Econobox for street, autocross and rallycross. Which kia/hyundai?

The base Fiesta is a good suggestion. It’s a lot of car and they are getting really cheap for how new they are.

You might be able to get a Mazda 2 for that price if you’re lucky.

CyberEric said:

The base Fiesta is a good suggestion. It’s a lot of car and they are getting really cheap for how new they are.

You might be able to get a Mazda 2 for that price if you’re lucky.

But you can't autox a base fiesta. Not legal.

Do you want to win?  Because there is no Kia/Hyundai car that is competitively classed currently, with the exception of possibly the the Veloster N, but last I heard its too camber challenged to run with the Type R in its class.

For rallyx, just pick something reliable and have at it.  I can't see any of the being particularly better or worse than the others.  $5k won't get you into anything with a decent rear suspension unfortunately.

FWIW, apparently once you get into the range of cars that DO have a decent rear suspension, you are also in danger of an ECU with stability control that cannot be fully defeated.

Outside of the N, Hyundai/Kia are not very motorsports friendly.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I think the First gen Forte I had with its "terrible rear suspension" was one of the best handling cars I've ever auto'xd. With my mediocre driving ability I was top 10 pax locally, midpack nationally.

In reply to bobzilla :

I saw the one for your wife, that put accents in my radar. 

Thank you for the offer to drive it. Not in any rush, I'll find one. 

Good thoughts on the other vehicles. 

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

Thank you, the fiesta and mazda 2 are on my radar but not as much as the hyundai kias.

In reply to NoBrakesRacing :

I'd mazda 2 before the fiesta. Normal bolt pattern, legal for motorsports without modifications and mazda's proclivity to support amateur racers. 

In reply to ProDarwin :

Have no illusion that I would win, but have fun and improve with time. If I really get more into it then I would reconsider the vehicle.

I have small children and too many hobbies already to be able to run more than a few times a year. 

Heck, I've been racing sailboats for close to 20 years and rarely win, but leave enough boats on my wake. 

In reply to bobzilla :

I've reread Seth's thread on his recently, another one I need to test drive. 

I like that the accent has about 40hp more. 

bobzilla said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

I think the First gen Forte I had with its "terrible rear suspension" was one of the best handling cars I've ever auto'xd. With my mediocre driving ability I was top 10 pax locally, midpack nationally

Yeah, in a modified class.  $5K won't get you a build like that, will it?  Its been a while since I have looked at classing, but wouldn't such a build fall into STS against the likes of DWB Hondas now, where it would be hopelessly outclassed?  Or even 1.6 Miatas or 1.8s w/open diffs?

Mazda2, crazy color and price.

Cars do seem to have gone up in price in the last few months. There are just not lasting in the dealer's lot

How are the spectra, I think second generation, before the forte came out?

I can find those for $2k and less all the time.

Seem lightweight, 4 or 5 doors.

If I do buy a car under $2k maybe I'll be able to make it to the Challenge, been reading about it for 20 years.

Actually I should convince my brother to take his sn-95 he bought for $1500. 

The second gen spectra re the same car as the 2001-06 elantra. Mcstrut at all 4 corners, beta and a 5-spd. Should be around 2800-2900lb for the sedan with 135hp

In reply to bobzilla :

Do they handle alright in autocross or rallycross? 

The have fairly long travel for a strut car so I always thought that chassis would be fun for rallyx. The spectra I think suffers from the same rear suspension as the XD elantra that is either pushy as hell or oversteer city without much in the middle. I had fun with my XD but it's not the fast way. There's a reason we named it Porky. 

May be an option based on mileage and condition vs price, although I may get tired of it soon.

In reply to NoBrakesRacing :

Yeah the 2 is often more expensive despite its similarities with the Fiesta. You can pick up a nice Protege circa early 2000s for cheap.

I like Mazdas more than Kias, but truthfully, I haven’t driven most of the Kias, so take that for what it’s worth. Although I do drive a Mazda built by Kia!

Do the Kias we are talking about have fully defeatable traction control?  A number of the newer ones could be reasonable GS/HS autocross cars except that driving around the traction control isn't fun.  I bet rallycross is even worse.

Base Fiesta and Mazda 2 are a little scary for rallycross due to rollover potential.

In reply to ojannen :

I was actually going to ask that. 

Bobzilla, how's their traction control? 

I don't mind pulling a fuse and running with a few check lights if it works. 

I do know, that in my 2011 Sorento, I can turn off traction control with a button and it will let me spin tires to my heart content. 

Any of the older models should be fine.  Its just the most recent 'gen' that I've heard of it being undefeatable.

FWIW, if I were looking for an older, fun product from Kia/Hyundai, Forte 2.4 or Forte 1.6t would be the top two on my list.

I actually wanted to trade my car in and buy an older Forte5 1.6t, but they are super difficult to find.

In reply to ProDarwin :

A forte5 would be my top choice, if I can find one. 

Looking at Wikipedia to compare sizes, it's interesting that the Rio is 67.7"in width, the Forte 69.9" and my Jeep Cherokee xj 67.9".

The Forte hatch is also longer than the xj by 3 inches. Rio5 hatch is quite a bit shorter .

How about a Nissan Versa Note hatch or Versa Sedan? You can fully kill the traction control..

First and second gen Forte you had to hold the TCS button to fully turn off both traction and stability control. Gravel road dweller... I can tell when one is still on. The 12 Rio SX appears to be a single button push turns it off. I can ebrake slide into the driveway/garage with it off, cannot with it on. The 3rd gen rio/accent don't have it at all (06-11).

The 14 Koup auto was fully defeatable. It autox'd on small lots with 255's just fine.

In reply to dxman92 :

Thank you

I have not driven this generation versa, and I kind of like the shape.

I know the Nissan's reliability is not considered the best, but I'll let someone that knows more speak about that. 

I do know that I had a rental first generation versa and I thought it was the worst vehicle I had ever driven. I have since then had a Fiat 500L rental which I consider the worst car I've driven.