17k track car

[e46m3c]

17k for a track car. Got to we weatherproof, roof or roll bar. Driven not trailed. Bonus points for use ability.

Suggestions?

[vaud]

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonhea...

An article just for you

[MOTK]

Z4MC? I've tracked mine for near 40k now, not an issue, great cars. Paid 12k i think a while back but you can get a decent one for 17 for sure.
I had a similarly prepped e46m3 before and would choose the z4 if asked about preference. The major loss I guess is that you cannot get a spare set of wheels in a z4 which you can in e46.
Most parts are e46m3 or such so not that bad price/availability etc. and weight is fairly easy to get down, I'm near 1300kg now2.

[braddo]

e46m3c said:

17k for a track car. Got to we weatherproof, roof or roll bar. Driven not trailed. Bonus points for use ability.

Suggestions?

Modded Elise is king when taking into account running costs.

Supercharged GT86

Not sure a Z4M coupe is in budget these days? Maybe a roadster with some mods for that budget.

[Kswap]

Megane 275 Cup S

[Mr Roper]

I've got a road/track Megane RS250 so I'm a little biased. This one is right on the money....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125697183178?hash=item1...

[Kswap]

That Megane has been for sale for ages. Not terribly priced either. Jayemm owned it for a bit on YouTube. Aluminium cage :-s

https://youtu.be/AnZHZKw-ZzE

[Mr Roper]

Kswap said:

That Megane has been for sale for ages. Not terribly priced either. Jayemm owned it for a bit on YouTube. Aluminium cage :-s

https://youtu.be/AnZHZKw-ZzE

Yeah, I watched that. It's come down in price recently too.

[Ash_]

Supercharged VX220 surely, quicker and cheaper than an Elise and just as fun to drive.

[e46m3c]

Thanks. Really I was trying to validate my decision to go m140 but didn’t mention to avoid bias.

Megan looks good. I’d prefer m140 tho for a few reasons.
Elise was appealing when s2 Honda engine ones were 18k. Not exciting enough now for the price.
Z4m. I have one already but I no longer want to track a roaster. And if I’m 15k deep. An m140 offers mostly the same performance. Can be used as dog car and cheaper on parts.
Vxr - just doesn’t appeal. I’d always want the Elise I think.
Cayman - too much bork factor for 17k? Can’t be used for anything else.
C5 z06. Yes for 15k but not for 25 which I think they are at now.
M3’s been there done that
Caterham - no thanks
Classic. Yea like mgbv8 but anything decent is big money
Type r. Same as the Megan
Rally reps. Been there done that.
Exige. Yes please. But they are 35k up?
Mx5 no thanks
Rx8 too slow / bork / been there
Gt86 same as cayman without the bork. Not desirable enough to forgot all practicality.
Slk55. Does it count as a hard top?
F-type. Too heavy
Zenos e10. Why o why doesn’t it have a roof in the Uk!
Westfield megas2000 I could possibly get on board with.
Bike engine Caterham I could probably get on board as I love the idea of a million rpm. Probably would be perma-broken I suspect.

Only other options then are the cars I ‘want’. Like a c6 z06 or R8 but I think the cost on track and running costs would mean it wont get used.

Ultimately I think I want a car I can drive hard over something which looks good in the garage. And one I can do daily chores with at the sacrifice of feel/involvement.

Edited by e46m3c on Thursday 2nd February 00:01

Edited by e46m3c on Thursday 2nd February 00:03

Edited by e46m3c on Thursday 2nd February 00:07

[anonymous-user]

Depends if you want to go as fast as you can for 17k or have as much fun as you can for 17k?

[e46m3c]

Neither extreme really

[e46m3c]

Should probably clarify further.

I’m only in for fun for trackdays. Not interested in timing or being the fastest car. I find 300bhp / 1400kg to be plenty fast enough to thrill. I like sliding the rear around. I can’t be arsed with high maintenance or swapping tyres. I would only use road tyres probably as I like a car to move around. I wouldn’t go full track geo as I want it for road and daily use also.

[LennyM1984]

I recently posted the below in the club racing forum but it could apply here...


I'm not sure what your budget is but have you considered a Ginetta G40 GRDC/Cup? I picked one up for £12k.

For that you get a proper race car with an FIA approved cage, plumbed in extinguisher, electrical cut offs, and everything you need to hit the track. Mine isn't currently road legal (I would need to put the handbrake on) but many owners do drive them to the circuit (they had to be IVA'd and road registered as part of the series regulation). Mine has a V5 (sorn) and a number plate assigned but it's never been MOT'd and I think has lived it's entire life as a racer.

It's not hugely quick in a straight line (135bhp and about 900kg wet) but on track days you'll be quicker than almost everything road based over a lap (making it extremely annoying when somebody refuses to let you past in their 300bhp+ hot hatch/sports car/hyper saloon).

Mine is a bit scruffy (crap paint job) but for the price I paid, I am extremely happy.

In the interests of full disclosure, whilst they are road legal, I wouldn't say that they are a great road car. They are low, stiff, a bit leaky (water and fumes) and the build quality makes a TVR look like a Rolls Royce. For driving to and from a circuit it would be fine but it's properly hardcore for anything more than that.

They did briefly make a Ginetta G40R (R = Road) with a 200bhp Duratec but by all accounts it wasn't a particularly well developed product (they basically took the race car, stuck a different engine in it, added some nice looking mats, and called it a road car).

ETA: I've recently bought a trailer (I was renting them before) and will be storing Car + Trailer together for £120 a month (we already have too many cars on the drive and my dad was moaning about me taking over his garage space).

[Mr Roper]

LennyM1984 said:

I recently posted the below in the club racing forum but it could apply here...


I'm not sure what your budget is but have you considered a Ginetta G40 GRDC/Cup? I picked one up for £12k.

.

There was a pale blue (Gulf blue?) one at Oulton last weekend.....Looked fantastic on track and even better when it passed me!

Had no idea they could be had for that sort of money.

[LennyM1984]

Mr Roper said:

There was a pale blue (Gulf blue?) one at Oulton last weekend.....Looked fantastic on track and even better when it passed me!

Had no idea they could be had for that sort of money.

I think I got mine for a very good price (cheap cars seem to find me) but £16kish seems to be about the normal entry price for an ex-racer. As I say, mine was a bit scruffy and needed a new windscreen (they crack very easily). Other than that though, it has been great and I got enough spare tyres/brake pads with the deal to complete my first race season in it.

The pale blue one (if it is the one I'm thinking of) has been quite extensively modified. It's a bit of a beast by all accounts.

[braddo]

Interesting about the Ginetta. Where are they usually listed for sale?

[braddo]

250hp/ton Elise with Duratec - £18500.

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I would be buying myself.

https://classifieds.seloc.org/ads/1999-azure-blue-...

[LennyM1984]

braddo said:

Interesting about the Ginetta. Where are they usually listed for sale?

There's always a few on Racecarsdirect but those tend to be the Junior and GT5 cars. Otherwise - like many race cars - they seem to get sold via word of mouth. They had been on my radar for a while and so when I decided to go racing, I joined the FB group and asked if any were coming up for sale. A few people got in touch and I ended up going to see a couple. The one I ended up with was the cheapest but actually had a better spec than the others (Schroth harnesses, full containment seat, and everything in date).

It's an extremely simple car but it's loaded with proper race car tech (as an example, the suspension setup is such that you can adjust the ride height and camber without affecting the toe). It's definitely got its quirks (the factory diff breather is an old "Carlube" oil bottle cable tied to the rear suspension) but as an entry level race car it feels like a hard to beat package.

[Mr Roper]

LennyM1984 said:

I think I got mine for a very good price (cheap cars seem to find me) but £16kish seems to be about the normal entry price for an ex-racer. As I say, mine was a bit scruffy and needed a new windscreen (they crack very easily). Other than that though, it has been great and I got enough spare tyres/brake pads with the deal to complete my first race season in it.

The pale blue one (if it is the one I'm thinking of) has been quite extensively modified. It's a bit of a beast by all accounts.

Found a pic…