Daily/HPDE car for $5k, what are my options?

Hi all,

Having a bit of a brainfart at the moment, as I cannot figure out what car I want for my 100 mile  work commute that I can also take to TNiA and other HPDEs. I'll do the work commute 2-3x a week, and do 1 HPDE with it per month. I'll take it autocrossing if I feel like it, but I don't care about competitiveness; I have my STX E36 for that.

I recently picked up a '08 128i for this exact job. I figured it's similar in power and dimensions as an E36 M3, but satisfies the commuting duties much better than a 20 year old car. It already has the sport package, so I figure pulling the camber pins and getting a set of Hankook RS4's will be all the prep this car needs for HPDE work. I'm still worried how much this car will nickel and dime me to death though, as I am familiar with old BMW's and their proclivity to do so.

Can I get a better car for $5k though? I figure I can sell this around $5k, and then pick up a more suitable candidate for just under $5k and make out ahead long term. 

100 mile commute needs comfort and fuel economy; HPDE needs small, light and fast. Suck up the maintenance and keep the BMW, unless you want to commute 100 miles in a Miata.

Dave M said:

100 mile commute needs comfort and fuel economy; HPDE needs small, light and fast. Suck up the maintenance and keep the BMW, unless you want to commute 100 miles in a Miata.

heh, yea I figured anything with a soft top is out of the question. I value my hearing too much to put myself through that abuse.

Is there not a Japanese manufacture that made something I'm looking for?

Civic Si coupe? An 8th Gen could probably be found for around $5k, but those do take timing belts I believe, so something to keep in mind. I don't think the Accord V6/6-speed coupe would be quite down to that price range.

Maybe the older TSX in a manual can be found, but probably high miles. An Integra would be intriguing (as a former owner) but that is going back quite a ways compared to your Bimmer.

How much do MKV GTIs run these days? 

I don't think I'd want to HPDE a $5k car that I needed to depend on for a 100 mile commute...

Can you set up a compromise setup on your E36 for track duty?

EP3 Civic Hatch? They're cheap now and don't require much if anything to toss around on track and get good mileage. The 8th gen Si would be a bit better but they're closer to your price cap. 

I would go for an Infiniti, G35/37, or S197 Mustang GT Premium, leaning towards the Infiniti.  Both are durable and cheaper to maintain than a BMW.

Yup, my first non-BMW thought was G35. Haven't personally seen an s197 GT as cheap as that, but those deals apparently do exist. With that being said, though, you already have the tool for the job and it's a known quantity. Since nothing has broken yet, I'd just keep being diligent about maintenance until something catastrophic fails which, ideally, shouldn't happen if you're diligent about maintenance. 

Awesome recommendations guys. I guess I should also add that I have a diesel Colorado that I daily now, so I will never be stranded without a vehicle in case the 2nd daily/HPDE car breaks. I'm solely looking to sample something non-BMW that will be cheaper to run long-term. 205 or 225 width tires won't cost much, but I'm already thinking ahead with the cooling system replacements this car will need.

Will have to test drive the Civics, both EP3 and 8th gen Si for sure. I think comfort will be a downgrade, and straightline speed may leave me wanting more.  I considered them before the 128, but thought the 128 had much more value for the price. I didn't even make it into a Honda before jumping on the 128, so I need to give them a fair shot.

Hadn't considered the G35 cars yet. Will need to look at them for sure, especially if I can find an HR variant in my budget. Will go on the lookout for one of them to test, and check out regular maintenance and track consumables for price.

I think the S197 track consumables will cost more than the 128, and balance out long-term. Never seen one below $5k either, but that is interesting and a lot of car for the money.

I'd keep the 128 personally. The N52 appears to be pretty rock solid as well the rest of the drivetrain, only negative is lack of an LSD. 

Since it's not the turbo car, the only really nasty expense I can think of is if you need to have the evaporator replaced because the A/C fails. Because you have to pull out the dash to remove it. 

The 128 will also make quite a bump in power with the Stage 3 intake manifold, header, and tune. And if you buy the right wheels, you can still run a square setup on the car so you can rotate tires. 

Acura TSX would be comfortable, get good economy, be reliable, and decent on track, with good parts availability.  

How far off $5k are 2011 Mustangs with V6? That's the year the V6 went to 300 hp and returned 30 mpg hyw.  Plenty of power and an endless suspension aftermarket. Manual trans and these seem to me like they would be a great "all arounder" 

In reply to MINIzguy :

What priority do you give to fuel mileage?  Are you a take it to the dealer sorta guy or figure it out and DIY ? Any $5000 car has it’s share of delayed maintenance. Are you up to it?  

If performance outweighs fuel mileage you might take advantage of false misconceptions. 

Jaguar has long had a poor reputation regarding reliability. But it has some remarkably reliable cars particularly after Ford bought it. 

z31maniac said:

I'd keep the 128 personally. The N52 appears to be pretty rock solid as well the rest of the drivetrain, only negative is lack of an LSD. 

Since it's not the turbo car, the only really nasty expense I can think of is if you need to have the evaporator replaced because the A/C fails. Because you have to pull out the dash to remove it. 

The 128 will also make quite a bump in power with the Stage 3 intake manifold, header, and tune. And if you buy the right wheels, you can still run a square setup on the car so you can rotate tires. 

N51 car unfortunately.  Radiator is about $500 and I can't get aftermarket due to that stupid sensor. It has the 3 stage manifold already, and I know others have dyno'd 241whp with the header and tune, but I'm not going down that road.

Checked Craigslist and nothing under $5k that is either a Civic Si, G35, GTI, Mustang that looks good to test drive. Will check TSX and cost of 2011 Mustangs next. I might already have the right car like some have said lol.

MINIzguy said:

z31maniac said:

I'd keep the 128 personally. The N52 appears to be pretty rock solid as well the rest of the drivetrain, only negative is lack of an LSD. 

Since it's not the turbo car, the only really nasty expense I can think of is if you need to have the evaporator replaced because the A/C fails. Because you have to pull out the dash to remove it. 

The 128 will also make quite a bump in power with the Stage 3 intake manifold, header, and tune. And if you buy the right wheels, you can still run a square setup on the car so you can rotate tires. 

N51 car unfortunately.  Radiator is about $500 and I can't get aftermarket due to that stupid sensor. It has the 3 stage manifold already, and I know others have dyno'd 241whp with the header and tune, but I'm not going down that road.

Checked Craigslist and nothing under $5k that is either a Civic Si, G35, GTI, Mustang that looks good to test drive. Will check TSX and cost of 2011 Mustangs next

I'm not well versed enough on the 128i, what are the differences between the N51 and N52?

z31maniac said:

MINIzguy said:

z31maniac said:

I'd keep the 128 personally. The N52 appears to be pretty rock solid as well the rest of the drivetrain, only negative is lack of an LSD. 

Since it's not the turbo car, the only really nasty expense I can think of is if you need to have the evaporator replaced because the A/C fails. Because you have to pull out the dash to remove it. 

The 128 will also make quite a bump in power with the Stage 3 intake manifold, header, and tune. And if you buy the right wheels, you can still run a square setup on the car so you can rotate tires. 

N51 car unfortunately.  Radiator is about $500 and I can't get aftermarket due to that stupid sensor. It has the 3 stage manifold already, and I know others have dyno'd 241whp with the header and tune, but I'm not going down that road.

Checked Craigslist and nothing under $5k that is either a Civic Si, G35, GTI, Mustang that looks good to test drive. Will check TSX and cost of 2011 Mustangs next

I'm not well versed enough on the 128i, what are the differences between the N51 and N52?

Mainly emissions components. Engine-wise, mine has lower compression but makes up for it with the better intake manifold. Costly things I can think of: radiator, fuel tank (sender isn't replaceable but the pump is), secondary air.

If the G's aren't in range, would a 350Z work? Those have definitely gotten cheap and are plentiful. No backseat like the G, but a lot of similarities to the coupe. 

If not, you may be right about keeping what you have.

I'd stick with the 128i if it's been well maintained at this point. By selling what you have for another car priced in the $5k range you are just begging for someone's deferred maintenance. I would have picked up one myself, but the lack of LSD sucked.

Can you get an FRS/BRZ anywhere near that price?

In reply to frenchyd :

24+ mpg on the highway would be preferred. Can't think of any car mentioned that can't do that.

I'd have to check the size of the 350z, but it may be too impractical. Insurance might cost a lot too, even if I only get liability coverage. FRS/BRZ's aren't this cheap yet, and not interesting to me unless I modify it.

These are all good reasons to keep the 128i. I still digging into it and uncovering what else needs work, but it does drive really well. Nothing so far is out of my DIY wheelhouse

In reply to MINIzguy :

The non supercharged six will do close to that sort of mileage but it’s rather pedestrian compared to an XJR. Friends that own the XJR tell me they’d get decent mileage if they could drive decently but it’s reportedly too much fun.  I’d avoid the V8 at least until after 2003  but 24 is better than the conversations I’m hearing.  

One of the myths out there is that anything Japanese is reliable as a Rock. I see too many  trucks with cars on them  early in the morning waiting outside the various dealerships to accept that as a blanket statement. 

Individual cars? Oh sure!  

My 128i is N51/SULEV also. Yeah, the radiator is pretty silly, but I seem to recall reading that the fuel pump/gas tank wasn't crazy expensive some SULEV models. Once the warranty expires you can likely just code out the radiator sensor and call it done. The rest of the motor is pretty solid as long as it's been maintained. Just watch the accessory belt and pulleys.

Get a set of Whiteline rear subframe bushing inserts before you do any track work. And if so inclined, the E9x M3 suspension bolts in. Yes, it's worth it.

If you can find a MkV GTI in that range, I've had a lot of fun in mine as a daily and HPDE car. Mods can get pricey, relative to miatas, and you'll want a set of super pads on the fronts for the track, but they handle dailying and tracking well.

It's not that Japanese cars don't break, all cars wear with use.  My experience with 200k plus mileage cars, is euro stuff gets needy, windows stop working switches fail, any thing not related to making the car go or stop fails.  My Japanese cars gave me none of those problems.

For the record I'm comparing Audi, BMW, Volvo, MB, to Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Toyota.  All high mile cars, that worded fine when I got them.

I under stand care and feeding, but when my wife can completely neglect a car for 100k with just oil changes, I keep her in Japanese cars.