Hey everyone, thanks for having me on the forum

I'm looking to get a new car, and would appreciate your thoughts/opinions/experience in helping me make a good decision. I've been trying to find some forums dedicated to amateur/hobbyist performance driving, but so far have only found very small, mostly abandoned communities. I'm trying to get an idea of what makes a successful road car, and what some popular/well supported options are. I'll keep things as brief as possible.


1st some basic info about me:
-Early 20's
-Experience researching, modifying, maintaining, and racing my own previous daily driver (an early 90's Accord). I understand the headache, heartache, and pride that's associated the process. Pretty much know what I'm getting into by DD a project car.
-5 years spent working as an auto tech (wrench monkey), not proficient at complicated diagnostics, but comfortable working on cars and following procedure. Not just a lube tech; timing belt/water pump no problem; no experience with internal eng/trans work though.
-I care about handling and technical driving, not very much about going fast. Looking for: suspension&related>torque>hp. Competing against myself, the car itself, and the environment. Bottom line is having fun, accomplishment, enjoyment.


Some info about what I'm looking for:
-Budget: Initial investment <~$8k; ~2-3k/year afterwards inc. gas. Flexible.
-A good all-around car. Sedan or hatch would be nice, 2 seaters fine though. (CA climate only, no snow, light rain)
-Relatively safe and decent MPG (20/30+, the higher the better)
-Easy to maintain/work on, available & affordable parts. Aftermarket support. Reliability.
-HP/TQ:weight ratio
-Will see 2-12 road courses/year depending on budget/schedule. Don't like auto-x.
-Safe to park in mostly fair to moderate locations without excessively worrying about theft. Fine with getting alarm & GPS tracking.
-Toned down/conservative looking (Accord was stock exterior/interior minus wheels, seats, & stereo)
-Can be slept in somewhat comfortably. Unfortunately this excludes most convertibles.
-CA smog must be considered
-Adverse to turbo chargers & nitrous, fine with super chargers, all motor, and transmission changes
-Looking to own it for ~5-10+ years
-Something with some soul/uniqueness. Basically something I like & have a connection to. Common cars, like a Civic, are fine though.



The Mini seems to check most of the boxes. I'm a little concerned with how they appear to drive on road courses though. Does the short wheelbase make them as squirreley as they appear on film? I really liked the feeling of driving at the limit of traction/suspension, and catching the Accord in those first few seconds of oversteer. Beautiful. Also I'm not very worried about FWD/RWD/AWD. Just want to have fun and enjoy myself.

They also are relatively rare, and sale prices quickly skyrocket. Makes me jealous to see all the cheap B-series swaps available in the UK. I don't know if I could afford to do a B-swap for a long time, even if I found a decent-looking $4-6k car. I believe I could technically do it, but that's about the boundary to the limit of hassle I'm willing to go through.

I probably wont be exceeding 90-100 MPH for a long time (if ever), if that gives you an idea of my confidence & comfort levels. More fun to drive a slow car fast.. I understand that a car you track is a car that you must feel comfortable with walking away from.

Thanks everyone!



Some other cars I've considered:
1980's/'90's Civic/CRX hatchback with a B/H series Honda engine swap
2001-2005 Civic SI hatchback (EP3)
Nissan 350Z/G35
Honda N600 (Overpriced, but cheaper & more common than a Mini)
Another 1990's/2000's Accord
Late 2000's Dodge Charger
BMW 3 Series from late 2000's (think e90? Not a BMW guy, sorry)
BMW Z coupe (can't really be slept in)
Honda S2000 (Again..)
1990's Toyota Camry + supercharger
Datsun 510 (Think they're overpriced)
2001-late 2000's Mini Cooper
Early 2000's Subaru STI (Overpriced, cheap inside, beat to heck)
1990's-2000's Volkswagen Golf
Late 1990's-2000's Ford Mustang

 

Your list mentions


2001-late 2000's Mini Cooper


AKA a MINI



what you posted in is an area for classics


aka a Mini




redirect your post and you may get good replies

and if you are worried about 'short wheelbase' and the MiNi ... you don't know the history of the Mini!!!!!

 

I'm sorry for the confusion; I meant to convey that at the moment, the car I'm considering most is a classic Mini. It might have been easier to just ask for some personal experiences daily driving & racing them. I have watched a few of them on track, and from the videos, they seem to break traction somewhat erratically. Kind of like, everything's fine one moment, you're at apex, and then for a split second all four wheels have broken traction and the car is sideways, then quickly grips and aligns again. Just wondering how that feels when you're in the driver's seat, and if it's an attribute of a short wheelbase. It looks like the drivers remain in control. Or if it's just something unique to the cars I saw. I'm more familiar with seeing only 2 wheels break traction at a time when the driver is still in control of the vehicle.

I'd like to know if the driver can feel that coming on, and plan for it, or if it's kind of an unexpected scare. Or if it's something unique to the cars I've seen. I posted the list of other cars I've been thinking about in case anyone has experience with both, or can simply say XXX may be a better choice because YYY. When I am seriously considering a 2001+ Mini Cooper I will certainly seek out that community's opinions. Surprisingly, they're much more common in my budget allowance! Thanks everyone!

 

I find my MINI far more rewarding to drive on track than my Mini, which I use mostly for DD and longer distance classic Mini events....


If you want a good DD that's also a lot of fun on track as well as reliable, go MINI. If you want a fun car that you will work on a lot, a classic is a good way to go, but in that price range it's difficult to find a good car that doesn't have rust and need a LOT.


For example, recently there was an early 80's hatch for sale in our area, I went to look at it and it needed - paint, rust repair, engine overhaul, clutch, tires and wheels, exhaust, suspension work, a complete interior refresh and new seats, body rubber replaced, a windshield and more bits and bobs. Asking price was $7500.....