I'm after a few suggestions for a track car purchase. (circuit, not that straight line crap) I've had a few in the past ranging from many Renault clios to my bonkers Ariel Atom 300sc, I have a budget of approx 7K, so another Atom is out of the question :( but to be honest i probably had more fun in the clio or my integra type r anyway. RWD, FWD or AWD all suggestions are welcome.
I've always thought VX220 would be good fun. There's a bright green one on the trader for just under 7K
You don't like "that straight line crap", as you're no good at it.:P I'd go for a Caterham 7/Westfield type of thing.
BMW M3 E46? Not my cup of tea particularly but they do have a good handling reputation
Evo 5 or 6 maybe
Renault 5 Turbo/Turbo 2 :)
RS Clio 200 Cup or Honda Integra DC5 (the DC2 is probably too old now), back in the day I used to cover a few track days. RWD is more fun than these, but if you want to be faster through the bendy stuff than the 4WD Turbo rally type cars, these are the cars to do it! The two longest cars I've owned are Honda Accord Type R and Clio 200 Cup, both brilliant.
Type R accords were good but I'd go for something turbo vx220 sounds good
Focus RS Megane 225 good starting platform
Hopefully a car that's not pink
Mitsi Evo3 for a cheapish price and use the rest to upgrade it.
The trap a lot of people fall into when buying a trackday car is paying too much money for the perceived performance you will have. 'If I buy an expensive car with amazing 'on paper' performance, I will be one of the quickest out there'. Ain't so. The fastest one I ever had was a 1987 Mk2 Astra GTE 16V Redtop. It cost me a grand including trailer, was fully MSA compliant for the series I raced in, engine totally standard. The thing that made it so fast was that I knew it cost peanuts and I did not care if I binned it. So I could drive it flat out everywhere. If you spend 7k you might be ££££ting yourself that if you crash, that is 7k down the toilet, so you won't be flat out. If you are holding back, whats the point? I saw so many flash ££££s turn up to an open pit lane day with their 911 GT3's, AM Vanquishes, etc and they were mighty miffed when little old me came flying past them in the corners. They were super quick in a straight line, but if that is all you can do, you may as well go to Santa Pod.
[QUOTE=silverhorse;759485]The trap a lot of people fall into when buying a trackday car is paying too much money for the perceived performance you will have. 'If I buy an expensive car with amazing 'on paper' performance, I will be one of the quickest out there'. Ain't so. The fastest one I ever had was a 1987 Mk2 Astra GTE 16V Redtop. It cost me a grand including trailer, was fully MSA compliant for the series I raced in, engine totally standard. The thing that made it so fast was that I knew it cost peanuts and I did not care if I binned it. So I could drive it flat out everywhere. If you spend 7k you might be ££££ting yourself that if you crash, that is 7k down the toilet, so you won't be flat out. If you are holding back, whats the point? I saw so many flash ££££s turn up to an open pit lane day with their 911 GT3's, AM Vanquishes, etc and they were mighty miffed when little old me came flying past them in the corners. They were super quick in a straight line, but if that is all you can do, you may as well go to Santa Pod.[/QUOTE] That's.... actually a very good point! DC2 Teg will run rings around most, are bomb proof too if looked after. Check for smoke, crunching gears and rust. Everything else is pretty reliable. Plus you can pick them up for £2-3k for a good one.
[QUOTE=Sweep;759487]That's.... actually a very good point! DC2 Teg will run rings around most, are bomb proof too if looked after. Check for smoke, crunching gears and rust. Everything else is pretty reliable. Plus you can pick them up for £2-3k for a good one.[/QUOTE] No way can you get a decent DC2 for £2-3k! They command serious value these days. But I agree that would be an excellent choice. To be fair any of the Type R's would be a great choice. And for your budget you could have your pick of Civics, DC2 or DC5s, ATR, S2000 etc... All light, all got plenty of power. Naturally aspirated, so generally won't suffer with heat issues on track, light on brakes, handle well out of the box. They tick all of the boxes really, and are undoubtably among the most reliable of car you could hammer on a track. A Clio would also be a decent choice, apart from reliability if your unlucky. But stick with the 172 with the throttle cable, is the advice someone gave me once? One of the best cars I've ever bought is my Accord. It's been ultra reliable and incredible fun.
Cheers for suggestions, I'm going to look at a Peugeot 205 gti6 full conversion and track prepared on Saturday, he says it's good for 200bhp and as it weighs the same as my lunch I'm sure it will fly. Plus it comes with a trailer. And Pete, yes it's your favourite colour RED.
Tailoring something has its merits. I toyed with the idea myself, but the agro put me off. There's a lot to be said for turning up, ragging around all day, and driving home hassle free. When it's working properly, a 200hp 205 is probably immense. But could potentially be a lot of heartache that could ruin your fun?
[QUOTE=Nealevo;759493]Cheers for suggestions, I'm going to look at a Peugeot 205 gti6 full conversion and track prepared on Saturday, he says it's good for 200bhp and as it weighs the same as my lunch I'm sure it will fly. Plus it comes with a trailer. And Pete, yes it's your favourite colour RED.[/QUOTE] I know a guy who is bang into his French stuff and has built / owns lots of them, if you want any advise or what to look for etc, he probably knows the car.
[QUOTE=jamesy12345;759454]Renault 5 Turbo/Turbo 2 :)[/QUOTE] Turbo 2 in my price range........ Are you mad lol
got to be a nice saph cossie
What about a mx5, honda s2000 or a classic impreza
960 diesel. Not the fastest in the world, but turn the fuel pump up enough and no one else will be able to see, so you win. Funnily enough, I'm selling mine. Interested? ;) Lol
probably a bit more than 7k, but still.....................:B_steerin http://www.motorsportauctions.com/category/337/BTCC/listings/33817/Honda-Accord-Super-Tourer.html
[QUOTE=JT;759514]probably a bit more than 7k, but still.....................:B_steerin http://www.motorsportauctions.com/category/337/BTCC/listings/33817/Honda-Accord-Super-Tourer.html[/QUOTE] 80k mate, wanna go 1/3s I'm sue we can rope Jim in too.
Take your pick. http://www.rallysales.eu/
[QUOTE=Nealevo;759519]80k mate, wanna go 1/3s I'm sue we can rope Jim in too.[/QUOTE] Sounds like a plan, but your the only 1 who knows how to drive it!!! :lol::lol:
[QUOTE=JT;759524]Sounds like a plan, but your the only 1 who knows how to drive it!!! :lol::lol:[/QUOTE] I'm sure you will be fine, Jim, I'm not so sure!
[QUOTE=Nealevo;759526]I'm sure you will be fine, Jim, I'm not so sure![/QUOTE] Harsh, but fair....... Lol
would have to be 98 s40 btcc car for me I love that car
Mr Minshaw who owns Demon Tweeks has just bought an ex wtcc s40 with sequential box & everything you expect. I'm yet to see it though. I had an astra gte 16v & loved it, massive brakes & decent suspension not a lot could touch it with 192bhp. If it were me though I'd be buying an ep3 civic type R, massive diet, poly windows, decent tyres & stoppers & bounce it around for fun. You could build it within your budget & stick a bottle in the boot.
BMW E46 325ti? Waay under budget so some change for the fun stuff ;)
You dont need to spend a whole lot to go fast around a circuit. I speak from experience, driving my 1989 MR2 turbo thats worth all of £1500 around Anglesey circuit! I upset many m3, elise, vx220, scooby, clio sport, and even a 911 drivers with my MR2. My secret was tyre choice, while all of the more expensive cars were using maybe fast road or even track day tyres, i opted for 2nd hand slick tyres from the btcc series. As soon as my tyres had some temperature, not much kept up in the corners :D Cars like supercharged exiges, atoms and caterhams were still faster, but i gained a lot of praise from the guys asking what i was running, then being surprised to find out my 26 yr old mr2 was stock 200bhp, on stock suspension, stock brakes with fast road pads and used slicks :D what other cars impressed me with little modifications were bmw 325ti's! Civic type R's, and a few clio 172/182's!
my old clio 172 cup was an absolute riot on the track, it was set up correctly and as stated, tyre choice was key, not much kept up on the short circuits. still get the itch, even though i spend alot of time with 500+bhp rwd monsters on a track its not quite the same as the little car embarrassing bigger machinery.
Bit of a bus man's holiday all this track malarky? Don't suppose you're allowed to borrow an F-Type for the weekend?
I've got a new vxr Astra for a couple of days next week, I'll let you know what it like.
[QUOTE=Nealevo;759526]I'm sure you will be fine, Jim, I'm not so sure![/QUOTE] [QUOTE=JT;759528]Harsh, but fair....... Lol[/QUOTE] Bastwards :)
Smart(uki) Roadster http://www.smartuki.com/ or...............an MX-5
306gti 6 and lots of change Or a 306 gti6 with a high boost supercharged engine. 400+ bhp
Renault Megane R26(R)....saw one at the weekend...