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kanaric
kanaric Dork
12/29/16 2:16 a.m.

Budget autocross the last time I went there was a guy with a E36 M3ty falling apart 15+ year old Hyundai Elantra. Run what you brung.

Mister Fister
Mister Fister Reader
12/29/16 9:24 a.m.

sell me your M3 and go buy a Mustang or TransMaroBird.

OldGray320i
OldGray320i HalfDork
12/29/16 3:22 p.m.
Mister Fister wrote: sell me your M3 and go buy a Mustang or TransMaroBird.

Everything in this thread is accurate, except the quote above - this guy is just wanting to get in to your E36 M3.

If it's weak, auto-x might expose it, but it sounds like you have another car to get to work if something does break (which is doubtful - but possible... my son had a wheel bearing on his focus - his daily - that was on the way out, and out it went at the auto-x, but he was able to drive to a garage and get it fixed...).

I started a couple years ago (and should have started at minimum a couple decades ago), don't get to enough events, but it is way fun!

Go and have a great time.

AClockworkGarage
AClockworkGarage Reader
12/30/16 1:35 a.m.

I bought this car for $1000 off craigslist. I put about a grand into the suspension wheels and tires and ran a full season of autocross in it.

They laughed. At first. at season's end I placed 7th of 58. You can run anything.

QuasiMofo
QuasiMofo MegaDork
12/30/16 4:35 a.m.

Not sure if anyone said this but just get out there

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
12/30/16 4:43 a.m.

I did most of my first year of auto-x in a VW diesel station wagon. While it does have a manual transmission, 90hp pushing a 3300 lb car is still only 90 hp. IMHO, running a slow car helps you learn to read/see the courses better whereas a car like the M3 may make things "happen" to quickly if you are a beginner. As mentioned, auto-x isn't really like "normal" high speed driving on public roads and it can be a real ego-kick when you first start. My ex- learned this the hard way.

RedGT - remember when a guy showed up a couple of times with a huge 80's Cadillac Brougham? IIRC, he was friend of Christine. It was a riot watching that thing navigate slaloms at Warminster.

RedGT
RedGT HalfDork
12/30/16 1:30 p.m.

Yep! I love that kind of stuff. Although right now I am hung up on "be competitive" and "stay on a budget" - which is actually helped by sticking to one well developed vehicle. But given, hopefully, a little more disposable income in about 2 years, you are going to see me bring more weird/underdog E36 M3 to local events. I almost bought an automatic Alfa 164 a few weeks ago but resisted. So far.

Tom1200
Tom1200 HalfDork
12/30/16 2:15 p.m.

I first autocrossed a bone stock Nissan 720 P/U; it was my daily driver and transport for my road race motorcycle, some SCCA folk I met a meeting about our local track invited me out. It was fun once I switched to racing cars I ran the Datsun 1200 in H stock, that was 1989.

Since then we've run bone stock super cars such as Geo Prizm, 71 Plymouth Valiant & Volvo 142.

I've seen people run everything from Honda N600 to Caprice Classic, we even had Alfa driver run his 4wd Plymouth Trail Blazer when it bucketed down rain.

The key to getting started is being a whore...........anything will do.

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
12/30/16 2:33 p.m.

In reply to RedGT:

Right now, my plan is to get my Spitfire in shape to do some local events. I'll probably set it up roughly to FSP specs similar to Steve G's car. I stumbled onto a set of cheap 13" Panasports, so I plan to spring for some semi-R-comp tires for it.

Fingers crossed I'll make it to some events in 2017. I do miss it.

RedGT
RedGT HalfDork
12/30/16 2:52 p.m.

In reply to Ian F:

Drive mine at Warminster sometime.

Fair warning - the last five people who drove it...one went and built his ES car into an STS one, two have since bought Miatas, and one is currently shopping. And one still has his MR-S, something must be wrong with that guy

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