Elise is the answer. Isotope green.
Elise is the answer. Isotope green.
In reply to ptmeyer84:
No. That's stupid expensive unless it's one owner and has a stack of receipts.
My only recommendation is drive everything you can. I know a guy who purchased a cayman a few years ago and drove a c6 about 6 months later and he said he wishes he would just drove everything and not wrote anything off becaude he preferred the vette.
Personally id want a c5z or c6 z51. They are very docile, they may be fast but they dont feel crazy fast cause theyve got a bunch of tire, and good brakes and suspensionfrom the factory and they are easy to control, and you just ramp up your speed as you learn the car.
C5 Z06 for more track work C5 Z51 for more street work.
I only say that because the ls6 is supposed to have better oil control for track use.
Just drive everything you even consider and pick whichever one you like best.
S2000 over the E36 M3 IMO.
Opti wrote: My only recommendation is drive everything you can. I know a guy who purchased a cayman a few years ago and drove a c6 about 6 months later and he said he wishes he would just drove everything and not wrote anything off becaude he preferred the vette. Personally id want a c5z or c6 z51. They are very docile, they may be fast but they dont feel crazy fast cause theyve got a bunch of tire, and good brakes and suspensionfrom the factory and they are easy to control, and you just ramp up your speed as you learn the car. C5 Z06 for more track work C5 Z51 for more street work. I only say that because the ls6 is supposed to have better oil control for track use. Just drive everything you even consider and pick whichever one you like best.
Wise words. I need to give the C5 a fair shake. Considering value, which is better; Z06 or FRC w/mods?
The only reason I didn't suggest the ND was price. There's nothing else new within the past 10 years that doesn't come close to the visercal enjoyment at less than double the price when new. The top is also stupid easy to use, it's brilliant. Though the sensations and behavior at the limit is different, it's the only modern car that I can compare to a 964 in terms of feedback and sensation. They're both engaging and eager without being razor sharp and looking to bite the driver for a mistake of over correction. When I first drove the ND it was the comparison I made.
I hate the idea of tracking an elise, a 30mph shunt and it's done, where as anything without a CF tub can be fixed.
markwemple wrote: In reply to ptmeyer84: No. That's stupid expensive unless it's one owner and has a stack of receipts.
That's funny, it is a one owner but no records. I just can't find the damn things with around 100k for less than $13k AND clean.
captdownshift wrote: The only reason I didn't suggest the ND was price. There's nothing else new within the past 10 years that doesn't come close to the visercal enjoyment at less than double the price when new. The top is also stupid easy to use, it's brilliant. Though the sensations and behavior at the limit is different, it's the only modern car that I can compare to a 964 in terms of feedback and sensation. They're both engaging and eager without being razor sharp and looking to bite the driver for a mistake of over correction. When I first drove the ND it was the comparison I made. I hate the idea of tracking an elise, a 30mph shunt and it's done, where as anything without a CF tub can be fixed.
The ND is just so damn good. Really good. It is the easy button, I just wish it came out 5 years ago...
The consensus on the Elise is a resounding NO at my price point.
C5 z06 over the FRC all day long. 2002+ MY though.
E36 M3 is not worth it, though I'm starting to think they are going to go up in price considering people have been killing them for years in various ways.
The guys autocrossing the ND are having the transmissions break on them. I was at the DC Pro Solo the other week and there were at least three people lamenting their broken NDs.
Why do you say an E36 M3 isn't worth it? It's one of the best bang for the buck rwd cars out there. A C5Z isn't a fair comparison although I agree the C5Z is also a great car...
I've been seeing the E36's tick up in price. A nice example that's been taken care of and has original paint/panels is easily worth $12-13k.
I bought mine for less but I knew it needed $3k invested into it so I used that as a bargaining tool. At this point I wouldn't sell mine for less than $15k, even then I wouldn't really want to as I can't replace it with anything better for that same amount...
You could get a regular C5 Vette for $15k and that still beats the m3 in every performance category. For $15k I'd have an rx8 r3 before an m3. It's just going for too much dough IMO.
It's not a bad car, if I could get a nice one for $10k or less it's not a bad buy, but most of those require another couple grand in work to be decent.
Hmm. Different strokes for different folks I guess. There's no way I'd pick an RX8 over an E36 M3, I like torque and easy to work on cars.
While I love the C5 and agree it's a wonderful car, I suspect one for $15k is going to need the same kind of cash infusion as an E36 M3 will.
Right now a $13k E36 M3 should be basically perfect, needing nothing. You should be able to find a decent example for $8k with the expectation of putting some work into it to get it perfect...
An rx8 is easy to work on. Even the rotary is a simple motor. For $10k you can have a low mile 2009+ rx8 sport which needs nothing or a beat up e36 m3 that is 1999 or older and you would do the m3? To each their own.
There are a ton of C5 vettes rolling around out there. A c5 z06 goes for $20-25k with around 50-75k miles. There are plenty of good condition c5s for $15k around, maybe they need some work, but most of them are pretty pampered compared to the e36 m3s I've seen.
Find me a $13k e36 m3 that needs nothing. I'm sure someone on here would buy that unicorn immediately.
Also $15k is getting into s2000 territory for price.
$13k is the top of the market right now for E36 M3's. If you can't find one for that I'm not going to be able to help you.
I got mine for far less than that, it needed minor mechanical work. Most of my money was spent fixing the droopy headliner and having my paintless dent guy take out all the hail damage.
Plus my car is completely track prepped/modded, so thousands of dollars saved for me since tracking it is my primary purpose for it...
I'm just saying, they all need something. It's a 17+ year old car so no matter how much work has been done something is going to pop up, because it's old. I just don't see the point in paying so much up front for it at this point.
Dammit, that's an auto.
You could have had my tracked prepped E36 M3 that was in the classified section. I just sold it for $6000. Needed nothing for track use, but track tires which my buyer didn't want...
I've passed plenty of Z06 on track. It's not the car, it's the driver. Sure, a Z06 has better power, brakes, etc, but you can't get one track prepped for $6000. They are very neutral and will not try to kill you. No question that an E36 M3 makes an excellent track toy.
Without question, C5 Z06 over the FRC. The mod you want is the LS6 engine. The compromise with the Z06 is the trunk is smaller and you can't take the top off. The Z06 will hold its value better too. All that being said, I totally prefer my C6 Z51 over any C5. Looks way newer, interior is much nicer, keyless ignition, better storage for the roof etc etc. Drive one. Doesn't even really have to be a Z51.
Also, just put the thought out of your mind that it might be too much car. It's not. You'll get used to it very quickly and it's really quite friendly. Mine is the first car I'd ever driven on track. Keep it to street tires and you shouldn't worry about oil starvation. I love the E36 M3 out of mine.
maj75 wrote: You could have had my tracked prepped E36 M3 that was in the classified section. I just sold it for $6000. Needed nothing for track use, but track tires which my buyer didn't want... I've passed plenty of Z06 on track. It's not the car, it's the driver. Sure, a Z06 has better power, brakes, etc, but you can't get one track prepped for $6000. They are very neutral and will not try to kill you. No question that an E36 M3 makes an excellent track toy.
Except that when it's equal drivers the z06 destroys the m3. 
Granted for a lot more dough.
In reply to Harvey:
I like the RX8 R3s quite a bit, but they have become scarce. I think they are very comparable to the E36 M3.
Disappointing to hear about the NDs breaking. May have research that a bit.
In reply to doc:
We see the E36 M3 market similarly. I think 12-13k would buy a decent example with 100k. I am surprised at the amount of E36 M3s priced above $30k.
How bad are consumables in the Z06 if I can only participate in 2-3 events a year?
On a bit of a tangent, but how bad of an idea would this be? It's close to me and looks to be track ready but still street legal. How fast would it put me in the poor house?
In reply to Petrolburner: I keep coming back to the vettes. They really are the logical answer. But, the FRS/BRZ were also very logical but they just don't feel special. I drove three different examples and all left me cold. I really should have liked them having the perfect seating position, great seats, awesome shifter and pedals, are unique and good looking but the drive is blah.
I wonder if the Corvette falls into a similar trap. So despite it's high capability, does the Corvette feel special? Does it bother you that everyone and their dog has a C5? Is a C4 or a C6 more unique? Does this post have enough questions? 
With a C5 it all depends on how you're driving it (and this from experience with a vanilla C5, not a Z06). My Wife used hers as her DD for a long time, and put almost 100k on it that way. It answers what you ask it to do. If you're mild on the pedal, it's very tame and mild to drive. Dig deep in the corners and the pedal, and it wakes up. The car won't push you into places you don't want it to go, you need to push the car to perform. It WILL perform, but not until you ask it to.
The interior in the C5 is pretty blah compared to the C6, very plain late 90's GM styling. While the C5 may be kinda popular, it's not like a Mustang where you see them everywhere. They're common enough that you say "Cool, another 'Vette", but not so much that you get annoyed or feel like there's too many. C6's do seem to be a lot more common that C5's lately. C4's are getting rare to see, but with C4's they kinda have a clearance rack kinda vibe going these days.
C3's may be another place to consider. They may not be as advanced, and most years would need an engine swap to have any serious performance potential. But in good condition they can still look fantastic, and they still have a more animalistic feel them. Not so overly refined. More seat of the pants driving.
You'll need to log in to post.
