Here's a good option with nice extras..
http://www.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listings/listing.aspx?ListingID=1563
Here's a good option with nice extras..
http://www.mcoupebuyersguide.com/listings/listing.aspx?ListingID=1563
Most of the track day guys running miatas in socal are now running NA NB1 motors with basic mods making around 150-160whp
M3Loco wrote: If you are having a heart-ache with the S2K,why not just go after the S52 Z3 M Coupe'. Consumables are similar the E36 M3, S52 engine is reliable, awesome brakes and a great after market. Check out mcoupebuyersguide.com for some options. That's where I found mine when I was looking. You may be able to find a deal. Good Luck!
Who wants an E36 with an E30 suspension? 
z31maniac wrote:M3Loco wrote: If you are having a heart-ache with the S2K,Who wants an E36 with an E30 suspension?
I do.. LOL...It's actually and E36 and an E30.. Yup!
Thanks for all the suggestions! The m3's coupes have always been an option, I was actually the second tread last week about the e36 euro m3s. That green one looked pretty nice for me.
At least I confirmed that the MSM was not a good option and opened my eyes to a few more possibilities. As far as consumables cost, I was just throwing a random number out, just trying to justify the magnitude. Thing is, for a bigger/heavier car, with bigger wheels you will see more expensive parts wear faster. Except e36, they seem pretty immune to the german tax.
The other option, as mentioned is an Rx8. Its honestly one of my favorite stock cars I have ever driven. The mileage kills though, and it doesnt help that the car has a sketchy reliability history as I have seen THAT thread come up here almost once a month.
Such good cars though...its too bad they are marred by that underperforming engine...
Early model year Evo 8. Drop in real race pads and sticky rubber, leave everything else alone. Enjoy.
Hmm not a bad idea but I wouldn't know if I would call that a "Scalpel" car but I have never driven one.
Javelin wrote:rwdsport wrote: I would rather have maximum feedback, consistency and safety on the track than outright power.You say this and then *don't* want a Porsche?!?
.... No need to take it personally.
Sounds to me like he's looking for a cheap option he can flog the piss out of while spending as little on consumables as possible.
I like the Boxster option... but i definitely don't think it's heads and shoulders above the Miata, even by the bench racing we're all doing in here. 
I found my s2k for 7500, put $2k worth of shocks, front bar and wheels/tires on it and have beat the piss out of it all year long (15 autocrosses, 13 of those with a codriver, and a drivers school) with not a single problem. I think its certainly possible to make one work under your 20k budget.
Spoolpigeon wrote: I found my s2k for 7500, put $2k worth of shocks, front bar and wheels/tires on it and have beat the piss out of it all year long (15 autocrosses, 13 of those with a codriver, and a drivers school) with not a single problem. I think its certainly possible to make one work under your 20k budget.
Mileage? Feel free to pm me your details, I have seen a couple under 10k, but we are talking 120k miles. Thats a bit too much considering I want to DD and track and have it like that for hopefully 5 years.
rwdsport wrote:nderwater wrote: I have to ask the obvious... Why not two cars?Situation of compromise and lack of space for towing and dedicated car. I would never recommend what I am doing, 2 cars is always better. Slowly saving so that in 5 years I can move to w2w with a dedicated race car, currently that is a 125cc Rotax.
Well then, get an NB Miata. It will make the transition to race car quite nicely into a well supported class and budget friendly.
I used to race a Rotax too.
e36 M3 with floating rotors and whatever other mods you want. Personally I would choose a tighter steering rack and a good mechanic to comb over the car.
HunterJP wrote: E30? Miata "like" in character, stiff chassis, easy to mod. Pick up clean example, swap S/m50/52 (or v8 of your choice...) into car, upgrade brakes and suspension, seats... soup?
Yes! Buy mine!
Did I read you have a kart? That's actually what I'm hoping will replace my E30 within the next year. But I mainly want to do auto-x for now.
NB Miata with a SR20DET...
rwdsport wrote:Spoolpigeon wrote: I found my s2k for 7500, put $2k worth of shocks, front bar and wheels/tires on it and have beat the piss out of it all year long (15 autocrosses, 13 of those with a codriver, and a drivers school) with not a single problem. I think its certainly possible to make one work under your 20k budget.Mileage? Feel free to pm me your details, I have seen a couple under 10k, but we are talking 120k miles. Thats a bit too much considering I want to DD and track and have it like that for hopefully 5 years.
For what it's worth, the S2000 seems to be completely bulletproof. There are LOTS of them running around with over 200k miles with only routine maintenance. I wouldn't be scared about a high miles car if it was obviously cared for.
noddaz wrote: NB Miata with a SR20DET...
I see people suggesting this swap everywhere, and i have to say... it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me from either a financial or power standpoint.
Can somebody explain this?
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I like the Boxster option... but i definitely don't think it's heads and shoulders above the Miata, even by the bench racing we're all doing in here.
Have you driven both on a track? I have. There's no question. The Boxster whoops the Miata like a bully taking lunch money. Unless we're talking a FM V8 conversion, it's just not going to hang.
And I'm not taking it personally, I just find it really odd when people ask for help and then blow off what would meet all of their desires so handily. If you already have a car picked, why bother asking?
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:noddaz wrote: NB Miata with a SR20DET...I see people suggesting this swap everywhere, and i have to say... it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me from either a financial or power standpoint. Can somebody explain this?
Cause low-hp overhyped JDM yo?
92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:noddaz wrote: NB Miata with a SR20DET...I see people suggesting this swap everywhere, and i have to say... it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me from either a financial or power standpoint. Can somebody explain this?
Not germane to this thread, but there is a local guy that has a fully built NA Miata track car that has an S2000 engine swapped in. It is incredibly fast and sounds incredibly cool. Not a swap I would think of, but it worked quite well in his instance.
Javelin wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: I like the Boxster option... but i definitely don't think it's heads and shoulders above the Miata, even by the bench racing we're all doing in here.Have you driven both on a track? I have. There's *no* question. The Boxster whoops the Miata like a bully taking lunch money. Unless we're talking a FM V8 conversion, it's just not going to hang. And I'm not taking it personally, I just find it really odd when people ask for help and then blow off what would meet all of their desires so handily. If you already have a car picked, why bother asking?
You also hated everything about your cheap as hell broken Miata.
MY Miata would likely annihilate a stock Boxster S on the track, and i paid substantially less for it than i could get a Boxster S for, and it even runs like total dog E36 M3.
We aren't just talking about performance here, though... and that's what i was alluding to. 
When you start just talking about performance, an NB with the $15k (or more, around here...) it would take to buy a Boxster S invested in it, would stomp all over the Porsche.
But now it's just another silly bench racing discussion.
Consumables are a big part here.
I still think OP should go with S2000.
In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:
I'm talking of other, better Miata's (I'm with you, I think an NB Sport is the bees knees, I look them up every week or so...), but the bench racing thing is moot (again, with you, S2K would be a great choice, and maybe an RX-8), but the OP has his mind made up, so we're wasting electrons. 
I have a friend with 2 S2k's one is a dedicated track car with 196k on it and the other is his daily with 160k that he brought to the track after the track car lost compression in cylinder 4 a few weekends prior. The daily died on track during the second session, wouldn't start and we pulled a chewed up spark plug out of one of the banks. I haven't gotten with him again to find out the damage but looked like a dropped valve. Everyone I know who are seriously tracking a S2k arnt on the original engine anymore.
Just a heads up.
I done offered the easy button... don't know what else he needs. lol
z31maniac wrote:92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:Cause low-hp overhyped JDM yo?noddaz wrote: NB Miata with a SR20DET...I see people suggesting this swap everywhere, and i have to say... it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to me from either a financial or power standpoint. Can somebody explain this?
Relatively light and readily available parts, makes 350whp or so all day on pump gas with bigger turbo on stock exhaust mani, cams, injectors, and tune. This board seems to not like RWD SR20s for some reason? I don't get it. The swap into a Miata seems like more time and money than its worth however...like all Miata swaps really. You get into S2K, Boxster, Z3M money too easily by the time you get a new engine into a miata.
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