OT: vote for which track car

[Coronita]

So in anticipation of no more autocross at Qualcomm stadium after 2016, I am contemplating getting a learning track car for a real road course.

I’m deciding between a 2016 suburu BRZ/toyota frs or a 2016 miata.

The brz will be about $28k out the door, while as the miata will be about $30k otd with the mazdaspeed racing discount. Both require a 6-8 week order/build time.

In about 7-8 years I am think this will be my kids beater learning car.

So.. 2016 BRZ/FRS or miata?

[mike92104]

I’m partial to Subaru’s because I owned one.

[scaredyclassic]

Kids beater car requires safety. So maybe a turbo minivan?

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic]Kids beater car requires safety. So maybe a turbo minivan?[/quote]

The Subaru is actually pretty safe.

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/subaru/brz-2-door-hatchback/2015

Subaru’s are known for their safety, supposedly.

[utcsox]

Since is Miata costs the most, it shall be the best car between the three options you have. LOL. You shall really change this to a poll question though.

[bobby]

contrary opinion.
since you will track the car, it will get rock chip, possibly small/large dents. insurance may not cover damages occurred on tracks.
consider an used Miata (there’s a large online presence of miata racers and support) and use spared funds for consumables and safety equipments.

[Coronita]

[quote=bobby]contrary opinion.
since you will track the car, it will get rock chip, possibly small/large dents. insurance may not cover damages occurred on tracks.
consider an used Miata (there’s a large online presence of miata racers and support) and use spared funds for consumables and safety equipments.[/quote]

I have an old miata. But I don’t feel that safe in a old miata on a road course, and spending money to make it safe for a road course would defeat the purpose of it being “cheap”

[mixxalot]

Neither get a low mileage used BMW M3 and destroy both cars for half the price. Plus no wait time either 🙂

[CafeMoto]

you already experienced the Miata so I vote for the BRZ

[Hobie]

Buy this one for you. Your kid will have *much* different ideas on her own car 😉 Unless she is just as much as a motorhead like dad then you’ll be fighting her for it! har.

[Coronita]

I drove both cars and I’m torn.
The 2016 miata is just awesome. Since it has a 500lb advantage and has a really flat torque curve, the 2016 miata just feels lighter and faster than the FR-S. The FR-S is a pretty capable car, and well balanced. Not bad for a $25k car. The big advantage is safety of a hard roof, especially on a road course. Still, I like the new miata better. Supposedly there is a supercharger in the works for the miata too. I think autocrosses will last until mid june, so maybe I can defer this decision for another few months. It seems like the 2017 FRS/BRZ while get a slight revision to the engine and rear chassis to stiffen things up, and that might be a good thing to get a 2016 clearance model.

I’ve looked at the prices for a used FRS/BRZ and frankly the discount isn’t that much. It probably costs about $21-22 for a 2013 versus a new run runs around $25 before taxes. And people tend to beat the crap out of these cars.

Daughter likes the blue BRZ, thinks getting a Miata doesn’t make sense because I already have one, but would feel safer if she took over the SUV when she can drive. Lol.

[creechrr]

Whenever this topic comes with friends, I caution them against track their new car. Being on track is placing yourself in an environment that you really have no control over. Your new shiny car could be totaled in short order.

After the cost of entry, consumables, and aftermarket support, safety becomes a factor for me. Even in hardtop trim, I would place the BRZ higher on the safety scale than a Miata. I don’t see how you can go wrong with either as a fun DD/autocross machine but, the added safety of a steel top shouldn’t be discounted.

[ucodegen]

I don’t know if jumping into ‘tracking’ with a new car is a good idea. The other thing to realize, is that tracking a car is much, much different than running the Qualcomm slaloms. Short wheelbases work well on a tight, comparatively slow track. On ‘track’ like Willow Springs, short wheelbase vehicles can get quite twitchy, particularly if the surface is rough.

Questions:
* Does the vehicle have to be ‘streetable’ or ‘street legal’?
* Do you have a provision for getting the vehicle back should you damage the vehicle to the point that it is not drivable?
* Are you class racing?

The answers above may decide what happens. I know you like small lightweight cars, but on a ‘track’ situation, it is not always the best option.

You might want to look at a Pontiac G8 or GTO, if you can find a manual trans version out there..

[Coronita]

[quote=ucodegen]I don’t know if jumping into ‘tracking’ with a new car is a good idea. The other thing to realize, is that tracking a car is much, much different than running the Qualcomm slaloms. Short wheelbases work well on a tight, comparatively slow track. On ‘track’ like Willow Springs, short wheelbase vehicles can get quite twitchy, particularly if the surface is rough.

Questions:
* Does the vehicle have to be ‘streetable’ or ‘street legal’?
* Do you have a provision for getting the vehicle back should you damage the vehicle to the point that it is not drivable?
* Are you class racing?

The answers above may decide what happens. I know you like small lightweight cars, but on a ‘track’ situation, it is not always the best option.

You might want to look at a Pontiac G8 or GTO, if you can find a manual trans version out there..[/quote]

Hmm. Good points….Didn’t think about that.

I guess this is why you actually want a roof a cage…

RS4 earlier this year @ Willow Springs. Yikes….

Although, I don’t think I would be that aggressive as a beginner for the first few years. I’m not as concerned about chips/dings/etc. I’m more concerned about mechanical breakdown and cost of repair, which I think is why I’m eliminating anything german.

I guess I was thinking that an FRS was reasonable because it’s not that powerful of a car and it’s pretty well balanced, and I wouldn’t be doing any sorts of mods for a long long time until I got better. I wouldn’t be competitive either, just want to have a few weekends of fun. Curb weight is around 2850 and with me in it, it would be over 3000 lbs, so it isn’t exactly *that* light. I would totally get a used one, except used ones seem to cost almost as much as new less a $4-5k, and some of them have 40-50k miles on them.

Ideally, car just needs to be street legal :), though streetable would allow me to ditch one of my beaters. (Trying to kill two birds here)…I thought about getting a tow trailer for my SUV and towing a car, but I don’t think I have room to get a trailer and parking it on the street isn’t an option.

[Coronita]

[quote=mixxalot]Neither get a low mileage used BMW M3 and destroy both cars for half the price. Plus no wait time either :-)[/quote]

A used M3 will destroy my wallet in upkeep, and on an autocross, most M3’s aren’t destroying miatas and BRZ’s, at least not the ones I attend.

On a race course, that’s different, but I’ve seen used E46 M3’s with rear subframe damage because the torque on the transmission ripped the rear axle mounts from the subframe. It’s pretty knarly.. I just don’t want to deal with german upkeep.

If you’re getting a used E46 M3 make sure you and/or your mechanic is going over the rear subframe and axle very carefully for cracks….Otherwise, it might end up like this….

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