (three time regional champion in that car), and taken it to the track once.

Here’s the rub: it’s a great street car. It’s a great autocross car. It’s a great street/autocross car.

It can be a great track car ***if*** you put the right safety equipment in the car. But at that point, it is no longer safe to drive on the street (without a helmet, anyway).

I could get a hardtop and technically meet the requirements for most clubs to take the car to the track, but I’m big on safety and understand that a hardtop does nothing for you in the event of a rollover. You want a true rollbar. But one that will function properly in a rollover will intrude into a spot that might get occupied by your head during an accident. In the S2000, you are damned if you do or damned if you don’t.

So, like I said, great street/autocross car. Not a great street/track car.

I guess all things being equal, if you could find a 944S2 that was prepped like mine for the same money, it would probably be nearly as fast but easier to work on and save you some time/money that way. Of course, be under no illusions that taking a car to the track is cheap. Most cars that you are going to find that are street legal, though, are going to have far less safety equipment on them, and a far inferior suspension, for the same or greater money than I’m looking for. Of course, new cars come up all the time.

But the 944 Turbo (951) is not a bad track car by any stretch. Mine has been bullet proof at the track. And I have addressed just about everything that could go wrong (other than the clutch).

I would highly advise that whatever car you get, get one that is as closely prepped to the way you want to track it as you can find. The go-fast (and go-safe) parts are not cheap. Again, make sure you are in a safe car. I wouldn’t go to the track without harnesses and a HANS, a race seat, and a roll bar. A fire system is a maybe, but on an old car it makes a lot of sense.

So my biggest advice is to look for a car with these features already installed. Understand that if you get harnesses and a seat for the driver, no instructor will ride with you unless you provide equivalent or better for them. This could easily set you back $2000 for just those. A custom roll bar is far better (and more expensive) than a bolt-in job. Figure another $3000. Don’t forget your HANS ($700). $400 for a fire system. Helmet is $400. Firesuit? Gloves? Shoes?

You could easily spend $7000 on safety equipment before you’ve bought a car!!! And surely you’ll want to make some improvements to make the car faster.

So, the best advice is to always buy someone else’s race/track car. Buying a street car and converting it, while fun because you get to make all the choices, is going to cost you much more than buying someone else’s car. Figure any money you spend on equipment you’ll get back 50%, and the value of the car underneath will depreciate dramatically as soon as you take it to the track. Buy a track car at a fair price, drive it, maintain it, and you should be able to sell it for exactly what you paid for it.

What would I do in your position?

First, it would depend on how mechanically inclined you are, how much time you have, how fast you want to be etc.

The best bargain for learning to drive is to buy at second hand spec miata. Don’t listen to anyone who says they’re chick-cars because that person isn’t worth your time, if you are serious about driving. You will have more than enough power to get yourself into trouble, but it will teach you how to control a car at the limit and maintain your momentum. All cars, in essence are momentum cars. Cars with serious hp, though, allow drivers to delude themselves into thinking they are fast a High Performance Drive Education events because they don’t get passed. But the reality is, they can’t drive, they just know how to press the loud pedal. Can they brake at the limit? Can they corner at the limit? (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIvnO_Kbz48). A spec miata is all the tool you need to learn to drive fast.

But you need a trailer and tow vehicle. Moving up from there are 44Cup, 44 Super Cup, Spec E30, Spec Racer Ford, and Formula Ford (off the top of my head). If you *knew* you were going to stick with driving, there would be not a lot of sense in buying the spec miata. Any of these are good intermediate race cars, but they are going to require a little more work/money than a spec miata.

But, if you don’t have a tow vehicle/trailer, things are a little more tricky. Don’t take any car to the track if you can’t afford to walk away from it (in a crumpled pile). Don’t take any car to the track that won’t keep you safe. Maintenance costs/time are the price you have to pay.

I feel like that’s where my car has found the sweet spot. It’s safe. It’s cheap. It’s fast. It’s street legal. Yes, it requires a little more maintenance than some other options (my wife is telling me that a woman requires more!), but it’s been a fabulous learning tool for me. I’m ready to pass it on to someone else.

Bottom line:
1. If you have a tow vehicle (or would consider one), get a spec miata.
2. Otherwise, if you can find a safety-prepped, track-prepped 944S2, E30-chassis BMW, etc. then consider that against my car.
3. My car.

I hope that’s helpful!

Best,

Will