If you were going to build a beater race car to do autocrossing and a little road racing in for under $3,000, what would you buy?

I'm thinking a 91-92 Sentra SE-R.

 

A CRX.

 

SE-R might be a little more then 3,000....it's a nice car to do up.My friend has one, with a turbo kit (hotshot) he runs 13.2 on 555R.

 

Even to compete is Showroom Stock classes for road racing (for older cars that is IT 1, 2, or 3), by the time you get done with the safety mods and tires/wheels, you are well over that .......

Expect to spend about 10 grand to have an IT competetive car, 7 or 8 to tool around in last place ...... at least that was what I was told when I started researching it last year .....

To run showroom stock for auto-x (A, B, C, D, E stock, etc.), then you can spend that much and have fun, but not be competetive ...... For that I'd go with a 1st Gen. CRX Si ('84-'87). For more fun, and more potential, go with an EF ('88-'91 CRX Si or Civic Si).