I'd suggest a 2013 or 2014 V-6 Mustang...why you ask, well I have a very good reason...I plan to buy/build a track car and start with the car I am suggesting. I really need some help figuring out what I should do to the car after I buy it and what better way for me to learn than follow along :).
If I were buying an "all-arounder" (a car for both work and play) I would be very interested in a 3.7L Mustang V6. That's 300hp and 30mpg hyw through a 6 speed manual. Years are 2011-2017.
Engine mods are few but I don't think you want those and suspension mods are unlimited.
The sitting outside to me says nothing flashy, no soft tops, and modern enough to not have issues with the Florida sun.
I'm going to say B8 Audi S4, preferably a manual like mine. Yes, it's got more power with the supercharger at 333 HP, but it's also very reliable and predictable in power band. They are nearing the bottom of their depreciation curve, can live outside, and absolutely will track and autocross (call Jay Bullington at JXB Performance).
I slapped my numbers on a 2000 LS400 daily driver on old snow tires one night to test our course before the next day's event. It handled so well that I decided to test out the Supra's RPF1 package. With a small spacer up front to clear that large brakes, I was able to fit the 17x9.5 275/40 on all four corners.
Handles better than any car that size or of that genre has any reason to. Brakes are fantastic. Power is reasonable.
Depending on your taste for luxury and comfort, a fair bit of weight could come out of the car easily enough, but it's such a good multipurpose car as is... plus, it hauls my S3 Specialized 29" bike, with the passenger seat scooted forward and the rear seat bottom cushion removed.
I still say these things are a manual transmission away from perfection.
Do I share my thoughts for each car mentioned?
codrus (Forum Supporter) said:sleepyhead the buffalo said:Gen5 Prius
Have they fixed the traction control? The first few gens of Prius were extremely conservative and would take away your throttle for 4-5 seconds after detecting any wheel slip, in a way that wasn't really practical to disable. It made them basically useless for motorsport (and apparently pretty bad at driving in snow!)
Basically the same pedal dance for the twins works in my Gen3 Prius and fully turns off traction control. Not ideal but much better in the snow. I haven't tried a burnout though lol
I don't think a Prius is the answer here though.
Boxster with a hard top
4.0 V6 Mustang
Fiesta ST
In reply to te72 :
My son and I tracked his LS400 and he's used it at a few track days........they do surprisingly well but they are still big.
David S. Wallens said:Do I share my thoughts for each car mentioned?
Like, on an individual basis, or a single nonspecific "LOLno"?
Were it not for the power/engine swap factors, my gut feeling was Fit. But, my gut feeling is always Fit.
Not that I don't respect those requirements. Driving a track day looking in your mirrors and developing RSI from point-bys is no fun. And an engine swap is fun in part because you get to uncover all of the other ways a given chassis needs to be uprated to handle the new power and speed, one failure at a time.
C'mon... you know you want this....
She's been sitting for a month, hasnt even been started. Fired right up like I drove it yesterday. The steering is soooooo quick compared to the Forte and the brakes are sooooooooooo good.
John Welsh said:If I were buying an "all-arounder" (a car for both work and play) I would be very interested in a 3.7L Mustang V6. That's 300hp and 30mpg hyw through a 6 speed manual. Years are 2011-2017.
Engine mods are few but I don't think you want those and suspension mods are unlimited.
I can't say enough about how good ours has been on track. Cheap and reliable.
David S. Wallens said:Do I share my thoughts for each car mentioned?
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
Build a spreadsheet with your criteria, in order of priority, across the top, and each car suggested down the left side.
delete anything that doesn't satisfy 4 out of 5, or something like that, then consider your passion for each of the remaining candidates.
maybe you'll need some sub-criteria, like cost of consumables vs simply durability of consumables, to further delineate candidates.
My suggestions:
The answer might just be Fiesta ST. Since I used to race a rabbit a lot like yours, and just picked up a Ford to replace a GLH, you can see that we share an appreciation for the hot hatch. My build will focus more on solo iv and tt mods, but there are plenty of different directions to take the car. A comfy sealed cockpit with Bluetooth, air con and airbags are all things I enjoy in a dual duty car that doesn't rank garage space in my house.
The little fun cars are not dead, in fact they are better than ever, just a bit rare. My FiST is a little ratty, shows signs of prior track use and needs tires but it was cheap and impressive. I use it for hardware/grocery/pool runs while sliding it into tiny gaps like a drift cart.
Idk if it will stand up to abuse but the aftermarket and history seem ok.
I thought the ST had cooling system issues when used on track, and I still vividly remember the photos of the melted brake pads and warped backing plates when a FiST owner found the downside of ABS based limited slip, most of the way through a session. The inner pad looked like the caliper piston almost pushed entirely through it like a cookie cutter, and the outboard was not much better. I bet the rotors were bright yellow 
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Yeah, I have heard the same about engine bay heat management. It is something I plan to address with venting and ducting and whatever is required. Same with the brakes, it think it is normal race car stuff to deal with a few areas with almost any production car.
I vividly recalled all the worry about if the fancy electro gizmo torque vector thingy would work when they were new. 10 years later and didn't really find enough horror stories to deter me, and it works perfectly when you (nearly) turn it off!
Def valid points made about the weaknesses, but I figured that I would likely need to make the same mods on almost any car. Of course, I have been wrong before...
David S. Wallens said:Do I share my thoughts for each car mentioned?
I think you're legally obligated to do so.
Found it.
They got a little hot, you see...
But this also ties in to the idea of an engine swapped car. In a sense the FiST is a Fiesta with an Escape engine in it, without suitable secondary upgrades.
You're saying after nearly a year of proving that Mk7 GTI is the answer to this question, you're still not interested? Join the cult! Join the cult!
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/2017-golf-gti/
adam525i said:codrus (Forum Supporter) said:sleepyhead the buffalo said:Gen5 Prius
Have they fixed the traction control? The first few gens of Prius were extremely conservative and would take away your throttle for 4-5 seconds after detecting any wheel slip, in a way that wasn't really practical to disable. It made them basically useless for motorsport (and apparently pretty bad at driving in snow!)
Basically the same pedal dance for the twins works in my Gen3 Prius and fully turns off traction control. Not ideal but much better in the snow. I haven't tried a burnout though lol
I don't think a Prius is the answer here though.
I view this in the perspective that the Prius has better performance "numbers" than the Odyssey that was the subject of this article:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/soccer-moms-revenge/
3100#s/194hp for the Prius, with 56in height for 62in avg track width
compared to
4310#s/240hp for the Odyssey, with 69in height for 66in avg track width
although, it admittedly can't fit 4x8 sheet goods or 8 people. nevertheless... the "kleenex" of hybrids is potentially good enough now to out pace the sports cars of old.
now, I recognize the proximity of this query with this news item. So, I understand the unlikelihood of swaying the way this shakes out. Nevertheless, I think there's benefit in stirring up noise about the Prius, so that (at a minimum) someone at Toyota ships one out to Florida for a shakedown by JG (et al) at the FIRM.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
That is terrifying, but I've seen it before and think it is avoidable. My own brother set the brakes ablaze on my old Z, but it wasn't the cars fault... his driving style is truly panic inducing.
I understand about engine swapped and overwhelmed economy cars but my ST came with brembos all around that will get appropriate pads and I bet will work just fine. Hopefully I don't die soon in an brake related failure!
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
One friend with a FiST took a set of fresh pads (Hawk HPS, but still...) down to the backing plate in one day at Putnam. Pistons spat out and we had to trailer it back to his apartment. My other friend (in a different FiST) turned that off (can it actually go all the way off?) and still managed to take one newer RT660 to cords in a weekend (also at Putnam, but he didn't do any rotating pretty sure). I'd hesitate to get one as a primary track car, I might do it if it was going to be a track daily.
Neither experienced cooling issues, but these were 80-90 degree days in Indiana, not Florida.
In reply to Tom Suddard :
Somebodies 1/2 finished project.
To motivate those who get a lot done but quit before it's finished.
Total up the time spent to finish it. Plus costs?
Then take it out and have get some track time to show how it could perform.
Qaaaaa said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
One friend with a FiST took a set of fresh pads (Hawk HPS, but still...) down to the backing plate in one day at Putnam. Pistons spat out and we had to trailer it back to his apartment. My other friend (in a different FiST) turned that off (can it actually go all the way off?) and still managed to take one newer RT660 to cords in a weekend (also at Putnam, but he didn't do any rotating pretty sure). I'd hesitate to get one as a primary track car, I might do it if it was going to be a track daily.
Neither experienced cooling issues, but these were 80-90 degree days in Indiana, not Florida.
I put a fresh set of OEM pads in my newish at the time 2015 Subaru STI. 1 20 minute session on the Sebring short course and they were at the backing plate. Luckily I brought 4 sets of different pads to play with but dayum.
2001 to early 2003 (VIN before 114930 (last six digits) built November 25, 2002) C5 Z06. Stay away from the 1999-00 FRC (EBC modules can't be rebuilt) and the later 2003-04 Z06 due to the C6 type fuel tank & pump setup.
2001-02 Camaro / Firebird LS1/T56.
DirtyBird222 said:David S. Wallens said:Do I share my thoughts for each car mentioned?
I think you're legally obligated to do so.
Well in that case.
I’m elbow deep in some Classic Motorsports editorial today, but I can add that to my to-do list.
Thanks and keep those ideas coming.
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