Thinking of getting a track toy - Mk2 Mx5 perhaps??

[Mikevv]

Hi guys. I recently had an eye opening experience - I AM NOT THE STIG!

I was driving like a bit of a **** in the rain in the Z, and got it wrong. My brain immediately went for the brake ( wrong I know ) and I spun her a full 180. Terrifying.

 

Despite what I thought I'd be able to fix, due to my near 2000 hours of Forza training, it turns out I am in fact, a newb.

 

So this got me thinking, maybe I should invest in a toy, beat the @*!# out of it on the track and experience something new at the same time. My budget being low, cause it's just for a toy and some training, about £2000.

 

My first though immediately was an MX5, but then I had a look around for more power, and then returned to MX5 haha.

 

I was pleasantly surprised with what you can find for that sort of money, for what I would call a fun in the sun car

I know its not as manly as a Z, or power, or anything special really, but if its fun and good enough for a good 75% of car reviewers, it's worth a try right?

 

I listed the best 3 options relatively close to me that I would consider buying, they have niggles, but for a cheap fun car who cares. Have a look at the links below, and let me know which you'd go for and why.

 

I'm in no position to buy at the moment, just keeping an eye out here and there, but apart from the LSD, what sort of options should I be aiming for? I plan on stripping the entire interior out, only keeping the seats so I can take the gf for a blast here n there. How far can I strip it before it won't be MOT-able ? thinking maybe tear out the dash, but then I lose airbags. A lot to consider really, I can't really mod it as I'm a young driver and insurance likes to go in dry as it is so the only real option is sticky tyres, maybe bigger brakes, and strip weight.

 

 

This one is the highest spec, but as you can see, has quite a rust issue.

http://goo.gl/guCMcF

 

This one seems to be the best buy, but damn that colour is weird - might be worth overlooking though!!

http://goo.gl/qzQ7W3

 

 

This last one has the worst paint but I can probably buy a cheap replacement part and hope for the best, the low miler is whats tempting me here and it has a hard top which I'd like

http://goo.gl/YovUXr

 

 

 

So guys, which would you buy, and why? Also are there any Mx5 owners out here? remember seeing a post for a guy who bought one for his wife as a toy, but can't find it!

[Grundy]

So you almost total your car and think this is a great time to go buy another car and go on track?

 

Go get some training and learn how to drive your car.

[glrnet]

Ekona has an mx5 track car, PM him, his advice will be honest and I suspect he might suggest some driver training too.

[Mikevv]

I was nowhere near totalling my car grundy, but thanks.

I wanted a track car first to get familiar with in my own time and get tuition to get the basics down first before taking my pride and joy out. I'll be pi**ed putting an mx5 in the wall, but a Z at 3 times the price, I think I'd just run infront of a train

[brillomaster]

why spend £2000? spend half that and get a car thats faster... a BMW 328i. added advantages being space to take a second set of wheels to trackdays, plenty of weight to rip out and cheap readily available parts. or maybe a 330ci - will feel a lot more like the zed so in terms of tuition it'll be better than an mx5, which will feel quite different.

 

Plus when the back goes, you have a few seconds to consider what you've done, then maybe apply some opposite lock, a few seconds to neutralise the slide and gather it up again, all very civilised and great fun.

[Keyser]

I think it's a great idea, driver training is also a great idea but after you have a lesson you can put it into practice in the track pig and test your limits with less worries about what happens when you find them.

 

A stock MX5 is also a good car for what you want as you say not the power or speed of the Zed but well balanced and great to learn in - I've had some great fun in an MX5 on track, if you can afford it do it mate, I don't think you will be disappointed

 

As above speak to Ekona or look up his thread he did a lot of work on his but you don't have to go that far

Edited October 6, 2015 by Keyser

[Keyser]

Have to give a nod to brillo as what he says is true and the bigger BMW would be closer to the weight of the Zed

[ZMANALEX]

If you are seriously considering going down this route, then best to plan that the "MX5" will be for track use only.

 

Go buy your car and strip out and prep for track.

 

Track tuition is always a good plan.

 

However what you learn on track with the MX5 will really not apply to your 350 on the road.

 

Perhaps what you require is some proper advanced driving training with your 350 at CAT Driver Training down at Millbrook with Colin Hoad.

[Mikevv]

My thinking is MX5s can be had for cheap with less than 70k miles all day long, be almost bulletproof with cheap as chips spares. Had an E46 318i and it was stupid prices for parts, and insurance is barely any less than the 350z due to my age. So that's another side to it, having to live with it off the track.

Sorry I was vague, it's been a long day for me :/

Edited October 6, 2015 by Mikevv

[Paddy78]

Why not take the Zed on a few track days at an open track where the chances of hitting a wall or something are negligible? I went on one this year and the Zed is more than capable (Mine is a dd, so I was also terrified of crashing). I would definitely benefit from £2k of driver training over another car and associated running costs.

[brillomaster]

indeed, theres actually a company that specialises in airfield trackdays in the southwest that would be perfect for a first time out in the zed. check out keevil and hullavington airfields, simple track layouts but nothing to hit, even if you spin you'll be unlikely to leave the tarmac.

 

http://www.motorsport-events.co.uk/

[Alex350z]

Mk1 over a mk2!!! I drove a friends mk1 on track, it had done over 150k miles and it was the most fun ive ever had on track. Much more exciting than the zed. You can chuck it about and get so much feedback from the car.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Alex350z

[Jetpilot]

I would put the money towards driver training, hammering round a track with a disposable car and lack of skill is possibly going to end far worse than just putting it into a wall as you say and whilst it may be a safer place to hone your skills, you still going to need someone to tell you what to do and when.

 

The money you will save from 2 x tax, 2 x insurance, 2 x mot, 2 x running costs + purchase cost etc will go a long long way in training to give you the confidence to take the Zed out on track or more so, know how to save it if it goes wrong on the road.

 

You can also get track insurance, recommended, if you decide to take the Zed out.

[Ekona]

Lots of good advice here

 

Ultimately, what do you want to achieve from this? Is it better control of the 350 on the road, learning how to drive on track, or just a lot of fun in a new car that's ultimately disposable? None of those options are wrong btw!

 

I've done a lot of track miles over the years in lots of different toys, and whilst I've leaned a lot about car control that I've transferred to the road, it's not all transferable. Older me now views younger me as a proper liability on the roads, back in the day. As an example, blasting round a treacherous Donington last month in the MR2 in the pouring rain on 888s was huge fun, but it taught me very little about driving fast on the road in the rain as there's no way I'd ever attempt to drive at pace in those conditions on the public roads. Skill transfer = zero.

 

On the flip side, Anglesey in the dry in my old VXR220 was a revelation. Something inside finally twigged back in 2007 and I've been very comfortable driving MR cars ever since. That made my road driving considerably quicker, as I had the confidence to push where appropriate. Skill transfer = a bucket load.

 

Going to a mk1 MX5 was a blast. It was my first ever track only car, although I kept it road legal to avoid trailering issues. I bought a lovely example for £900, put the crappiest tyres available on it, added bucket seat & steering wheel & gearknob, a rollover bar and that was it. Total cost was about £1500. I learnt a hell of a lot about FR balance in that, much more than I'd ever picked up in my Zed, both on road and track. You had to be more committed to get the car to rotate due to naff all power, but the crappy tyres meant that it was easy to keep in an angle. It was completely disposable, so I took liberties in it that I would never have tried in my 'decent' road cars.

 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that a track car can be bags of fun, and you can learn a lot, but I've spent a lot of money to get to the level I'm at. I could've saved a packet and probably been a better driver if I'd just spent the money on driver training instead, but that for me wouldn't have been as much fun as teaching myself, mistakes and everything.

 

If you want to learn how to handle an out of control car, go see Andy Walsh at a carlimits.com day. He's my go-to guy for driver draining, and it's a stonking day out for about £250. Four days with him will see you better than 10 trackdays. If you want to learn how to drive your Zed on an actual track, then get it insured and find a safe track to go play on (Bedford is good, as is Anglesey), and enjoy. If you want something you don't care about destroying then grab the crappiest looking MX5 you can, just make sure there's no rust and it's mechanically sound.

 

Btw, I've a standing offer here for any 350Z-UK member that as long as my calendar is clear and you pay for me as a second driver, I'll happily travel to any track day with you and offer tuition for the whole day. Did one back in March for a guy on here, and we both had a great day, he was getting some serious pace by the end of the day. Just another option for you.

[docwra]

Dont agree with many here but then I rarely do

 

ANY track experience is going to make you a better driver on the road, the more comfortable you are with dealing with an unexpected issue or understanding where your weight is, the better - it will also make you more confident which is never a bad thing.

An MX5, although slower, is a shedload more fun than an E36 BMW and Id also say a Mk1 over a Mk2, they are cheaper and more of a laugh

Never understood stripping cars either, you might save 50KG on soundproofing and stereo but if youre driving 2 hours each way then they are worth a lot more than 50KG, if youre going to the Nurburgring then .........

Also bear in mind that if the car is not going to be street legal youll need a trailer and a tow car as well, if it is legal its more tax insurance etc. as JP says.

 

But as someone else said, why not use the Zed? You only damage it if you get it wrong, and even then at somewhere like Bedford you still have to be incredibly unlucky to hit anything, they are really good track cars and if you want to learn how to drive your 350 then its got to be the best choice

[Jetpilot]

Some good advice from dedicated track drivers above.

 

I am very much for using the car you have, sure you will get a grasp for car control in any rwd, but, imho, you wont learn the limits of the car you have until you try. Whilst you may get perfectly happy with the performance of an Mx5 and take liberties on track etc, your never going to know the 350's until you try, so might as well just get out on the track in the 350 and get used to driving that at speed if thats your ultimate goal.

 

But, having the, "its only a couple of grand" and "i am going to beat the sh8t out of it" is only going to end messily if you ask me

[grahamc]

Some good advise....

 

I went for the MK2 MX5 purely because the missus prefered it. Its great fun on track and even with coilovers (adjustable) is not bad on the road. We through a lot of abuse at the MX5 and its never been a problem... 4 different drivers, 9-10 sessions in a day and it just continues on. The downside is that they are slow, for power circuits like Castle Combe they can be a pain, but for tracks like Thruxton where its all about carrying speed, they are brilliant and both the missus and I have annoyed some serious machines around there

 

Tyres, seats and suspension have made a world of difference.... and planning to go SC over the winter

 

Yes, I rate the MX5 as more fun on the track than the GTR. Its also nice knowing that if I bin it or the engine blows up or the gearbox goes (most of the big expensive parts) its cheap and easy to solve on the MX5.

[HaydnH]

If you're looking at SCing an MX5 an MR2 Turbo could also be an option, they're fun on track, bit expensive compared to a standard MX5 but probably comparable to an MX5 plus the cost of SCing.

[grahamc]

Since owning the MX5, I would not go any other way

[Ekona]

Yes, I rate the MX5 as more fun on the track than the GTR. Its also nice knowing that if I bin it or the engine blows up or the gearbox goes (most of the big expensive parts) its cheap and easy to solve on the MX5.

Agreed. As much as I enjoyed tracking the 911, I'd have had much more fun in my MX5 by a country mile. 100% slower, 100% more engaging.

[brillomaster]

i would say if you want to learn to drive the zed better on the road, you need on-road tuition. if however you want to hoon a car round a track, do trackdays.

 

I personally wanted to hoon a car as fast as a possibly could round a track - so I have a track car. I personally don't think doing 3 years and 20 or so trackdays has taught me much about how to drive on the road, other than the limitations of crappy tyres! Reason for that being that I never ever drive on the road anywhere near as fast as I drive on trackdays - try and drive quickly on the road and you quickly realise that the two things that allow you to drive quickly on track are completely absent on road - that is, plenty of run off if you get it wrong, and wide well sighted corners.

 

also, when driving on a track, you can pretty much drive any car as hard as possible - whereas even a small hatchback would be too quick for UK roads when driven flat out. You might be very lucky and find yourself on a deserted piece of well sighted A road where you can drive a little faster, but the majority of the time, keep it on a track.

 

maybe if you want to improve your zed driving, then take the Zed on a track and find out just where its limits are - I suspect you'll be surprised at how high they are! then realise that you'll never drive that quickly on the road!

 

but my most important piece of advice is... get out on track. doesn't matter what POS car you're driving, hooning anything round a track is way more fun that anything you'll ever do on a road. if its a disposable car, even better, as you wont be wincing every time you bounce it off the redline, jump it over the kerbs or bits of it fall off.

[grahamc]

Yes, I rate the MX5 as more fun on the track than the GTR. Its also nice knowing that if I bin it or the engine blows up or the gearbox goes (most of the big expensive parts) its cheap and easy to solve on the MX5.

Agreed. As much as I enjoyed tracking the 911, I'd have had much more fun in my MX5 by a country mile. 100% slower, 100% more engaging.

 

No, this cant be right................ we agree on something?!?!!? WTF has happened to the world

i would say if you want to learn to drive the zed better on the road, you need on-road tuition. if however you want to hoon a car round a track, do trackdays.

 

I personally wanted to hoon a car as fast as a possibly could round a track - so I have a track car. I personally don't think doing 3 years and 20 or so trackdays has taught me much about how to drive on the road, other than the limitations of crappy tyres! Reason for that being that I never ever drive on the road anywhere near as fast as I drive on trackdays - try and drive quickly on the road and you quickly realise that the two things that allow you to drive quickly on track are completely absent on road - that is, plenty of run off if you get it wrong, and wide well sighted corners.

 

also, when driving on a track, you can pretty much drive any car as hard as possible - whereas even a small hatchback would be too quick for UK roads when driven flat out. You might be very lucky and find yourself on a deserted piece of well sighted A road where you can drive a little faster, but the majority of the time, keep it on a track.

 

maybe if you want to improve your zed driving, then take the Zed on a track and find out just where its limits are - I suspect you'll be surprised at how high they are! then realise that you'll never drive that quickly on the road!

 

but my most important piece of advice is... get out on track. doesn't matter what POS car you're driving, hooning anything round a track is way more fun that anything you'll ever do on a road. if its a disposable car, even better, as you wont be wincing every time you bounce it off the redline, jump it over the kerbs or bits of it fall off.

 

I agree and disagree.... completely agree with the difference between track car and tuition.

 

Disagree that you havent learnt anything about road driving, purely on awareness and car control you SHOULD be way better than most other road users.... if you arent, please keep me updated on the track days you do, so I can avoid

 

Tuition is another stage of it and always worth while... I really enjoyed a drifting day and learnt a lot about how a car reacts to situations and what you do, etc.

CATDT is supposed to be brilliant, many GTR owners swear by it.

 

Goal for me on track was to have FUN while driving like no one should on public roads I have friends that go as well and swap cars, etc, its brilliant! Oddly we all own R35 GTRs and we all take other cars to tracks..... R33 GTR (700+ hp), Porsche Cayman/NSX, MX5, etc

Edited October 8, 2015 by grahamc

[RyanT]

Do it, I've regretted selling my MX5 every day since it went. Best car I'll ever own.

 

[flyboy]

I was nowhere near totalling my car grundy, but thanks.

I wanted a track car first to get familiar with in my own time and get tuition to get the basics down first before taking my pride and joy out. I'll be pi**ed putting an mx5 in the wall, but a Z at 3 times the price, I think I'd just run infront of a train

 

Spinning 180° on a public road in the rain sounds a hell of a lot like nearly totalling your car to me!

 

Or were you in total control at the time

[brillomaster]

Hahah yeah well we're off to Bedford on the 24th October with Javelin, so avoid that one!

 

nah in all seriousness i've definitely progressed as a driver, anticipation and awareness of what a car is going to do when and then how to correct it or prevent it from happening in the first place it have definitely improved - its got to the point where we can feel the grip level changing as the tyres heat up, so we can feel when the tyres have had enough and have to come in, rather than just doing 6 laps or whatever. my goal is always to be smooth - smooth with braking, throttle application and steering, and hopefully the guys on here that have been in a car with me on track dont think i'm too bad!