$10-15K track car
 

Seems like there's been more track talk around here lately which is pretty cool..

So question, if you had 10-15k to buy or build a purpose built track car, how would you spend it and why?

Let's exclude driving lessons, cause we all need those, and lots of HPDE events have instructors to help people along. So purely the car/upgrades..
I'm hoping this can be more about general track car info, but for my purposes, I would be doing bigger tracks (not auto-x), and would prefer the car to be road legal so I don't need a trailer..

(yes, this is a selfish post as I'm planning on doing this next spring)

Locost 7 - Build it how you want, and spend as little as you want. Take some of that 15g's, and buy a trailer and a hitch.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_..._large.jpg?v=1

First one to say Miata.

Lol, car. The answer is obviously motorcycle.

EF civic, eg civic, miata
light fun reliable ... look on sccaforums for STC/STS built civics/crx/miata's
u can have nearly track ready cars for about 5k

Yeah 15k gives you a crazy amount of options. You could do the typical miata, go for civics which are very competitive. Or maybe go out of the norm like a Mitsubishi galant or something.

Hell, you could even do a stripped Nissan pulsar gti-r. Awd with a ca18det. They can be had for 5k in good condition and could make it very reliable with the other dosh

You might be able to find an S2000 for that price, although may not be in a great shape.

id avoid a gtir, they come with sr20det's
i own one.. they require a lot of effort to handle well
which i've spent a ton on

but power wise... have loads
i'd unload mine for 7 if u r interested

K24 swap Miata

It depends on what type of racing you want to do.

Does it have to be street legal or will you use a trailer?

awd - Early Mitsubishi Evolution 1-3

fwd - EF through to EK Hatch

rwd - FC RX7 *hard to find a good shape turbo II* S14, Miata

miata is always the answer :p

cbr600rr, pirelli supercorsa tires, and gear

A NA Miata in decent shape runs about $5K with the 1.8L motor. Figure $2k for suspension, $1.5k for tires/wheels, $1K to fix up any motor issues and another $1.5K for rollbar and related equipment and you've got yourself a nice race car.

A NB will run an extra $3-4K while a NC will run you $13-15K.

LOL 1.8

if you go the civic route avoid the ef chassis as they are a hugeeeee pain when it comes to the engine bay and some suspension components. if i was to build a civic racecar of any of the years it would be an eg as parts are abundant, lots of stuff is interchangeable and the engine bay and fenders welcome a much larger parts

but then you need to accept the eg for the ugly ugly hatch it is

or get a miata.. but u also have to accept the torment that comes with owning one

get ready for gay pride parade jokes!

I'm far from hardcore, so definitely prefer the car to be street legal, as I don't intend on getting a trailer.
I wasn't planning on doing auto-x, but more so hpde events at Mission, the Ridge, some other bigger tracks.. not sure if that changes all the miata suggestions or not..

Miata is still a good choice, but unless you do an engine swap, you'll start noticing the lack of power on tracks that have longer straightaways. That said, a good corner muncher can definitely hold it's own against a car that has much more power, but limited handling.

Clean DC2R 10k
JDM aftermarket parts 5k

There someone on revscene with a sick ITR he posted pics. Copy his build and you won't want to leave the track ever!

JIMHO!

Rule #1 for building a track car -- Don't. Just buy somebody else's track car where everything has already been built.

There is absolutely no way you can build the same car for the same amount of money that you spend on buying someone else's track car. The same holds true for race cars.

id buy a corolla and dump 15000 into it, have it preform at a 4000$ miata level if not lower, but thats just me. but if you want something fun with good drivers feedback...
1. miata
2. z2, rivals, re11a, z2 starspec, rs3
3. hp+, r4, ds2500, dtc60
4. super blue, rbf600
drive and enjoy, put the rest of the money towards seat time and it'll teach you how to build the car. armchair racing sucks.

"bought, not built" :fuckthatshit:

within your budget and looks fun to build...should be street legal too, it is in some states

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/cro...-10_800x0w.jpg

2014 Exomotive Exocet By Flyin' Miata - Driven | car review @ Top Speed

At a minimum, the Exocet can very likely be imported into Canada as a partial kit:

See last point in FAQ:
Flyin' Miata : The Exocet

But there is no frickin way you'd want to drive that thing down the I5 to Pacific Raceway or the Ridge. :rofl:

i would be the first to say - choose a car you really like and work from that.

choosing a good platform is great and all - but being realistic if you dont even love the car to begin with - theres no point dumping more money into it.

none of us are professional racers or what not - so just choose something you'll like driving and enjoy the learning experience of tracking