What to buy for street/ DE use with $10 - 12k?
 

A friend of mine returned to the track last year after taking several years off. He used to race in MARRS in the late 1980s/ early 1990s. He just became a DE instructor for NASA a few weeks ago. His car is a mid-80s Camero 6 cyl., that he converted from auto to manual. When the cat and heater core went, he converted the car from a daily driver to a track-only car.

The car keeps breaking, and he is having a tough time pumping money into something that is only for the track, especially since the street cars he and his wife drive often break down. So he would like to sell the Camero, and use some leftover money from a home equity loan to maybe buy a 911. He drove my '87 at a Seat Time 2 years ago, and was pleasantly surprised at how well the car handled both the street and track (he ran mid-1.34s at SP in my stock 911; he had not been on the track for over 3 years, and he had never driven a 911). That's actually what convinced him to get back on the track on a regular basis.

He's wondering what he can buy for less than $15k. Prefereably, he would stay closer to $10 -12k, and have some money left to fix things he finds wrong with the car, or to add some safety enhancements. He really likes the power band of the 3.2l, but I don't know if he can purchase an early Carrera in that price range.

What do you guys think? Any recommendations? He probably would not be adverse to an SC, but it would help if it had a 3.2! Anyone know of local cars for sale in this price range that are in track-worthy condition?

My vote is for a 3.0L SC. You know if he looks at a 3.2, he might have to replace the alternator then that could take 8 hours because of the A/C :lol: .

He's pretty good with cars (he and his brother did most of the wrenching on his race cars), so I doubt it would take him that long... But he also A/C is not mandatory! I told him SCs suck when it comes to A/C, so most owners remove the system and use the excuse that they are trying to lighten the car :lol:

Tell him to get a mid-year car (76-77 are galvanized) that someone has already dropped a 3.2L into. Should fit the budget and leave a few $ for the unexpected.

He can get a pre-G50 Carrera with 100k+ miles for less than 12k. I did.

If he were interested in building a track only car, I like the idea of a 2100lb 78 SC no sunroof coupe with fiberglass panels and a 3.2 or maybe a 3.6. Or maybe a race prepped 930 with almost 600bhp. But when you say street/track, it sounds like this guy wants to drive it to work. He might even want to [gasp] listen to the radio. The best car in this situation for the money you're talking about is a 84/86 Carrera.

Stock, the 86 is the best of the lot as it has the bigger torsion bars in the rear and bigger sways. With a modified suspension, there is little to no difference between 84-86. I think the 84s still had the trombone oil cooler, so you may want to watch out for those.

And yes, Carrera's do tend to eat alternators, but replacement should be a 1 hour job. I think David had angered the Porsche DIY gods somehow, and they unfortunately exacted their revenge in a harsh manner. :twisted:

944's come up all the time for less than that. I know, I know. But, big bang for the buck.

Spec Miata?

There may be a 71T with webbers (I think) comming on the market soon. 20K miles (original) for about $16K. Would make a great track car, drive it forever and get 80% of your money back. Serious inquires only, whatever that means.

Hmmm I gotta see this

No clue what's going to happen with this auction (about 2 days left), but my understanding is that the current price is pretty close to the reserve. I'd bet that it could be had for under $15K. I saw this car in person last weekend and it is in very nice shape, except for a scraped right rear fender.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...94138&rd=1