What trackable DD thread #257

Local AX is... on life support. Plus I have two AX cars, one is going to go, soon.  

Local trackday/HPDE/Time Attack is on the rise.  

List of considerations/demands:  

No verts (Miata, not the answer, hard no. Likewise don't fit in an S2k)

RWD(AWD?) (Civic would be an easy button, I know)

Not terrible on consumables/spares (#reliable)

Not boring

Interior quality/comfort... not really a concern. (DDed NA miata for years, Evo X is the 'nicest' interior I've ever owned...)

No room or desire for tow vehicle or the obligatory trailer

10-15k budget, including prep

The possibilities I've considered that haven't been nixed, thus far:  

E36 M3 (the car) checks lots of boxes, but finding one that isn't beat to hell and overpriced... or cleanish and really overpriced, yeesh. Plus... 20+ years old... meh

E46 M3 loses out on looks and costs for prep, tires, replacement parts, though the price difference vs E36 seems to be closing. (Perhaps ZHP?)

350z/G35 is certainly less cool, memes about engine noise... idk. Sedan possibility a plus for hauling tires, but even less 'cool'

FRS/BRZ is starting to come down on pricing, especially if considering rebuilt title examples, though anemic power, boring DD.

Rx8, if I could find one sans sunroof (good luck), thrash until engine blows, then engine swap? Cheap buy in. Brrap not ideal.

Older Evo would certainly cover enjoyable DD, has room for tires... but not cheap buy in, plus finding one that isn't beat, plus less of a 'drivers car'

Anything I'm missing?

Yes, buying something inexpensive and tracking the hell out of it has been considered, I'm looking for more of a 'buy once cry once' approach (plus DDing a boring car... sucks)

C5?

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

Forgot to mention that I don't fit in a C5. Decently tall but all torso, the times I've driven them my head has been press up up against the roll hoop, even with aftermarket seat.

Also worth noting that I've fairly limited track experience, am focused on honing driver skills and track comfort rather than chasing course records.

FR-S/BRZ.  Revs are your friend. Not boring at all when shifted at 7k plus.  

I am in a similar situation and I am thinking about running in a group.

Spec E30 is high on my list.

What's the TT scene like in Washington?  Would that be SCCA spec stuff, NASA, or one of the hill climb associations out there?

E46 m3 has my vote. They're not perfect, but damn do they make a lot of sense. Sure there's faster cars out there, but put the right brake pads on them and you can lap consistently till your tank runs dry.

E80 128i 6 speed is WONDERFUL for this. It's like a modern day e36 m3 with creature comforts.

E46 is a great solution as well,  and I am a lifelong e36 advocate but the interiors may be your problem. Most reliable though. Feel free to jump into a lower cost 325i and then throw an s52 or S54 in it with the cost savings. Easy to swap m parts over......

Nowadays, the mustang and camaro contingent has a very nice hold on this segment you may way to check out as well. Also a cayman if willing to deal with the oiling issues DIY.

Nissan Z / Infiniti G or FRS / BRZ or Mustang / Camaro are all great options  

Drive them and pick whichever you like best

I personally wouldn’t want to deal with getting the German stuff reliable 

IS300 w/ GTE swap?

In reply to Dootz :

Swap is OK as an eventuality, would rather not start with one though.

I might be biased but I vote Cayman. Either the calculated risk of an early car and doing an ims bearing at some point, or being patient (maybe not super patient if the economy keeps tanking like it has been the last week or so) and finding a high mileage 987.2. the .2s are a little north of your budget but won't need any engine work and come with a noteworthy power bump over the early cars, along with some styling and interior improvements. As far as prep, it won't need anything but a brake job, and that can probably even wait until you get a few events in to build up comfort with the car. Consumables might not be the cheapest but they'll actually last and the chassis doesn't really have any shortcomings like the BMWs that like to rip the rear suspension mounts out. Long term you'll want to do some amount of suspension work to get a decent amount of camber out of the front end, but that can be done relatively cheaply. It'll be the best daily driver you've ever had aside from maybe leaving something to be desired in the fuel economy department.

As someone else with a gigantic torso, it seems like the Germans are the easy button for actually fitting in the car. The best one of all? E36. There's a guy locally who is 6'7'' and fits in one with room to spare. Also, they're in your budget range and are good track cars.

I love tracking my 996. It's got the right mix of power and handling and is very fun and tossable. It's not a great autox car, but way more fun on track than the 650hp SSM I drive. 

I tracked my DD RX8 R3 for several years and it was wonderful on track and I never had any reliability issues. With some sealing/ducting type work around the radiator and oil cooler I never had any temperature issues with the stock coolers. The stock brakes are great with track pads, even on wider R compound tires, although I did remove the dust shields for more cooling up front. The suspension is amazingly well balanced and fully adjustable from the factory. If you can afford it, the R3's are the ones to get, they have Recaro seats which hold you in well at the track and have no sunroof. I'm 6'-3" and fit decently well with a helmet on with just a bit more recline than normal. Second choice would be a 2009+ Sport (base model), as the 2009+ engines had quite a few reliability improvements, among other changes.

Here are two from the classifieds:

1https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/2006-bmw-330i-sport-6-spd-manual-e90-for-sale-4800/166122/page1/  <--that looks nice

2) https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/2005-mustang-gt-manual-mine/167275/page1/    I was very close to working a trade on this car, but...  with airlines parking planes.. I'm going to sit on my cash and hold tight for a while...  Working in the aviation industry, I have a bit of trepidation.. 

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Yeah, my being in the PNW isn't helping, this region is garbage relative to ... well, seemingly everywhere else in terms of 'not boring' cars.  

And right now does not seem to be the right time to check fly-and-drive off of my bucket list.

V1 CTS-V. Suprisingly capable on track STOCK. Consumables are certainly less than BMW. Lots of parts available at local parts store.

In reply to SnowMongoose :

I've moved a lot of places in the US and it always seems like other places have the cool cars.  But I think it's market size...  Seattle is a big city, but it gets sparse quick outside the area.  The one benefit you have the PNW is the relatively rust free nature of cars...  

Nicest, non beat up adult owned WRX you can find in your price range??

dxman92 said:

Nicest, non beat up adult owned WRX you can find in your price range??

Another PNW quirk is that Subarus are at once ubiquitous and holy-crap overpriced. 

My dislike of 'common' cars is part of what got me into my current Evo, having the only one around is pretty nifty.

OT but cool gif.. One of my favorite paintings...

Never tracked it but E36 is my vote, less stuff broke than on the E46 I had and I wasnt replacing the entire cooling system the entire time. Other than oil leaking from the valve cover gasket every other day (just slather RTV all over the whole thing, trust me its worth it), it was fairly reliable, much roomier than I expected, had a great shifter/shifter feel and fun chassis. My biggest gripe was that the motor, while quick enough, just felt so boring to me; although YMMV, thats probably quite subjective.

I imagine with a little bit of budget, it would make an excellent track car and quite fun as well. To add, I put mine into a ditch after being inspired by tokyo drift (not really, I hate F&F for being so cheesey and bad), got pulled out and drove away like nothing happened.

Header + E85 tune for the Twins is a huge difference maker. It gets rid of the torque dip and adds nearly 30whp.

Track work? You absolutely have to have an oil cooler. No questions, full stop. 

They will handle massive tires without rolling or flaring the fenders and they are a blast to drive. I regret getting rid of mine.

In reply to z31maniac :

No nearby source for E85, which is a bummer.  Need for oil cooler is what I've read, 100%