Track car advice
Discussion
Hi,
Looking for some advice, recently went on a track day experience and drove a few cars and loved it.
I need a hobby and have always been into adrenaline sports so thought given it was so much fun I'd considered getting a car to drive on the track more regularly, couldn't say how regularly but a few times a year.
It would be nice to learn some skills while I'm at it but my primary desire is to go so fast I put a huge smile on my face.
On my experience day, I drove a GT2 turbo, evora, vantage and R8.
The R8 was by a huge margin my favourite it was fast , the handling was extremely tight compared to the other cars and it was a huge thrill to drive.
The Aston was soft and slow by comparison.
The Porsche gave a huge thrill under acceleration but less confidence in the corners
the evora seemed slow by comparison although I got in that having just stepped out of the R8 and I think it was one of the slower versions.
My first thought was to buy an R8 and replicate that thrill, but having read a little on here, the cost of tires, servicing and insurance would quickly empty my bank account.
I've been digging about and found a few options but as I'm looking for the most thrills for the minimum outlay, and wanted some advice from people who had driven more cars.
So to the question, is there a car available between £5k and £30k that is light, has 0 - 60 in 4s or less performance, drives like it's on rails, is reasonably cheap to run on track and dry and warm in the rain? Ideally RWD or 4WD?
Currently I'm thinking the answer is either an extige S / Elise / Evora S
Or a 124 abarth super charged to 300BHP although I'm not sure if that would get the sort of acceleration I'm after or not or what such a car would handle like, I just like the styling and wondered if it was possible on my budget.
Appreciate any thoughts, I've obviously considered a used megabussa or similar and other than the compromise on comfort open to go that way, but if I can be warm and dry all the better.
Looking for some advice, recently went on a track day experience and drove a few cars and loved it.
I need a hobby and have always been into adrenaline sports so thought given it was so much fun I'd considered getting a car to drive on the track more regularly, couldn't say how regularly but a few times a year.
It would be nice to learn some skills while I'm at it but my primary desire is to go so fast I put a huge smile on my face.
On my experience day, I drove a GT2 turbo, evora, vantage and R8.
The R8 was by a huge margin my favourite it was fast , the handling was extremely tight compared to the other cars and it was a huge thrill to drive.
The Aston was soft and slow by comparison.
The Porsche gave a huge thrill under acceleration but less confidence in the corners
the evora seemed slow by comparison although I got in that having just stepped out of the R8 and I think it was one of the slower versions.
My first thought was to buy an R8 and replicate that thrill, but having read a little on here, the cost of tires, servicing and insurance would quickly empty my bank account.
I've been digging about and found a few options but as I'm looking for the most thrills for the minimum outlay, and wanted some advice from people who had driven more cars.
So to the question, is there a car available between £5k and £30k that is light, has 0 - 60 in 4s or less performance, drives like it's on rails, is reasonably cheap to run on track and dry and warm in the rain? Ideally RWD or 4WD?
Currently I'm thinking the answer is either an extige S / Elise / Evora S
Or a 124 abarth super charged to 300BHP although I'm not sure if that would get the sort of acceleration I'm after or not or what such a car would handle like, I just like the styling and wondered if it was possible on my budget.
Appreciate any thoughts, I've obviously considered a used megabussa or similar and other than the compromise on comfort open to go that way, but if I can be warm and dry all the better.
My advice would be to buy something a bit more reasonable so you you can actually learn to drive without hanging on for dear life and being annoying to the other track day drivers. Maybe an Audi TTS if you want the audi feeling, or if you want something with more exciting handling maybe a Megane 3RS. Though these will also have quiet some burn rate on tyres and fuel compared to lighter cars, it depends on how much you want to compromise comfort.
The Elise platform is brilliant, but i not sure if its the best cars to learn in, they arent as forgiving as other larger cars. The VX220/VXT being very good value for being an elise, still not sure its the best idea as a starter car.
The Elise platform is brilliant, but i not sure if its the best cars to learn in, they arent as forgiving as other larger cars. The VX220/VXT being very good value for being an elise, still not sure its the best idea as a starter car.
Edited by CedricN on Tuesday 20th September 08:01
Waiting for the clio, mx5 and Civic recommendations to come…
Edit: I forgot Megane!
In all seriousness, it sounds like you enjoyed the rotation from a mid-engined car (you didn’t say if rwd or awd R8) but in either case I’d say your best best it something that fits that spec and is cheaper to run, so think Elise, Exige, Alfa 4C
Edit: I forgot Megane!
In all seriousness, it sounds like you enjoyed the rotation from a mid-engined car (you didn’t say if rwd or awd R8) but in either case I’d say your best best it something that fits that spec and is cheaper to run, so think Elise, Exige, Alfa 4C
It'll take some work to get an MX5 to do 0-60 in less than 4s.
For raw thrills, and (relatively) low running costs Caterhams and the other Lotus 7 variants are very popular. MK cars, Westfield, etc.
Lotus' are also popular for similar reasons, the light weight and robust engines means they are easier on fuel, tyres, brakes etc. Plus some lotus even come with radios and air conditioning so you can get to the track in comfort.
But I wouldn't concentrate on outright straight line power. For outright fun, driving something light and fully analogue on the limit can't be beaten.
For raw thrills, and (relatively) low running costs Caterhams and the other Lotus 7 variants are very popular. MK cars, Westfield, etc.
Lotus' are also popular for similar reasons, the light weight and robust engines means they are easier on fuel, tyres, brakes etc. Plus some lotus even come with radios and air conditioning so you can get to the track in comfort.
But I wouldn't concentrate on outright straight line power. For outright fun, driving something light and fully analogue on the limit can't be beaten.
How tall/heavy are you?, this will have an effect on options, especially regarding Lotus Elise/Exige/VX220.
As others have said, the lighter the car, the less consumables cost will be, & the better handling & flowing on track. Although you have a wide budget cost, your 0-60 time limits choices.
Caterham type car (trade off is comfort & not great in rain).
VX220
Elise 220 (sweet spot of Elise range) or Exige SC (don't go Evora, it's a great car in it's own right, & can do trackdays, but it's not as good for trackdays as the Elise/Exige, & parts more expensive).
Megane.
Tuned MX5/Abarth 124
Stripped out track car, work already done by others, but no creature comforts.
Leftfield choice - Frontline MG Midget, K series engine @ 170-180bhp, upgraded suspension, gearbox, electrics, ECU, roll bar etc (don't know 0-60 time).
As others have said, the lighter the car, the less consumables cost will be, & the better handling & flowing on track. Although you have a wide budget cost, your 0-60 time limits choices.
Caterham type car (trade off is comfort & not great in rain).
VX220
Elise 220 (sweet spot of Elise range) or Exige SC (don't go Evora, it's a great car in it's own right, & can do trackdays, but it's not as good for trackdays as the Elise/Exige, & parts more expensive).
Megane.
Tuned MX5/Abarth 124
Stripped out track car, work already done by others, but no creature comforts.
Leftfield choice - Frontline MG Midget, K series engine @ 170-180bhp, upgraded suspension, gearbox, electrics, ECU, roll bar etc (don't know 0-60 time).
TrotCanterGallopCharge said:
How tall/heavy are you?, this will have an effect on options, especially regarding Lotus Elise/Exige/VX220.
As others have said, the lighter the car, the less consumables cost will be, & the better handling & flowing on track. Although you have a wide budget cost, your 0-60 time limits choices.
Caterham type car (trade off is comfort & not great in rain).
VX220
Elise 220 (sweet spot of Elise range) or Exige SC (don't go Evora, it's a great car in it's own right, & can do trackdays, but it's not as good for trackdays as the Elise/Exige, & parts more expensive).
Megane.
Tuned MX5/Abarth 124
Stripped out track car, work already done by others, but no creature comforts.
Leftfield choice - Frontline MG Midget, K series engine @ 170-180bhp, upgraded suspension, gearbox, electrics, ECU, roll bar etc (don't know 0-60 time).
I'm 6'1" and about 14st.As others have said, the lighter the car, the less consumables cost will be, & the better handling & flowing on track. Although you have a wide budget cost, your 0-60 time limits choices.
Caterham type car (trade off is comfort & not great in rain).
VX220
Elise 220 (sweet spot of Elise range) or Exige SC (don't go Evora, it's a great car in it's own right, & can do trackdays, but it's not as good for trackdays as the Elise/Exige, & parts more expensive).
Megane.
Tuned MX5/Abarth 124
Stripped out track car, work already done by others, but no creature comforts.
Leftfield choice - Frontline MG Midget, K series engine @ 170-180bhp, upgraded suspension, gearbox, electrics, ECU, roll bar etc (don't know 0-60 time).
You've pretty much summarised the output of the research I've been doing.
In terms of budget it's a question there are always more sensible things to spend the cash on so at the low end it would be money I wouldn't be too worried about seeing again and at the top end it would have to be something with some value and likely a some general use.
At the bottom end the sorts of cars I'd seen and liked were lotus seven clones which tick all the trill boxes and might be the way i go, nissan 350z apeals as a comfortable and usable car but seems a bit heavy and doesn't really have the performance I want.
Then I've seen the odd elise for £15k - £20k which I would expect to get all the thrills and a bit of road use out of and assuming I don't destroy it would likely appreciate in value.
I really like the abarth 124 and would like that to be the answer but, at a similar price to an elise with a load of cash required to tune it and even at 250 - 300bhp I'm not sure what the performance would be like as the stock car isn't very quick.
Is there any detail about on how much performance you can squeeze out of a tuned MX5 and opinion as to if its worth the effort?
I am a fan of an MG Midget, but would expect a fair amount more maintenance to keep a classic going.
Assume there are no fast, light, ideally mid engined, RWD bargains that haven't been suggested?
1781cc said:
Waiting for the clio, mx5 and Civic recommendations to come…
Edit: I forgot Megane!
In all seriousness, it sounds like you enjoyed the rotation from a mid-engined car (you didn’t say if rwd or awd R8) but in either case I’d say your best best it something that fits that spec and is cheaper to run, so think Elise, Exige, Alfa 4C
That all makes sense, hadn't looked at the 4c, it's a georgeous car, looks to be out of my price range but it's on the wish list.Edit: I forgot Megane!
In all seriousness, it sounds like you enjoyed the rotation from a mid-engined car (you didn’t say if rwd or awd R8) but in either case I’d say your best best it something that fits that spec and is cheaper to run, so think Elise, Exige, Alfa 4C
Have a look at the BBR website for MX5 (and probably fiat 124) tuning options.
A turbo with will take you to about 230 hp and 5.0s 0-60. That's £5k with a warranty. But you can also upgrade brakes, wheels, suspension etc.
Speaking to owners to them at trackdays, they look like they're having a good time and are very happy with the cars.
A turbo with will take you to about 230 hp and 5.0s 0-60. That's £5k with a warranty. But you can also upgrade brakes, wheels, suspension etc.
Speaking to owners to them at trackdays, they look like they're having a good time and are very happy with the cars.
egor110 said:
Why mid engine rwd ?
You said something along the lines of you liked the r8 because it felt stable and not so much the Porsche because it didn't feel stable.
A mid engined car is going to feel even worse.
If you just want fast , safe , easy to drive just go awd .
Not seeing any awd options in my budget, do you have suggestions other than C4S or R8?You said something along the lines of you liked the r8 because it felt stable and not so much the Porsche because it didn't feel stable.
A mid engined car is going to feel even worse.
If you just want fast , safe , easy to drive just go awd .
Cambs_Stuart said:
Have a look at the BBR website for MX5 (and probably fiat 124) tuning options.
A turbo with will take you to about 230 hp and 5.0s 0-60. That's £5k with a warranty. But you can also upgrade brakes, wheels, suspension etc.
Speaking to owners to them at trackdays, they look like they're having a good time and are very happy with the cars.
Trust me you don't want to go turbo with a mk3 MX5 on track. They get too hot and warp the manifold's, however a supercharged car would be perfect. The mk3 has some lovely handling traits when matched with good coilovers. Its great fun too learning RWD handling and parts are cheap ( even if the supercharged conversion isnt).A turbo with will take you to about 230 hp and 5.0s 0-60. That's £5k with a warranty. But you can also upgrade brakes, wheels, suspension etc.
Speaking to owners to them at trackdays, they look like they're having a good time and are very happy with the cars.
Personally if getting the car to the track isn't a big issue a westfield or caterham cannot be beaten. Elises and Exiges are fantastic but require more care on the limit as has been suggested.
Interesting that nobody has made the Cayman suggestion as yet...
987.2 Cayman S ticks much of the criteria and a good one should be purchasable for about £25k. No issues with comfort/space for a big guy and will feel like a premium product from behind the wheel as well as being relatively lightweight (okay, not Elise lightweight but ~ 1360kg fully equipped is hardly a barge). If you decide after a few events that trackdays aren't for you after all, you still have a very usable 'fun' car.
Great noise. Should prove pretty robust. If you're fine with a soft top, a similar specced Boxster will be cheaper.
987.2 Cayman S ticks much of the criteria and a good one should be purchasable for about £25k. No issues with comfort/space for a big guy and will feel like a premium product from behind the wheel as well as being relatively lightweight (okay, not Elise lightweight but ~ 1360kg fully equipped is hardly a barge). If you decide after a few events that trackdays aren't for you after all, you still have a very usable 'fun' car.
Great noise. Should prove pretty robust. If you're fine with a soft top, a similar specced Boxster will be cheaper.
More importantly, I probably wouldn't bother buying a 400bhp+ monster as my first track car.
Firstly, that car is going to feel very unwieldy on many tracks in the UK, meaning that you are probably going to end up tiptoeing around corners and squirting up the straights.
Secondly, do you really want to learn track driving with something so powerful and expensive to own/run?
Firstly, that car is going to feel very unwieldy on many tracks in the UK, meaning that you are probably going to end up tiptoeing around corners and squirting up the straights.
Secondly, do you really want to learn track driving with something so powerful and expensive to own/run?
Not to be "that guy" but a "track experience" is miles away from an actual track day. Its always the default but I'd genuinely consider something like an MX5, they are great fun and easy to hone your skills as you get used to the car sliding around.
Incidentally, the co driver of my MX5 also has an R8 that he tracks occasionally. He has more fun in the mx5.
Incidentally, the co driver of my MX5 also has an R8 that he tracks occasionally. He has more fun in the mx5.
Zeales said:
egor110 said:
Why mid engine rwd ?
You said something along the lines of you liked the r8 because it felt stable and not so much the Porsche because it didn't feel stable.
A mid engined car is going to feel even worse.
If you just want fast , safe , easy to drive just go awd .
Not seeing any awd options in my budget, do you have suggestions other than C4S or R8?You said something along the lines of you liked the r8 because it felt stable and not so much the Porsche because it didn't feel stable.
A mid engined car is going to feel even worse.
If you just want fast , safe , easy to drive just go awd .
motorhole said:
Interesting that nobody has made the Cayman suggestion as yet...
987.2 Cayman S ticks much of the criteria and a good one should be purchasable for about £25k. No issues with comfort/space for a big guy and will feel like a premium product from behind the wheel as well as being relatively lightweight (okay, not Elise lightweight but ~ 1360kg fully equipped is hardly a barge). If you decide after a few events that trackdays aren't for you after all, you still have a very usable 'fun' car.
Great noise. Should prove pretty robust. If you're fine with a soft top, a similar specced Boxster will be cheaper.
I was going to say this (but then had breakfast and lost interest). I've done 20+ days in a 2.7 Cayman 987 and it has been great and perfectly capable of keeping up with much faster machinery (Nobles, M3s, Caterhams etc).987.2 Cayman S ticks much of the criteria and a good one should be purchasable for about £25k. No issues with comfort/space for a big guy and will feel like a premium product from behind the wheel as well as being relatively lightweight (okay, not Elise lightweight but ~ 1360kg fully equipped is hardly a barge). If you decide after a few events that trackdays aren't for you after all, you still have a very usable 'fun' car.
Great noise. Should prove pretty robust. If you're fine with a soft top, a similar specced Boxster will be cheaper.
They can be a bit hard on tyres and brakes but nothing out of the ordinary for a road car. I'm now retiring mine from track duty as I have bought a race car to go racing in but as a "drive there in comfort, check the wheel nuts, pound it round, and then drive home in comfort" car, I don't think that they can be beaten for the price.
Mr MXT said:
Not to be "that guy" but a "track experience" is miles away from an actual track day. Its always the default but I'd genuinely consider something like an MX5, they are great fun and easy to hone your skills as you get used to the car sliding around.
Incidentally, the co driver of my MX5 also has an R8 that he tracks occasionally. He has more fun in the mx5.
Totally agree. Far too much emphasis on buying and 'building' cars among trackday folks of late. Just get out there and have fun.Incidentally, the co driver of my MX5 also has an R8 that he tracks occasionally. He has more fun in the mx5.
motorhole said:
Interesting that nobody has made the Cayman suggestion as yet...
987.2 Cayman S ticks much of the criteria and a good one should be purchasable for about £25k. No issues with comfort/space for a big guy and will feel like a premium product from behind the wheel as well as being relatively lightweight (okay, not Elise lightweight but ~ 1360kg fully equipped is hardly a barge). If you decide after a few events that trackdays aren't for you after all, you still have a very usable 'fun' car.
Great noise. Should prove pretty robust. If you're fine with a soft top, a similar specced Boxster will be cheaper.
I didn't include the Cayman in my list, as I put it in the same type of car as an Evora, a good/great car in it's own right, but for trackdays, the Elise/Exige etc is more focused, which is what the OP wanted. Not sure on Cayman/Evora future depreciation either, but as you stated, Boxster still a cheaper option, so could negate this potential issue.987.2 Cayman S ticks much of the criteria and a good one should be purchasable for about £25k. No issues with comfort/space for a big guy and will feel like a premium product from behind the wheel as well as being relatively lightweight (okay, not Elise lightweight but ~ 1360kg fully equipped is hardly a barge). If you decide after a few events that trackdays aren't for you after all, you still have a very usable 'fun' car.
Great noise. Should prove pretty robust. If you're fine with a soft top, a similar specced Boxster will be cheaper.
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