I've kicked around the idea of selling my Mustang, not sure if I actually will. I doubt I could get what I think it's worth. Then I run into the problem of what would I buy that would be just as fun?
My question; with a budget of $20,000, including the price of the car, what car could be made nationally competitive for SCCA Autocross?
Any car, any class. Be specific on trim level and what class it would run in.
Go.
I'm not an autocrosser so I can't really come up with a meaningful suggestion, but I'm guessing that with the budget you're probably looking at an older car with well understood mods.
What about that Spec FRS/BRZ class?
What class was the Mustang running?
Would this car be a daily driver too? Street legal?
Does that eliminate crazy stuff like Mod Classes?
In reply to John Welsh :
The Mustang runs CAM-C, racecar only, trailered to events.
I agree with Tim up there. For $20k I'd be looking for something that won't eat development money over time. And that currently means the spec FRS/BRZ class. I've only driven one once. I liked it quite a lot.
Formula 500?
ummm.... C5 Z06 in AS?
Fiesta ST in HS. OTS Koni's and a set of 16x7" wheels with some top tier tires is enough for a Nats win. It was 1.1 seconds faster than the last years "prep to the T" winner in a Mini Cooper S.
You can find the last of the 2019's for right at or under $17,000 for dealers trying to get rid of them. Used you can find them as low at $10,000 with some miles on them.
Car in box stock form is ridiculously capable with the right driver.
A Miata for csp. I have seen a few well setup ones advertised in the 10-15k range recently.
The Twins are the answer. The chassis dynamics even, on a DD basis, make the FRS a pleasure to drive at any speed. I just pretend it has a real engine under the hood!
Pete
In reply to Thinkkker :
I don't think you're gonna get a Z06 with appropriate wheels/tires for under $20k. Z06's hover around the $20K by themselves. A base model would definitely fit the budget though.
In reply to kevinatfms :
I'm a fan of those cars. I just bought a 2019 Fusion Ecoboost as my daily. They had a Focus ST sitting on the lot that I REALLY wanted but my wife can't drive a manual so I needed something she could use on the rare occasion she needs to drive my car. My Mustang was broke(again) this past weekend so I ran the Fusion in HS and placed 2nd, loosing out to a Civic by 8/10ths of a second. With some RE71's I have no doubt I could dominate my local events in HS with the Fusion but absolutely not a national contender.
this is hard to beat.. https://www.roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?65736-FS-1994-CSP-Miata
Car is $10K.. gives you another $10 for spares, further development etc.. That one is sold, but there are others out there..
How competitive do you intend to be? If you really want to win, the fastest way to do that is to copy someone else.
Which means to start with, study Solo II national results. Focus on the vehicle configuration that you want- stock, SP or some of the other modified classes in between.
mazdeuce - Seth said:I agree with Tim up there. For $20k I'd be looking for something that won't eat development money over time. And that currently means the spec FRS/BRZ class. I've only driven one once. I liked it quite a lot.
SSC is a possible answer to this question, but I personally don't like them and therefore won't recommend them. They ride like crap on the street and I've not found them super enjoyable to drive. Nationals registration is down by 20% compared to last year which is over a dozen cars. It's an interesting class and as a dual use track and autox car it's a solid choice. On the flipside there are multiple SSC cars for sale across the country.. So if they interest you. Now is the time to buy one.
But I'm with Thinker, I've seen multiple high mile C5Z sold in the mid-low Teens. You'll need to look and wait for the right car but you can find them. And you'll be at the max of your budget with buying shocks. But they're the best car in that budget range IMHO. You're already in the big tire sizes right now. So I'm not considering their more expensive consumables over the other cars at this budget.
You can also get ES cars fully prepared with the Pimpiest of shocks in your budget. And you can put one together for well WELL under your budget. 99 miatas and 03 MR2 spyders.
The Fiesta ST is an option but the bicycling nature of the car scares the crap out of me and it's part of why I didn't buy one.
Focus ST for GS also in budget, but the 10th gen Civic Si is better and I'd have a civic over a focus and I own a focus. You could also do a Golf GTi from the past 3 years as long as you get the LSD. Very capable cars and may not be as good as the Civic but they're fast!
SSC is the answer to that question.
alfadriver said:How competitive do you intend to be?
I want the driver to be the excuse.
In reply to Patientzero :
What do you like to drive?
OH! I just realized I missed my own path as an option. STS cars.. The CRX's and Civic Hatches can be had for under $10k. You're already towing so you've eliminated the worst part of owning an STS car. They're a ridiculous amount of fun. The way they move is awesome. If I could go back 3 years to having my STS car again I would. They're so insanely cheap on consumables.
Patientzero said:
I want the driver to be the excuse.
A spec class. SSC
Patientzero said:alfadriver said:How competitive do you intend to be?
I want the driver to be the excuse.
Pick the class you want to be, look at national results and pick the car that you like and is under 20k.
parker said:Patientzero said:
I want the driver to be the excuse.
A spec class. SSC
Except for the fact that setup, slipping alignments due to crap SPC rear LCA's all contribute to the same amount of setup prep as any other class.
spacecadet said:parker said:Patientzero said:
I want the driver to be the excuse.
A spec class. SSC
Except for the fact that setup, slipping alignments due to crap SPC rear LCA's all contribute to the same amount of setup prep as any other class.
There will always be setup. A spec class removes as many variables as possible. Otherwise you're left with picking the right car, the right shocks, the right tires for your car, driving style and conditions, and the list goes on. A spec class is as close as you can get to having the driver be the excuse.
In reply to Patientzero :
Wheels and tires are around $3k for new everything. Suspension is about $1500 *koni and sway*. You can find higher mileage versions in the mid teens. It is doable. Have had several friends shopping around lately.
My co-driver picked up a heads and cam anniversary car for $20. If you look around they are there.
parker said:spacecadet said:parker said:Patientzero said:
I want the driver to be the excuse.
A spec class. SSC
Except for the fact that setup, slipping alignments due to crap SPC rear LCA's all contribute to the same amount of setup prep as any other class.
There will always be setup. A spec class removes as many variables as possible. Otherwise you're left with picking the right car, the right shocks, the right tires for your car, driving style and conditions, and the list goes on. A spec class is as close as you can get to having the driver be the excuse.
If you can't setup a car to win a class that isn't SSC. you can't set one up to win SSC. thats my take.
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