Buying a track day car

[bowtie2bimmer]

So the more I think about it I want to buy a track day car. I've played around with autox before in other vehicles but would like to have a dedicated car for it that I could also use on the larger circuits.

Should i look for a super clean car or one more ragged out? I mean I dont really need a/c, p/s, radio and a nice interior or a track day right?

What else should I be looking for? I don't wanna drop a ton of money. I don't want to "build" a car either. i just want one I can play with. Maybe spring/shocks/ coil over mods along with updated sway bars, bushings etc. But I don't care about a 2.7i motor with a turbo.

Any advice for my first track car would be appreciated

[jason952]

bmwcca classifieds, look for a cared for and sorted example.

[djjerme]

watch SpecE30 forums, Bring A Trailer, and sometimes eBay..

[Lof8]

bmwcca classifieds, look for a cared for and sorted example.

You will save money in the long run by buying a car thats already built. You will also lose out on some of the fun that is building it yourself.

[Dave]

You will save money in the long run by buying a car thats already built. You will also lose out on some of the fun that is building it yourself.

Agreed in both respects.

And if you are on a budget, don't limit yourself to BMWs. There are bargains to be had in used SCCA IT cars if you dont mind the possibility of a VW, Honda, Neon, etc.

[nando]

watch out for cars advertised as "track cars". It's probably not unique to E30s, but unless the car was built for a specific racing series or class, it's more than likely just a beater with questionable mods that's been stripped and gutted.

[bimmerteck]

watch out for cars advertised as "track cars". It's probably not unique to e30s, but unless the car was built for a specific racing series or class, it's more than likely just a beater with questionable mods that's been stripped and gutted.

qft

[NigelStu]

OP - are you looking for an E30 to play with or anything? Got a budget in mind?
World is full of fun track cars. Miatas to Ariel Atoms.



Are you planning on just Open Track Days / HPDEs?


If yes, I'd simply suggest looking for any manual 'is' model (with LSD) in good condition that has documented recent maintenance done to it: e.g. front hubs, new(er) dampers, brakes, engine maint, diff/trans fluid, suspension bits/bushings.

If you are just getting to the track, all you really need to have some fun is a stock car with decent brakes and tires that isn't going to break. Fresh wear parts means less work/maintenance for you. True that the interior doesn't matter, but finding a car that is in overall good shape without the go-fast parts most likely means the chassis hasn't been beat - whereas, like nando said, 'track rats' have likely been used, abused and need parts replaced.


Your learning curve will be so steep the first handful of track days that a top-notch suspension will not be fully appreciated. Get the basics your first year with a stock-ish car, use the money saved to do more track events, upgrade over the winter. win, win, win.

[NigelStu]

BTW - excellent move in getting a car for track/fun use.

A rule of thumb I've always used is 'Never put a car on track you cant afford to total'

[bowtie2bimmer]

Its a shared venture between me and a friend (Andrewm on here)

We both have e30's as daily's and thought it'd be cool to have an e30 track day car. While i have driven around a track my experience is very limited. As his Andrews.

We had a e model lined up for 800 but the guy blew the engine (head gasket, engine full of water) before we picked it up. We offered to still but it then didn't wanna lower the price. F that.

So still looking. I'm not sure I can track day my e30 cause its a cabrio (without cage) and not sure I want to cause it is my daily. I'd like to run it once though ;)

We are open to other cars just wanna keep it under 1500

[JRKOUPE]

ok...so you know u want an e 30..

thats good.

So did I......like 6 yrs ago, and found a very nice solid 1 owner car...and it was over $4k...but that was fine w/ me. I turned her into a street legal track day/DE car.

$1500 may limit u a bit as you will see alot of POS for sure. I wanted nice exterior and never hit... well taken care of etc...

I dont like tracking ugly cars....and didnt want a dented, needing paint monstrosity
deicide what matters most to you...exterior?...interior?..a beater?....

youll end up replacing most/all wear items....

youll end up getting track seats or even gutting her....

also keep in mind that older M3's( e36) are very affordable nowadays.......not 1500, but 6 or 7k and you have at least 240 hp w/ a nice platform.....

oh..i just read u r open to other cars......

[bowtie2bimmer]

for now we are looking for a solid drivable e30. It can have torn seats and a dent in the rear. No worries. Paint don't matter either. As long as it runs/drives we'll be ok.

For now its just autox so i dont think i can gut the car for stock/stx

[2mAn]

$1500 isnt much of a budget. im building an '80 rabbit with a simple 1.6L motor and it will easily clear $2500

[bowtie2bimmer]

The thing is i'm not looking to "build" anything. Just a car I beat on at the track. It can be a jalopi, as long as it runs and drives ok

[cagedbunny]

The thing is i'm not looking to "build" anything. Just a car I beat on at the track. It can be a jalopi, as long as it runs and drives ok

You're not likely to find a cheap jalopy of a car that's;

1. not a project and
2. going to pass tech.

Cheap cars usually need mechanical work, especially when they're 20+ years old. Worn control arms and bushings, crap brakes, etc do not make for a safe and reliable way to track your vehicle. Get a third party in on the action to up the budget, or expand your search to cars other than E30's. Like previously mentioned, an ex-IT car can be cheap, come with tons of spares, and provide many events worth of use and abuse for you and your buddies.

A few years back, I bought a semi-beat ex ITB Rabbit GTI for dirt with a fresh motor. Drove it around for fun, auto-x'd it at the local 24 hour event, and made a profit off it when I sold it. Hard to go wrong for the small investment.



Good times.. :)