Cheap Autocross Car

I am looking for a cheap fun little car for autox. I do not want rotary engines, nothing older than probably 88, under $4500, and I am also not partial to Miata's they look kinda of...well gay.

E30 BMW 325i.

Buy for $1000, $1000 to fix it up, $2000 in suspension/ engine/ tires/ wheels.

Perfect fun car for STX. Note I'm extremely partial to these, though.

or a civic

Miata with rainbow paint job

1996 Eclipse convertible with a nice Salmon or Chartreuse paint job.

LT1 F-body.

Miata -- nothing mentioned so far is going to be a better autoxer.

L98 Corvettes are close to your price point. You won't look gay, but you may look something else . . .

Rob (proud Miata and Corvette owner)

afattitude wrote: and I am also not partial to Miata's they look kinda of...well gay.

How enlightened of you.

I didn't even know cars had sex, much less a sexual preference.

Yeah, miata is the answer.....

Now that being said, anyone that has ever called me gay for driving a miata, I have promptly offered a ride, under the condition if they didn't have fun with the ride that they had full right to call me gay, and I would say nothing. No one gets to call me gay as I type this. If ya don't like what I drive, don't look at it. Personally I'll take a 100mph go kart anyday. I love em.

Found this on a lotus forum.

Older hondas w/ double wishbone @ all corners (I'm partial to 3rd gen accords/preludes)...

paul wrote: Older hondas w/ double wishbone @ all corners (I'm partial to 3rd gen accords/preludes)...

if you want double wishbones at all corners, you are stuck with 3rd gen (88-91) ludes...and their stupid b-series motors. but, for the money suggested, 3rd gen body with H22 (or turbo f23) swap is feasible, and pretty stout.

all mechanical 4 wheel steer, caster, camber, and tow adjustment at all four corners....if those motors had been worth a damn, people wouldn't race CRXs.

3rd gen (86-89) accords have trailing arms in the back...jsyk.

Why no rotary engines, 87 and older cars, or Miatas? You're ruling out like 75% of the most successful autocross cars. Heck for $1500 you could have my fully-sorted, championship-winning RX-7 and still have $2500 left over to blow on a second car! You also wouldn't look as gay as a Miata...

...remember I'm selling my RX-7 to get a Miata, SSSHHHHHH!!!!!

Fourth gen Civics, if you can find a relatively good one. Parts are available, not too expensive and are good platforms for multiple/various swaps and upgrades.

Do not discount the sedans as they weigh little more than the hatches and have the same potential.

afattitude wrote: I am also not partial to Miata's they look kinda of...well gay.

Obviously, you have never really driven one.

If you're worried about looking "gay", a rollbar and number meatballs fix that really quickly.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/1560433918.html

No affiliation of any sort.

My former boss had a '99 Miata, the looks I got while driving through Peoria were hilarious. On the other hand I have driven no other car that handled as well as that one and it was completely stock.

They are not exactly my cup of tea either but I could see how a fella could derive a great deal of pleasure from zipping around in one.

Escort EGT or ZX2

The_Jed wrote: My former boss had a '99 Miata, the looks I got while driving through Peoria were hilarious. On the other hand I have driven no other car that handled as well as that one and it was completely stock. They are not exactly my cup of tea either but I could see how a fella could derive a great deal of pleasure from zipping around in one.

Yeah, I personally loved our 90 model, and I'm fixing to dump my 96 protege for a 1.8 swapped 92, they're great, only thing I seriously had a problem with was, sitting in traffic and looking at the guy next to me in the crown vic....I was looking at his elbow and I was looking up. Oh well, delivering pizza in one was absofreakinglutely GREAT! it was low enough that I just drove right under most apartment complex security gates!

$4500 for an auto-x car newer than 88 hrmmmmm.......

1: Mustang, spend 3 grand on the car, spend the rest on suspension parts. Have fun and learn to drift!

2: CRX, spend 2 grand on the car, 1500 on maintenance catch-up, and the rest on suspension.

3: 240sx, spend 3500 on the car, the rest fixing what the drifters messed up.

4: Miata, spend $4499.50 on the car, and $0.50 on a brown paper bag, have fun.

Oh and option BETA FREAK OUT! Break your own rules and spend $1000 on something older than 88, spend 3000 making it awesome, then 500 to make awesome actually work.

Go to SCCA.org, go to links for soloII, check results for both Solo champ and pro-solo champ. Check all cars in SP, ST, and stock. Start with top 25% of each class. Filter out expensive cars, and cars that don't fit your criteria.

That should give you a few good choices.

For instance, the most recent DSP winner was a Merkur. There are tons of good choices there that don't look like Miatas.

Porsche 944 8V! You can get those for less than 4500 easy.

Toyota MR-2.

I just picked up a 84 Volvo 240 with a built 5.0 and a bunch of other goodies. At the autocross today I ran a 48.XX on Fulda brand tires that are dry rotting. FTD was in the high 44.XX or low 45.XX. I have to run in XP and will never be truly competitive but it was freaking blast. I also have a (actually) 3 first gen RX-7s. Those are fun too. Really you can't go wrong unless you are looking to win.

If Tom reads this he could attest to the hoonage and probably post up a picture.

GI_Drewsifer wrote: Porsche 944 8V! You can get those for less than 4500 easy. Toyota MR-2.

944 8V? E36 M3, a month ago you could've gotten a 944 V8 for two grand. subtle difference between the two.