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I have full coilover suspension, shorty header w/ stock cat, cold air intake, exhaust, light weight flywheel, limited slip differential, kpro ecu, and some other misc modifications.

 
The car is a decent competitor in Milwaukee Regional STX, i just can't hang with the AWD Turbo Subaru WRX's in my class. A couple more mods like a race header and a good suspension tune, i should be able to actually place. So i seriously encourage you to find one of these cars and take it for a test spin. You may be pleasantly surprised!




 

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Jake Kaminskis
2002 Honda Civic Si STX
SCCA MKE Region

www.MidwestTuning.com
www.Datatoys.com

An older Porsche 968 or 944 might be what you are looking for

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lamoureaux
BSP 2004 STi
Wichita, Ks

powersmx5:

I would like a turn key car and still like to use race tires but the issue I had was storing the tires. I would like to leave the tires in the car or the back seat in the tire rack totes.

 

 

 

In addition to the comments about the tires stinking up the car, I would add that tires that get heat cycled daily just by being left in the car are going to be junk in short order.  Heat cycling is about number of cycles, but also time at temperature.  A good summer day here in Maine would have your tires above 120 degrees for at least 8 hours..... 

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WTB: CSP Spyder parts. What you got?

The search continues :-(  I have raised the budget to around $15,000 max.  I have looked at several IS-300's and I like them quite a bit nice little sedan.  I also have driven 330i's with the sport package.  So now the list looks like a WRX, 330i, IS-300, or 325i just can’t decide.

well, I can tell you NOT to buy an Elantra. . . 2800lbs and underpowered, poor weight distribution and lots of body roll. . . . Why again do I run it?

 I am half-heartedly looking for a Swift GT/GTi, 89-94.  Something about those cars makes my mind wander.

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"Drag racing is for fast cars, autocrossing is for fast drivers"

powersmx5:

The search continues :-(  I have raised the budget to around $15,000 max.  I have looked at several IS-300's and I like them quite a bit nice little sedan.  I also have driven 330i's with the sport package.  So now the list looks like a WRX, 330i, IS-300, or 325i just can’t decide.

Used RX-8s are in that range... One of the top cars in BS. Contingency money at natl events, factory parts support, back seat that can hold two adults or four tires.

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Jason Isley
2005-2006-2007 B Stock National Champion

 

That’s true now I have another car in the list!  I drove 2,500 miles last year so I do not put a lot of miles on my car.  The majority of the time the car will be parked 5 days out of the week.

Here is my final list.

IS-300 2002-2003

Pro's: Price slightly cheaper than similarly equipped 3 series, power, available LSD, decent after market, compact dimensions as every inch helps when trying to parallel park. It might be a better D stock car than the 325

Con's: Doesn't quite match the driving experience of the BMW, heavy for its size, clumsy shifter

325 Sport  2001-2003

Pro's: Best combination of handling and ride, good after market, best looks of the bunch, best shifter, steering feel

Con's: Weak engine in the 325, NO LSD, not the best D stock car

WRX 2002-2003

Pro's: Power, AWD, huge amount of parts from mild to wild

Cons: Looks a little boy racer at times
 

RX-8 2004

Pro's: Great suspension, B stock champ, cheap to setup

Con's: Not a huge fan of the look or that it is a coupe

 

powersmx5:

WRX

Pro's: Power, AWD, huge amount of parts from mild to wild

Cons: Looks a little boy racer at times, poor D stock car but great for STX locally
 

I'm not sure how the car that won last year's Pro Finale in DS can be a "poor" DS car.  It's a better Pro car than "regular" solo car due to the launch advantage, but it's far from "poor."

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Bryan
2006 Chrysler Crossfire
DS #187
Yeah, seriously...A Chrysler
2008 C6 Z51 waiting in the wings...

powersmx5:

RX-8

Pro's: Great suspension, B stock champ, cheap to setup

Con's: Not a huge fan of the look or that it is a coupe

 

It's barely a coupe.  With the rear suicide half doors, it's got sedan practicality...as Jason said, 2 adults or 4 18" race tires fit in the back seat.  I was amazed at the room the couple times I rode in the back of mine.

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Bryan
2006 Chrysler Crossfire
DS #187
Yeah, seriously...A Chrysler
2008 C6 Z51 waiting in the wings...

Get a used LX or ES protege with a 5 speed. If you can find a 2.0L 02-03 LX protege you'll get the 4x100 wheels and drum rear brakes (lighter) and the same motor as the ES model with better power to weight.

They are VERY competitive regionally in HS IMO. I have an 02 LX Automatic that handles awesome and once it gets going is quite peppy :)  So  5 speed is a good ticket.

It meets all your criteria. And your miata wheels you have now will bolt right up to it for street wheels. Stock class wheel size is a 15x6 45-offset. So 225 fronts and 205 rears. :)

They can be had with 60k or less miles for under 7k all over if you look hard. It's been a dead reliable car. Regionally in the Automatic I can beat 95% of the miatas by the way :)

It all comes down to driver. 

 

powersmx5:

I think the time has come to sell my Miata that I have been using for the past several years from E stock, SM2, and lately CSP. I recently moved to a major metropolitan area and I cannot stand the car anymore. I dont have any storage space for simple trips to the supermarket or out to dinner with friends. The car has been a blast but its too rough, loud, and small for my current needs. I do not want to hear anything about you can put alot of stuff in a Miata I know but it gets old after 4 years of stacking tires behind your head or moving them from your apartment to the street and back every time you need to use the car.

So the question is what can I get for 10K and under that meets the following loose criteria

Drivetrain: fwd, rwd, awd I dont have a strong preference they can all be fast if properly setup but rwd would be nice

Weight: under 3,000 pounds

Number of doors: either coupe or 4 door depending on size and weight

Power: My Miata had 100 whp and was alot of fun so 4,6,8 power isnt a huge consideration just looking for decent gearing and power to weight ratio.

I need something that will be competitve regionally have decent usuable everyday space and comfort. I want to stay out of prepared classes and stick to stock level prep. My list that I put together includes

E36 BMW 318 sport fo H stock, E36 BMW M3 B Stock, Acura Integra D Stock, Toyota Celica G Stock, Eagle Talon D Stock

Please help me out with any other suggestions. Also I must note that I can do my own maintinence to a point but I am not looking for a nightmare to keep on the road either.

Thanks,

Ryan

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David Hedderick
Pearland (Houston), TX
01 CRG YZ125 (FOR SALE! $2500)
08 Mazda 3s
02 Mazda Protege (automatic tow vehicle)
92 Miata SE - Fun half-arsed STS2 Car

If you raised the budget to 15k then a Mazda 3 is easily in that range and VERY competitive in HS. I have an 08 model now myself and its fun for an HS car as well.

If you stay in stock class you'll still have a civil street vehicle and something that has the potential to be competitive at a national level. It's hard to have a nationally competitive non-stock class car that can be driven comfortably on the street for under 15k IMO.

Another option is do what I did. Get a kart. They can be had with a small trailer for $3000-4000 easily. Then add any relable 4 door car and you've got a reliable DD and a fast autocross vehicle.

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David Hedderick
Pearland (Houston), TX
01 CRG YZ125 (FOR SALE! $2500)
08 Mazda 3s
02 Mazda Protege (automatic tow vehicle)
92 Miata SE - Fun half-arsed STS2 Car

powersmx5:

So now the list looks like a WRX, 330i, IS-300, or 325i just can’t decide.

So why did you drop the 330? Too expensive? If you're not going with the 330, I'd recommend the IS300 for D stock. Extremely reliable, bulletproof engine. (popular for supercharging to ridiculous levels)

I would recommend against the RX-8 for a daily driver due to the terrible gas mileage. 15mpg?

The Mazda 3 is probably a very good choice for that price range. That you could get with a warranty! (though not as fun as the others mentioned)

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DS #313 | the rolling couch of doom | La-Z-Boy Racing

 The 330 was a little too expensive for my budget since I only drive on the weekends and walk to work during the week.  I bought a 325i Sport Package Sedan with a stick and what a fantastic car.

i'm not surprised nobody's mentioned it...because they are pretty underestimated...but look into maybe a used Ford Zx2.  parts are cheap, it uses a 2.0L zetec engine, weighs under 2500 lbs stock, 130 hp/130 tq.  mine has really surprised me.  it's quite a peppy daily driver, still rides fairly comfortably, low maintanance, and handles like it's on rails!  the zx2 also just got dropped from DSP to FSP if you wanted to spend all that 10k on mods after the initial 3k price tag.

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murph1379:

I would recommend against the RX-8 for a daily driver due to the terrible gas mileage. 15mpg?

The Mazda 3 is probably a very good choice for that price range. That you could get with a warranty! (though not as fun as the others mentioned)

Ditto.  I remember getting 13.9 on premium back in 2005, along with the requisite oil consumption :)  Worse than 2 full-size trucks I have owned and driven solely in city traffic :) 

That's the SOLE reason I or anybody sane would recommend against the RX8 these days.  Which STINKS because they most likely have the best speed/price ratio for a 4 seat stock class autocross car, minus the stock options in Shell

If I was in the market again for a 4 seat DD/axr, my 1st choice would be a also $15k low-mileage Mazda 3s Sedan for the 4cyl fuel economy, Mazda contingency/parts support, decent classing, and plethora of examples with years of warranty remaining.  But yeah, any hi-CG 2800lb FWD car is a very distant 2nd in the fun category..

IF they were properly classed in HS not GS, and IF GM didn't have lousy warranty service, I would suggest a 2.4 Ecotec/16-inch wheel Saturn Ion Quad Coupe for an even cheaper 4cyl/4 seat/4 door autocross car with a warranty.  Chassis felt MUCH improved over its Crapalier predecessors of the past 25 years.  Two big IFs though, so I guess it's a pointless thought...

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Adam Wosneski
Screw waiting

I remember you from last weekend.  We are competitors in STS.  I have a black Scion XA.

Thanks to The Learning Curve, I moved from Off The Back last Oct to Mid-Pack this year(yes, I think you beat me...)

 

Although it's FAR from a performance car, I like my XA.  I bought mine after driving my fiance's.  Yes, we have the same car (different colors)

It gets great mileage, although nowhere near the quotes, it has great resale (which is bad if you're the one shopping), & it's reliable.  It's a year old & I haven't broken anything yet...

I sure wouldn't race it in H Stock class at the stock nosebleed height though...

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"Most amateur drivers go too fast in slow corners and too slow in fast
corners"
Emerson Fittipaldi