Second hand Toyota GT86 for "cheap" track+drive to & back?
Discussion
Autotrader says around 10k for a used GT86. Recently learned that it can fit 4 full tyres in the back seat for track use. Seems comfortable enough for driving to and from the track afterwards.
Please find faults in my man-maths here. It's too tempting to pull the trigger just in time for summer..
- Don't want to go SUV + trailer for track car
- Want a track car where im not bothered about insuring it on track
- Want track car thats light on consumables
Please find faults in my man-maths here. It's too tempting to pull the trigger just in time for summer..
Yeah sounds good to me. The ability to take a second set of wheels is good but not essential, a gt86 will be just fine for some trackdays on decent road rubber.
And a gt86 seems a fine place to start a track journey, not particularly fast but got good balance. You will have to let most other cars past on big power circuits, but that's OK.
Presume you've considered the other sub 10k options... mx5s, bmw 3 series and z4, boxsters, clios, that kinda stuff. Personally I like 6cyl engines, but nothing wrong with a flat 4.
And a gt86 seems a fine place to start a track journey, not particularly fast but got good balance. You will have to let most other cars past on big power circuits, but that's OK.
Presume you've considered the other sub 10k options... mx5s, bmw 3 series and z4, boxsters, clios, that kinda stuff. Personally I like 6cyl engines, but nothing wrong with a flat 4.
I currently daily a GT86, after selling a 3.2S 986 Boxster because my circumstances had changed and I needed back seats. Previously I had an RX8.
I would rather have a Boxster S for a trackday than a GT86. It'd be a close run thing whether I'd rather have an RX8 or a GT86 on a trackday.
When you introduce value into the equation (my more expensive RX8 was under £2k, my Boxster S was £5.1k and my GT86 cost me just under £11k) I'd struggle to see the GT86 as being the best option purely as a trackday car.
You'll do what you think is best ... but I don't think GT86 would be my first place to look for a cheap track car. Also, with the range of road legal performance tyres that are available now, is carrying a 2nd set of wheels/tyres with you such a vital requirement? I get the idea ... it guarantees you a set of legal rubber to get home on ... but if literally all the car is doing is being driven to a trackday, round the track & back home again (i.e. it's not being used to commute in all weathers in between times) then fitting a set of road legal semi-slicks and saving yourself thousands by going for a 986 Boxster S over a GT86 seems like a worthwhile trade off for having to keep half an eye on tyre wear through the day.
I would rather have a Boxster S for a trackday than a GT86. It'd be a close run thing whether I'd rather have an RX8 or a GT86 on a trackday.
When you introduce value into the equation (my more expensive RX8 was under £2k, my Boxster S was £5.1k and my GT86 cost me just under £11k) I'd struggle to see the GT86 as being the best option purely as a trackday car.
You'll do what you think is best ... but I don't think GT86 would be my first place to look for a cheap track car. Also, with the range of road legal performance tyres that are available now, is carrying a 2nd set of wheels/tyres with you such a vital requirement? I get the idea ... it guarantees you a set of legal rubber to get home on ... but if literally all the car is doing is being driven to a trackday, round the track & back home again (i.e. it's not being used to commute in all weathers in between times) then fitting a set of road legal semi-slicks and saving yourself thousands by going for a 986 Boxster S over a GT86 seems like a worthwhile trade off for having to keep half an eye on tyre wear through the day.
Actually best car might depend on what tracks you're likely to run at... mostly power tracks or more twisty ones?
And yeah, I did the whole swapping tyres malarkey, but it's a bit of a faff when the car was basically a trackday/ dry weather car.
To be honest, tyre wear is pretty minimal unless you're overdrive the car and sliding a lot... unlikely in a car that doesn't have much grunt. But that said... rocking up at a track and bolting on a set of semi slicks does feel good.
And yeah, I did the whole swapping tyres malarkey, but it's a bit of a faff when the car was basically a trackday/ dry weather car.
To be honest, tyre wear is pretty minimal unless you're overdrive the car and sliding a lot... unlikely in a car that doesn't have much grunt. But that said... rocking up at a track and bolting on a set of semi slicks does feel good.
brillomaster said:
Actually best car might depend on what tracks you're likely to run at... mostly power tracks or more twisty ones?
And yeah, I did the whole swapping tyres malarkey, but it's a bit of a faff when the car was basically a trackday/ dry weather car.
To be honest, tyre wear is pretty minimal unless you're overdrive the car and sliding a lot... unlikely in a car that doesn't have much grunt. But that said... rocking up at a track and bolting on a set of semi slicks does feel good.
Yes, my primary motivation is to get to a level where i can slide around corners consistently...today when i do track days in my 911, that is what i like doing best, but ofcourse the costs become too high with constant tyre changes.And yeah, I did the whole swapping tyres malarkey, but it's a bit of a faff when the car was basically a trackday/ dry weather car.
To be honest, tyre wear is pretty minimal unless you're overdrive the car and sliding a lot... unlikely in a car that doesn't have much grunt. But that said... rocking up at a track and bolting on a set of semi slicks does feel good.
I do hear the logic of earlier comments around going with a 5k car (instead of a GT86) and then I have plenty of money spare and I could spend some additional time for tyre changes before or after trackday
MX5 lighter and more mods available at reasonable cost. they're quite fast over a whole lap with good suspension and 200+hp, even if they still give way on the straight. More technically rewarding and grin inducing than pure power. Of course, give it 300+hp and have it all, but that's whole level up on costs.
deto911 said:
Yes, my primary motivation is to get to a level where i can slide around corners consistently...today when i do track days in my 911, that is what i like doing best, but ofcourse the costs become too high with constant tyre changes.
I do hear the logic of earlier comments around going with a 5k car (instead of a GT86) and then I have plenty of money spare and I could spend some additional time for tyre changes before or after trackday
Where are you doing your track days? I do hear the logic of earlier comments around going with a 5k car (instead of a GT86) and then I have plenty of money spare and I could spend some additional time for tyre changes before or after trackday
The marshals decided I "needed a friendly chat" after 1 little slide (genuinely accidental - just seeing how early I could be back on the power after a hairpin, and was a little too optimistic on one lap) in the Boxster. I think they'd have taken a dim view of me consistently drifting. This was at Mallory Park.
When I actually did drift days (many, many years ago now), I'd go through about 12-14 rear tyres - all part worns - in a day ... and that was with less than 200bhp. It sounds like what you'd like to do are drift days rather than track days?
Its a great car for that, the decent sized boot is great since you can actually fit a bunch of track day stuff, extra wheel, jack, tools, camping chairs etc. I only driven a base 986 and i would much prefer the 86 out of the box, im sure the boxster can be made good with money though. Same with for example e46s, ive driven non modded ones and it would take alot of money to make it even half as nice as the 86 is out of the box, they do seem to be really dirt cheap in the UK though just as many other cars
I bought an 86 for daily duties, but have used it on track aswell, and its so much fun out of the box, and even better with some very light touches. On good road tyres its decently fast and hilariously easy to slide. So if thats the goal to learn the RWD thing its perfectly suitable. And its new enough so they can be found in very good shape, so it doesnt have to be a restoration project aswell and pretty comfy for road driving, also pretty safe out of the box which is nice if something bad happens on track. The after market is crazy for these aswell if you want to go down that route some day in the future, but thats the same with miatas.
Only drawback is the engine, which can has some blow up tendencies since its a subaru engine, just as the boxster which also has a s
tty engine, albeit more expensive to fix. NC miatas also seem to have some blowy uppy issues. But you can also be lucky and they might just work very well, as it does for many,
I bought an 86 for daily duties, but have used it on track aswell, and its so much fun out of the box, and even better with some very light touches. On good road tyres its decently fast and hilariously easy to slide. So if thats the goal to learn the RWD thing its perfectly suitable. And its new enough so they can be found in very good shape, so it doesnt have to be a restoration project aswell and pretty comfy for road driving, also pretty safe out of the box which is nice if something bad happens on track. The after market is crazy for these aswell if you want to go down that route some day in the future, but thats the same with miatas.
Only drawback is the engine, which can has some blow up tendencies since its a subaru engine, just as the boxster which also has a s
tty engine, albeit more expensive to fix. NC miatas also seem to have some blowy uppy issues. But you can also be lucky and they might just work very well, as it does for many, Edited by CedricN on Thursday 13th March 09:05
If you wanna go sideways for cheap, how about a e90 bmw 3 series? In the wet, they'll go sideways if you even look at the throttle funny, but easy to control a slide.
E92 coupe shape looks lovely and should still fit 4 wheels in if that's a requirement. 330i or 335i plenty of grunt, great straight six soundtrack too.
E92 coupe shape looks lovely and should still fit 4 wheels in if that's a requirement. 330i or 335i plenty of grunt, great straight six soundtrack too.
I've looked at the gt86 in the past, admittedly there were more expensive so less appealing at the time.
but I've always been put off by the oil starvation issues the flat 4 seems to suffer with. there are plenty of these that have developed rod knock.
some of which seems to be related to overzealous use of sealant in the valve train recall work. but there's been a few cases of them failing on track with oil surge. even the gr86 seems to still suffer with it.
you can get baffles for them, mind so as there getting cheaper might well be a solid option.
if your not bothered about, RWD vs FWD, id look for a nice '208 gti by Peugeot sport' or 30th there a bargain, and no one seems to know they exist. these came standard with 320mm 4 pot Brembo's, tweaked suspension and an LSD. mine runs rings around GT86s on track and you can get one well below your budget. its effectively a baby Megane cup.
mine has 240bhp with some light mods , and a map. (still well withing budget) its been really cheap to run for a track car. its actually been demoted to daily at the moment. as i bought a cheap fisher fury. however i have a set of MRF's to use up so might do a couple more days in her this year.
but I've always been put off by the oil starvation issues the flat 4 seems to suffer with. there are plenty of these that have developed rod knock.
some of which seems to be related to overzealous use of sealant in the valve train recall work. but there's been a few cases of them failing on track with oil surge. even the gr86 seems to still suffer with it.
you can get baffles for them, mind so as there getting cheaper might well be a solid option.
if your not bothered about, RWD vs FWD, id look for a nice '208 gti by Peugeot sport' or 30th there a bargain, and no one seems to know they exist. these came standard with 320mm 4 pot Brembo's, tweaked suspension and an LSD. mine runs rings around GT86s on track and you can get one well below your budget. its effectively a baby Megane cup.
mine has 240bhp with some light mods , and a map. (still well withing budget) its been really cheap to run for a track car. its actually been demoted to daily at the moment. as i bought a cheap fisher fury. however i have a set of MRF's to use up so might do a couple more days in her this year.
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