Fun AutoX Beater for $6k?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Zeke

If you think fitting in a Miata will be any kind of problem, forget the Boxster. A race seat would help in both, but they are tight.

I owned a '99 Boxster for nearly a year and found it to be very comfortable, I never found myself wishing for more room. Also much larger inside than the early Miata I've been in, at least from a perception standpoint.

[doug_porsche]

I guess I am in a rebellious mood. Have you though outside the fenders?

125cc shifter kart - Home

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Stripped out Saab NG900. Cheap, fast and easily modded.

First gen MR2. 4AG is a GREAT motor.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

What I like about the 944s is that I can drive it to Home Depot and toss stuff in the back, as there is plenty of room for "Stuff" and if it will be a "true" beater, you need to be able to carry stuff...

yup, a well setup 944 makes a good work truck

[Reg]

Originally Posted by Jared at Pelican Parts

Stripped out Saab NG900. Cheap, fast and easily modded.

First gen MR2. 4AG is a GREAT motor.

Yeah - 7500 red line out of the box, twincam 16V! I believe this motor was the base for Formula Atlantic race cars for a number of years with over 2X the power my 2 had.
The car handled well too.

the newer latest "black top" JDM versions had 20V and 170 hp factory. I wanted to do that swap but a family and desire for cubic inches and torque changed the plan...

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Even a Toyota Starlet/Corolla with the 4AG would be a great AX car.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stuartj

Maybe my memory is failing me. We had the original 1.6 (pop up lights) and then the 1.8, the next body shape. My recollection is that is was deeper, and if you put in a light weigh shell type seat, you'd probably gain some head room. We have the current 2.0 Mx5 now and its definately deeper. Dont like that car.

The 1st gen ('90-97 - ['90-93 1.6L / '94-97 1.8L]) and 2nd gen ('99-2005 - 1.8L) are very similarly sized. If there's a headroom difference, I haven't noticed. The big difference (fit-wise) to me is footroom. The new cars ('06-->) are built on the RX-8 platform so they should be quite a bit more roomy than the older cars. I'm comfortable in the older generations. I had a buddy that was 6'3" and 275. He mostly fit. We carpooled for about a year.

[rattlsnak]

Again.. Neon..
The Chrysler - Plymouth - Dodge Neon's racing successes - SCCA and elsewhere

[gtc]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

No love for the MR2 Spyder? It's cheap, mid-engined, RWD, and reliable. I'm surprised it isn't used more for autoX.

All I've heard about the Spyder is that it has a comically small luggage compartment. I guess that doesn't matter much for autocross, though.
I have few friends/acquaintances that AX MR2s, and I think they all use Gen1s, NA & SC.
The upside to MR2s is that the drivetrain is a direct swap from a front engine corrola (or whatever) if you need a new motor or tranny.

[racer]

How much do C4 gen corvettes sell for these days? can't be much more than 6K can it? Maybe a 1980's Mustang GT?

I think it comes down to the type of class you want to run in (stock? SP? Mod? ST classes? ) there are TONS of classes these days it seems to me. The Miata could be speced out to run in several different classes depending on mods.

Do you want to win your class? contend at nationals? or just have a "beater" you would also enjoy ax'ing?

Civic SI (1989) seems to be a car of choice in STS(?) I have seen several very fast FWD cars, plus they might teach you another set of skills in the process.

I like the MR2 spyder, but near me they are more than $6K.

944 / 924S , in E-Stock, tends to get beaten up by Miata and MR2's.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Jared at Pelican Parts

Stripped out Saab NG900. Cheap, fast and easily modded.

First gen MR2. 4AG is a GREAT motor.

I'd be pretty concerned about limited parts support with the Saab. As the former owner of a NG900 I know all about the cheap and fast attributes. And torque steer, lots of torque steer.

First gen MR2, however, is seriously worth considering.

[varmint]

i know nothing about autox, but has anyone ever considered stripping down an old surplus police cruiser? seems it would be fun slamming one of those around a track.

[porsche4life]

Problem with the big cars is that they really don't hold up to the flogging, look at the LeMons results, they are littered with broken down popo rides...

I'd consider an MR2 Matt, I've seen one well driven lay down some good times....

[Jim Bremner]

Lotus 7ish car with an evenrude 2-stroke V4 outboard engine!

[slow&rusty]

Matt - 323 GTX all the way!!

15psi of boost and 180+hp in a 2500lb car with an incredible chassis (and ultra reliable too).

Faster than:
944 NA
CRX
MR2 even the Supercharged Mk1
An entire fleet of Alfa Romeo Spyders
Miata
NA RX7

[Jim Richards]

Aren't those 323 GTX's pretty hard to find?

[Porsche virgin]

If you are serious about autox, stick to the stock classes for a while. Once you move to SP, you open a huge can of worms.

You'll enjoy driving the lightest cars the most, so the GTX (or a police cruiser for that matter) won't be as tossable or as fun.

The MR2 Spyder didn't come with a LSD.

A Miata is a great choice if you want to be competitive. You can probably find a nice one all set up on the SCCA forums.

If you just want to play and enjoy, just get a car you like and have fun.

I've autox'ed: '90 Miata, '98 Prelude (not SH), '94 Miata R, and now an '84 911. I'm not the fastest driver, but I derive more sheer joy from driving the 911 than anything else. (Shocker, huh?)

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Aren't those 323 GTX's pretty hard to find?

Damn near impossible.

[J P Stein]

I've been kicking around SCCA AXs for 10-12 years.
Nothing is as adaptable to more classes, ES to XP, than the Miata......no others are even close..... cheep, reliable, and a kick in the ass to drive. They are also the quickest of the SP cars to boot....bring on your Vettes, GT-3s, GTRs, Evos, yada..... Miatas have em' covered with maybe 180 HP. That HP number ought to tell you something.

[scottmandue]

914 with SBC... there... I said it.