Thinking of buying a drift car

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
12/14/2014 at 00:46 • Filed to: None

A while back I took the FR-S out to a drift event and had a blast. However, my fear of breaking something or the inevitable shunt while I'm still getting my feet wet has kept me from going back. Drifting just feels so much more abusive to a car than tracking or autocross that I've been kicking around the idea of getting a drift beater, and I've been considering the following.

All require a bit of work, but I'm a decent wrench and I need something to do this winter anyway. Honestly I'm pretty tempted by the E30 ( even though its an E not an I).

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Anybody have any other suggestions I should look into? Maybe an FC? Though I've never wrenched on a rotary before. Perhaps the answer is always miata? There is a decent candidate (by decent I mean pretty beat up) NB for sale right now...

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

DISCUSSION (33)

mattc993 > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 00:55

E30 or AE86 would be my choices. Miatas are way too ubiquitous for me (not that E30s are uncommon).

daender > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 00:58

Blown-motor FC + cheap V8 = all the affordable drifting shenanigans. There's a reason why there's a huge shift in American drifting toward v8 power plants.

Decay buys too many beaters > daender
12/14/2014 at 01:03

I guess that is true, everyone this year in FD was running a 2JZ or a big american V8. ( plus I think one v10 and a triple rotor)

Decay buys too many beaters > mattc993
12/14/2014 at 01:06

Agreed on the miata, but its hard to argue with a platform that can support basically whatever you throw at it ( not that you couldn't say that for the other choices also)

daender > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:10

That's about right. You want a V8 drift car for the ability to easily break traction without having to downshift and the sheer reliability of non-forced induction V8. Mustangs, Camaros, and V8-swapped 240s/RX-7s/300Zs/etc will make for great candidates. Hell, rock an 80s Camaro or Mustang, they're plentiful and cheap enough for drift shenanigans!

Kinja'd!!!

TDogg > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:10

That's cheap for an NB Miata! Yeah, it's a little rough, but for your purposes it looks perfect. Hoon it as is and then drop a V8 in when the time's right?

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:14

From my understanding of drifting (limited) a miata doesn't make a great drift car because of the short wheelbase. A FC or E36 would be a good choice.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:18

Boom

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/478262…

Decay buys too many beaters > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
12/14/2014 at 01:19

Probably the reason I dont see any at events.

Decay buys too many beaters > daender
12/14/2014 at 01:21

That would actually be pretty sweet.

Especially considering Ive never seen a single american car at any local events.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:22

DRIFT VAN!!!

http://portland.craigslist.org/yam/cto/478632…

Decay buys too many beaters > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2014 at 01:25

You sir, get a blue star. This would be awesome fun to slide around, plus its already drift spec " mismatched tires" :)

Decay buys too many beaters > TDogg
12/14/2014 at 01:26

Thats what I thought! It's like $1k below normal NB prices.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:27

I just search RWD manual under 3000 bucks. I'm so jealous of the amount of options that popped up.

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:28

I mean a drift miata can be done, I know people who have drifted them but I don't think it's really possible with stock power.

Decay buys too many beaters > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2014 at 01:29

I have a IFTTT recipie constantly checking CL for a manual previa (its one of those cars that I just HAVE to own one day), this one is about $1200 overpriced in my opinion.

Decay buys too many beaters > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2014 at 01:31

This is the exact search I did! Except I think my price was $2500.

daender > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:32

The issue is their age and chassis flex but guess what? You're putting a rollcage/bar in it anyway so that'll solve most of it from the get-go. Motor too weak? Raid some parts from a truck or a LT1 (stock Lt1 cam + old 80s sbc = surprising oem improvement) 4th gen F-body at your local junkyard.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:36

that's the exact thing do at least once a week...or day lol.

Decay buys too many beaters > daender
12/14/2014 at 01:38

Nice, I'll look into that.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:38

Everyone is wrong.

You need to get a Lexus GS300 with the 3.0 2JZ-GTE (or GT and turbo it) and do a manual trans swap.

Duh.

Kinja'd!!!

Decay buys too many beaters > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
12/14/2014 at 01:42

Too rich for my blood, I don't have 2jz modding money!

Though there is a pretty tempting example up in Washington

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/479988…

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:51

Ahhh. Yeah, they're not the cheapest option.

But I just feel like rolling up to a drift event in an unsuspecting beat up looking Lexus sedan and then killing it would be the best thing ever.

I might have to do that one day.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 01:53

Oh shit. This one has the 1UZ. All we need is a tune and a turbo. Wanna go halfsies? Ahaha

Kinja'd!!!

Decay buys too many beaters > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
12/14/2014 at 01:57

I feel like that's the kind of thing I'd do if I ever got good.

Then again my choice in slidey sedans would be a bit more... British.

Kinja'd!!!

With a big American V8 and manual swap.

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 02:00

This would make the world a better place. You'd be doing god's work if you drifted one of those.

Decay buys too many beaters > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
12/14/2014 at 02:01

and a transmission, motec, custom suspension work... :)

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 02:03

Eh, those are just details. Scrapyards and pick-n-pulls are our friends!

Plus I'm sure the race shop where I work during summers has some old parts I could have them misplace.

Decay buys too many beaters > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
12/14/2014 at 02:08

someday! I've actually been looking for a cheap X300 daily driver for a while anyway.

Decay buys too many beaters > SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
12/14/2014 at 02:11

And I'm sure I could make anything else we need in my garage with my $100 harbor freight welder!

deekster_caddy > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 07:10

To me "drifting" is how you get a large rwd car to corner with the smaller cars. I wish I could digitize some VHS clips of me doing this in short oval racong, long before there was "drifting"... So drifting seems like a bit of a waste to me!

Decay buys too many beaters > deekster_caddy
12/14/2014 at 15:26

To me it's just a super fun way to practice a different kind of car control than I experience on road courses or at autocross.

deekster_caddy > Decay buys too many beaters
12/14/2014 at 21:29

Nothing wrong with that at all. I'm just surprised at how it's become a 'sport' of it's own. It's just melting tires when you could make a car handle better instead...??? It's fun, but not something I ever imagined people would want a dedicated vehicle for!