[gel]

I am looking for a dedicated Track car, since it is getting harder to find places that still allow my 98 M3 'Vert.

It seems like a it would be about the same money to buy an E36 M3 or build a Spec E36.

For now I am not talking about racing it, just DE's, Autocross and Time Trials.

Assuming the M3 is stock:

What would be the pros and cons of each?
Which would be cheaper in the long run?
Which would be faster?
Which would be better for any other reason?

Any opinions or facts are welcome!:nixweiss:

Gary

[tfro]

Originally Posted by gel

Any opinions or facts are welcome!:nixweiss:

Gary

This is the internet, we don't believe in facts.

[Ced]

go here...

http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/Info...rTheRacer.aspx

Originally Posted by gel

I am looking for a dedicated Track car, since it is getting harder to find places that still allow my 98 M3 'Vert.

It seems like a it would be about the same money to buy an E36 M3 or build a Spec E36.

For now I am not talking about racing it, just DE's, Autocross and Time Trials.

Assuming the M3 is stock:

What would be the pros and cons of each?
Which would be cheaper in the long run?
Which would be faster?
Which would be better for any other reason?

Any opinions or facts are welcome!:nixweiss:

Gary

[MLCain]

I haven't seen any Spec E36's out and about yet, but I suspect they'd be faster around most tracks than a *stock* M3 on stock tires. Pricewise, building a racecar is never cheap, but if you can do most of the work yourself, you could probably do a Spec E36 for less than what you'd pay for a decent stock M3. I think the Spec E36 would probably be more fun and safer for sure.

One drawback to buying a stock M3 for a track only car is that you'll basically be paying for a lot of stuff you don't want or need on track, like a/c, power windows, factory seats, interior, radio, etc. All that stuff will just be coming out anyway. Ideally, I'd do what Ced suggested and look for a good used track car.

[gel]

Ced: I assume you meant here:
http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/race...d_display.aspx

I have seen many spec E30 for sale for reasonable $'s in the past, but I REALLY like the way my E36 M3 takes to the track. Since I was not expecting to see any Spec E36's for sale yet, I wanted to get some info on how well they would do. I have yet to see an E36 M3 at a through away price, but 325is and 328is are out there. The sum of the parts for the spec build gets you preatty close to a decent M3.

My thoughts so far:
M3 - out of the box good, but more $ to improve

Spec E36
Cheeper to start, could DE it during the build, could spread out the spending.

Gary

[thenobot]

My advice? Get a 325/328 donor car and make it into a SE36 fully before you track it. I think tracking a car as it's built just wastes your time in learning the car. Build it once, then learn to drive it, rather than chasing what your last mod did to the car.

Building a spec car is relatively easy, since there's not much research to be done. Don't skimp on the safety stuff (cage, seats, belts). I'd guess you'd put $15K including the price of the car into the project.

As a datapoint, I recently finished building a Spec Miata for $13K, including the price of the car. It took maybe 4 full weekends total of my time (stripping the car, installing new brakes and suspension), then a trip to the fabricator (TC Design in Milpitas, CA) for a cage, seat brackets, alignment and cornerweighting. There was a couple of trips to the local Mazda mechanic for some freshening of the motor, but that's about it.

It's a blast to drive, and now I've got a solid platform for fun and learning! The only thing I regret is not doing that sooner!!!

[scmgoblue]

Originally Posted by thenobot

My advice? Get a 325/328 donor car and make it into a SE36 fully before you track it. I think tracking a car as it's built just wastes your time in learning the car. Build it once, then learn to drive it, rather than chasing what your last mod did to the car.

Building a spec car is relatively easy, since there's not much research to be done. Don't skimp on the safety stuff (cage, seats, belts). I'd guess you'd put $15K including the price of the car into the project.

As a datapoint, I recently finished building a Spec Miata for $13K, including the price of the car. It took maybe 4 full weekends total of my time (stripping the car, installing new brakes and suspension), then a trip to the fabricator (TC Design in Milpitas, CA) for a cage, seat brackets, alignment and cornerweighting. There was a couple of trips to the local Mazda mechanic for some freshening of the motor, but that's about it.

It's a blast to drive, and now I've got a solid platform for fun and learning! The only thing I regret is not doing that sooner!!!

Flying Miata turbo on the horizon?