Cheap track car for noobie

DannyW · 10 Jun 2017 at 11:16

Hi guys

I've recently done a couple of javelin track days with friends, I was a passenger then I had a go at driving, I loved it and now seriously want my own car to do it in.

Looking to do it on the cheap to begin with

Was thinking a £500 puma 1.7, add some slick tyres and yellow stuff pads and maybe springs/coilovers and gut the interior

Any ideas? I don't fancy sinking all my spare cash into this hobby like some of my mates do

Will it just be cheaper to guy a Clio 182/172 that someone has already turned into a track car, plenty for sale

paradigm · 10 Jun 2017 at 11:38

I'd rather go RWD than FWD (not saying you can't have fun in a FWD track car though).

MX5, E36 BMW, etc

dale1uk · 10 Jun 2017 at 11:40

A clio or puma will be good but they're both wrong wheel drive

Pick up a cheap mx5 would be my advice

DannyW · 10 Jun 2017 at 11:40

paradigm said:
I'd rather go RWD than FWD (not saying you can't have fun in a FWD track car though).

MX5, E36 BMW, etc

to begin with would a standard diff be ok in RWD, the car i drove was an mx5 turbo with lsd

DannyW · 10 Jun 2017 at 11:41

also which mx5? phase 1 or 2

Vita · 10 Jun 2017 at 11:52

I'd get a cheap Clio sport 172 tbh and then go from there. Or even a old civic vti of some sort.

Frozennova · 10 Jun 2017 at 12:17

DannyW said:
to begin with would a standard diff be ok in RWD, the car i drove was an mx5 turbo with lsd

An open diff will be fine, an LSD will help you on corner exit but I don't particularly have issues with twice the standard power an MX5 has, yea it spins up the inside wheel a little if you're on the power too early but you aren't going to chasing every last tenth on your lap time

DannyW said:
also which mx5? phase 1 or 2

Whichever is in budget and less rusty, mk2 is a better chassis and cheaper, mk1 is less likely to be rusty

tsinc80697 · 10 Jun 2017 at 12:21

Don't chuck slicks on it without a cage. There's a lot more speed to be carried through corners when on slicks and when they let go…they let go. Especially if you've only done a couple of track days as there will be mistakes to be made.

I know a lot of M3 track car owners that turn up on road tyres, swap to slicks and go out on track. Never seen a bad accident (personally) but to me it's not worth the risk. I'll be waiting until my cage is fully caged before running slicks.

DannyW · 10 Jun 2017 at 12:25

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mazda-spo...352597?hash=item41c73a2c15:g:KfMAAOSww9xZL9X-

might try win this, looks perfect, everything done ready to use

Diddums · 10 Jun 2017 at 12:52

DannyW said:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mazda-spo...352597?hash=item41c73a2c15:g:KfMAAOSww9xZL9X-

might try win this, looks perfect, everything done ready to use

Not road legal, keep that in mind. If you're going to go for something like that, you'll need a trailer and a car that can tow it. Also, keep in mind that track days are fun but not cheap. Regardless of whether you say you don't want to spend all your money on it like your mates do, there's a good reason they do it: it's more addictive than crack. You'll go in to this with the best of intentions but before you know it you'll be lying in bed wondering if that £35 fuel filter which is 5 grams lighter than your current one will help you shave a few seconds off a lap time.

adam cool dude · 10 Jun 2017 at 13:37

Car throttle recently did a IS200 track car. Too be honest looked really good. They have LSD standard, RWD and can be turbocharged just as cheaply as an MX5.

Nasher · 10 Jun 2017 at 14:55

A Lexus is pretty heavy though, you can make an old MX-5 insanely quick for the same amount of cash.

adam cool dude · 10 Jun 2017 at 15:05

Nasher said:
A Lexus is pretty heavy though, you won't get the agility like you do from an MX-5

A Lexus is heavy because it is full of features. Strip it out and it will be light. Quite easy to get close to a tonne. They are about 100kg's lighter than a E36 and they are quite easy to get to 1200kg's

andythelandy · 10 Jun 2017 at 15:24

A bit of a wildcard that's a very good alternative to the mx5 is a mr3 mr2.

danlightbulb · 10 Jun 2017 at 16:07

Diddums said:
Not road legal, keep that in mind. If you're going to go for something like that, you'll need a trailer and a car that can tow it. Also, keep in mind that track days are fun but not cheap. Regardless of whether you say you don't want to spend all your money on it like your mates do, there's a good reason they do it: it's more addictive than crack. You'll go in to this with the best of intentions but before you know it you'll be lying in bed wondering if that £35 fuel filter which is 5 grams lighter than your current one will help you shave a few seconds off a lap time.

How much does it cost to run the hobby, not including the car itself. I.e fees and such?

Clarkey · 10 Jun 2017 at 16:16

I worked it out once, was something like £600 for a day once fuel, tyre and brake wear are factored in. Costs for my car are fairly middle of the road, would be much less in the likes of an mx5, much more in the likes of a gt3rs.

DannyW · 10 Jun 2017 at 17:52

I saw the car throttle Lexus on eBay it did £4200

The Mazda in my link I can easily get that road legal to drive it back and forth

Like you said my mates have trailers and recovery trucks so I'd need a road legal car

Jamauk · 10 Jun 2017 at 18:08

I'm sure for around £1000 you could get a Seat Leon Cupra MK1, 1.8T 225ps.

Frozennova · 10 Jun 2017 at 18:16

Jamauk said:
I'm sure for around £1000 you could get a Seat Leon Cupra MK1, 1.8T 225ps.

Pretty sure they more or leas munch themselves on track due to oil starvation, I think @paradigm had an engine failure at the ring?

paradigm · 10 Jun 2017 at 18:22

Not the ring, donington! They need at a bare minimum a better pickup and a baffled sump.

Not sure I'd want the hassle of EML bingo on a track car either.

Also, no chance of a usable Cupra R for £1000. A normal Cupra yes, but they are only 180PS, not 225!