Here are the contraints.

1 I need something I can track. I don't like fwd.

2 The sum can be divided to cover two cars.

3 I live at altitude where it snows, so awd and a turbo are very nice.

4 I don't fit in miatas and don't care to modify it so I can fit.

5 In general, I'm a german car whore.

I was thinking I'd either pick up a 944 or E30 325is and strip it and cage it for the track, then get some kinda awd wagon deal for the street, or pick up an '04-'05 STI.

Ideas?

Hmmm...

For single-car duty I'd say just pick up an 04-05 STi and be done with it. It meets all of the requirements nicely.

BUT

Tracking your DD is a little intimidating because if you wad it into a wall, you're SOL.

So, here's my better 2-car solution.

02-03 WRX (bugeye) Wagon. It's still a 227HP 2.0L AWD snow beast, plus it's a useful hatch/wagon thing, and it will be a faithful and fun DD.

AND

You'll still have ~$5K to blow on a track car. Since by "track" I'm assuming me HPDE's/lapping days and not a caged Spec racer I'm going to say grab something light and nimble. 924 Turbo would be fun to upgrade and cheap to maintain, E30, Turbo Volvo build, etc. Personally I'd probably try to find an unmolested 944S or Turbo.

WRX for daily + miata, cheap C4, whatever for the track

Crap, this is a what if thread. I thought you were telling me that I actually had money I was unaware of.

Anyway, I would look for someone else's aborted Spec E30 project, and get something that would be way fun for occasional track days. For DD, go with a WRX.

E39 M5

/thread

I'll second what P71 says, especially since I just disagreed with him in the RX8 thread.

His second scenario of an early WRX wagon for a daily with a 944 or E30 track car is tough to beat. I can't think of anything better that would work for your constraints.

944 Turbo or Merkur XR4Ti!

Rig 1) Mid '90s Bronco w/ 351W and tow package. $5k, max. Manual locking hub conversion, under $150. Class 3 hitch, $50 bucks from junkyard.

Rig 1.5) Car trailer, $3500?

Rig 2) Whatever car suits your fancy that costs around $7500. I don't really care for anything the Germans make (no, seriously), so um, Porsche 914/6 sounds good.

You can DD the Bronco when it's crappy out, tow to events, and not worry about blowing up the Porsche (or whatever).

• Boxster S with factory removable hardtop (+/- $15K for a decent one, albeit with some mileage)

• P71 for daily driving and towing the Boxster to the track

OR

Early Porsche 996 C2 Coupes can be had for $20K (in my area) with either mileage, repo papers or tasteless chrome wheels.

Lancer Evolution VIII's with relatively low miles can be found under $20k nowadays.

But realistically, you probably should have a dedicated track car if you want to feel comfortable enough to go 10/10ths on track. I know I would.

E36 M3 for the track, WRX wagon for the street. Spend about $7500-$10k on each.

Well since I should have some play money once my house sells I've been thinking this over for a while. As much as I hate payments, 15-20k will go a long way on a 25k used Elise and have some mod money left over....like for a winter beater and some good track tires.

Just sayin'.

I'm an instructor for NASA as well as a few other car clubs. I'll be using the car on track for Time Trials mostly. A full cage would be nice. If I go track rat, I need to budget for rollbar/cage, 2 fixed back seats and 6 point harnesses, so figure another $2500 in safety equipment on top of price of the car.

No payments, either way has to be a cash deal, with money left over for prep, if needed...

Honda S2000 + trailer hitch?

Hard to go wrong with a WRX for a snowy mountain DD. Audi A4 with the turbo 4 is a neat car but many folks are scared of the reliability/complexity. I personally have always had a thing for the old 4000 CS Turbo Quattros, but that might be more like an archealogical event than a car purchase. ;-)

For the track? You can't go wrong with an E36 M3, Boxster, or C5 Corvette. A 944S would be cool, same with a 944 Turbo. I also have a weakness for 924s and 924 Turbos, can you say Rothmans? But that would be much more (gut) wrenching. Can't go wrong with an E30 car. And I think a 911 can be a reasonably priced track car if you do your homework. Or by an E46 3-series that's in rough shape, they're cheap, and add lightness. Lightness is only the cost of sawzall blades! Or, in this economy, look for distressed race car sales. IT (Improved Touring) class cars are cool and not expensive. Obviously, the usual spec cars are an easy choice.

David

Audi S4?

+1 With the S4 and take some of the left over money and find some RS4 parts from Vast Performance or some upgraded parts from GoAPR. Turbo Porsche 911 brakes can be made to fit on the car, IIRC. You can get to 318 hp and 382 ft-lb for $600 and 15 mins in an APR shop.

I have the A6 with the same drivetrain and the engine revs so quickly and pulls all day long. Plus I'd rather have my Audi in the snow than my Cherokee (unless the snows so deep I'd need the extra ground clearance)

billy3esq wrote: I'll second what P71 says, especially since I just disagreed with him in the RX8 thread. His second scenario of an early WRX wagon for a daily with a 944 or E30 track car is tough to beat. I can't think of anything better that would work for your constraints.

+1

(although i'm always suspicious of people who say "i can't fit in a miata" and are not named Andre the Giant).

RossD wrote: +1 With the S4 and take some of the left over money and find some RS4 parts from Vast Performance or some upgraded parts from GoAPR. Turbo Porsche 911 brakes can be made to fit on the car, IIRC. You can get to 318 hp and 382 ft-lb for $600 and 15 mins in an APR shop. I have the A6 with the same drivetrain and the engine revs so quickly and pulls all day long. Plus I'd rather have my Audi in the snow than my Cherokee (unless the snows so deep I'd need the extra ground clearance)

Boost, awd, motor lasts a long time, fulfills the German obsession, nice interior, fast as hell, etc.... i can't think of a downside, other than replacing TWO turbos. But... that's just an excuse to upgrade.

I've had multiple B5 S4's and they're horrendous track cars. They're just way to heavy and you can't (well, I can't) keep front brakes on them.

I had a stage 3 S4 with close to 500 hp. Great street car, terrible track car.

Back seat in them is really tight as well.

Spend $10k on a wrx for both track and DD duty.

Then send me the remaining money to make my wrx faster and get some rcomps. because I only have $15-$20 to play with.

Better:

Spend the money to import an older Lancia Delta Integrale Evo.

AWD, Turbo, handles great, and NOBODY you know has ever seen one in person. I severely miss the one I had to leave when I moved back to the US from Italy :(

(not mine, obviously)

Finding parts for that must be fun...

944 or e30 would make a fun track car.

A4 or older WRX would make for a great DD. I have a manual trans A4 wagon for sale but I'm in Cali

bugeye wrx, and a 325iX beater for the snow...

Buy someone elses spec E30, 944 cup, GTS2 or GTS3 car (whichever floats your boat) sorted with a logbook and bolt a passenger seat in it.

You should be able to pull that off for well under $10k - especially if it is a little tired and needs some parts or elbow grease to make it competitive.

AS for a daily driver... the remaining cash will put you in any number of good cars. I'd shop for an E36 328is or E34 wagon.

What region are you... I am also a NASA, BMW, and PCA instructor.