My search for a cheap track car.

  • Thread starter Thread starter gibson
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he should try one (miata) before judging it.. but since he's going for cheap, he would probably end up with one that has been severely neglected.
 
That's the case with nearly all cars in this price range.


A thought occurs:
1990-94-Dodge-Shadow-94103341990905.jpg
 
I'm diggin' the Fiero, in the summer I can pick one up for 500 bucks with a 2.8 60* V6 and a 6 speed. Swap in a 3.4 or 3.8 60* V6, and your golden. I duno though, I'll have to see how much I have after Christmas. I'd like to get something competitive but cheap.
 
Toronado
That's the case with nearly all cars in this price range.


A thought occurs:
1990-94-Dodge-Shadow-94103341990905.jpg
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My dad used to have one just like that, except his was black with a gold stripe down the side. He beat the hell out of it and it never let him down. I think it would make a good, cheap track car; the only problem I can see is the lack of power.
 
gibson
I decided what i want to do with what ever I buy, 50% track, 50% rally. I know I'll sacrifice in each field with a 50/50 like that, i love rally, so I want a rally car, but there aren't many rallys around here, so thats how the track part fits in.
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When you say rally, do you mean "shows" or actual offroad rally driving? If so I don't think any of the things mentioned so far, apart from the Mk2 Golf and the E30 3 series that Leo mentioned, would be suitable. You can make most things work on a track, and for that a Fiero sounds like a good choice, but a rally is a completely different beast and will kill anything unless it's very tough. And if it doesn't kill it, the likelihood is that it'll be awful to drive on unpaved surfaces.

Not to mention that you'll have a huge number of compromises building something that will be going on tracks and on rough surfaces.
 
Then you are essentially limited to the Shadow I just suggested and probably the F-bodies from your initial post. Fieros are durable when it comes to suspension and engine, but I don't think the tranny would last.
 
MR2s aren't easy to come by at all around Pittsburgh, I've been looking for months for the right one and haven't found much yet.
 
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gibson
I'm diggin' the Fiero, in the summer I can pick one up for 500 bucks with a 2.8 60* V6 and a 6 speed. Swap in a 3.4 or 3.8 60* V6, and your golden. I duno though, I'll have to see how much I have after Christmas. I'd like to get something competitive but cheap.
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As a previous owner of a Grand Am GT with the 3.4, I suggest passing and getting the 3.8L. The 3.4 has decent power (and nice torque) but I had a couple of expensive problems with both the intake and head gaskets. The 3.8 is bulletproof from what I've heard. You might even be able to find a supercharged one from a Grand Prix GTP, Monte Carlo SS, or Buick Regal RS (is that the right model?) to get some respectable power going.
 
Max Powers
MR2s aren't easy to come by at all around Pittsburgh, I've been looking for months for the right one and haven't found much yet.
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Yeah, MR2 are really hard to come by in Pittsburgh. Same with older Miatias. I've seen alot of 2008 and 2009 models on the streets, but not the older ones.
 
gibson
Actual rally driving. I weld, so I can beaf up anything thats steel.
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That's good, but it's not just the chassis. It's the engine and transmission which take punishment from constantly changing revs and gears as well as being vibrated to bits, suspension which will need to be very tough, loads of weight will have to come out etc... and ideally you want a free-revving 4-cyl engine too, not a lazy V6.

I'm not saying don't do it, but do realise that to have a car fit for rally and track you'll need a lot of compromises, and that Supras, Camaros, Firebirds and the like aren't exactly natural rally car choices! It'd probably be easier buying two completely different cars and then using whichever one was more suited to whatever you were using it for.

Funnily enough I actually found a pic of a rally Supra, though probably not the model you're thinking of:

pics-max-14974-327297-1987-toyota-supra-rally-car.jpg


And there was probably a very good reason Toyota switched to a Celica instead. That makes me think actually, how about something like a Celica? If you're serious about rallying they have a pretty good pedigree in that department.
 
I try to stay away from FWD as much as possible, I just hate the way they handle, except the Olds Toranado, no, no, no, we don't want that.
 
Are 4WD Celicas not cheap over there then? Or rare? I keep forgetting that the used car market in the UK is waaaay better than it is in the US. With not a lot of searching on ebay I found a perfectly decent 92 GT-Four for £1500 ish, or about $2300 at the current exchange rate. With not too much work it'd swallow a lot of things on a rally, and as long as it'd been looked after it'd last pretty well too.
 
They're right...It'll be tough to rally a Fiero, particularly in gravel. Would be a better Tarmac car.

However, for gravel, if you want old, inexpensive, bulletproof, and easy to tinker with...

AMC_Eagle_wagon.jpg


There's a fair aftermarket (engine is the same used in the Wrangler for YEARS) and these cars HAVE been rallied in the past. Doesn't have to be the Wagon, but those are easiest to find. Doubt tarmac grip is all that good, but gravel grip and durability should be much better, bar-none. Issue is relative rarity...it's an AMC, after all...but would be better on gravel than a Fiero.

Perhaps look into an older Subaru Legacy, if any are nearby. or...Call me crazy, but lowering a Jeep Wrangler and prepping it for a rally circuit has been something I've always romanced...
 
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Don Yenko was a Chevrolet dealer who used the COPO program to get around insurance premiums on Chevy SS models. He specc'd Camaros and Chevelles with the 427 CI engine, and Novas with the 383. He'd then put his own tape stripe package on 'em, and sell 'em.

He also built Corvair race cars earlier in the '60s.
 
Jim Prower
Perhaps look into an older Subaru Legacy, if any are nearby. or...Call me crazy, but lowering a Jeep Wrangler and prepping it for a rally circuit has been something I've always romanced...
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The Jeep would be a damn cool rally car. I was thinking along the lines of something like a Ranger or an S-10. Again, must be fairly cheap and tough, right? And fairly plentiful. Have a Fiero for the track and a pickup to rally...
 
homeforsummer
The Jeep would be a damn cool rally car. I was thinking along the lines of something like a Ranger or an S-10. Again, must be fairly cheap and tough, right? And fairly plentiful. Have a Fiero for the track and a pickup to rally...
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He has a S10, and I doubt he wants another truck.

He should drop a Corvette engine in a Jeep and go off-roading! (Joking) My dads friend acctuly did that though.
 
I was thinking....

Drop the Jeep and put smaller wheels on it. (Blasphemy!!!)
Put a big ol' turbo on the motor
Route the exhaust out under the sill
Rake the windshield further back
put huge aero devices on it
take it to Pikes Peak

That being said, It'll probably be easier to find an older Legacy sedan if you want 4WD, or, If you think you can stand FWD, an early Civic, Corolla, or Chevy Nova/Geo Prism might not be a bad car. Particularly the latters, which have greater ground clearance. Think I have an old Motor Trend where a Corolla was entered in Ice racing.
 
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Corollas ( especially the RWD ones) are still widely used in F-cup rallying, as are KP-chassis starlets, Mk1/Mk2 escorts, hell, even M3's and volvo 240's..
 
What about a E30? Small lightweight and had a bunch of different engines and best of all you can get one for under 5G USD in very good condition. In fact there is one in craigslist were I live with the 325i engine, stripped interior, suspension, and track tires for $2500
 
E30 is a solid recommendation. On the Fiero though... they are rubbish unless you get the last year they sold them. Poor suspension and all.

RWD Celica's can be had for cheap, have a bullet proof torquey motor, and, well, are fun.
 
I was thinking about hte eagles awhile back, I wold end up wheelin' it instead of rallying it. I can't find any E30's within my budget on C/L, and i haven't had time to run to the store for auto traders or a horse trader (a free for sale paper thing)
 

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