I suddenly find myself without a racecar and I feel uneasy about that. A lot of talking with very good drivers this weekend has led me to the conclusion that spending a couple of years in a RWD will be good for me as a driver. Budget is somewhere in the $5k range. Events will be 2 autocrosses and one rallycross a month, maybe a few track days. The goal is to keep the car leg as for SR in SCCA rallycross partly to avoid mission creep.
The obvious answer is Miata, either NA or NB, with a hard top. Porsche 924/944 seems to be an option as well and I run events with the PCA so that's appealing. I briefly considered something rotary, but the 7's are beat and the 8's don't quite seem to be in this price without some questions about their reliability. Other options? Mustang? What am I missing?
cdowd
Reader
10/8/13 8:04 a.m.
A miata would be hard to beat for what you are looking for. and 5k will buy you a pretty nice one.
mtn
UltimaDork
10/8/13 8:05 a.m.
Mustang, Miata, E36 (not necessarily M3), E30 (although the newest is 22 years old), Camarobird.
Just for fun, get the most powerful big sedan you can and put it on a SERIOUS diet.
Or a Mercedes SL600 or something similar. V12 goodness with large quantities of electronics failures equals cheap.
After this weekend I am thinking E36 M3.
Storz
HalfDork
10/8/13 8:14 a.m.
Miata is the most fun car I've ever owned (out of 26 so far)
Miata.
Cheap, easy to work on, durable, etc.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it Yet but a mazda Miata may work for you.
I'm on Miata #4 now, I like them but for some reason end up selling them after a little while...
Another option would be an E36, not necessarily an M3 but maybe one of the other models. The coupes are nicely balanced.
unk577
Reader
10/8/13 9:27 a.m.
Maybe a miata, if not then you might consider a miata. I'm on #38, but I don't have a problem
AE86. It will teach you to drive RWD... and deliver tofu.
Seriously though. The miata is great, but the AE86 will teach you a lot more about how to handle a RWD chassis, IMO. It should still be a blast in auto- and rally-x as well, and capable on a track. Good aftermarket and relatively cheap parts as well. Lots of utility if you get the hatchback, seats 4 even if you don't. Plus, you live in one of the few places in the country where you might be able to get one that's not rusted out.
Want to stand out and have good power
Great looking deal;
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/fs-mazda-rx-7-track-carrace-carready-to-go/71897/page1/
RossD wrote:
JohnyHachi6 wrote:
Seriously though. The miata is great, but the AE86 will teach you a lot more about how to handle a RWD chassis, IMO.
How so?
Again, this is my opinion, but I've owned and raced both cars and the AE86 is just... more RWD, for lack of a better description. The miata has near 50/50 weight distribution, a lower COG, better camber curves, and that all ads up to a car that has a higher limit of traction and handles less like most RWD cars that probably have poorer weight distribution and suspension design. The miata is maybe a little too perfect and thus you don't get quite the same learning experience.
The AE86 always seemed just as communicative and toss-able, but it kind of exemplified RWD to me. It would slide around more easily, probably largely due to the solid rear. It had more weight up front so you had to wait a little longer coming out of corners and be a little more controlled with the throttle. Still loads of fun and capable, but the chassis was just a little more willing to teach a driver how to handle RWD.
I don't know - hard to explain, but I always just felt that an AE86 was the embodiment of the RWD sports car chassis.
JohnyHachi6 wrote:
AE86. It will teach you to drive RWD... and deliver tofu.
Seriously though. The miata is great, but the AE86 will teach you a lot more about how to handle a RWD chassis, IMO. It should still be a blast in auto- and rally-x as well, and capable on a track. Good aftermarket and relatively cheap parts as well. Lots of utility if you get the hatchback, seats 4 even if you don't. Plus, you live in one of the few places in the country where you might be able to get one that's not rusted out.
Too bad that I've never seen one in person, and all the ones on the internet are much rougher than a Miata you can get for the equivelent price.
In reply to JohnyHachi6:
So you're saying it's worse, but better.
Another one nobody's mentioned - C4 Corvette. They're within your price range, and the Z51 sport suspension doesn't seem to command a premium price, either. One downside is that they are a bit more high powered and unforgiving than something with a smaller engine.
DaveEstey wrote:
In reply to JohnyHachi6:
So you're saying it's worse, but better.
Exactly! 
It's no where near this extreme, but as an additional example, would you give someone an F1 car to learn RWD? It's basically the perfect RWD race car, but it won't teach you RWD technique in the same way that a crappier car will.
Again, extreme example, but that's kinda what I'm getting at.
The 944 is a great choice, lots of people racing those, so tons of information and parts available.
50/50 distribution and robust construction (trailing arm rear suspension, similar to Super Beetles, etc) would make it a good candidate for RX and AX as well as track days. The tin top helps it with some sanctioning bodies that require cages for 'verts. The engine isn't very powerful, but it isn't peaky or prone to causing drama allowing for a good learning curve.
Think of it like a step between a Miata and a Corvette as they are all very similar in handling dynamics, just differences in weight dictating certain aspects of it. The Spec Miata's and Spec 944's run in the same run groups in SCCA and are fairly evenly matched, depending on the venue.
Someone in the local 944 group just picked up a 944 for free from the side of the road where the lady ran it into a guardrail. He replaced the broken strut, wheel and banged the fender out and its driving again. So if you look, the deals are out there.
