What car to buy and develop for Track days

[CTD]

Hello all!

I know this is almost a religious question to ask, but my brother and I want to buy a fairly cheap car to develop into a fun road legal track day machine, especially for Nürburgring.
The budget is tiny, so all creative suggestions is welcome.

Here are some of the demands:
Start off budget: £4000
Road legal in Europe
More fun than "fast"
suitable for Nürburgring driving

We are currently looking for something like a Peugeot 106 GTI, but needs more suggestions.

Thank you in advance!
CTD / Mathias Brix

[dorbar]

Lots of good things out there and I was in your situation wanting something fun, cheap and that I could drive on the road. So after looking around I bought an mazda mx5 (US Miata) for just that purpose, weekend and track car only. Over here in oz you can buy an early one for 3k BP or $5k AUD, about the same in USD. Not very quick in a straight line, but handle brilliantly out of the box. Heaps of fun on a twisty track or road. They also are incredibly reliable - they can take heaps of punishment and just keep going and going. Cheap parts and cheap to run. I have had mine for 5 years and it hasn't missed a beat - and it gets tracked regularly. I am sure you will gets lots of good advice so this is just one to consider. Cheers Steve

[terence]

Hope your not going to join the hundreds of BMW owners already here.lol
How about an earlier Clio, a 172 or similar can be a lot of fun here-just stay off of the brakes a bit more than you expect.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by dorbar

Lots of good things out there and I was in your situation wanting something fun, cheap and that I could drive on the road. So after looking around I bought an mazda mx5 (US Miata) for just that purpose, weekend and track car only. Over here in oz you can buy an early one for 3k BP or $5k AUD, about the same in USD. Not very quick in a straight line, but handle brilliantly out of the box. Heaps of fun on a twisty track or road. They also are incredibly reliable - they can take heaps of punishment and just keep going and going. Cheap parts and cheap to run. I have had mine for 5 years and it hasn't missed a beat - and it gets tracked regularly. I am sure you will gets lots of good advice so this is just one to consider. Cheers Steve

I have looked after an MX5, sadly all the cheap ones are badly attacked by rust (the northern climate), so that would be too much work for us .

Originally Posted by terence

Hope your not going to join the hundreds of BMW owners already here.lol
How about an earlier Clio, a 172 or similar can be a lot of fun here-just stay off of the brakes a bit more than you expect.

Those are not a bad idea, have looked for those. Do you have any experience in there potential for development?

[dorbar]

Agree - if an mx5 is out of the question a clio sport has got to be a great option

[terence]

Originally Posted by CTD

I have looked after an MX5, sadly all the cheap ones are badly attacked by rust (the northern climate), so that would be too much work for us .

Those are not a bad idea, have looked for those. Do you have any experience in there potential for development?

I have a fair bit of driving experience around here (nurburgring)
As for the development of a clio-there world is your oyster regarding tuning bits/suspension packages etc.
One word of warning regarding suspension changes, applys to any car being used around here.Make sure it all works properly, enough spring movement as the ring WILL catch out a car that , because of poor prep, does not have enough or binds up, there are too many instaces wherecars have pitched themselves intlo barriers through running out of travel.
The 175 RS, s we use sometimes are plenty fast enough to learn the circuit with (sub tens being fairly easy to achieve)
Once acquainted withthe circuit/
Car, then start thinking about upgrades.Buy the best you can afford, its always cheaper in the long run.

[Himlar]

What about a Xantia Activa?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVc-HVAGSmc

I'm owning one with a four-cylinder turbo instead of the V6, and trying to build a track-day car out of it.

[CTD]

Isn't that a bit too heavy compared to the Clio 172 and MX5?

[Himlar]

It's not the lightest car, no, but it seems like quite a lot of weight can be reduced easily and the minimal roll makes up for a bit of the mass.

[andrewc]

Would an Integra type-R fit the bill?

[Sodemo]

We were looking at the very same thing. We shortlisted a few, but the BMW 328 kept on popping up. You can get a 1995 (or thereabouts) one for about £800. Engines are pretty bulletproof, but the main issue to watch for is rust. Depends how far you want to go with it. Are you going to strip out the interior, get rid of the back seats etc?

[CTD]

Originally Posted by andrewc

Would an Integra type-R fit the bill?

Then rather a Civic of some sort, the Integra is too hard to import into Denmark as it was never really sold.

Originally Posted by Sodemo

We were looking at the very same thing. We shortlisted a few, but the BMW 328 kept on popping up. You can get a 1995 (or thereabouts) one for about £800. Engines are pretty bulletproof, but the main issue to watch for is rust. Depends how far you want to go with it. Are you going to strip out the interior, get rid of the back seats etc?

Yeah at some point we are going to strip it all down, maybe even equip it with race seats, but nothing really planed yet. We are looking at a cheap entry and a lot of development potential both for us as drivers and for the car as we develop us.

Thank you all for your replies so far!

[Sodemo]

Yea, its a slippery slope, you strip it all down, fit racing seats, if you are really thorough, you might lose a couple of hundred kilos, next thing you realise, the suspension is on stilts due to the weight loss, so then you need stiffer suspension then probably new wheels and tyres. It can quickly turn into a money pit.

[CTD]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Yea, its a slippery slope, you strip it all down, fit racing seats, if you are really thorough, you might lose a couple of hundred kilos, next thing you realise, the suspension is on stilts due to the weight loss, so then you need stiffer suspension then probably new wheels and tyres. It can quickly turn into a money pit.

I didn't consider the suspension loosens up because of the weight loss, but of course!
Only shows how many consideration there has to be made for one to build such a car