New guy here and an interesting ad I found

Hello there,

I've been lurking around here a while, just had to join, this is a great site.

Quick intro, I'm a machinist from NH, two kids, and I drive an Outback XT, and Ive been driving myself nuts planning my entry into the world of HPDE, hopefully, in the near future.

I'm trying to decide what would be a good car to start with. RWD, stick(obviously), reasonable power, good handling or easily improved handling, on a smallish budget. Keep thinking about an e30 of somekind, but the thought of BMW part pricing worries me a bit. I've also thought about a fox chassis mustang, most likely what i'll end up with. Oh well, I've got time. I'm sure I'll change my mind a few more times before laying any money down .

I also came across an ad on cl that I thought someone here might be interested in? Not my thing but here you go:

http://nh.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=scca&catAbbreviation=sss&hasPic=1

It's interesting anyway.

Well, that's about all I have for now, happy motoring!

-Sean

what part prices from BMW scare you? I have found that most of the parts for my 318ti are very reasonable.. in some cases cheaper than the Hyundai I had before it

Welcome aboard!

If the goal is "good or easily improved handling" fox body is not the answer. For good handling RWD on a budget, the best three answers are probably E30, Miata, or Nissan 240sx.

mad_machine wrote: what part prices from BMW scare you? I have found that most of the parts for my 318ti are very reasonable.. in some cases cheaper than the Hyundai I had before it

Hmmm...to be honest, I'm not sure. I guess I've always assumed BMW to be pricey on parts(BMW, AUDI, MERCEDES, you know). Sounds like I have some more research to do, isn't the 318 an e36? I sure wouldn't mind if BMW was a viable, affordable option. Of course there are probably some decent used/salvage places online too, huh?

Salanis,

I'll have to check out the 240sx. I was thinking Mustang simply because of the huge aftermarket for them.

Regards,

Sean

I bought this one for $400 from a college girl that didn't know a John Deere fuel filter woudn't work on a fuel injected car.

Blasted it around town, terrorized cops, sold it for > $2k.

Youbetcha!!

Aftermarket is huge on the Mustang. And they can be made to handle, but it tends to take a lot of money and/or skill. It takes a lot more than just installing better springs, shocks, and anti-sway bars.

BMWs are not that expensive to work on yourself and generally well engineered to be easy to work on. 318ti is an E36, but has essentially the same suspension as an E30. E36 chassis cars are even down in price to the point where they're getting to be comparable values the E30s.

Welcome to the addiction. You will find there are all sorts of nuts here.

cool another NH member..welcome aboard.. this is a great bunch of people and you will learn alot.. the best place on the internets for the addiction to be fed and nurtured.

Well I am starting doing HPDEs with a Triumph Spitfire because I am a little crazy.

And welcome to the board full of nuts.

Just a note on the 318 discussion here: There are essentially three 318's. 1991 E30's, E36's, and the 318ti, which had basically an E36 front suspension and an E30 rear suspension (IIRC)

and out of the three.. the 318ti is the most expensive to buy.. even though it is the most hated in the "mainstream" BMW cult

93EXCivic wrote: Well I am starting doing HPDEs with a Triumph Spitfire because I am a little crazy. And welcome to the board full of nuts.

Hey, at least the spitfire is a light little sports car right?

Though I have been having thoughts of taking the Subaru up to NHMS one of these weekends just to get my feet wet. Plenty of power for the straights, just wouldn't be able to go ripping around the corners. Should be fine for learning the lines and getting a feel for being on a road course though right? Hmmm...

Oh, and thanks for clearing up my confusion about the 318's.

-Sean

For a dedicated beginner HDPE car, a well-sorted former IT car like a Civic with a B-Series swap will provide tons of fun and speed, and you can move up to the Honda Challenge series if you get serious. Don't let RWD keep you away from some great cheap thrills! If you are set on RWD (and we certainly understand that) then the answer is Miata. (where have I heard that before?)