WTB...Need YOUR help!

[Jake]

Shit, here's an 06 Civic Si for you, for $8500:

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If it's replacing the Santa Fe, it might be hard to go from a large-ish SUV that can haul five people and their stuff, to a two-seat roadster with a small trunk. Having DD'd my Miata for three years, you really learn to travel and pack "differently" to make the size of the car work. Everything goes in soft-sided bags. Suitcases are out unless you are passenger-less.

Integra/Civic could be a good idea. Get a clean one that hasn't been modified much/at all, though. Too many teenagers have had their dirty, taste-less hands on Integras by now.

Here's a good looking 'Teg for $4200:

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I will tell you that high miles on a Honda/Miata just don't matter. 150k+ is easy for them, assuming maintenance has been kept up. I'd rather have a higher-mileage car with full records of things being serviced and fixed, than a low-miles grandma-car that was left to rot much of the time.

[Kaan]

i'd vote no to both. they are both over priced. that Si has a TON of miles on it and i dont trust that integra. who puts on the DC sports header and thats it? and for the price you can get a nicer one.

[Emily]

I'll take a look at them too. But thanks jake, those tips are very practical for me.
But referring to previous posts, I would rank handling above power since my car currently has neither, and handling needs to come first.

[.RJ]

You can start with a 150k mile car, but if you plan on getting deep into tracking it you will need to replace every bearing, bushing and balljoint in the suspension plus a bunch other odds and ends. It adds up, in time and money.

The upside is, you can put it on track knowing that everything is new and 'right'.

[Emily]

Like put it on the track right away with 150k miles and know every is 'right'?

[Kaan]

SlowBus Civic:
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There is always Rex's WRX

[Kaan]

Like put it on the track right away with 150k miles and know every is 'right'?

after 1 or 2 track days you'd want to start replacing bushings and checking every little thing. once its all done, you wouldnt have to worry one bit. I doubt you would have to worry until you really start pushing it. but it would be the first thing on the list.

[Emily]

Ok that's good to know. Because I was steering clear of all things over 100k for some reason. And because that's what my car has

[Kaan]

every car we have listed would have 100k miles on it. and they will hold up for another 100k miles easily IMO. Only "lucky" people like me put 4 motors in their honda... still on the OG trans until the next motor goes in

[.RJ]

I doubt you would have to worry until you really start pushing it. but it would be the first thing on the list.

No, you should do this right away, or at least get under there and give things a very careful look over. I had a bushing fail at a trackday with a car and very nearly stranded myself. Any high mileage street car is going to be very worn out.

[Kaan]

I doubt you would have to worry until you really start pushing it. but it would be the first thing on the list.

No, you should do this right away, or at least get under there and give things a very careful look over. I had a bushing fail at a trackday with a car and very nearly stranded myself. Any high mileage street car is going to be very worn out.

I blame the 1k rear springs and the PA Turnpike for that one.

Sooner rather than later is the best bet. Also, dont max out your price range on a sporty car... bank on having to do a little work to make sure its 100% for track duty.

[.RJ]

And by a little work, if its an older car, you might want to budget $1500-2000 just in case. Even if the bushings/hubs/etc are good to go you will need brakes, shocks, fluids.

This is all if you're going to be consistently tracking the car, of course. A couple of autox's and a track day or two... not required.

[Goodspeed]

Three pages and the answer is still Miata :lol:. Get one and grow with it. Maintain first and add parts when necessary. Drive it on the street for a while, do a few ax's, then head to the track.

If you decide to buy a prepped car (save some $$$ in the long run), I posted up a very tasty NA for $5k in the "Cars for sale that ain't yours" thread in FS/WTB a while back. Konis, rollbar, hardtop, etc. If your budget is $7-8k, you can find something like that w/o much trouble and keep the rest for gas, maintenance, tires, and a rainy day fund.

[Kaan]

I feel that my main motivator for finishing my KRX has less to do with all the hate/BMWs and more to do with all you miata fanbois :-P

[JPolen01]

Shit, here's an 06 Civic Si for you, for $8500:

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Come on Jake, you have better taste than that (I hope). Painted wheels? Tinted Tails? Possibly aftermarket fog lights? Womp womp womp

[Emily]

Three pages and the answer is still Miata :lol:. Get one and grow with it.

For some reason I'm not feeling the Miata, sell it to me some more
So what I'm hearing is to find a lower price car and save around 1k-2k for maintenence right off the bat?

[Jake]

Three pages and the answer is still Miata :lol:. Get one and grow with it.

For some reason I'm not feeling the Miata, sell it to me some more
So what I'm hearing is to find a lower price car and save around 1k-2k for maintenence right off the bat?

Honestly, there's no reason to avoid it. They're popular at track and AX which means A) they're proven cars and B) lots of people will be around with knowledge and spare parts if something breaks. Which it won't. They require very little routine maintenance, hold up well to a ton of hard miles, and can be purchased/modified/fixed on a very thin budget.

I know there are others in that category (see: Civic, Integra, Sentra) but those didn't appeal to me when I bought mine. Similar principles I guess.

The Miata.net people say to budget $1500 for maintenance right as you buy the car, which I've found to be true regardless of make or model. Anything that is pre-owned will need some work. If your budget is $7k, you can find a hella nice NA or NB and have money left over. The NAs are more likely to be sold with track/safety mods (rollbar) in place. Here's an okay-ish NB that's ready to track and daily for $6400: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=433542">http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=433542</a><!-- m -->

[JPolen01]

Please do not get a sentra. That idea needs to be dropped. They are ugly, slow, and lack the aftermarket support of the other suggestions in this thread.

[ScottyB]

Three pages and the answer is still Miata :lol:.

well, coming from a Santa Fe she might need more space than just a passenger seat and a little trunk. otherwise, yeah hard to beat.

[Kaan]

Please do not get a sentra. That idea needs to be dropped. They are ugly, slow, and lack the aftermarket support of the other suggestions in this thread.

fast is relative .... like 70hp CRXs lapping kids in HPDE1... but i'll only stick up for a sentra for so long.

In her price range she might be able to find a 240 that isnt abused.

i'd definately try to keep $2k on hand incase there is any major work or a ton of minor work to do. with $2k in the pocket you can get just about any car "treack worthy."