keeponjeepinon said:In reply to NOHOME :
Probably not the best on the white stuff we get here though lol
Snow tires fixes that. People have been driving RWD cars in the snow for decades. Even 2WD pickups.
The Miata is well balanced and has an excellent power curve that makes driving in the nasty stuff a ton of fun.
Count me in for Miata + snow tires as well. Until you're plowing significant piles with the front bumper, you'll be fine.
Edit: Also, let's see some pics of the MJ!
My suggestion is to spend $6K max on a car, I'll give the reasons in a sec.
My first choice would also be a Miata, especially Jeremy's that he posted, the NC is a better chassis than the earlier NAs and NBs, factory or with suspension mods.
I also like the E36 and E46 BMWs, but I would suggest an E46 since most people report that they're more reliable than the earlier E36.
For something not mentioned yet, if you need more practicality, I would go after a Mazda 3. They handle well for a FWD car and will be more reliable than the BMWs and the early Miatas (just due to age). But, no one bought them comparatively speaking, so it may take a while to find one in good shape.
$6K is a good price to go with an $8K budget so if you really like autocross and will stick with it for a while, you can buy a spare set of wheels and summer tires later in the season when your driving skills warrant more grip. Plus, any repairs and maintenance you'll need to do may take some of it, then save a few hundred $$$.
canoe deleted
How do the NCs hold up to road salt? The NAs and NBs do automatic weight reduction after a few Ohio winters.
Edit: Also I have had NAs and NBs in Southern Ohio winters and they were fine in the snow. Only problem is the cheap ones are typically pretty rusty.
this is our first year driving a 99 nb in the snow. We have studded snows on it, my wife's fiesta st has blizzaaks. I have good snows on our focust svt. The miata feels more planted and agile in the snow. I now look forward to driving in the snow. I'm a mustang guy, and I have been more than impressed with the miata. I am sold on the studded tires. We ended up with studded tires when the shop put them on by accident. We didn't pay extra for the studs. A year before I was driving an 03 six cylinder mustang in the winter. I rally crossed it three times, but wanted to get something with a limited slip. I was going to put a new dif in the car, but my SWMBO said, " you are putting money into the wrong car, sell this and get something better for rallycross". It's always better to be married to the right woman.
We got a miata and now we are on our second. Long story but the short version is that my 16 year old fell in love with our na, but we picked up the nb as it has a rollbar and an extra air bag.
Regardless, I don't see how you can go wrong with a miata. I also loved the suggestion of the miata and a winter beater. My 06 mustang is now sitting into the garage, just waiting until spring. We are however loving the miata for a winter daily driver.
it's going to be heavy... but a buddy and I have pondered trying this in HS.
2004-06 Manual... will have a J32 making 260hp and a mechanical LSD.
should be fairly easy to find in decent shape for under $6k
for the 04+ TL you get 17x8 wheels as well. which means you can cram a 255 under the car...
with light wheels and running 5 only 5 gallons of fuel we estimate you can get under 3350lbs.
you'll probably never catch the fiestas... but man you'll be comfy and it's a nice DD the other 6 days of the week.
it's also a double wishbone car like the 09 Accord v6 my buddy Cameron drove to 2nd in HS this year.
You can have fun and do well in any car with hard work and determination. That said, HS has three cars if you want to be competitive. The Fiesta ST is awesome, but well outside of your price cap. The cool thing is, there are plenty of Civics and Minis in your price range that can beat the FiST. Especially if you buy low and prep it, or buy one already prepped.
While the Civic is the easy button, there are other options from Acura and Honda than can be substituted.
In GS, it will be hard to get around newer GTIs and Civics. I think a well-prepped older GTI at a local level could do very well though.
as an 8th gen Si owner, if you can rationalize 2 doors over 4, you'll have a much less frustrating hunt. sedans have become very difficult to find in decent condition at a lower price but you pretty much have the pick of the litter with nice coupes.
love mine as a fun daily. shop them carefully as they seem to go through a lot of owners, but thankfully its mostly a buyer's market for them overall.
From my experience you don't leave 2nd gear and reaction time adds up, so I ended up going auto with awd and love the sound of an I5 Turbo, TT RS all day and night.
If FWD was a must then the stock Cobalt SS T/C made some impressive lap times a few clicks off a stock Boxster. The newer Golfs with Club Sport parts look attractive too.
svxsti said:From my experience you don't leave 2nd gear and reaction time adds up, so I ended up going auto with awd and love the sound of an I5 Turbo, TT RS all day and night.
If FWD was a must then the stock Cobalt SS T/C made some impressive lap times a few clicks off a stock Boxster. The newer Golfs with Club Sport parts look attractive too.
a properly designed course should have 1 shift to 2nd for cars with proper gearing.
I have driven an AWD audi TT with a DSG this previous weekend and they do go like stink..
but the car i drove and the car you own are NOT CHEAP.
The Cobalt SS, nor boxster or standard golf are not competitive in any form of autocross i'm aware of at this point in time.
I've got an all original all stock 98 Civic Ex coupe with 80k in Michigan for sale cheap... Would say its spotless by Ohio/Michigan rust standards.
I've actually been thinking about putting a Turbo Busa from Radical in an MR2 Spyder just for the 10k shifts and boost whistles, just saying.
I autocross an NB Miata most of the time and daily drive a 2008 Civic Si. If I didn't have the NB prepped, I'd autocross the Si. I love Miatas and have daily driven them, but Si is way more useful with its back seat and roomy trunk. They are getting harder to find in decent shape, but they do last forever (I've got 230K on mine). I drive it in Michigan winters on steelies and snow tires and it's a tank. Great car all around.
Furious_E said:Count me in for Miata + snow tires as well. Until you're plowing significant piles with the front bumper, you'll be fine.
Edit: Also, let's see some pics of the MJ!
Little late, but pictures of my MJ:
I think this thread is driving me more towards an Si (maybe a speed3, depends on what's out there when I'm ready). I know Miata Is Always The Answer, but I'm 6 feet tall, and I've had a soft top in the winter before, and it was pretty cold. All the Miatas near me are all soft tops too, and one that isn't a POS is probably up for 4-5k. I'd rather spend a little more for something newer that won't break on me. I've already got an old vehicle that's unreliable.
How does the FIAT 500 do in an autocross setting? I drove one as a rental in France last year and was impressed by the handling. They seem to go for $3-5k these days.
LanEvo said:How does the FIAT 500 do in an autocross setting? I drove one as a rental in France last year and was impressed by the handling. They seem to go for $3-5k these days.
Not legal to run in stock form with SCCA because of exceeding the rollover height and width formula. Only the Abarth can run stock. Stock the Abarth is a half step behind, IMHO and modded in ST classes they're both outclassed.
In reply to keeponjeepinon :
Damn, that thing is CLEAN! Nice truck.I had a 2 door 5 speed XJ lifted 3" on 31s that I sold about a year ago.
The SI is a good choice. I have a buddy who has had one forever and it's been pretty rock solid for him. Fun to drive and I like the K20 a lot.
I have found a nice Civic Si almost impossible to find in my area. They all seem to be either trashed or have a million miles.
I’d check out the TL (also possible hard to find) and first gen Mazda 6. Some people think it could do well w the 2.3 in HS. Sort of light, good suspension.
In reply to keeponjeepinon :
DO NOT BUY A SPEED3 TO AUTOCROSS. Speed 3's were decent cars as a toy around town and for getting up and going on the freeway a decade ago but they have been far outclassed by modern front wheel drive cars in autocross and it is a car that succeeds in turning consumables into dust very quickly. I would encourage you to pick up an uncompetitive H Street car before I recommended a Mazdaspeed3. Have owned one, it was a semi-decent streetcar for me but I would encourage spending a bit more money and finding a used Focus ST if you want a turbo hatch. because you will come out ahead on consumables in the next couple of years to the point that the two cars would have been the same cost. In the Focus ST would be way more competitive in autocross. I have owned both of Focus ST currently and I owned a Mazdaspeed3 up until just over three years ago and I have a buddy who is currently about to part with a Speed 3 because Mazdadeuce and I have talked to him out of continuing to destroy consumables and the car on track in favor of purchasing an additional NC Miata to track instead.
If you really want to be competitive, and if you can spend a few more dollars you can find a FiST. There's one local to me for $10,250 from a dealership actually, but most are in the $12-14k range.
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