Autocross car recommendations *newbie*

[Zephyr]

alright! what is a good autocross car for under 25k USD. a good car for a newbie and to use to develop skills...

i been thinking like a civic si 04 or a rsx type s...

any suggestions im a total nub..

[GTS Jeff]

good start...make sure its fwd and underpowered. makes it very easy to drive

[Redlyne_mr2]

Why FWD? Do you like understeer? True you can make a damn fast fwd autox car but its not as much fun...then again Im biased and Im sure speedracer will disagree with me:D

[EK 2.0]

2G RX7's I think are great...good weight balance, lots of suspension potential and fairly light as opposed to some of its RWD competitors for the same age range...

[Hakkola]

why are you looking at new cars? Is it strictly autocross or daily driver as well?

[BigMass]

If i lived in Cali and had 25k i would consider a 3rd gen RX7 or an NSX. However, for a basic beginer autocross car i would consider a Miata or maybe an older S2000.

[Zephyr]

Originally posted by Hakkola
why are you looking at new cars? Is it strictly autocross or daily driver as well?


kinda both...i probably wouldn't do engine mods a lot, probably mostly suspension and brakes..

[Hakkola]

would you be selling the 528? I wouldn't buy a new si if it's main purpose was going to be autcrossing... unless I was planning on modding it

Why not dump some cash into the bimmer? There's a plethora of options when it comes to tuning.

Hell, if I were you I'd just drop 20 grand on a used m5.

[rice_eater]

get a neon yo!!!

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Why FWD? Do you like understeer? True you can make a damn fast fwd autox car but its not as much fun...then again Im biased and Im sure speedracer will disagree with me:D

cuz fwd is wayyy easier to drive at the limits than rwd. i can drive a fwd to the limits pretty easily (i was 4 wheel sliding a fellow beyond members mazdaspeed around a ramp in the first 5 minutes of driving the car), whereas i am not able to drive that fast in my own car without being really scared or actually spinning out.

[GTS Jeff]

u guys should understand u have to know how to drive a slow car fast in order to drive a fast car fast. im positive that most ppl in this thread could get better times with some random fwd car than in an s2000.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Sorry man thats not entirely true it all depends on the driver as well of course but its usually the rwd cars that are the fastest. 2 fast rwd cars that come to mind at solo 2 events are a black slk and a red sw20 (not mine)

[hjr]

the majority people cannot jump into a high powered car with no other experience and drive it as fast as someone who has learnt the ropes on a slower car and goes to a high powered car.

[three.eighteen.]

if you can mod the 528 you could have a sick autocross car on your hands...bmws are very forgiving

[method]

miata

[///M3]

944 turbo or mini cooper:D

[Zephyr]

Originally posted by three.eighteen.
if you can mod the 528 you could have a sick autocross car on your hands...bmws are very forgiving


question is if i can get the cash too haha

is AWD cars good for this kinda stuff? such as a subaru wrx wagon

[three.eighteen.]

if you have th cash to buy a new car, you have the cash to make a 5 series handle well

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Sorry man thats not entirely true i dont tihnk im being clear then...
Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
it all depends on the driver the thread title mentions NEWBIE driver. a fwd car is easier for a newbie than a rwd car.
Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
its usually the rwd cars that are the fastest. of course! rwd cars have more potential for sure, but as i said, theyre harder to drive for newbies like u and i and zephy.

i have about equal experience with fwd and rwd and i must say that altho rwd has more potential and is way more fun, im still faster in a fwd car (that is, until i learn to drive better).

[ACS-e36]

i agree! drop the extra money into the 5!

[Alpine Autowerks]

Originally posted by three.eighteen.
if you have th cash to buy a new car, you have the cash to make a 5 series handle well


sure but it is hardly the basis for a Solo car, small lightweight cars do best. fwd is an advantage there cuz the power to the turning wheels helps in more rapid direction changes.

[Hakkola]

Last time I checked M5's have some pretty good handling, 5 series is a good base for a track car, despite being a "big" sedan.

[T5_X]

If you're just gonna bag on the car and use it to learn why not get something cheap then save the money for a more high powered car once you hone your skills?
AE92, CRX, late 80s civic, NX2000, golf, neon coupe all come to mind.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Sorry man thats not entirely true it all depends on the driver as well of course but its usually the rwd cars that are the fastest. 2 fast rwd cars that come to mind at solo 2 events are a black slk and a red sw20 (not mine)
Actually, there's a certain 86 Civic that trades fastest times with me, so FWD vs RWD is irrelevant. See :

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21328

You guys should really attend some Solo2 events and check out the cars. You'd be surprised what cars are the fastest.

[CLiVE]

Originally posted by ///M3
944 turbo or mini cooper:D

:werd: My MINI Cooper S is a great in auto-x. :thumbsup:
I have only taken it out twice though. I'm planning to bring it out more often.

Just a base MINI cooper Classic would be a good auto-x car also.
I believe they are like 22K Cdn....

[rage2]

If you're going for the championship, a base mini cooper is more competitive than a mini cooper S according to Colin, who won the overall championship last year with a base Mini Cooper.

The boys at Shadowtint also won rookie of the year in '02 in a base mini cooper.

It's probably the most competitive car in its class, and overall after PAX factoring.

[Alpine Autowerks]

Originally posted by Hakkola
Last time I checked M5's have some pretty good handling, 5 series is a good base for a track car, despite being a "big" sedan.




In the special circumstance of auto-x the high g #'s an m5 achieves in steady state skid pad or in large radius sweepers are irrelevant. You could drop cubic dollars into it and get owned by a Civic Si every time. It is just too heavy and large to be a FTD machine.

that is not to say you would not have fun trying ( i mean spending)

[ehos]

Custom Manx.

RWD, as much HP as you want to ad, tight suspension. Very light.

Lotsa work though.

[CLiVE]

Originally posted by rage2
If you're going for the championship, a base mini cooper is more competitive than a mini cooper S

You are very right. I could see that, however as a daily driver I had to buy the MCS.
I would like to get a base MC as a 2nd car though. Both are fun cars. Base, with the 15" wheels, and no sunroof. :thumbsup:

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by rage2
If you're going for the championship, a base mini cooper is more competitive than a mini cooper S according to Colin, who won the overall championship last year with a base Mini Cooper.

The boys at Shadowtint also won rookie of the year in '02 in a base mini cooper.

It's probably the most competitive car in its class, and overall after PAX factoring. crazy, whats the reasoning behind this? maybe the smaller wheels and easier to manage power?

[hjr]

it has to due with classing and PAX'ing. the base just has an advantage. Both cars are supposed to handle remarkably well, and the supercharger gives pretty smooth delivery of power. But the differences are smaller, lighter wheels, no sunroof, generally lighter.

[rage2]

hjr is correct, it's got to do with class and PAX indexes.

Basically, the raw times will show that the cooper S is faster than the base cooper. But after multiplying the class indexes (to make it fair for everyone), the base cooper is faster (assuming same driver going all out in both cars).

The PAX indexes/factor is used to make sure a base cooper can compete with a Z06 and rank based on driver, not car. In my AMG, I had to beat Colin's mini by about 4 seconds per event to beat him overall.