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Hi, later this year I'm changing cars and will be looking for a track/toy car . I have had mx5s and mr2s in the past, current daily is a celica 190.
Criteria:
Doesn't needs loads of power but decent power to weight
Must be cheap £1500 tops
Mpg not much of an issue as it's for fun
Can be 2 seater
Must have potential to improve handling etc, can be a hot hatch stripped out
Must be fun
Car will be garaged but not pampered on outside (but mate a car tech will keep everything else tip top)
I'm not buying till October time but I'm stuck in bed with an ankle injury so am dreaming away now 🙂
Clio 172 Cup?
Good shout already ! I didn't know they had got so cheap
I've a 205 Gti with the 170bhp gti 6 engine. It's an absolute hoot!
I loved mine, wish I hadn't sold it! With eibach springs, and a palmer half cage it was huge fun on track/ring/roads
And still got 42mpg when on a proper run
Wasn't cheap on rear discs, or exhausts.
Obvious choice, but what about a nice MX5? Great fun cars to drive.
CaptainFlashheart - Member
Obvious choice, but what about a nice MX5? Great fun cars to drive.
POSTED 1 MINUTE AGO # REPORT-POST
I have had a MK1 and MK2.5 in the past. My girlfriend knows what a soft spot I've got for MK1s and thinks after all this talk I will just buy another...
m0rk - Member
I loved mine, wish I hadn't sold it! With eibach springs, and a palmer half cage it was huge fun on track/ring/roads
And still got 42mpg when on a proper run
Wasn't cheap on rear discs, or exhausts.
POSTED 4 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Cheers M0rk, I anticipate doing around 4k a year in this car at the very most so maybe the discs and exhaust won't affect it so much.
Mx5 mr2
Well, I didn't read that bit, did I? 😉
Still think it's the right choice, mind you!
I'd go for a Mk1 mx5 too I reckon. Cracking cars to drive, great fun.
There's a few 306 GTI 6s available at that price.
Clio 172 + 1
MKIV Golf Gti 1.8T remapped and stripped out?
Another vote for MX5 but when funds allow buy the kit to convert into a MEV Exocet.
I had a list of cool little cars and they all become completely stupid once you see the price of those Clios.
Racing puma?
I had a standard 1.7 it was ace.
Dunno how cheap FRPs get as only 500 made. Good ones will be pricey I guess
Replaced my puma with an rx8 which was faster but not more fun. Plenty of cheap Rx's about but likely money pits.
Mk1 Octavia VRS, stripped and remapped to 220bhp. Great fun!
I think FRP's are going for a lot more than budget.
Cheers for suggestions, I'm thinking Clio or another mx5 mk1 at the moment
Scimitar sst 1.8 turbo.
Mad quick and handles like a gokart.
How about a BMW E36? You'd get a 325 within budget - lovely torquey straight 6 and rear-wheel-drive.
As long as insurance doesn't increase for me (20 years old) I'm gonna swap my vectra for an MX5 I think. I really like the old ones...
A Clio Cup with 170 bhp for £1400 is a bargain but my first car was a Clio and it totally washed out on a corner when I might've been going too fast and crashed so I refuse to get another one haha.
E36 328i. Find an inlet manifold/injectors etc from the 323/5 engine and you have about 220bhp
[i]E36 328i. Find an inlet manifold/injectors etc from the 323/5 engine and you have about 220bhp[/i]
Does that work for a 1999 Z3 2.8 engine?
See here for why I am asking : http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/it-is-raining-and-i-am-bored-so-here-is-my-car-after-being-painted
It does increase my insurance but only a tiny bit. Not enough to put me off. I want one!!
Suzuki Cappuchino? Tiny turbo three-cylinder, can get over 100bhp with a bit of work, and apparently an enormous hoot to drive.
How about 200bhp in a car weighing 690kg
http://www.7tune.com/take-off-ea11r-suzuki-cappuccino-race-car/
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When I saw this thread I was thinking E36, and i very nearly bought one myself for the same sort of money and use. 205 or 306 are both a hoot,even the 106. Clio 172 is hard to argue against if they are that cheap now.
mx5 for diy maintenace - non interference engine and loads of spares out there
Thanks for more suggestions, never really considered a BMW 🙂 looking at them now
E36's do look like a lot of car for the money.
2nd vote for Suzuki Cappuccino. Power can be upped massively with a chip that also removes limiter, air filter & exhaust more. Plus boost pressure could be changed easily.
Best car I ever had.
WCA. Yeah. Pretty sure all the 328's were the m52 engine. Used in the z33/5/7 series that had the 2.8 engine.
If you google the m50 manifold swap it'll show you loads of links where people have done it with good gains.
It was a german tax thing. They had a bigger engine but needed to keep it almost the same as the 325 in power etc so detuned it via the inlet.
2000 - 2004 BMW 330 Ci 230bhp , manual , rear wheel drive .
Massive ability to lighten the thing by removing all the unneccesary toys.
Also abilty to fir M3 brake / wheel / suspension upgrades as and when required.
Not looked at the value for a while but older phase 1 clio 16v
Light , crazy corner speed and not at all like the soft clio your mum had
Mk2 Golf 16v
This Cappu is cheating, btw...
Are any of the Peugeot Rallyes (106 / 306) still around/available at that price?
Or a Citroen Saxo VTS. Rather boy racer but they handled well and weighed f-all. Same car as the 106.
Mk2 golfs are fun. But not cheap to buy due to the scene tax
Z3?
Eg/ek civic with the b18. Throw some money at one, you won't regret it
Mr2, but you tried that already
Build your own kit car?
E30 316 or similar and engine conversion. Buy donor car e36 and swap bits over. Strip it out and you've got a weapon.
I don't think you can beat the clios for budget track cars they handle really well, are quite quick and don't really go wrong
every thing you want for a cheap track car.
OMITN. I've never ever felt safe in a 106/saxo vtr/s etc. granted, they don't half handle but they scare the shit out of me
What about a prelude with the 2.2vtec engine? 200bhp. Light. Cheap to buy. Rev to 9k.
No idea if they're any good but the 106 Rallye looks so fun.
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a much debated subject at work. my brother bought a 70k mile st170 with fsh for a grand. from an engineer who works at dunton. he fitted new disks and ferodo ds2500 pads, ATE superblue fluid and replaced the one non matching tyre, sorted a couple of other niggles and took it to snetterton. great fun and absolutely zero issues. it even has ac that works. and half leather. the chassis is fantastic, bits are cheap and there are loads on ebay all the time. if you do have a disaster any old mk1 focus bumpers and doors etc will fit. and there are literally hundreds of those on ebay at any one time. the guy who sits next to me is about to buy one too.
it's one of those or a clio 172, which is a bit of a no brainer.
As much as I love French hatchbacks I would go MX5 with a LSD.
I like the idea of a BMW 330ci mainly as I hadn't considered one before or realised they are now this cheap. Some good shouts so far 🙂
Fiat Cinquecento, with a 1.2 punto engine (big valve head, big cam, vernier, ported head, trimmed valve guides, stainless manifold and system) It was built within your budget and a nice little fun project to play with, didn't have the outright speed of some cars but was jolly good fun, and surprised many a badly driven better car.
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Fiat coupe turbo? They can be made to go very fast.
Impreza Turbo can be had for that money, just a thought