Question- Cheapest Fun Cars (Autocross capable) for under $3K

"Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen" (sportwagen) 10/07/2014 at 21:28 • Filed to: None

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As the title says... can anyone suggest good cars that will fit under those categories? Anything goes (Salvage Title fine, high miles fine) Mustangs, Camaros, etc, but no boy racers (Civics, Toyotas (MR2s are fine!) , Eclipses, etc) Please answer in the replies!

jkm7680 > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:28

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I swear, the first person who says Miata.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > jkm7680 10/07/2014 at 21:29

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Miata?

Brian Silvestro > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:29

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E30, Miata, 944

jkm7680 > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:29

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*Growls intensely.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Brian Silvestro 10/07/2014 at 21:30

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Huh, I will look into those!

vdub_nut: scooter snob > jkm7680 10/07/2014 at 21:32

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jkm7680 > vdub_nut: scooter snob 10/07/2014 at 21:33

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My citroen won't start > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:39

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Aaron Brown > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:39

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e30 e36 944 miata 2.5rs

D > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:43

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Like you weren't already considering them..

Kanaric > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:44

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Aside from what I see 924S, AW11 MR2, 300ZX Z31, Starion, non-turbo RX7

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > D 10/07/2014 at 21:50

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LOL evolution orange NB plz!

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Kanaric 10/07/2014 at 21:50

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LOL turbo 88 Starion is at the top along with 94-97 NA Miata and SN95 Mustang GT

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:50

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Obvious answer is obvious

Besides for that a civic is actually a decent choice for autocross, light and nimble, or a CRX if you can find one not riced to shit. As others have said E30s, I would avoid the 944, unreliable and a pain in the ass to work on. 90s non-turbo imprezas. You can find high mileage E36s for dirt cheap these days and even a few E46s. FWD DOHC Dodge Stealth/Mitsubishi 3000GTs can be had for cheap and have a ton of power. You can also strip a ton of weight out of them, mine weighs in under 2300lbs with a full cage, not bad for 220HP.

If you're fine with salvage title and stuff keep an eye out for MR2 Spiders, you might be able to find one in your price range. Beater 240SXs would also be a good choice but you'll have to pay the drift tax.
Dodge Neons are actually a shitton of fun for next to no money, if you happen across an ACR version buy it.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK 10/07/2014 at 21:52

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Neon with home brew SRT4 swap? ACR coupe like a 96 with a cheap 2.4L Iron Block with SRT4 internals?

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 21:55

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Well you could do that too, but for a cheap beginning autocross toy if you could find a DOHC first gen Neon that has 150HP which is plenty.

Kanaric > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:01

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Starion allows for a LOT of tire for its era if you are driving in street class.

You would be in GS. There is someone here with a 318ti that does well in that class. A starion allows for significantly more tire and has more power. It might do well.

I would do it and run in GS. Seems like you would be decently classed and that car has a lot of lower end torque for a turbo. Probably like a TDI almost lol..

Your main enemies would be Mazdaspeed 3 and Focus ST but you are RWD so you have a chance. That and the 318ti guy here does well vs them anyways.

thedevilinside > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:10

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Fiat X1/9? I know nothing about them but it would be cool.

LugNutz > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:13

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A stolen Miata. Should be able to get one for a couple hundred, then you have some cash for mods.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > thedevilinside 10/07/2014 at 22:15

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Mechanic on a first name basis and 90% discount? If so, then yes! If not, then no!

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:16

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WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, WHOA.

Did you just lump all Toyotas in the boy racer category?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/07/2014 at 22:17

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Woops! Edited lol forgot about MR2s haha I actually want one now!

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:20

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And: Celicas, Supras, V6 Camrys (old ones obv), Corollas...

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/07/2014 at 22:23

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Fine, Celicas MR2s and Supras are cool in my books, but I can't afford a Supra, all the Celicas in our area are shit, and MR2s are all over 200K miles and the sellers want like $5K! Just get a 94-98 SVT Cobra for that type of money!

thedevilinside > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:24

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You said salvage title and high mileage ok, so I assumed you had the mechanic part covered. I was also just trying to think of a fun and different car.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > thedevilinside 10/07/2014 at 22:25

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Oh... no I meant something easy to work on! To fix a mustang you just pour Red Bull down the dipstick tube and hammer the cylinder heads with a sledge, right?

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 22:39

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Psh, 200k miles down with 200k miles left on those 4A-GEs

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/07/2014 at 22:42

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But yours is a turbo isn't it? The ones for $5K were NA ones! The turbo ones were going for like 7.5 to 10K!

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 23:13

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Wow, they've really spiked in price lately. What about first gens?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/07/2014 at 23:14

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Around 3.5K average for an AW11... I'm looking to see if importing one of the GT-S models is legal yet!

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/07/2014 at 23:21

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HNNNNGGG WANT

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 23:22

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Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/07/2014 at 23:24

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:) Homebrew SRT build?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 23:27

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You could but they're already incredibly chuckable stock. The first gens had a twin-cam version with 150ish hp, which is more than a car that size could possibly ever need.

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 23:28

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I guess your engine comes with half a car, lol

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/07/2014 at 23:29

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Buy a 90+ with at bad engine and trans or stripped and do a swap! 256 HP of JDM goodness!

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/07/2014 at 23:33

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This?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/07/2014 at 23:55

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That's a good find. The regular Neons could have a DOHC optioned, but the R/T models made it standard and added a more aggressively geared transmission and a rear sway bar. What you really want though, is an ACR, the factory track package. It had thicker sway bars, 4-wheel discs, adjustable Koni shocks, and better engine cooling.

Probably won't find one though. I think there were only 500 or so first gen ACRs made.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/07/2014 at 23:59

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Heh, meh I think I would be happy with an R/T and these

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 00:03

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Maybe you can ask Falken how they pulled gobs of power from the engine in their Supra:

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 00:04

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Giant turbo?

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 00:13

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Possibly, I honestly don't know. The 3S-GT(E)s have always lived in the shadow of the 2JZ.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 00:19

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Well I want one! There is a guy down in Tulsa selling an MR2 with a 3S-FE for 8.5K with around 80K miles

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 00:23

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He probably means 5S-FE since that's what the N/A SW20 got in North America. Unless he went through the trouble of putting an actual 3S-FE in. That seems pretty pricey, I got mine for $4k around 4.5 years ago. Granted it had 165k miles but it shouldn't make that big a price impact.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 00:31

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Is your MR2 a turbo?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 00:32

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Go for it! Just remember to keep an eye out for rust while shopping around, after all, these are 90's american compact cars.

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 00:36

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Indeed it is

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 10/08/2014 at 00:37

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Well I'm waiting until I start college (parents don't want me to get another car, so I will buy a cheap one and insure and register it under my own name by myself) so it will probably be about a year or so until I pull the trigger :/

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 00:37

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3S of some sort?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 00:47

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OOOOOOOOOOOO I LIKE THIS (yes, I know it would need much work)

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 01:03

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3S-GTE (there's several revisions, mine being a 1991 has the 2nd rev of the 3S-GTE).

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 01:05

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If you really wanted to, you could find a rev 4 3S-GTE to put in there. Of course now we're talkin expensive, haha

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 01:06

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LOL GODDAMNIT LOOK AT MY USERNAME NOW! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 01:09

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Well I'll talk to ya later I gotta go to bed... school and shit gotta be out of the house by 7 tomorrow morning lol :P

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 01:11

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Homework demands my company for another 45 minutes or so, else I'd be sound asleep already.

Jay Lauer > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 01:23

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Still a bit pricy considering you have to remove the head and replace the studs after buying it.

Also, you have to wonder, why did the transmission need to be rebuilt, the clutch replaced, and everything else he has listed need replaced with only 112k miles.

Either that cars had a bit of a hard life or someone knows how to crack open a gauge cluster.

That being said, I'd buy the hell out of it at $4000-$4500. He's moving out of state so you can lowball him hard.

Jay Lauer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/08/2014 at 01:31

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I say Fox-Body or SN-95 Mustang. Everything about them is cheap, reliable, and easy to work on. I prefer the foxbody hatch since it gives you more space in the rear. My dad dailys his SVO.

Foxbody's may be hard to come by not tarnished, but be patients. The SN-95s are good as well, just a newer foxbody. They were my first and second cars. Either one could be beat on without incident. Ironically, we just bought a SN-95 as well. Hopefully, we'll take it to the autocross Oct. 19th.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > Jay Lauer 10/08/2014 at 07:49

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Well I guess it's now a toss up between miata, mustang, and MR2!

midengineer > Jay Lauer 10/08/2014 at 11:20

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It's definitely a fixable issue. I wonder if it's be possible to pull any profit, suns like it'd be a hard sell especially with the transmission issues you mentioned.

Jay Lauer > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 21:06

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Oh I think there's profit, but it's a matter how easy is it to get. Let's say you buy it for $5000, fix everything for around $1000. The best I've seen doing some research for ones comparable is about $9000-$9500. After haggling again from the buyer, call it $8500-$9000. So it's about $2500-$3000 profit.

The problem is that MR2 Turbo's don't have wide appeal; It's a niche car, especially in Kansas and surrounding states. So 1) You'll have to sit on it all winter since no one buys sports cars in the winter and 2) You'll have to sit on it for a while waiting for the right buyer once spring comes. You'll have six months at the least in it, $6000 you can't use elsewhere, and for about a max 50% return, which comes to $500 a month off owning it.

It's the same dilemma with a couple water-cooled 911s I've seen for cheap or the Typhoon. And that's why the GTO sold so quickly even though it was kind of a lame duck.

But, if you love MR2 Turbos and would get tons of enjoyment out of having one and making a little profit, then maybe it's worth it. Depends on the person.

This time a year, I've crossed out most RWD sports cars. I'm waiting til Dec/Jan to buy those. Now, it's Subarus, small trucks, and Jeep Wranglers

midengineer > Jay Lauer 10/08/2014 at 22:17

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Good analysis, I'd love to tackle flipping one but I definitely can't afford the buy in.

Jay Lauer > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 22:35

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Well I definitely wouldn't start with a $5000 one. I started small, with $1500 type ones. However, I'm also fully aware I'm exploiting the advantage of dad's mechanic shop, so I realize it'd different circumstances for everyone.

midengineer > Jay Lauer 10/08/2014 at 23:42

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It's tempting but any spare car $ I have goes straight to the one I already have, haha. I can't blame you for using your resources, that's the whole point of having them!

Jay Lauer > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 23:49

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Well you're more than welcome to share in the resources as well if you need to use any certain tools, hoists, the big A-frame. Although it's all out in Clearwater.

midengineer > Jay Lauer 10/08/2014 at 23:54

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Thanks for offer, I'm fortunate myself to have an uncle with a garage near to my house with a 2-post lift that I've used a couple of times. I'll definitely keep your offer in consideration though!

Jay Lauer > midengineer 10/08/2014 at 23:57

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Right on, that's actually the one thing we don't have. I've tried getting him to buy one, but apparently he does RV work sometimes, so there's nowhere to put the lift.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/10/2014 at 14:28

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Even if it is raining are you going to be at the car show? If not then I'm not going...

midengineer > Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen 10/10/2014 at 18:38

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Sorry man, too cold for me.

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > midengineer 10/10/2014 at 18:47

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Don't blame ya... parents said no because "Since it is raining there won't be a car show..." not that I would care, but it is too cold for me too