Same considerations as the 4x4 thread...not necessarily out of the box, but you have to factor in how much it costs if you build it. Serious performance focus only need apply. No sporty poser-rides, please.


-Miata (especially the force fed variety )

-S2000 (these are fun with a little boost, too, and can be found for reasonable prices)

-C5, C6

-Evo (not a sports car by strict definition, but I'll let it slide for the purposes of this thread)

10/30/2008 5:58:02 PM

enzo

koenigsegg

F1

Vanquish

[Edited on October 30, 2008 at 6:08 PM. Reason : etc]

10/30/2008 6:07:07 PM

As much as I hate to admit it, the Miata pretty much wins.

Ford Focus, Cobalt, Mazda 3 series are all up there as well, even with FWD they can be dangerously fast at the track on pennies.

10/30/2008 6:07:46 PM

are you guys retarded?

z06 hands down.

no other car can touch it for the price/power.



runner up has to be civic

10/30/2008 6:14:12 PM

C5

10/30/2008 6:17:25 PM

no...

civic dammit

10/30/2008 6:18:15 PM

LOCK BAONEST BACK UP!!1!

10/30/2008 7:21:34 PM

I'm gonna say C5 Z06 or 3-4 year old S2000 if you want to keep expenses down.

10/30/2008 7:22:59 PM

I'm not sure of the difference in prices on the C5 coupe and z06 but last time I did any checking the C5 was the better deal..with the saved money you could easily put a new cam in it and get a little porting done and be way ahead of the stock Z06 and have the same money into it

..might have changed by now though.

10/30/2008 7:24:32 PM

oh, well didnt read that part of the thread where he said you could build it.

in that case.

you can buy any car and build it better than any posted in this thread.

this is dumb.

i can buy a v6 mustang and blow the doors off a z06

10/30/2008 7:25:55 PM

he didn't say unlimited budget. he said the best overall deal, dur

[Edited on October 30, 2008 at 7:28 PM. Reason : asdf]

10/30/2008 7:27:47 PM

Thing is, 6k can get you a track ready turbo miata. 1015 can get you a track ready focus, 3, civic, crx. 20 will get you a nicely equipped cobalt.

The vette, as good a deal as it is, doesn't even come into the picture until you jump over 20k.

10/30/2008 7:40:10 PM

you can get one for 14K or less with some miles on it

[Edited on October 30, 2008 at 7:46 PM. Reason : although i didnt know a turbo miata was that cheap ]

10/30/2008 7:45:56 PM

Quote :

"I'm not sure of the difference in prices on the C5 coupe and z06 but last time I did any checking the C5 was the better deal..with the saved money you could easily put a new cam in it and get a little porting done and be way ahead of the stock Z06 and have the same money into it ..might have changed by now though."

I actually think a used C6 is probably a better deal than a C5 Z06.

10/30/2008 7:50:17 PM

oh really? what are they going for now anyways? havent looked at them in a year or so

10/30/2008 7:55:54 PM

Pretty sure they can be had for about $26,000.

10/30/2008 8:08:29 PM

ive already told myself if i will be getting the following car(s):

s2000 if its under $8K

Z06 under $17K

REALISTIC #'S

10/30/2008 9:05:02 PM

1990 Eagle Talon Tsi AWD

10/30/2008 9:05:20 PM

Used:
350Z, Boxster S, Z3 M roadster (the coupes hold value too well), Z06

New:
Z06, GTR, ZR1

10/30/2008 9:09:38 PM

Quote :

"s2000 if its under $8K"

I saw one on craig's list for $9500 few weeks ago. Very tempting

10/30/2008 10:20:51 PM

c5. they come stock "track ready" in z51 or zo6. absolutely nothing else compares in bang for you buck in terms of all around performance, comfort, etc. (NOT just an hpde toy). other cars can be debated for the lesser spots, but there's really no other argument for that top one.

[Edited on October 30, 2008 at 10:48 PM. Reason : there's a nice looking vortech'd s2k on hpj right now...]

10/30/2008 10:47:54 PM

id rather buy a z06 for under 17

http://getwwa.com/vehicle_details/6311/CHEVROLET/CORVETTE



looks all jacked up for some reason

10/30/2008 10:52:04 PM

^haha, nah that's about stock height. you're probably just used to everyone and their brother lowering c5's. it can be done 1-1.5" it about 15 minutes by cranking on 4 bolts. longer bolts and you can just about slam them on the ground. it's more rare these days to see one that HASN'T been lowered to some extent.

my dad's z51 still sits that high. i keep telling him to drop it, but being from the era of jacking the ass of the car up in the air 5 feet was the thing to do, he doesn't get it.

10/30/2008 11:04:41 PM

dang.

you're right. every single vette i have seen has had the chin spoiler flap almost rub on the ground

10/30/2008 11:08:21 PM

link to the S2000? Or at the least price.

10/30/2008 11:09:35 PM

Quote :

"-Miata (especially the force fed variety ) -S2000 (these are fun with a little boost, too, and can be found for reasonable prices) -C5, C6 -Evo (not a sports car by strict definition, but I'll let it slide for the purposes of this thread)"

So basically three cars that you've already owned plus one more?

10/30/2008 11:33:06 PM

^

10/30/2008 11:35:37 PM

lol

thats like me saying the civic, integra, and my boat are the best cars around.

2 of the 3 is spot on....

10/30/2008 11:35:49 PM

A Type R usually does get the fastest times in the Auto-X events I go to.

10/30/2008 11:38:18 PM

the boat should be right behind it

10/30/2008 11:38:45 PM

You guys are forgetting one big thing about the corvette, which rules it out as a bang for the buck TRACK CAR (im making the assumption that is what we are talking about here).

A vette, track ready, is going to run you 20k. Even if you get an older model for 14-16k, fine.

That's 14-20 thousand dollars you have to be prepared to lose everytime you take it out.

The cars I listed can be had for 5-7k. And a turbo miata will, with the right setup, stomp a stock c5 vette for less than half the price.

Just sayin. I love tracking the Lotus, but I would never do anything more than AutoX or HPDE in it. Wheel to wheel has too much liability and insurance is getting impossible to get.

10/31/2008 2:54:09 AM

see thats what im saying

off the floor, its probably your best bet.

but if you can account for mods, then i can probably make a 4 door accord run one

10/31/2008 6:53:50 AM

NSX? best handling car out of japan

10/31/2008 9:11:28 AM

^ yeah, but terrible bang for the buck

Quote :

"So basically three cars that you've already owned plus one more? "

Why do you think I've owned those 3 cars, have almost bought a C5 on several occassions, and want a C6?

10/31/2008 9:54:59 AM

yeah, NSX is good chunk of change.

10/31/2008 9:58:48 AM

and light on grunt

and prohibitively expensive to remedy that problem

[Edited on October 31, 2008 at 10:01 AM. Reason : believe me, i've tried to scheme a way to justify it]

10/31/2008 10:00:47 AM

Well of course bang for the buck if you're gonna race it limits you to cheap, plentiful and light cars. In that class you can't beat a Miata.

10/31/2008 10:09:16 AM

MIATA SONS.

I love my miata sons.

[Edited on October 31, 2008 at 10:48 AM. Reason : ]

10/31/2008 10:48:13 AM

^ a miata? sounds a little METRO SON.

10/31/2008 11:13:00 AM

What about the 240sx?

10/31/2008 11:34:03 AM

umm

10/31/2008 11:45:34 AM

mr2. get an mk1 for ~1k
drive it til the wheels fall off.
put a camry v6 in it.
glue wheels back on.
...
profit

10/31/2008 1:29:28 PM

"The cars I listed can be had for 5-7k. And a turbo miata will, with the right setup, stomp a stock c5 vette for less than half the price. "

That's not true. A turbo miata will need lots of things before it can consistently lap as fast as a stock C5 FRC around a track reliably. I mean LOTS of cooling, bigger brakes (and more cooling to them), a roll bar, and a great tune. Also have to make sure the intercooler gets good flow so you don't get heat soak, etc. My idea of a "track car" also includes one that doesn't go through headgaskets, or rear ends or driveshafts. Few cars would stand up to abuse with 2x the stock power levels. Consider that an FRC C5 can be had for $15k or so (but I don't think "under $17k" is realistic for a z06), and the fact that they're actually ready for the track other than pads/tires. You could of course give up some excitement and go with a proven platform if the C5 is too much money, such as an e36 M3 or an e30 or a miata with a stock motor...

10/31/2008 2:04:30 PM

I should add an S2000 to that list, it's probably one of THE most out of the box track ready cars ever. Add roll bar and presto. Again not really faster than an e36 M3 though . I wouldn't count the EVO as a track star, not because it's not fast, but because they're not reliable on track either (and my idea of a track car doesn't include AWD with most of the weight up front, but that's personal). Was it 7 out of 8 EVOs entering open track challenge retired with engine troubles two years ago. :'(

10/31/2008 2:06:56 PM

Quote :

""under $17k" is realistic for a z06"

lol

i know, i just say that so it gives me enough time to save money..

hopefully in years to come they'll drop below 17K.

its one of those "it gives me hope", i know they'll most likely never drop below 17K anytime soon, so i dont have to worry about buying one. but its my "claim" to buying one.
confusing, i know. but oh well

10/31/2008 2:19:34 PM

Quote :

"You guys are forgetting one big thing about the corvette, which rules it out as a bang for the buck TRACK CAR (im making the assumption that is what we are talking about here). A vette, track ready, is going to run you 20k. Even if you get an older model for 14-16k, fine. That's 14-20 thousand dollars you have to be prepared to lose everytime you take it out. The cars I listed can be had for 5-7k. And a turbo miata will, with the right setup, stomp a stock c5 vette for less than half the price. Just sayin. I love tracking the Lotus, but I would never do anything more than AutoX or HPDE in it. Wheel to wheel has too much liability and insurance is getting impossible to get."

as i said above, a z51 or zo6 c5 is "track ready" in stock form. while the cars you mentioned can be bought cheaper, by the time you bring them up to the level of a c5 you've easily invested $15k if not more. then, you're also left with a car that's a pain in the ass to deal with on the street.

10/31/2008 2:26:50 PM

I've heard the only achille's heel for the S2000 are the stock brake pads are shit. So yeah, sounds solid for the track.

[Edited on October 31, 2008 at 2:54 PM. Reason : after swapping the pads]

10/31/2008 2:51:56 PM

boosted e36 M3 FTW

10/31/2008 3:25:54 PM

you're all gonna laugh at me, but if its a new car the answer is a Cobalt SS.

In C&D last month in their VIR track test it beat out the Evo, STI, 135i, and many others.

Would that make me sport one? No!

[Edited on October 31, 2008 at 4:04 PM. Reason : k]

10/31/2008 4:04:02 PM

GT4


AND A PS2



BWA


HA

10/31/2008 4:20:14 PM