I suppose I should start a thread regarding my sale and the tough " What Car?!?!?!?" decision I have. I respect the GRM hive-mind over any other hive mind, so here we go!
Selling my 1982 Porsche 911SC on BaT currently Porsche 911SC and am looking to start up some HPDEs and auto-crosses with the ultimate goal of having fun while learning as much as I can about performance driving.
My budget is loose but should max out around $22k, depending on the final BaT bid. Keep in mind, I am planning on taking a good chunk of the money from the sale to put towards paying down some debt.
This will be a third car, so not much practicality is needed. Although, I will need to drive 2+ hours to get to any event/fun road. I love lightweight RWD cars. Will need rollbar if a convertible is considered.
Also, I am a bit tired of tinkering on cars. I want to drive and will be hard on whatever car I choose. So, something reliable that is ready-made for the track work would be optimal. Also, if I become serious about the track, I plan on buying a dedicated race car in the future.
Currently, the top two are:
Mazda RX-8 R3
Porsche Cayman 2.9 (987.2)
Enticing options are:
Lotus Elise
Mazda Miata NC w/suspension mods
FRS/BRZ
Give me all you got!
To me, two hour+ drive means FR-S/BR-Z, if the performance is enough for you. Mainly so you're in something comfortable and relatively quiet on the drive home when you are tired.
I just went through this. As much as I love the Cayman, and a really nicely track prepped one came up for sale locally, I don't trust that motor for track work. Several friends have blown up their Caymans/Boxsters/996's on track.
I ended up with a nicely track prepped E36 M3 and plenty of money to stash away.
Honda s2000 if reliability is important.
S2k, M3 or Corvette of your liking.
Vert, Flyin Miata V8 conversion
Hardtop, Flyin' Miata V8 conversion with a hardtop.
What? The Answer is always the answer.
Of the ones you listed, I would go Cayman 2.9 and be on the lookout for a 3.4 for a weekend swap.
I feel a C5 may be too much car for me, also I don't really like them much.
I have considered an S2000 if I can find a clean one. Not sure I would spend over $20k on one.
Regarding the Cayman 2.9. My research on Planet-9, the 2.9 engine seems like a sweet spot, no IMS, no direct injection better oil baffling and delivery. Higher mileage examples (50-80k) are mid to low $20s.
Honestly, I am afraid of BMWs but really like M3s. A clean E46 would be nice but how well do they hold up to abuse and will I have to fix it constantly?
The RX-8 is a bit of a porker, the one I drove was decidedly underwhelming. Lightweight means you'll spend a lot less on consumables (looking at you corvette tires). NC Answer for 10K, suspension/tires/wheels for 4K and 4K for a supercharger, you'll be well set up.
Or spend less than half that for a similarly set up NA/NB and put it on a nice trailer for the schlep to the track. Less risk (financially) if you wad it up, always have a ride home if something pops, tow rigs are 99 times out of 100 more comfortable than track cars and after a day at the limit it's nice to stretch out in the air conditioning and relax.
Both my E36 and E46 M3's were very reliable. I tracked both quite a bit without any issues.
Cotton
UberDork
4/6/16 3:03 p.m.
Keep it in the family.....Cayman.
Good looking SC btw.
Huckleberry wrote:
Cayman all the way.
Can you really find Caymans for $20k?
In reply to KyAllroad:
I've considered that same plan with the NC but with a 2.5 swap instead of a supercharger. All the discussion of heat management in boosted miatas has me a bit worried. I will be consumed with managing track driving, I question my ability to watch the temp gauge. Maybe I am blowing this out of proportion. Might be better to leave the engine alone in the NC and just do suspension/tires/brakes/rollbar.
In reply to Cotton:
Thanks, it's been a fun ride. It's still open for bidding!
In reply to mazdeuce:
Not quite that low, but close!
Cayman in KC
In reply to docwyte:
Intriguing, doc. Tell me more about this reliable E46. I want to believe.
I did suspension and brakes to my E46 that tracked the snot out of it for 3 seasons. Nothing but oil changes and gas. Both my M3's (E36 and E46) were very reliable track cars, hence me just buying another E36 M3 as a track rat.
I prefer the E36 over the E46 for more of a track car. The E36 feels more nimble. The E46 has more power and you can fit more tire under it but it's more expensive as far as consumables go and if you prang it on the track the body panels cost more as they're ///M specific.
ptmeyer84 wrote:
In reply to mazdeuce:
Not quite that low, but close!
Cayman in KC
I just checked autodrader and you can indeed find them for less than $20k. I had no idea. That's......interesting.
Aren't air cooled 911s selling for stupid money these days?
mazdeuce wrote:
ptmeyer84 wrote:
In reply to mazdeuce:
Not quite that low, but close!
Cayman in KC
I just checked autodrader and you can indeed find them for less than $20k. I had no idea. That's......interesting.
E36 M3, really did not need to know that.
I would say keep the Porsche. Maybe put a Renegades Hybrids kit in.
