Im gettin my license on may 14 and the only vehicle i've got is my uncles 1978 chevy scottsdale which is a nice truck and all but it only gets 9 miles to the gallon and my mom wont let me modify it at all cuz its a "classic". i just got into japanese cars a few months ago so i dont know a whole lot about 'em. i was all about the muscle cars until i finally realized that they're impractical cuz theyre so expensive to maintain and you always have to be working on them. i was wondering if anyone could help me out. i wanna get a car thats decently fast stock and can be made faster for a relativly small amount of money. i only have about $7,000 and i want to have as fast a car as possible. any suggestions. and yea i know how to drive a manual.

 

Well I don't know if this is the right forum for you to post in, But if you want to learn to race.. any honda will work fine. The old saying "you get what you pay for" applies here for sure. You would do good in getting any civic from 88-00 for ease of Modification, availaiblity of parts, cost, reliability. I would suggest getting some time on the street and then starting with local autocrosses and then maybe moving into HPDE's

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~~~~To clarify my above statement I never intended for this to be taken as a suggestion to streetrace.. I suggested mearly to get seat time on the road daily driving.~~~~~ It was the right forum for him to post in as it turns out.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!


This is the basics and My opinion only.




Modified by SoloSol at 11:54 AM 4/14/2004

 

Well I don't know if this is the right forum for you to post in

Roadracing = racing on the streets and stuff, right?

 

your best bet is a crx for like 1000 bux and dump the rest on a motor swap!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd00 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Roadracing = racing on the streets and stuff, right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thank you for making my car insurance go up.

 

Froggie Panties!

Wheeee!

 

Streetracing is for ********.

 

I am not sure how much experience you have driving (in some states I think you can drive at an early age). However, inexperience and power is a dangerous combination. You do not want the fastest car possible for your money.

There are multiple routes for becoming a good driver:
1. You may want the cheapest reliable car with the best potential for upgrading. As you get better upgrade the car. A Honda Civic, Acura Integra (RS/LS/GS/GSR), Mazda 323/Protege, Mazda Miata, etc.

OR

2. Start with a basic car. Then as you get better go towards better cars. This was my route. I wanted to learn RWD. So, I started with a Miata...sold it... I have a S2000 now.... hopefully to sell in two years and then maybe a Z06 (not sure)...and then the ultimate goal is a Porsche Turbo or GT3 or whatever Porche they have in 10yrs. (Yes, I am praying for a HUGE increase in finances in 10 yrs.)

 

What kind of racing do you intend to do?

Wont matter if you do a motor swap in a track car as a novice. The only that will get you is in over your head and into a wall.

 

thanks for the info

 

Last time...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What kind of racing do you intend to do?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

actually i dotn know where any road racing tracks are around here although it looks like a lot of fun. ill probably end up dragging.

 

Doing driving schools on a road course can be a lot of fun and very rewarding. And its alot cheaper than getting busted for street racing or speeding.

Alot of groups will let you work (flagging, etc) for driving school credit as well. If its something your parents would support, then any cheap Civic (Si models are alot of fun), put a few $$ into it (tires, shocks, brakes) and start learning.

 

thanks. my mom is cool with it as long as i dont get any speedin tickets. first one i get i lose my car. so yea wont be doin that. but there are a few drag tracks in the dallas/fort worth area so im pretty sure thats all ill be doin for awhile.

 

You could get into autocross also - http://www.scca.org/getstarted/divisions.html - find your region and look at their calender of events.

Its alot more fun than going fast in a straight line!

 

yea no joke. my freinds are all about draggin but i dotn see the fun of it (cept just the fun of goin fast of course). it seems kinda boring to me. thanks again.

 

Here is a Texas based group to get you started.
http://www.thedriversedge.net/ Motorsport Ranch is about 15 minutes SW of DFW.

I've heard nothing but good things about this group. Join the BMWCCA and SCCA both clubs are very active in your area. Events at TMS (you do know where that is) they have a road course there as well, Motorsport Ranch, and its a drive but Texas World Speedway is a hoot from what I hear. I spend about 4 weeks a year in the DFW area and don't know it all, I'm sure some others will chime in.

scca.org
bmwcca.org
ntpog.org

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheBluejeanJedi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yea no joke. my freinds are all about draggin but i dotn see the fun of it (cept just the fun of goin fast of course). it seems kinda boring to me. thanks again.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I guess it turns out that you posted in the right forum then.

Once you start autocrossing or roadracing, the thought of drag racing disappears from your brain. then when all of your friends wonder where you are for 10 hrs at a time on a saturday you can tell em you're REALLY learning how to drive. and if you think 100 mi/hr trap times are fast, wait til you hit 130 on a long straight, redlining 4th gear...brake to 40 mph and then negotiate a corner. [end anti-dragrace snobbery]

it's also good to auto-x at an early driving age because it teaches you alot of pretty important car control skills. If you can maintain your discipline on public roads and not drive like an *******, and spend enough time auto-x'ing or hpde'ing, you'll find yourself better equipped for those unexpected and sudden dangerous situations that all drivers face and be a better, safer driver in general, and have skills to brag about, to boot

i mean, just a few months ago i was in a fairly serious multi-car accident, and found myself performing some evasive maneuvers that i would have never been able to accomplish without spending some time autocrossing. I ended up walking out of the car without a scratch, but who knows how bad it could have been if i had reacted in a different way?

anyway, back on topic...it is my understanding that civic tuners benefit hugely from cross platform compatibility with the integra. (much more so than us prelude guys from the accord )imo, If i was buying a honda to build for fun, it'd either be a CRX, a civic SI, or an ITR.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by davidnyc &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes, I am praying for a HUGE increase in finances in 10 yrs.</TD></TR></TABLE>

pray for me too buddy

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You could get into autocross also - http://www.scca.org/getstarted/divisions.html - find your region and look at their calender of events.

Its alot more fun than going fast in a straight line!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Here are a few stories from folks who autocross, well most of the stories are autocrossing anyway. The first-hand perspective may help... http://www.nerdsracing.com/nerdnotes1.htm

Here's a checklist that I use when going to an autocross:
http://www.nerdsracing.com/nerdnotes1.htm

And here's a novice page:
http://www.autox4u.com/novice.htm

Hope this helps!

As for a stock Honda to buy, I'd suggest an 88-91 Si Hatchback. It's light, has a back seat, and is decent for stock, yet has potential if and when you want to build it. Depending on your budget, meaning if you have more money, I'd suggest an Integra Type R, or an S2000. Both are excellent cars in stock form.... edit, just read your budget cap... both of these cars are over 7K. Sorry.

With the new regional class, STS2, a stock CRX, or one slightly modified (with stock engine), is a good choice too. If you can find one in decent shape and/or well maintained this would be an excellent option too.

Good luck and have fun.

 

i think im gonna end up getting a cheap civic or a CRX and doing an engine swap up to the B18C5, although ill probably have to get a little more $$ to do that. im also considering upgrading the suspension immediatly as well. good idea or no?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheBluejeanJedi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">good idea or no?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Bad idea.

No motor swaps. Just go have fun with the car.

 

why no motor swap?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheBluejeanJedi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">why no motor swap?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well classing, but thats not of much importance as a novice. For the cost of the motor swap you could build a nationally competitive car - http://www.redshiftmotorsports.com/ChrisTech.htm - not to mention money spent on the driver will make you faster, while money spent on the car usually wont.

A decent suspension setup and some Falkens are all you really need in a 88-91 Si hatch, or even a 92-95 Si hatch - and they've got enough power to be alot of fun just starting out.

 

Sticks you in a class where you have no chance at being competitive as a novie (SM). You will get trounced by serious drivers with race tries, and you won't have as much fun. Stick with stock class rules and have fun being fast with a slower car.