Ditto. E30s are cheap and plentiful and the parts needed to put them on the track are fairly inexpensive.

 

I can't stand the look of the e30's personally. I had a student last weekend with an e36 M3 and have seen several at the tracks - really nice car.

I knew a lotta people would say miata, but don't think that's the one for me yet. I think I would go crazy w/o the power of my Evo ya know. Hard to say though. Never really been a Miata fan, but I do respect what a good driver can do in them!

A lotta people mentioning cars with swaps... Well, anything that's been significantly wrenched on can have some reliability issues and I'd be hesitant. If I knew the person or owner that did the work, it'd be different. Unfortunately I just don't have the background to know good from bad.

Keep 'em coming. I do think light has gotta be the way to go!

 

older c5 vette??

 

Miata or B-series'd civic hatch would be cheap, reliable, and fun. Have experience with both and they're excellent.

 

Seems like a lot of lightweight cars keep coming up, and I'm with ya on that. I'd still like to be in an AWD car if I could. The main problem with extended tracking of the Evo/STi is the weight, and thus the rate they go through tires and brakes I think.
Seems they are pretty much similar in weight. I know the Evo can lose up to 200lbs if you really get aggressive. Assuming similar for the WRX/STi but couldn't find anything definite. Curb weights are below.

06 WRX Sedan: 3192
06 WRX Limited: 3239
06 WRX Wagon: 3252
06 WRX STI - 3351

06 Evo IX RS - 3219
06 Evo IX (GSR) - 3263
06 Evo IX (GSR) - 3338 (w/ SSL)
06 Evo IX MR 3285


I've personally always wanted an RS with an WRX or STi swap in it! Weighing in around 2400lbs!

 

Caterham Super 7. Pads have lasted 3 seasons so far and 1 set of tires per season.

It is also fun being the fastest thing out there!

 

92-94 Nissan Sentra SE-R - Stock limited slip, tokico blues, rear sway bar, no amenities, light, tons of torque, but no torque steer, sr20de with an easy option for a turbo. This car is a track monster if built right. A car for the purists.

 

Boomn29,

I don't really know your definition of cheap car for the track. I consider cheap a 1 gen GSX, you can never go wrong on those cars on the 1/4 mile but they are not too good on the handling department(stock).

Cheap as hell to maintain are the Miatas and the Civics, I have had a 92 Miata and two Honda 3 Civics SIs(2 of them the CRX, 88 and a 91). Again, ask anyone and they will tell you that parts for the Miata and the civic are just dirty cheap(pads, rims, brakes,engine parts and even the turbokits).

I heard some people suggesting the srt20 opn the 240sx and what not, I don't recommend them, they are more like a dream car more than anything else, they are very few out there.

Consider getting a 2 Gen GSX and spent $1000 on engine mods and you will have a fast car. Also, you can always look at the domestics, a 95 Camaro Z28 or Trans am Firerbird are always easy powerplant to work on and not crazy expensive.

Carlos

 

Cheap - as in cheap upkeep. If I had money, I'd upgrade my suspension and get a 100octane tune or something on the Evo. I don't think my wallet can handle those upgrades along with the price of admission to misc events! Track time itself isn't cheap especially here in the midwest where nothing is close either.

Moreover, it's got to handle well. Yeah I could get an F-body but it's not going to handle very well. Plus it'll go through tires (more expensive) and brakes faster than the Evo given the weight of the car. Entry price and power is relatively cheap; but that's where it ends. That's what makes those good project drag cars; but not my thing.

I found a thread on Nasioc that's very similar. Everyone says Miata and done. I personally get sick of passing Miata's and S2000's in the novice groups I sometimes get stuck in. I think I need to see one with a good driver and see what a Miata in good hands can really do!

I'm afraid I'm already too spoiled with the Evo's power and handling balance. I love to pass 80% of the competition on the track and to hang right with the rest which are track-only and highly modified cars with tons more power usually.
I video all my on-track time and keep track of a lot of my lap times. I'd hate to drop 10sec on a track - but it's probably going to happen with a car switch of anykind as it takes time to get used to it. I just don't want to potentially look back at the Evo and have tons of regrets!

 

I always liked the Eclispe GSX's. A buddy of mine had like a 95 TSI Talon; very fast for back then! Like ya said; they don't track all that well. And along with the Civic SI - not sure I want to be tracking FWD.
I'm thinking you could get a Civic SI down pretty low on weight, put on some stickier tires and some sort of suspension to make it track pretty well. It'd need a bit more power than stock, but aftermarket is huge as mentioned. Don't think FI is the way to go, as a track car will need to take a beating and I'd rather error on dependability. Don't want to miss out on any expensive track time!

 

^^the first gens track pretty good...just gut it out and do the right tuning with suspension...any car will do good on a track if you tune the suspension correctly

 

honda s2000 FTW!

 

Had a chance to drive a friend's EK9 with GSR engine swap at the track last week. Very agile and fun to drive! I am actually thinking about trading my IX for EG or EK with K20 swap and make it a dedicated track car...

 

e30's are not cheap track cars...they break all the time and parts really aren't that cheap. Compared to my e46 yes they are cheaper to track, but that doesn't make it CHEAP.

I will second the Miata. Very easy upkeep, and its damn quick if you know how to drive.

If you want to spend a little more and have something you wouldn't be embarassed to drive on the street as well, get an S2K.

 

Pretty sure the Miata is well beyond seconding at this point.

Owning a second car is seldom an effective cost-saving measure. The initial cost of the car, insurance, registration and maintenance will almost certainly be more than maintaining an car like an Evo...at least for several events and probably several years. The security of having an "oh ****" car is nice though.