i'm looking to get into some road racing/auto cross. what car would be better for a rookie. i plan on taking some classes first.

 

You'll be taking more than classes before you start road racing. If you've never done motorsports before, which of these two cars would be better isn't the right question. Start at autoX but deciding which car to buy based on something you haven't even done yet is silly.

 

^Good Info! I just was reading another thread on here about this same question M3 or Evo...Overall the Evo is the better setup for road course racing...This is an Evo forum so most people on here will say Evo no matter what...The M3 isn't a bad choice either and can run a road course very well...IMO the evo is just setup better to handle corners and provide earlier exit acceleration out of a corner over the M3...especially for someone who is just starting out...stock for stock IMO the evo will beat an M3 around a track...Also modded I still see the Evo over the M3...look at some of the fastest time attack cars in the world...a lot of them are Evo's (Sierra Sierra Evo is a good example)

 

I know its not in your original posted car but a 91-97 miata is a great car to get your feet wet with on the track. I have road raced my 05 sti (430whp), 03 evo (380whp) and the 92 miata (80 whp) dollar per fun factor the miata takes it for me. Its not fun always getting passed in the straights but its a blast catching backup in the twisties. I also push it a lot harder in the miata than in the evo. I just don't care about going off track in the miata. And at the end of the day the miata really has made me a better driver.
Just my .02! Thanks for listening.

 

^good point about the Miata. They are a great rookie car! But as for your ??? I would say it's going to come down to your driving style! One car might be good for some but the other car might be better for you. Ive owned AWD and RWD cars and I love the Evo but I am a better driver in a RWD car! I know this isnt much help but if your going to get into racing and your a rookie I say buy a car that isnt going to cost you very much because your going to end up in the tires at some point and the cheaper the repairs the better!

 

How dare you question the Evo. M3 for you.

 

i will start out with classes and and autox. i had a 98 eclipse gsx. i know the evo is a lot better handling car but i wasnt that impressed with the handling. i went on a business trip to the continental tire testing track in texas. the biggest tire testing track in north america and we had bmw 328i and mustangs. i was really surprised how well the bmw handled the corners on the road course.

 

The M3 is not as forgiving as the Evo. Unfortunately that also means that starting out in an Evo can nurture a lot of bad driving habits. If you are going to end up with an Evo, I would strongly recommend learning on crappy tires (i.e., all season) and doing a few sessions in the wet. In the dry and on sticky tires, the Evo will cover up a lot of mistakes, which is great if you're racing at 11/10ths, but bad while you're still learning.

l8r)

 

plus a e46 will cost you an arm and leg for parts and wear items compared to the evo.
But yes, if you want to become a good driver, i would suggest a miata or S2000 to hone technique.

 

i test drove an early year miata and it was so slow.

 

Test it on the track. You can't judge a book (car) by it's straight line performance. My best friend hatted on me for buying the Miata until he drove it last week. He loved how you can just man handle it. and when you Loose it and find yourself side ways it's easy to catch it and bring it back straight.

 

What is your real goal? Actual road racing? Competitive autox? etc etc

IMHO, buy something slower than either of those cars for track use. Like an E36 M3

 

Well, whats your goal? If just fun DE days (driver education / event) runs - either. Just lapping.

Now if competition or TT, I would look at what class you want to run first. Pick a car that is a great base car for that class.

Ex: Neon in TT-F is a great starting point. Cheap to start off in HPDE 1. Drive it TT sign offs. Build the car to the TT-___ class.

 

just having fun. i use to be a drag racer but looking for something that takes more time. any year miata better than others. are they cheap to mod? i see them with a lot tons of miles, do they last?

 

Here's my quick background:

-did ice auto-x in a 2.5RS subie
-did a year or two of auto-x and rally-x in that car
-wanted to go faster
-decided caging/racing a car I was making payments on was dumb
-sold subie and bought a 1992 miata and a 1988 323GTX
-drove the **** out of those underpowered cars for 3-4 years
-then got an Evo to rally with as I was more interested in sliding (as was the wife )

If you're after a good smiles/$ ratio, nothing does that cheaper than a RWD car.

I've just about finished up building a 1995 318ti hatchback with a 1995 M3 motor swap for use in rally events. See in the Evo I spent $1,000s trying to make it fast enough to slide around...and its for sure much quicker than the Compact M3, but in terms of the fun factor behind the wheel, they're equals in my book.

So...my vote for you would be to look at something RWD that's older, like a miata, E36 BMW (doesn't have to be an M3, but the 6-cyl cars have more juice),or an S2000. Like others have said, a car can be so utterly boring and slow to drive on the street, but what's fun about road racing is challenging yourself in the corners and pulling some G's. Also I used to get a big kick out of smoking "better" cars out there...nothing like having someone in a car that should be smoking you walk over to your car and ask what you've got under the hood only to tell them its stock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7iUKaPlBl8

Oh, if you're looking at Miatas, the 1994 is a good year. They were the first ones with the 1.8L engine, and the engine still has piston oil squirters (a holdout from the 323 GTX rally car's turbo motor), so its a great candidate for a turbo or s/c down the line if you so choose. Make sure you get one with a LSD or at least budget for adding one as it makes the car handle much better. Another plus for the Mazda is their racer program that lets you buy OEM parts at reduced cost, and that includes MazdaMotorsports parts too, like a clutchpack LSD.

Hope this helps!

Dave