Cheap track day car suggestions. Budget up to 2k

[ExigeEvan]

Would you get that much for an interior? I thought roll cages were pretty expensive. The point of having the top up, say a mirror comes flying off a car in front (not likely, but a potential hazzard, any debris). Would you rather it bounces off the roof or fluke hits you in the head,(helmet and all), or any other part of your body? Safety first.

How is that any less likely to happen on a public road!? And there's alot more random hazards on the street than there are on a race track.

And if you can get an MR2 for less than £2k in the UK, it'll be a Mk1 and made almost exclusively of rust.

My thoughts aswell. My cousin does-up and sells on Mk1 MR2s and can easily get 3-4K for a mint one.

 

[homeforsummer]

My thoughts aswell. My cousin does-up and sells on Mk1 MR2s and can easily get 3-4K for a mint one.

It's still possible though to get non-rusty and good nick MR2 Mk1s and Mk2s for less than £2k. There are loads of the things about so it's not difficult to find ones that have been looked after. Early MX5s are equally likely to have succumed to tin worm on the arches etc.

To be honest I think the MX5 is the best choice, but variety is the spice of life, hence my selection was a bit more interesting.

 

[forza2.0]

Ok it now looks like a MX5 is top contender to me. I think with a clio williams I would end up doing alot of body restoration work and ultimately get too attached to a point where I would not want to race it.

MX5 sounds good, the insurance groups themselves are low enough for me to insure on my name and not needing my dad to drive it to the racetracks for me unlike the clio.

Only thing though is that I have no garage. Could this possibly become a issue?

 

[Roo]

Depends on what the crime rate is like in your area, how big your driveway is (or how friendly your neighbours are and whether they mind you parking outside their houses), and if you don't mind getting wet if you need to repair it in the rain. If the answers are low, big (or friendly), and no, then it probably won't be an issue. Regardless, it would be well worth getting a steering wheel lock thing (something like this, but not cheap 'n' cheerful from Tescos like this one):

and some sort of tracking device to deter casual theives who might fancy a spin a track-prepped sports car. It should help lower your insurance too.

 

[Jim Prower]

What about a removable racing steering wheel?

 

[forza2.0]

Oh yeah a removable steering wheel should do the job. Theft isnt a issue though for me I was thinking more along the lines of it being a roadster, and england being a rainy country.

Been looking on pistonheads so far and there are examples starting at £750. Quite a few have been reprayed though from red. Dont know whether this should be a sign to stay away?

I just need to find a mechanically sound example, the interior, electrics etc can be as doggy as they want.

 

[Famine]

Resprays aren't uncommon. Early 90s Japanese reds are just like early 90s Vauxhall/Ford reds.

If you're parking outside, I'd suggest a car cover - or don't remove the roof. Or get a hardtop - colour is irrelevant to you, and you can find them for a couple hundred on eBay.

 

[forza2.0]

Which is the engine of choice? The 1.6 or 1.8? Id probably just get a car cover!

 

[Famine]

To be honest, it's pretty much of a muchness. The pre-96 1.6 isn't that much slower than the 1.8 (the 96-98 one is though - forget it). They're as reliable as each other and take to FI as much as each other... Merlot (that I linked you to earlier) is a 1.8, Red (to be seen in the top shot of that link) is a 1.6.

Flip a coin.

 

[Jim Prower]

The 1.8 might be slightly faster, from what I'm reading, but It's also a bit heavier, less balanced. I feel that the handling's really the most important thing with a Miata, and, later on, a swap might not be out of the question. I'm not really the guy to ask, though.

But, hey, if the engine ever blows...why not try something really insane? 13B Turbo.

EDIT: Also had a thought...though this is if you REALLY think you'd like to do the work yourself....

Locost.

 

[forza2.0]

Look at westys and similair but lack of garage makes it a no no.

I think the mx5 will get the nod. Now I just need to find a good example. I think summer is probably the worst time to buy a car like the mx5 though.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I don't think old MX5's will be much affected by the oncoming summer season to be honest. And if you leave it till after won't you miss most of the season?

 

[Mrs. Famine]

I just need to find a mechanically sound example

All of them

Don't be put off by high milers, MX-5s can go past 200k before they're thinking of giving up. Also, the 1.8 being heavier thing, that only applies to later Mk1s which have more safety gubbins in the doors etc.

The theft thing is a non-issue, MX-5s are not especially targetted. You're more likely to suffer vandalism like any other car owner might. It's not a nice thing to happen, but a slashed roof is easier to quickly and temporarily repair than a broken window or a bust doorlock. Be careful where you park it, where I live I can leave the roof down when I park in town or Tesco

Also, I don't think any time is a bad time to buy right now. Car prices and sales have dropped dramatically so you're still likely to get a bargain. Try eBay.

I was going to say other things, but Famine beat me to it

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Well that sucks. So what do Ferrari drivers do? Those things are loud.

Say its a TDi and only revs to 2500rpm.

Theres a member on another board whos selling his F430 Scuderia because it fails the static tests at 105dB,i think most places are around 96-98dB.

You could always come to Knockhill no noise restrictions here which is why we have 120dB ulitma's .

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Luckily, the FIA think open top cars are safe enough to allow them in Formula 1...

In terms of bits you can sell from your MX-5, you're looking at roof, interior carpets, centre console, door cards, boot trim and spare wheel off the top of my head. You can also sell the standard springs/shocks (people are always looking for standard springs and shocks because many lowered MX-5s don't work on public roads with speedbumps, or anything other than smooth roads) when you buy the new bits. All-in-all you're certainly looking at enough cash to get your roll cage. In fact if you're a little less fussy about the exterior condition - it's a track car so it's going to get beaten up a bit - you can grab even more of a bargain and have even more money for bits.


A lot of small race tracks have a noise limit - many because they're (now) in residential areas and don't want to be shut down because people who've moved nearby don't like the noise. 92dB is the lowest limit of which I am aware. Most road cars don't scratch 89dB, but a standard 911 turbo will exceed 92dB at 3/4 throttle...

I see on the interior.
Wow, that sound restriction really does suck, even my car would fail I think by the sounds of that. Good thing my track has el zilcho sound restrictions. One of the many advantages of being in a country that is primarily wide open uninhabited spaces.

Say its a TDi and only revs to 2500rpm.

Theres a member on another board whos selling his F430 Scuderia because it fails the static tests at 105dB,i think most places are around 96-98dB.

You could always come to Knockhill no noise restrictions here which is why we have 120dB ulitma's .

No noise restrictions here at QLD Raceway either.