Howdy folks, looking for recommendations on a car to take to the racetrack for track days. Pretty much the only consideration is how fast it will go around the track. Must also be road legal etc
Max budget $40k … but if i could find something close in terms of speed for $20k or less even better
EDIT: also needs to be manual and be fairly spacious as i aint small
I'm biased as I have one but MX-5 is an obvious choice. Anything can be a track car though, especially if you're after a bit of a project at the same time. Buy something for $5 - $10k, service it and do a track day or two and daily it in between. Then strip out most of the interior (you'll need to retain seats and belts to remain road legal unless you have the rego changed) and do a track day or two. Then look at some track orientated tyres, then more track days. You'll need to be servicing and paying for fuel etc. You'll learn and mod the car to be faster along the way.
I wont be doing any mods, the most id consider is a set of race tyres to switch on to … also need something with decent room inside (see below reply)
Used 86.
Most of these cars have spent most of their lives at a kebab trailer stall.
They are a good learner track car.
Either that or MX-5 as per above suggestion.
A big part of your consideration should be ongoing costs. The cheapest part of a track day is the entry. The cheapest part of a track car is the purchase.
@[Deactivated]: Can confirm , been passenger in a Toyota 86 with a flexi (E85) tune and some bolt on's and they are pretty punchy.
Where they shine however is in the corner's , i had a Ford Focus RS and had several 86's and a BRZ keep up with me in the corners but left them for dead on the straight.
Toyota reliability , oil change before track day and rotate your tyres and your golden.
@daleyboy79 , it is RWD biased so if you don't know how to control a slide i recommend doing an advanced driver's course to help you out in that department.
If this is the case then their is no need to spend $40,000.
Their is currently a Renault 182 sport on carsales for $4,999. Go and buy that.
If you're going to go for a Go Kart style car - 40k gets you a 2nd hand Lotus Elise.
The running gear is basically Toyota as well.
But you really have to fit.
Yes - depends which one (most of them have Toyota gear) but honestly I am told it runs nothing like a Toyota because of how lightweight it is.
0-100 in less than 5 seconds (4.9 / 4.7 / 4.3 for supercharged) and go kart handling. I can't think of a better track day car for $40k. Some people were selling track only (unregisterable) Elises for $20k.
Shoooooooulda got a Yaris GR
I'm 183cm and 100kg … still think Yaris?
I'm 190cm and 90-95kg… Yes. It's a 3-door car with plenty of movement in the seat
certainly does look nice ;)
At 183cm/100kg you'll fit comfortably in almost any car. The back seat might be another issue though!
You really did miss out.
I'm 183cm
That's just over 3 centimeters the average height of men in Australia (179.2cm). You will fit just fine in a yaris or even a smaller car. Car seats can hold 100kgs fine.
That lap time did not include the main straight, so that thread title is just plain wrong.
Oh well, I guess OP will have to settle for a 1.3L Auto base model instead
Except it doesn't come in 1.3 any more…
Subaru WRX
Imagine the repair costs if you punt it off the track.
WRX, MX5 or Mazda 3 MPS
Would stay away from any Euro cars.
Excellent list.
I think spackbace's suggestion (Yaris GR pre-order) also bears merit.
I would also add a Used (by woman) BRZ/86, and mod the heck out of it. Won't be fastest on lift off, or even the straights, but would be as fun as the MX5 around the bends. The speed would be adequate for most racers. Also its a tad more practical by able to wear a helmet and carry spare tyres to the site.
PS: If you want even more fun/cheaper, try some old V8 Holden/Falcon. You could thrash it till it dies.
add a Used (by woman) BRZ/86
So never serviced?
Are you talking about the car, or the woman?
Too real, like pulling teeth
and broken synchros
Most aggressive drivers from what I am seeing
I came here to say get an old V8 Falcon/Commodore, ideally with fuel injection, and pull the back seats for weight reduction. Throw on a set of race tyres and some lightweight wheels and you'll have a great time. The only downside is the 4 door chassis, but that just means you can put in 4 race seats for party mode ;)
Out of these 3, the BK MPS has been the most fun to drive and I've had 2 x Wrx's (GC8 and a G3) as well as sinking 2 track days into an NA MX5.
The torque steer not only made me shit my pants every time I launched but it also looks good on the track! Probably the cheapest of the 3 nowadays also and fairly easy to make good power
Few common problems that are costly on it, but that can be said for most cars
The torque steer is enough to make it a horrible track car though. You can legit change lanes from a launch if you don't hold the wheel.
Mazda 3 mps has the worst torque steer of all time
Nissan 350Z is what a mate has. He said it was cheap as chips.
NB: If you intend to be a regular count on ~$15k-$20k a year for entry fees, tyres, extra servicing and maintenance. More if you aren't very handy with a spanner.
certainly NOT handy in terms of cars … and would probably only go 4-5 times a yr im guessing … although that could easily change lol
It's great fun but not cheap fun.
Personally, I'd by a poo-box and learn some track craft first. If you bin it there are less tears. I had a mate do $16k damage to his Subaru Liberty TbSTi (15 years back now) at SMP.
I put my Commodore into a wall at Oran Park (yes a long time back) and damage came to 30% of the value. I went to an old VW bug after that and it was a lot more fun and a lot less stress.
I did club level circuit sprints (1 car against clock) and Super Sprints (2 cars against clock and each other) plus hillclimbs, motorkhanas and other (relatively) low risk stuff.
Typical costs for a sunday "race" was:
Entry fees: Half a days pays.
Fuel: A full tanks worth of Premium
25% worn off your tyres
Oil and filter change every 2nd track outing
Brake fluid flush every track outing
Increased wear and tear on brake pads, rotors and suspension components.
I did have an absolute ball in the 4 years I was doing it
Underrated message by brad1-8tsi
I would likely choose an MX5 as they are excellent track day cars but if you're not used to track work, I'd go for something cheap, strip it out and go have fun and learn.
OP the above is probably the only post worth paying attention to.
The best mod you can ever do is driving lessons. It will get you the biggest improvements on lap times. Then do tyres. Don’t worry about power mods straight off.
Random tip to improve times “dab of brakes to stabilise in certain corners you think is flat out”. Transferring weight over the front end lets you turn in better which will Improve your exit speed.
A cams affiliated car club is a great way to get into track days because you’ll get a lot of help from other members on what to do to prep and go to the track. They can also have cheap driver training days
Also don’t forget a couple of additional costs like having extra fuel on hand on the track or a drive up to a servo (don’t let the car go below 1/2 tank so you don’t get fuel surge on the track).
Plus car club membership and your cams licence (both will be annual costs)
If you’re going to Wakefield you’ll have to factor in accommodation as the trip there and back in a day with a track day is very exhausting. It doesn’t seem like much but it’s a long day. I did it regularly in my late 20s but nearly fell asleep approaching sydney. Wakey is a good track to start off on. If you push too hard there’s plenty of space to run off and you won’t hit anything.
In terms of what to buy Japanese sports cars from the 90s are very safe bets but they’re all appreciating quite a lot and finding one in mechanically good condition is quite difficult. You also have power in these.
My money would probably go on a GC8, 02-07 STI (05 is best track version and 02 best value), R33/34 GTST/GTT, Evo (given budget, 7 is what you’d look at).
Also, even though I know it's nice to be able to drive to the track and back home, you could get it done cheaper by buying a stat write off, and using a car trailer. You then have no issues getting home if you break something. Don't need to buy a car trailer, can just hire them.
This sounds like a good idea. You can go to town on mods on a non road legal car too.
V8 commodore or turbo Barra falcon
cheap parts
easy mods
.
Not that fun on a track tho!
@[Deactivated]: Also heavier meaning you need a decent sized vehicle to tow. Easier if you find something lightweight.
This. Some serious bargains for stat write offs.
Yeah my boss had an accident in his brand new m240i and all the airbags went off. Minor damage to everything else. The car was written off and his mate bought it off the insurance company for $20,000 to turn it into a track car.
Used BRZ/86 and a shit load of mods. Maybe a Renault Megane RS Trophy something something. Should be able to get a half decent one of them and have enough in the budget to keep it running.
Another alternative is, if you want really fast, get into something like super/shifter karts.
Used BRZ/86
#Pure
Daihatsu Hijet = Purity.
or a Honda Civic Type R.
Subaru Sherpa.
Checkout the Mighty Car Mods BRZ series on Youtube for a great watch and some great tips on a fast BRZ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHJzTTCB2V0
Highly recommended viewing.
Check out this 2007 Renault Megane RS F1 Team R26 Manual.
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2007-renault-megane…
Check out this 2011 Renault Megane R.S. 250 Monaco GP Manual.
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2011-renault-megane…
Check out this 2010 Renault Clio Sport 197 Manual.
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2010-renault-clio-s…
Interesting choices but they all have plenty of k's on them. Given all the mods on the 2007, i cant see it being very reliable.
It's a Renault, it drives out of the showroom without reliability.
Ah a man with fine taste. Love a Renault!
i had a MK 3 Clio RS and loved it to bits , until i took it on a track day and started getting the dreaded synchro issue because of Renault using Brass Synchros on the MK3 which were eaten away by transmission oil (something to do with chemical compounds attacking the brass).
sold it a month later to a learner driver , they were chuffed. lucky for me they could not replicate the issue and crunch the gears by hitting 4th gear at high speed.
Great little car , most fun i have had on the racetrack to be honest. doing 220km/h on turn 1 at eastern creek on bridgestone RE003's with traction control kicking in on the rear mid corner every 0.2ms for 5 seconds makes you quickly realize how much can go wrong if that throttle was backed off. i count my lucky stars to this day haha.
I would still never own another renault because they are an absolute (profanity) to work on.
Anyway who pays more than $7.5k for an R26 is an idiot.
Toyota Camry
On gas
improved weight distribution?
.
Nitrous gas
@Scrooge McDuck: No, this was before the days of social media, we did it just for fun, not likes and subscribes. Chopped the roof off with a 9 inch and made it a convertible as well.
2022 BRZ/86
For that money you could get a decent Clubman. Better power to weight than almost any supercar.
Like this? Are they all 4 cylinders?
https://www.my105.com/ListingDetails/p/1/cid/518/prid/2/id/2…
.
Pretty much all 4 or 5 cylinders. They do V8 versions in the US but they aren't road legal here. There's a lot here fully road registered.
The one you linked is a little old but the design hasn't changed much.
Westfields Sports car have kits to put it together yourself.
I've seen some with an SR20DET in it and a F20C motor and they go like the clappers. Though the SR20 one spent more time in a cloud of smoke.
Most I've seen have some variant of the 4AGE motor and they still move.
I also recall a few years back someone tinkering with a sequential box.
There's a lot here fully road registered.
Wow, nothing about that machine looks road legal.
The OP is a self described big boy he ain't going to fit in a Clubman
No roof to bang your head on. And really, he's not that big.
Renault Megane RS265 RS275 cup chasis and limited slip diff.
Super under rated, and loads of fun!
I20N
Apparently will start around 30k before on roads. Very competitive pricing.
Honda S660
Peugeot 206 GTI 180. Maybe the seating position is not to your liking though.
Helps if you can work on it yourself.
i gather you are driving to the track in your track car as you want it licensed, i have never been around a track in anything that didnt have 8cyl so cant comment on any of the above but you can buy a lot of hp for 40K in a LS commodore and still have aircond, yes its going to suck juice and be heavy compared to a yaris, but you wont need the radio on to drown out that 4pot scream
Get a cheapo 350z. They're a bigger car than your MX5s and BRZs/86s and with more power, you'll be more comfortable. On track and off. Pretty bulletproof. Pretty cheap.
Costs will be as described by others, tires, fuel, oil+filter and fixing anything you break.
I swear I only see 4 350/370 on carsales. Did they all disappear or something?
I see less and less on the roads nowadays too. There was a time they were everywhere.
Man, lowkey sad. I kinda like the look of those cars. Most of them are 20k. When I was still in school they were 15k. Weird.
@HeyHeyHeyIsItADeal: The nostalgia tax is hitting. The 370 is apparently better than the 350, but ymmv
The MX-5 or 86 will be a lot more fun and likely produce faster lap times. I owned a 350Z when they were first released. They're big and heavy. Nice tourer but not a sports car. Yes they have more power and they'd likely win a TLGP but I was faster in a stock MX-5 than I was my stock 350Z around Wakefield. Of course the 350Z will be cheaper so there's that.
If you are a tall person, a 350Z is not a good car, sadly.
Track days and being budget conscious are oxymoron. Motorsport is a rich mans sport, even if you DIY your own work, maintenance is expensive. Tyres, brakes, whatever get broken, fuel, then upgrades to makes it competitive and not break etc….Simple fact performance cars with a rego plate are not race cars, void the warranty going on the track for this reason.
Actually cheaper to buy a ex track or race car and blow that up.
https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/AuctionLots.aspx?stype=0&sty…
Id go open wheeler, right tool for the job
https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx?stype=0&styp…
Holy shit, there are some good deals on there for some awesome race cars… already kitted out, about half of OP's budget, leaves enough for a good trailer and a tow vehicle that you can drive to work. Wish you had not have posted this… wife is going to kill me now… :/
Now this would be a fast car… And sooo cheap!
Not final price yet, still 4 days to go but can get some crazy weird race cars. I was at Greys a fews ago, they had some racecars too, not for sale yet. These one at Llyolds are better.
would be hilarious taking one of these to a open track day, yelling DAYYYYTTOOOOOONNNAAAAAA going past some wan4ers in their porsches
https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx?stype=0&styp…
forget track works, go pimp'n
https://www.lloydsonline.com.au/LotDetails.aspx?stype=0&styp…
MX5. A set of semi slicks, some suspension work and a turbo if you get really excited.