What's the better life experience? Track & mod my daily or buy a new car?

[3t3P]

I have another thread 'M2 Competition what do you think' and it got me thinking.

I drove an R8 V10 + at brands hatch for six laps (one of those red letter day things) and it was amazing. Not just the car but being on track.

Since that moment I vowed to get back on track.

Situation is I fully own a 2010 Scirocco R that is stock. It is my daily driver which is needed for work etc

Getting a new faster car is great and all, but does it develop me as much as taking my car onto track and modding it and seeing what differences are made? I'd then run this car into the ground.

Mods would be:
Michellin PS4S all round
Quaife/Peloquin LSD and Helix sports clutch
Uprated intercooler and a stage 1 remap
4 pot braking system steel lines uprated fluid uprated pads

Maybe short shifter(s)
Maybe anti lift kit
Maybe a stiffer rear anti roll bar
Maybe a BCS aftermarket exhaust

I'm in a position where WORST case I total my car and insurance doesn't pay out that I can replace it with relative ease.
I'm unable to find out how safe/unsafe the average track day is. I know components are pushed and therefore wear faster and stone chips are an inevitability.

It would be great to see what the car really can do!

a) keep car, slowly mod and track it as able. learn some basic mechanics (would like to change discs and pads myself)

b) sell car, get into an M2 have a great daily that can go down a B road but not really teach me as much

 

[Vita]

Better the devil you know. Keep and mod the r. You'll always get some money back from the mods should you sell in the future.

 

[sigma]

Buy M2 and buy something else cheap and track ready. No point in spending £££ on it until you start taking it seriously.

You can even hire track cars for a day. I'm considering doing this.

 

[3t3P]

No room for a second car on the driveway and want to keep things simple. I did consider a VX220 though

 

[jellybeard999]

If you want to track a car, buy something cheap and cheerful specifically for the purpose imo. Something like an mx5. Cheap to run and fix. Change your daily if you want. It will cost a fortune in consumables to track a new m car or modded Scirocco R I imagine, not to mention potential repair/crash costs.

Edit - can you not park on the street or rent a garage?

 

[sovietspybob]

I never liked tracking a daily car, i did it briefly before i bought a 2nd car to take the pressure off.

Even then i found i wasn't enjoying tracking a 10k car (Subaru Impreza) all that much as i was generally worrying about breaking something really expensive or binning it too much and the consumables were quite expensive on it. That point really depends on your personal financial situation though, if you're someone for example like Gibbo from here who can throw money at your track and daily cars then happy days but i'm not in such a fortunate financial situation.

I'd look at a cheap 2nd car ala MX5, MR2, Clio 172 and find somewhere to store it be it a rented lockup somewhere or a friends/parents house?

 

[dacads]

Buy M2 and buy something else cheap and track ready. No point in spending £££ on it until you start taking it seriously.

You can even hire track cars for a day. I'm considering doing this.

+1

No way I'd not buy a M2 competition if the opportunity presented itself..

 

[Holst1981]

I would book into a few track days and see how much you enjoy it.

Better to spend money on track days.

Mod the daily if you want but I would concentrate on brakes and tires initially.
I would definitely try doing stuff yourself, buy the correct tools.

Do you have time to do the track days or is that just an excuse to mod your daily?

 

[adam cool dude]

You are better with something dedicated. I have seen M2's had their bums handed to them by M52 BMW compacts with full slicks and race setup. You will always get that on track days. The people taking their fast road car and the trailer car guys destroying you in their focused machines with only 200bhp!

 

[sigma]

You are better with something dedicated. I have seen M2's had their bums handed to them by M52 BMW compacts with full slicks and race setup. You will always get that on track days. The people taking their fast road car and the trailer car guys destroying you in their focused machines with only 200bhp!

I get the point you're trying to make but really who cares about fastest? There will always be someone quicker out there.

 

[crinkleshoes]

Buy and MX5 for track use... cheap as chips so no harm if you write it off... and you'll learn much more from it as it's a proper RWD car... not wrongWD like the Scirocco... which won't teach you much at all.

Mods for the MX5 are cheap too... even when you want to double the power output.

 

[sigma]

Buy and MX5 for track use... cheap as chips so no harm if you write it off... and you'll learn much more from it as it's a proper RWD car... not wrongWD like the Scirocco... which won't teach you much at all.

Mods for the MX5 are cheap too... even when you want to double the power output.

Some BTTC cars are FWD aren't they?

 

[3t3P]

Do have time to do a few track days yes, seems you're better off modding a car for road enjoyment.

I did consider the mx5 but they seem slow? Can be had for a grand though from what I've seen, care free tracking!

Really question was as per the title, it seems most people think to not track the daily which makes sense but still makes me feel sad something about owning your car and taking it nearer its limit than just renting one for a day.

Always someone faster/better I'm out to have fun I would definitely get 'beaten' on a non-racing trackday.

 

[crinkleshoes]

Do have time to do a few track days yes, seems you're better off modding a car for road enjoyment.

I did consider the mx5 but they seem slow? Can be had for a grand though from what I've seen, care free tracking!

Really question was as per the title, it seems most people think to not track the daily which makes sense but still makes me feel sad something about owning your car and taking it nearer its limit than just renting one for a day.

Always someone faster/better I'm out to have fun I would definitely get 'beaten' on a non-racing trackday.

The M2 is great, but if you want to learn it’s best to do it in something cheap and you can see what effect it has on the car and get an idea of maintenance requirements and costs.

The MX5 is a fantastic learners car and if you really think it’s slow... you could get one that’s turbo or charged for £3-5k easily.

Although if you fancy the modding thing... then start with a good base car and upgrade it... then you have the whole experience of feeling what the changes do in the various areas with engine, suspension, brakes.

It’ll cost a bit more than buying one already done, but you can do it over time and in different bits and follow the changes in feeling which sounds like something you want.

To do a really good job of it all, including buying the car, upgrading the suspension, brakes and adding good power upgrades. You could do it for as little as £5k all in or a really really good job of it for £8-10k.

 

[sigma]

I'd definitely want something with a cage to be honest. It's very easy for it to go wrong - doesn't even have to be your own fault.

 

[Nasher]

Most people will go with a fast banger for a track car, unless it's some kind of organised event.

MX-5, strip it out and stick a supercharger in it. You'd need a very powerful/expensive car to keep up with that

 

[adam cool dude]

I get the point you're trying to make but really who cares about fastest? There will always be someone quicker out there.

If you go to donnington or any other fast flowing track you are constantly looking in your mirrors and moving over. Kind of takes out the fun a little. The point I was making was you do not need to spend 50k to be fast and have fun on track. You could have something just as quick for a fraction of the cost.

 

[DAIR]

Be a man and use the M2 on track. YOLO!

 

[3t3P]

Be a man and use the M2 on track. YOLO!

you pay for MY consumables and ANY damages, YOLO! :d


mx-5 mk3 seems the one to have seeing that the mk1 and 2 have turned to rust?

 

[DAIR]

Lol

On a seeious note. MX5 would be a good buy. Always see them, during my trackdays at llandow. Most recently a supercharged one!