My 96 miata with 120 whp and weighing 2,450 with driver and a tank of gas just seems too slow at VIR.
Though it is fun at tighter tracks.
I am going to end up spending more money than it would take you to get your s2k track ready getting an engine built up so I am not getting dusted in a strait line and still have less whp then your s2k stock.
Also, you have fixed a lot of things with your s2k, if you think the NC or NA you get wouldnt require fixing some deferred maintance, your kidding yourself.
dyintorace wrote:
As a data point, we have 6 cars across 3 drivers.
5 cars, 1 Briggs Kart, 1 speedboat and 2 drivers.
And I doubt I am over the average around here.
Thanks everyone for all the input and advice. I do agree that in the long run, the best case scenario is having a dedicated track car in addition to a weekend car. A tool for each purpose, as it were. Unfortunately I'm still a few years out from that scenario.
My long term plan is to have whatever car I use now as a dedicated track car in a few years, including a trailer in the future. And then I plan on buying (most likely) a 987.2 boxster s, maybe 981, or maybe something else. But that would be the fun weekend cruiser. At that point I might want a different car on track altogether (non-convertible) since I'll have a weekend car/convertible to enjoy.
So in that vein I also thought the miata would be a good option for a dedicated track car in the future due to more available parts, easier to upgrade (2.5 swap++), lighter car to start with, big support base, etc.
I haven't made up my mind yet so my plan right now is to finish fixing up/cleaning up the s2000 - these are things I would do if I were keeping or selling, so no "extra" expense. Then as the weather is warmer over the next few weeks I'll post the car for a fair price. If I can sell it for what I think is reasonable, I'll do that and go with an NC and enjoy the car for what it is. If I can't sell it I'll remove the back of the interior, put a roll bar in, and track the car this year and see how it goes. I might fall in love with the car again and decide I want to keep the s2k long term and keep building it as more dedicated track car anyway.
If I get an NC and decide in a couple of years I want an s2000 again, I'll bite that bullet when I get there. Basically there are no wrong answers here. At this point I just feel there is more value in selling the current car and starting over than keeping it and sinking more money into it. If I can't sell it for what I want, then that value isn't there and I'll just dive in.
Thanks again; I really do appreciate everyone's responses and time.
Fr3AkAzOiD wrote:
My 96 miata with 120 whp and weighing 2,450 with driver and a tank of gas just seems too slow at VIR.
Though it is fun at tighter tracks.
I am going to end up spending more money than it would take you to get your s2k track ready getting an engine built up so I am not getting dusted in a strait line and still have less whp then your s2k stock.
Also, you have fixed a lot of things with your s2k, if you think the NC or NA you get wouldnt require fixing some deferred maintance, your kidding yourself.
I agree I would need to spend money on whatever car I buy. But I doubt it would be as much as this one, for a lot of stupid things, too. For example I had to end up spending $300 to get all the wiring sorted out because the previous previous owner installed a bunch of speakers and a viper alarm which wasn't functioning properly. and totally screwed up a bunch of electrical things. I tried to fix it myself and ended up immobilizing the car :(
Part of me is just worried about more hidden gremlins coming out to bite me, and getting stranded especially if I'm 200 miles away at the track.
I like the NC over the NA because of the size and power while still being lightweight. I could go NA, drive it a year or two, and then sell it. Still might do that. But if I move away from the Honda most likely scenario would be Year 1; coilovers/sways and rollbar. Enjoy that and perhaps keep it that way for another year if I'm satisfied. Year 2: If I'm serious about tracking, put in seats/harnesses. By Year 3 if I'm getting bored of the power I'd likely go 2.5 swap with aggressive cams and try to eke out 200+ whp. That would get me back in s2000 power to weight range and would likely be plenty for a while. Then if I ever really want to add more power (which I don't really foresee), I could always go FI.
But who knows? I may end up somewhere totally different. The most important thing for me now is to get as much seat time as possible, optimizing the time I do spend on track, and focus on becoming a better driver. Perhaps the NA miata is the best option for me. I just thought the NC was a better balance, somewhere between an s2k and an NA miata.
Hello everyone! Just wanted to provide an update for anyone interested. Pictures speak a thousand words, so:
I considered what everyone said and I think this is the best way to go for now. I'll try to sell the s2k. If I get a good price for it, I'll let it go. Otherwise I'll just keep enjoying it for a while as people have suggested.
Otherwise I plan to enjoy the heck out of this fun little car in the mean time. '91, fully set up for the track. Previous owner was my mechanic for my s2k and was planning to use this car for SSM. Half cage installed, racing seats, etc. 69k original miles, fully maintained. My first HPDE with this car will be next weekend at VIR; I can't wait!
