build a Miata, $10k

An ls1 swap made my buddy's the best miata I've driven by a country mile, (for the record I've driven 12 turbo ones maybe) there's no comparison in driving experience IMHO (or starpower, that car draws a crowd most places it goes).

Let me throw a wrench in the works here for a second and proposition an already-built V8 Miata? They sell for a bit more (11k-15k depending), but no turbo issues to worry about. Add wheels/tires/suspension/rollbar if needed, be all in for 15k or so?

Past example:

http://www.v8miata.net/v8-miatas-sale-4/1993-mazda-miata-built-v8-493/

z31maniac wrote: Keith, prices from the past are irrelevant. Look at your site now, your 3" exhaust is more than $1000. Even at your lower price with $6000 you still have THOUSANDS in equipment to buy, clutch, radiator, oil cooler, wheels/tires, brake pads, safety equipment..............even if you got the Miata for free a $10k turbo reliable turbo build isn't really possible.

Look at the site again, a 3" exhaust is $819 when purchased with a turbo. Prices haven't changed that much, and my calculations were done with the latest numbers, although they've changed very little. Don't try to school me on what's in our catalog. And we could chatter back and forth on this for some time. There's no point. I'm not trying to sell you on a $10k track Miata. I'm pointing out that it's possible, it can be (and has been) done and Miataturbo will laugh at you. Be strong.

It comes down to what you expect from a track day car. Is it something you can run at sprint speeds for the 25 hours of Thunderhill without anything more than a few sets of tires and brake pads? Or is it a car that's good enough for fun 20 minute sessions with a driver who's paying attention and doesn't want to hurt the car? Because there's an enormous, massive difference in prep and cost. It's a philosophy, I suppose. Mechanical empathy can save a lot of money and headaches. We're not talking about building a track trailer queen here, but a street car that can be taken on the track.

I have an expensive, needy, very fast dedicated track car. And sometimes I'll just grab the street Miata and go to the track with it instead. Why? Because I can have a lot of fun dealing with the different character. Sure, it's not as fast and it may not impress people or set lap records - but I'm still having a good time behind the wheel dealing with its different characteristics. And if that means I might have to back off a bit because the brakes are getting hot, then I get the challenge of trying to drive within the limits of the brakes I have. It's the same sort of fun I have when I bring the classic Mini or the overpowered MG to the track. If your track day fun is defined exclusively by your lap time, then you're actually missing out on quite a bit.

Now, racing, that's totally different. But track days aren't racing. Maybe that's the philosophical difference right there.

A low-budget V8 car is going to need some sorting. They're huge fun when set up right, but the stresses on everything are higher and anything close to $10k will need love to get it running reliably.

Keith Tanner wrote:

z31maniac wrote: Keith, prices from the past are irrelevant. Look at your site now, your 3" exhaust is more than $1000. Even at your lower price with $6000 you still have THOUSANDS in equipment to buy, clutch, radiator, oil cooler, wheels/tires, brake pads, safety equipment..............even if you got the Miata for free a $10k turbo reliable turbo build isn't really possible.

Look at the site again, a 3" exhaust is $819 when purchased with a turbo. Prices haven't changed that much, and my calculations were done with the latest numbers, although they've changed very little. Don't try to school me on what's in our catalog. And we could chatter back and forth on this for some time. There's no point. I'm not trying to sell you on a $10k track Miata. I'm pointing out that it's possible, it can be (and has been) done and Miataturbo will laugh at you. Be strong. It comes down to what you expect from a track day car. Is it something you can run at sprint speeds for the 25 hours of Thunderhill without anything more than a few sets of tires and brake pads? Or is it a car that's good enough for fun 20 minute sessions with a driver who's paying attention and doesn't want to hurt the car? Because there's an enormous, massive difference in prep and cost. It's a philosophy, I suppose. Mechanical empathy can save a lot of money and headaches. We're not talking about building a track trailer queen here, but a street car that can be taken on the track. I have an expensive, needy, very fast dedicated track car. And sometimes I'll just grab the street Miata and go to the track with it instead. Why? Because I can have a lot of fun dealing with the different character. Sure, it's not as fast and it may not impress people or set lap records - but I'm still having a good time behind the wheel dealing with its different characteristics. And if that means I might have to back off a bit because the brakes are getting hot, then I get the challenge of trying to drive within the limits of the brakes I have. It's the same sort of fun I have when I bring the classic Mini or the overpowered MG to the track. If your track day fun is defined exclusively by your lap time, then you're actually missing out on quite a bit. Now, racing, that's totally different. But track days aren't racing. Maybe that's the philosophical difference right there. A low-budget V8 car is going to need some sorting. They're huge fun when set up right, but the stresses on everything are higher and anything close to $10k will need love to get it running reliably.

Let me run this one by you as an example.

http://www.v8miata.net/v8-miatas-sale-4/1990-v8-302-%2413000-279hp-300-torque-1092/

Is that your definition of "sorted" or low-budget?

It would be worth looking at. The ad doesn't discuss any possible running issues, and he skirts the fact that it's registered in FL but can't be in CA - that's possibly why it's on the market. It's been up for sale for a year now.

I'd sure be interested in having a look at it if I was looking for one. To be a track car, it would need some brakes (pads at least!) and a roll bar. I don't see a cooling fan at all in the pictures, and there isn't one in the photograph of the part list. I would expect to have to go over it front to back to make sure the conversion was done well - you can never tell with a DIY setup, as it's all up to the skill and problem solving ability of the builder. Some are fantastic, some less so. It could be a good start.

Keith Tanner wrote: It would be worth looking at. The ad doesn't discuss any possible running issues, and he skirts the fact that it's registered in FL but can't be in CA - that's possibly why it's on the market. It's been up for sale for a year now. I'd sure be interested in having a look at it if I was looking for one. To be a track car, it would need some brakes (pads at least!) and a roll bar. I don't see a cooling fan at all in the pictures, and there isn't one in the photograph of the part list. I would expect to have to go over it front to back to make sure the conversion was done well - you can never tell with a DIY setup, as it's all up to the skill and problem solving ability of the builder. Some are fantastic, some less so. It could be a good start.

It would be primarily a street car. I'll be interested to see how the prices change this fall.

I'd start with that as a street car if it's as advertised. Could be a lot of fun.

I bought a very clean, maintained 94 NA a couple years ago with SM suspension, Torsen, HD Roll bar, hard top, 15x7 Team Dynamic wheels with Bridgestone RE11s, 2.5" exhaust. $4k. Rust free, 100k miles. I've since prepped it to be more STRish for autocrossing. But with $6k left over, it seems like you have some options to adjust a lot of things to fit your needs. It was the same price as a similar stock version of the same car around here.

I'm trying to not do sorting. I've been doing that for two years straight. I really need something that is minimal time. With two hours a day spent drivin to work, and two boys that I coach/ do scouts with I really don't have time

Then I'd start with something like Freestyle's car - one that's set up and low stress. You can add power later, just get a car that's got a solid chassis setup, nothing wild underhood and enjoy it out of the box. You'll probably save some money, but that's not all bad.