First track-car: Porsche 944 or A2 chassis Jetta?

I already own both cars. Wife says one car has to go & the rest of my little fleet is not up for negotiation.

As a track car:

For the 944: it's faster & can probably handle sustained high speed abuse better than the VW. Also, when I think I'm good enough to go wheel-to-wheel racing, it will be easy to turn it into a Spec944 or 944Cup car.

For the VW: cheaper consumables, I have A LOT of seat time in this generation VW, so I might go faster, sooner.

Against 944: expensive consumables, will require more work than the VW to be track-ready. If I must sell one of the two cars, I'll probably get more for the 944 than the VW

Against the VW: not really designed for prolonged high speed abuse, so it might break more than the 944 would, no SPEC-A2 series & I've heard they aren't competitive in Improved Touring anymore.

What Sayeth you, GRM experts?

What sort of performance driving have you done before?

What are your goals and aspirations for the future?

If your plan is to maybe do wheel to wheel at some point then definitely the 944, and you won't be "wasting" any money you put into it if you keep the spec944 or 944cup idea as options. If you are going to trailer to the track you might sell both and buy a spec944 car they are not very expensive?

944 all the way. Great handling, rewarding to drive, excellent club racer with good resale if it has a log book and popular at the track so plenty of resources in the paddock.

In reply to Jaynen:

I've done one autocross, in the Jetta. I intend to do time trials/open track days until I get really good at it, then I'd like to go full on wheel-to-wheel racing

Honestly, is sell both and buy an already prepared track car an option? That is usually easier and cheaper.

93EXCivic wrote: Honestly, is sell both and buy an already prepared track car an option? That is usually easier and cheaper.

This.

Just practice in an already prepped, log booked car. Then when you are ready to race, you're good to go.

Sell both and buy a currently prepped SCCA/NASA race car. By the time you prep either one and bring it up to a competitive level you will have spent far more time and $. Just my 2 cents worth of advise

If you intend to do w2w I heartily agree with the "Buy the best, well sorted race car you can afford" that meets any other criteria you have (944cup, specXXX, etc) even if you are a year or two from getting a comp license.

If you have never built a race car before AND you are a novice driver you will spend twice what you should to get much less than you think you are going to get with no way to know if it's the car or you and the answer will be "it's both". The rule of thumb is buy the 1st one, learn how to drive it, build the 2nd. one.