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I got into autocross about 2 months ago when I started dating this guy. He let me drive his '97 BMW 328 and really got me hooked on this sport. However, we've broken up now and I don't have a car or a clue as to how or what I should buy. I'm not mechanically inclined, but I'm willing to learn and I REALLY don't want to give up autocross. Any suggestions about what kind of car I should invest in and what tools/parts/tires I should start out with would be much appreciated!

Thanks!
Bethany 

ddreamer1984:

I got into autocross about 2 months ago when I started dating this guy. He let me drive his '97 BMW 328 and really got me hooked on this sport. However, we've broken up now and I don't have a car or a clue as to how or what I should buy. I'm not mechanically inclined, but I'm willing to learn and I REALLY don't want to give up autocross. Any suggestions about what kind of car I should invest in and what tools/parts/tires I should start out with would be much appreciated!

Bethany,

Welcome to our obsession...err...hobby.

If you have a car with four tires that can pass tech, that's a good start. Invest in the driver first.

Get to know some of the local drivers. See if your local group has a novice program.

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Glenn L. Austin, Computer Wizard and Race Car Driver
2005 Ultra Yellow Nissan 350Z Track Model
2007 Packwood ProSolo "first loser" (0.081)
2007 SCCA Solo National Championships - 10th place

Welcome!   As far as what car/class to get started in, my best memories were of when I started autocrossing in H Stock in a 1991 Eagle Summit in 1994.  The car was slow and handled poorly, but I had a lot of fun learing how to autocross and meeting new friends.  My suggestion is this... Make a list of cars that you like and can afford.  Next, get a SCCA rule book and look at the stock class section to see what class that/those cars are in, then do some research as to how competitive they are.  Lease a car that you may be able to win in.  I suggest leasing because cometitive stock class cars can be "flavor of the month".  This way, when car A is not cometitive in 3 years, you can easily lease car B and so on.  Next, buy a set of OEM sized wheels and a set of "extreme performance" street tires like the Falcon Azenis et. all and drive the snot out of the car at your local events.  If you still enjoy it and want to go faster, get a set of "R" compond tires mounted on the same wheels and gradually mod the car to stock class rules as you can afford/see fit.  

This is a good way to start based on what I've learned over the years.  Now, if only I could press rewind and take my own advice...I would have a lot less gray hair and a lot more money in the bank!

HAVE FUN!

--Chad

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2004 Lava Orange Mazda3 Sedan #32HS FreemanSpeedsports/Realspeed/Madhatter Muffler/Mobile Hitch
2006 Habanero Honda Civic Si- street terror for wife!
OVR SCCA since '94
A winner never quits, a quitter never wins!

What's your budget and how serious do you want to get?  A Miata is a good place to start and pretty competitive and fun to drive.  You can pick up a good one for $2,000 to $5,000 and parts are cheap.  After you get a good car (whatever it is) make sure that all the maintenance is up to date so you can pass tech and then buy a few basic tools such as a lightweight floor jack, basic set of wrenches/sockets and a torque wrench and that should get you started.  Try and hook up with your local SCCA or BMWCCA region as there are usually helpfull nice people all around the country that can point you in the right direction.

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-2006 Lotus Elise- SS
-2000 Honda S2000- AS
-2009 Mini Cooper S- GS

CosmosMpower:

A Miata is a good place to start and pretty competitive and fun to drive.  You can pick up a good one for $2,000 to $5,000 and parts are cheap.  After you get a good car (whatever it is) .....

Dude-did you just insult all Miata owners? 

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Jer
#196 ES
#187 SS retired

Glenn L. Austin:

Bethany,

Welcome to our obsession...err...hobby.

If you have a car with four tires that can pass tech, that's a good start. Invest in the driver first.

Get to know some of the local drivers. See if your local group has a novice program.

My ex got me to sign up for a SCCA membership for the year. I've been running novice class at local events.

I understand that my driving skills will be the primary factor in how well I do in autocross but I don't think my six year old Protege 5 can cut it. 

Not to mention that I fell in love with the power and speed of his BMW, so I think it'll be real hard to readjust to something with less performance. :( 

CosmosMpower:

What's your budget and how serious do you want to get?  A Miata is a good place to start and pretty competitive and fun to drive.  You can pick up a good one for $2,000 to $5,000 and parts are cheap.  After you get a good car (whatever it is) make sure that all the maintenance is up to date so you can pass tech and then buy a few basic tools such as a lightweight floor jack, basic set of wrenches/sockets and a torque wrench and that should get you started.  Try and hook up with your local SCCA or BMWCCA region as there are usually helpfull nice people all around the country that can point you in the right direction.

 Thanks for this advice. With my current salary I don't think that I should purchase anything more than 10k. What kind of hp does a Miata usually get? And will an older vehicle still be competitive with the newer models out there?
 

ddreamer1984:

CosmosMpower:

What's your budget and how serious do you want to get?  A Miata is a good place to start and pretty competitive and fun to drive.  You can pick up a good one for $2,000 to $5,000 and parts are cheap.  After you get a good car (whatever it is) make sure that all the maintenance is up to date so you can pass tech and then buy a few basic tools such as a lightweight floor jack, basic set of wrenches/sockets and a torque wrench and that should get you started.  Try and hook up with your local SCCA or BMWCCA region as there are usually helpfull nice people all around the country that can point you in the right direction.

 Thanks for this advice. With my current salary I don't think that I should purchase anything more than 10k. What kind of hp does a Miata usually get? And will an older vehicle still be competitive with the newer models out there?
 

Depends what year Miata. Most are in the 120-140 range, but the car is pretty light. The Miata is still pretty competitive in a number of classes and is plenty of fun to drive. Besides, extra power can get you into trouble.

<------ Occasionally wishes he went the Miata route two years ago...

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Manfred R.
2001 Celica GT - STS

You can easily get a nice Miata for under 10K, even a second generation one. 90-97 are considered 1st generation (NA chassis), 99-05 second generation (NB chassis) and the new one is the 3rd gen  (NC chassis). 

The 90-93 cars had a 1.6L with 116 hp, the 94-96 had a 1.8L with 128 hp, then in 96 it got a small bump to 133 hp and the second gen 99-05 (I think that's the last year for the 2nd gen) got another small bump to 140 hp.

Here's a great link for all the different changes throughout the years 

http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/5361/

They are still very competitive in various classes locally and regionally for the most part.  The 90-97 can be raced in E-stock class along with other small light cars like the older MR2.  The 99 to current cars race in C stock against other cars like the non turbocharged Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky etc.  I'd reccomend a 94-97 car for E stock since the 14" tires are cheaper and they're a blast to drive but if you need a more comfortable daily driver/autocross car you can get a 99-01 for under 10K as well.  Also if you want to race on street tires, the 1.6L cars from 90-93 are eligible to compete in street touring class (STS2).

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-2006 Lotus Elise- SS
-2000 Honda S2000- AS
-2009 Mini Cooper S- GS

ddreamer1984:

I understand that my driving skills will be the primary factor in how well I do in autocross but I don't think my six year old Protege 5 can cut it.

Actually I don't think that the Protege5 is such a bad car.  You could run reasonably well in H Stock.  For under $10k you could find a nice 1999 or 2000 Miata with the suspension package, which is a really fun autocross car.  140HP which might not sound like much, but they are light and a whole lot of fun to drive.

 If you really like the utility of your Protege5, the Mazda3 is right at the top of the list in H Stock.

 I was thinking of suggesting that you buy an already-built STS Civic, which would easily fit your budget, but I think that would still require a fair amount of maintenance/repair/troubleshooting as well as setup knowledge.
 

 

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John S.
S2000 #42as

I recommend you run your Protege for a season.  You will be in a much different place in a year and can make a more educated decision.  You also might be able to co-drive with someone else for a season, and that would be a cheap way to help you decide which direction to go, too.  There are not a lot of women autocrossers (in proportion to men) and that means even if a car is co-driven, you might be able to run it in ladies classes. 

 Also, try to get rides in other cars or single event drives in other cars.  That will help too.  Usually locally that can be had for an entry fee. 

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Jer
#196 ES
#187 SS retired

Surferjer:

I recommend you run your Protege for a season.  You will be in a much different place in a year and can make a more educated decision.  You also might be able to co-drive with someone else for a season, and that would be a cheap way to help you decide which direction to go, too.  There are not a lot of women autocrossers (in proportion to men) and that means even if a car is co-driven, you might be able to run it in ladies classes. 

 Also, try to get rides in other cars or single event drives in other cars.  That will help too.  Usually locally that can be had for an entry fee. 

Actually I completely agree with this situation.  A 2000+ protege should still be in pretty decent mechanical shape as long as maintenance is kept up and you can have plenty of fun in that until you have some more experience.

You can also get an early Honda S2000 for around 10K now, I would definitely go that route but parts aren't as cheap or common as a Miata, however it's 240 hp and considerably faster in all aspects (E/C stock vs A stock).

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-2006 Lotus Elise- SS
-2000 Honda S2000- AS
-2009 Mini Cooper S- GS

CosmosMpower:

You can easily get a nice Miata for under 10K, even a second generation one. 90-97 are considered 1st generation (NA chassis), 99-05 second generation (NB chassis) and the new one is the 3rd gen  (NC chassis). 

The 90-93 cars had a 1.6L with 116 hp, the 94-96 had a 1.8L with 128 hp, then in 96 it got a small bump to 133 hp and the second gen 99-05 (I think that's the last year for the 2nd gen) got another small bump to 140 hp.

Here's a great link for all the different changes throughout the years 

http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/5361/

They are still very competitive in various classes locally and regionally for the most part.  The 90-97 can be raced in E-stock class along with other small light cars like the older MR2.  The 99 to current cars race in C stock against other cars like the non turbocharged Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky etc.  I'd reccomend a 94-97 car for E stock since the 14" tires are cheaper and they're a blast to drive but if you need a more comfortable daily driver/autocross car you can get a 99-01 for under 10K as well.  Also if you want to race on street tires, the 1.6L cars from 90-93 are eligible to compete in street touring class (STS2).

 Let's say I get a 99 or higher. Without modifications this car would typically run in C stock? Without mods, is it competitive? The extent of the mods that I was aware of on the BMW I drove were changes to the front swaybar, shocks, tires, wheels, and a few other things. To be honest, I just want a car that has a bit of horsepower, doesn't need a lot of mods (since I'm a beginner), is competitive in it's class, and is a whole lot of fun to drive. Is the Miata the way to go?
 

Orthonormal:

ddreamer1984:

I understand that my driving skills will be the primary factor in how well I do in autocross but I don't think my six year old Protege 5 can cut it.

Actually I don't think that the Protege5 is such a bad car.  You could run reasonably well in H Stock.  For under $10k you could find a nice 1999 or 2000 Miata with the suspension package, which is a really fun autocross car.  140HP which might not sound like much, but they are light and a whole lot of fun to drive.

 If you really like the utility of your Protege5, the Mazda3 is right at the top of the list in H Stock.

 I was thinking of suggesting that you buy an already-built STS Civic, which would easily fit your budget, but I think that would still require a fair amount of maintenance/repair/troubleshooting as well as setup knowledge. 

I suppose it's true that I could race my little Protege, but the car has some maintenance that needs to be done before I could ever take it to the track. After bleeding the brakes, I think that the master cylinder is going bad on my car because my brakes are having some scary issues. I'm taking it in next week. This notwithstanding, I got a taste of horsepower with the BMW that I drove earlier this year and I don't think I can be satisfied with my little Protege as a race car. 

Surferjer:

I recommend you run your Protege for a season.  You will be in a much different place in a year and can make a more educated decision.  You also might be able to co-drive with someone else for a season, and that would be a cheap way to help you decide which direction to go, too.  There are not a lot of women autocrossers (in proportion to men) and that means even if a car is co-driven, you might be able to run it in ladies classes. 

 Also, try to get rides in other cars or single event drives in other cars.  That will help too.  Usually locally that can be had for an entry fee. 

I don't think I'm willing to put my Protege under the stress. The car needs some maintenance work done on it that I will be taking care of in the next month or so. Even with it in top working order, though, the car can't compare to the BMW I raced earlier this year. I need the speed! :) 

I'm planning on attending a local SCCA event on Sunday. I paid for a year's membership and even though I can't drive this weekend, I'll definitely be asking for rides. If I'm serious about buying a race car then I need to do my research.

 

CosmosMpower -

I'm jealous of your Lotus. I wonder...did I see you racing at the TMS National Tour two weekends ago? I saw a red Lotus there and I noticed you're from Dallas. That car is so sweet! Will you give me a ride sometime? :) 

I can understand the mentality of wanting the horsepower.  However, dont let that guide your car choice in any way.  What you want to keep in mind is some of these little Miata's and CRX's are coming to the line with a fraction of the hp but laying down equal or better times.  Simple math should tell you they are actually going faster!  Learning to turn those fast times without the big power behind you really is the key to this game, its all about driving ability and knowing how to handle the car at its limit.  I say this stuff as a driver in an 03 SVT Cobra (390+hp) and 08 Bullitt(315+hp).  You have to remember the power will only get you so far on a parking lot!

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Rob S.
116 FS 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt

South Carolina Region

I agree with Rob.

People think of me as a "HP/Torque" guy because they've seen me in cars that have a lot. I started in a full-size 2000 Dodge Intrepid. Yes, it had some power, but it was also a VERY heavy car, so momentum was everything. Even today with all of the HP and torque I have, momentum is STILL everything. If you don't slow down, you don't have to speed up, which means that you don't NEED a lot of HP and torque. It does help on those occasions when you do need it, but most of the time the other cars in your class are in the same boat. (This is why there are some "course-dependent" cars)

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Glenn L. Austin, Computer Wizard and Race Car Driver
2005 Ultra Yellow Nissan 350Z Track Model
2007 Packwood ProSolo "first loser" (0.081)
2007 SCCA Solo National Championships - 10th place

ddreamer1984:

CosmosMpower -

I'm jealous of your Lotus. I wonder...did I see you racing at the TMS National Tour two weekends ago? I saw a red Lotus there and I noticed you're from Dallas. That car is so sweet! Will you give me a ride sometime? :) 

Joseph was there and he took 1st in ASP running an SS car.  If you're at mineral wells this weekend, I'd be happy to give you a ride in the RX-8.  #88/188 

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Jeremy Foley
2001 Subaru 2.5RS Retired G-Stock Autocross Beast
2003 Evo 8 Modded Daily Driver
2004 RX-8 Current Borrowed B-Stock Killer

President
Team if you can't beat them-Join them!

Yep that was me, come find me at the next SCCA event and I'll be happy to give you a ride.  #178 SS

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-2006 Lotus Elise- SS
-2000 Honda S2000- AS
-2009 Mini Cooper S- GS