I've been taking some time to consider my next weekend/project/occasional track car. I've also been on several test drives here lately trying to narrow down my ever-growing list! For reference, this is what I plan on doing with the car:
-It will be used to commute at least 1-2 days a week when possible. Most of the time I'm by myself, so a back seat isn't necessary. For the times when I need to use a back seat (aka hauling the family around), I have my daily driver- 2015 Subaru WRX.
-I would like something to tinker with occasionally. I no longer modify my primary daily driver; but I like tinkering/modding cars in my free time. No plans for crazy $20k+ motor swaps; just basic bolt-ons and fine tuning, done over time.
-I would like a car that can help me grow as a driver. I've been to a performance driving school, but that was ~4 years ago, and to say I'm extremely rusty would be accurate. The last track/autoX event I've attended was around ~3-4 years ago, and even before then, I would consider myself a novice driver, or intermediate at best. I certainly have a lot to work on! Starting this fall, my schedule will change pretty drastically, and I'll finally have time to get back out there! Over this past year, my financial situation has also changed fairly drastically- again for the better. So, I'll finally have the time and means necessary to get some seat time!
-I won't be using the car for any race series. I'll only be running maybe a handful of HPDE track days a year and a few local autoX events when I can. Maybe a fun run up Pikes Peak or two. Nothing crazy or overly competitive.
-I live on the west side of Denver. As a bonus, I live within ~20 minutes of some of the best driving/mountain/canyon roads on earth! I enjoy going on a spirited mountain drive whenever possible! It would be a shame to let such great roads to go waste. As such, a big part of my selection process has come down to the question: “how comfortable would I be going around tight mountain corners in 'X' car?” Granted, I have no intentions of pushing any vehicle to its limits on a public road (even if it is generally uninhabited) and the safety of myself and others is always paramount in my mind. With that said, I've used my favorite canyon road to evaluate several vehicles over the years. I find it gives me a way to get a good feel for the car's throttle response, steering responsiveness/feedback, suspension, gearbox and brakes. Some of the vehicles I've driven have given me the distinct feeling of “this car might be fun on a closed course, but I don't feel comfortable playing with it in the mountains”. I've gotten that sensation from several cars that felt like they were fighting you in the bends, or had poor steering feedback, or cars that were prone to snap oversteer.
With all of that said, I've made a checklist of the things I'm looking for in a car:
-Absolutely under $10k all in. Preferably under $7-8k if possible. This doesn't count “mod money” per se, as the car can be built up slowly over time.
-Relatively light weight.
-RWD. I have an AWD daily. I have no interest in mixing FWD with sporty track/mountain driving. RWD only.
-I would prefer a naturally aspirated motor for simplicity sake (aka I don't want turbo car problems during 20+ minute track sessions). I would go supercharger before I would consider turbo, but still prefer NA. I would consider boosted cars, but generally only if they're known to be reliable under stress.
-It has to run. I'm not interested in rolling shells.
-No salvage titles or cars that have been heavily abused, highly modded or generally beat to hell. Relatively clean cars are a must. I have no intentions of trying to fix someone else's mistakes. In my experience, its generally cheaper to buy a stock car than it is to pay to fix the mistakes of others that sold their cars out of frustration.
-Power doesn't interest me nearly as much as sporty handling. Neither interest me nearly as much as the smiles-per-hour factor.
-Convertibles are a pro and a con as they have high smiles-per-hour factors, but that would also mean I need a roll bar to run at the 2 tracks closest to me. By convertibles, I mean roadsters that were designed as convertibles. I have absolutely no interest in sedans/coupes that were modified from the factory to be convertibles; as those cars as generally fairly “floppy” and add a ton of weight to the car.
-Manual transmission only.
With those desires in mind, I've already been hard at work trying to narrow down my list. Here are a few cars that have been pretty much scratched off of my list:
-Honda S2000. In my area I can't hardly find one for under $10k, and when I do, they're modded and beat to death, or have salvage titles, ect. I've also driven 2 of them (both AP1's) and I can't get past the steering- its numb and lifeless and doesn't build resistance when pushed. I've driven numerous other cars with EPS that were far better and far more confidence inspiring (also, much newer, so not a fair comparison). Don't get me wrong, they're extremely responsive (felt more like a race-car than a street car...), I just couldn't tell what the front wheels were doing. The cars also just felt twitchy and the rear end wanted to come out more easily than I would have liked. I know, I'm pretty sure many people will disagree, but that was my take-away. Don't get me wrong, I would probably still own one, but they're beyond my budget anyway.
-Nissan 350Z. The car feels heavier than it is. I drove a 2003 recently, and it was NOT confidence inspiring in the canyons at all. The car doesn't feel like it wants to transition quickly. I'm sure it will, but you're really fighting it. The brakes were also not confidence inspiring (I didn't get to drive the Track pack Brembo's, only base model brakes). There was a lot of body roll for a car that rides so rough. The steering had good feedback and a nice weight, but it just wasn't very responsive. It just felt clumsy. The car weighs around the same as my 2015 WRX, has a better weight distribution (53/47 vs 60/40) and feels like it would be stiffly sprung; but in the canyons you'd never know it. My WRX feels considerably lighter, more responsive, flatter and more confidence inspiring, all while having better ride quality! I get the cars are ~12 years apart and I shouldn't expect an older car to compare to my newer daily, but I just expected more of a car with such sporting intentions. It just wasn't very fun. I know they had some suspension revisions as time went on, but it felt more like a porky GT car than a sports car. Too bad, as I wanted to like this car, I really did. Maybe mods can fix the Z's issues, but in stock form, there's more fun cars for your money (even if they are “slower”).
-Toyota MR2 (MK2 and MK3/Spyder). I've owned a 1991 MR2 Turbo many years ago when I was still in the military. Fun cars! Not what I would call “forgiving” to say the least! I'm just not interested in another one at this time....
...I drove the MR2 Spyder recently. On paper it looks like a hoot- 2200 lbs and MR layout! I even fit pretty comfortably in it (I'm 6'2” 210 lbs), which was shocking. It has a quick steering rack, but I found it wasn't as responsive as I thought it would have been.... everything creaked and rattled.... it drove just fine, but I didn't really feel involved, and honestly, I didn't think it was very fun. Oh, I had daydreams about 2ZZ motor swaps and such, but in stock form, it just didn't do anything for me. I can see why the old NB Miata out-sold it handily. Everything just felt “bland” and uninspired. Again, I really wanted to like this car, it just didn't do anything for me.
-NA/NB Miata. I've owned both (1990 1.6L and a 2004 MSM). I loved both of them! They both always put a smile on my face! That is after I shoe-horned myself inside! I did foamectomy's and all the traditional “tall guys mods”, but I was never comfortable in either of them. They were both fine for short commutes, but I was always cramped and they were taxing to drive on longer trips. But they made up for it with a high smiles-per-hour factor! I might still consider anyone one, but there's one issue: I can now afford the roomier, stiffer chassis NC!
With that said, I've really just narrowed my list down to 3 vehicles:
-Mazda RX-8. The last one I drove was a riot! Everything just felt “right”. The steering was perfectly weighted and responsive. The chassis felt solid. The seats fit me perfectly. The brakes were easy to modulate and felt strong. The shifter was smooth and even though it didn't have a ton of power, the rotary was a lot of fun to spin to 9000rpm! The car felt extremely neutral and balanced. The rear comes out right when you expect it to and its easy to reel in. Also great forward visibility and perfect pedal position. Yes, I'm very familiar with the drawbacks of the rotary (fuel economy, reliability, low torque, ect) and I've done a lot of reading about pre-mixing, the SOHN adapter (great idea!), piss poor coil packs (fixed easily with BHR kit apparently), destroying catalytic converters (BHR also makes a nice resonated test pipe), needing to be revved to burn off carbon, ect. Honestly, I'm not all that intimidated by it, even if I should be! My only major gripes about the RX-8 were headroom (I need a hardtop/base version) and the weakest A/C on earth. Other than that, I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face while driving it! It felt like what it is- a larger, slightly quicker, more capable Miata the revs to 9k!
-NC Miata. I've driven several of them (all NC1's)... the suspension is rubbish. It has way too much roll; which is easily solved. Even so, the car was a ton of fun in the canyons! The light weight shined in spite of the suspension! Great steering feedback and response! Solid brakes, great pedal position (easy to heel-toe), great visibility, good shifter, ect. It's not fast by any means, but it has solid mid-range torque, which made it feel peppy... and if the motor ever popped, the Ford/Mazda 2.5L swaps right in for dirt cheap! Chassis felt much more solid than the old NA/NB and I was much more comfortable interior space wise. My only real complaints were the seats were garbage, the suspension was too soft and the car got blown around easily on the freeway by higher speed cross winds. At least 2 of those things are very easy to solve (aftermarket seats and suspension). I think a lower aftermarket suspension, wider/stickier tires and a solid alignment (more positive caster) should also help the higher speed stability significantly as well. Overall though, still a fun car... I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the RX-8, but it definitely has quite a few advantages: weight, reliability, fuel economy, drop top when you want it (pro and a con), ect.
-BMW E36 M3. I haven't driven one yet. They seem to be the go-to car in this price range. I know about the cooling system issues and interiors that fall apart... I also know about the stout motors, brakes, factory LSD's, 50/50 weight distribution and the huge aftermarket for them. I know they're very capable vehicles that people praise regularly. I also know that I've enjoyed the steering on just about every older BMW I've ever driven. Replacing a cooling system as preventative maintenance isn't very concerning to me. However, being a potentially 20 year old car is; mostly due to rust, electrical problems, ect. I also don't know if it will have the same fun factor as the Mazda's listed above? No doubt its faster (especially in a straight line), but its also a heavier car with struts up from (vs double wishbones for the Mazda's).
So, there it is. Sorry for the novel; I'm just trying to be thorough. Anything I'm missing or not considering that I should be?
Thoughts?
Personal experiences?
Thanks in advance!
-Brandon