Possible autocross cars for under 7 grand

[toyofan]

sup guys, im looking for a solid autocross car for 7 grand or under. any thoughts or ideas anyone?

heres what I was think of so far:
s14 (w/ rb20)
s13 (w/ rb20)
300zx (n/a or tt)
90's mr2 (turbo only)
e30 (318/323)
85 fox body 5.0 (not perfect for autox but what ever)

thats all I got, any other suggestions? thanks
-toyofan

[Cal]

I can only speak on the S-Chassis. I would not recommend an RB20 powered anything for autocross. The RB20 is a 2.0 6 cylnder with stock power of an SR. More problems due to age, since it is old parts are harder to find for it, and I think it weighs more than the two I4's, If you are going to go for an S-Chassis it would be much better to find a built KA-T or SR20.

[ej25ti]

why again do you not just autox the evo?
lol

[G4BROKE]

how about an all-trac? Someone I know is looking into a stock 88 all-trac with 61K miles on it. $5K or negotiable. All original engine and interior.

[toyofan]

why again do you not just autox the evo?
lol

i do, I just want to keep my evo safe from further damage (such as tranny going bad in another 20k miles or engine block meltdown)... I want something I can beat the shit out of and if the engine blows, im not out 20 grand.. l

[toyofan]

I can only speak on the S-Chassis. I would not recommend an RB20 powered anything for autocross. The RB20 is a 2.0 6 cylnder with stock power of an SR. More problems due to age, since it is old parts are harder to find for it, and I think it weighs more than the two I4's, If you are going to go for an S-Chassis it would be much better to find a built KA-T or SR20.

sr20 would be ok, i just need something solid that can hold a 15+ psi turbo... the sr20 would be nice...

[toyofan]

how about an all-trac? Someone I know is looking into a stock 88 all-trac with 61K miles on it. $5K or negotiable. All original engine and interior.

meh, ide rather go with the mr2.

[ForRealSomeday]

1st gen MX-5. (look for one with the 1.8 liter)
Flyin Miata Hydra Turbo Kit
Hard dog roll bar
and still have $1,500 left for wheels and tires.

[sip]

It depends what you're goals are. In class wins, FTD, reliability, fun?

Do you care what drivetrain layout? FR, RR, MR, FF?

I have an FD RX7 that I track (Time attack and auto-X). If I had to do it again I would probably get a CRX Si or 1.8L NA Miata. Both are fun, reliable and top or their SCCA class.
The FD is faster most of the time, but I got beat to hell last week on a 30sec tight course by a lot of smaller, lower hp cars. The course was to short and tight for me to get heat in my old V710's and the car just slid around.

I would get one of the above cars and prep for a street class with some Kumho XS or Bridgestone RE11's. All fun, still competitive, no hassle and plenty of people in your class. If you start doing engine swaps then you go directly to MOD class and there are some really fast purpose built cars there. Street classes are the fastest growing classes in SCCA and tend to have the highest number of entrants.

[ej25ti]

^^ too bad you can't get an FD for under $7 =/

how about a GC8?

[sip]

^^ too bad you can't get an FD for under $7 =/

how about a GC8?

That wasn't my point, but you can. I got mine for $8500 with 40,000miles on it. There is one for sale close to me for $7500. You just have to move to Canada.


I have a GC8 as well. It's not the greatest slalom car, but it's an awsome winter car.

[ej25ti]

That wasn't my point, but you can. I got mine for $8500 with 40,000miles on it. There is one for sale close to me for $7500. You just have to move to Canada.


I have a GC8 as well. It's not the greatest slalom car, but it's an awsome winter car.

in that case you should post pics of your rides lol
what kinda shape was the FD in? find me a good one for that price lol

[sip]

^ I don't really want to hijack the OP's thread.

I also have a Celica GT4 and an MR2 turbo. The Celica is kinda heavy but anything AWD makes a good slalom car for a beginner because it can cover up errors in driving. I've never raced the MR2.

[Cal]

sr20 would be ok, i just need something solid that can hold a 15+ psi turbo... the sr20 would be nice...

I have a friend with an SR that boots 18PSI but not tall the time. I look at it like this. If they can withstand the constant high rpm of drifting, they can survive Auto X too.

LSX S-chassis would be a contender too. Lighter than the KA. Instant NA power.

[toyofan]

That wasn't my point, but you can. I got mine for $8500 with 40,000miles on it. There is one for sale close to me for $7500. You just have to move to Canada.


I have a GC8 as well. It's not the greatest slalom car, but it's an awsome winter car.

lol, i dont think im going to move to canada... I would be interested in a first gen rx7 maybe. The only thing is, the rotary engine in a piece of crap after a hundred k miles

[toyofan]

I have a friend with an SR that boots 18PSI but not tall the time. I look at it like this. If they can withstand the constant high rpm of drifting, they can survive Auto X too.

LSX S-chassis would be a contender too. Lighter than the KA. Instant NA power.

personally, i love the styling of the 97 s14s but I could do an older s13. I found a 1991 s13 for 3 grand just down the street. Has 142k miles and is lowered w/ exhaust. Think its worth it? Also, paint is a little messed up and the dash has a huge crack in it...

[Cal]

$3000, only if it already has an SR.

And I mean a clean swap. None if that rats nest wiring no p/s bullshit.

[toyofan]

$3000, only if it already has an SR.

And I mean a clean swap. None if that rats nest wiring no p/s bullshit.

nah, it just has the stock motor in it. If i could talk him down to 2 grand, u think it would be a good deal? Also, if i did a sr20 swap, should i have it done professionally at a shop or should i do it myself? Im confident I could install the engine, its just the wiring and taking it out that I would probably have issues with. Could I find a "how to" on the internet?

[bersh]

dont have a shop swap it. its literally a bolt in affair. and if u cant splice and extend a few wires just buy a pre made harness. wiring speacilties makes new ones for like 300ish. and its certain that it will be correct.
240's are like legos. no biggie building them. thats why i heart them.
go s13.

coils. lsd. bushing kit. sr20det. brakes. wheels/tires. and you have a car thats compettive in anything..

[Cal]

nah, it just has the stock motor in it. If i could talk him down to 2 grand, u think it would be a good deal? Also, if i did a sr20 swap, should i have it done professionally at a shop or should i do it myself? Im confident I could install the engine, its just the wiring and taking it out that I would probably have issues with. Could I find a "how to" on the internet?

The problem with S-Chassis that everyone thinks their is made of gold. $2K is insane to me but probably what you would get from a person into them. Here is a piece of advice a friend once gave me concerning 240sx's

The best 240's come from people who call it a 240sx, not an S13/14, S-chassis, silvia etc. as they are more likely to have treated it like car that actually expected to drive everyday and not modify.

Your best bet if you can't find a clean stock car and if you can handle the swap is to find a rolling chassis. Toss in the SR (see bersh's post) and you are good.

[ej25ti]

The problem with S-Chassis that everyone thinks their is made of gold. $2K is insane to me but probably what you would get from a person into them. Here is a piece of advice a friend once gave me concerning 240sx's


Your best bet if you can't find a clean stock car and if you can handle the swap is to find a rolling chassis. Toss in the SR (see bersh's post) and you are good.

drift tax :P

[toyofan]

dont have a shop swap it. its literally a bolt in affair. and if u cant splice and extend a few wires just buy a pre made harness. wiring speacilties makes new ones for like 300ish. and its certain that it will be correct.
240's are like legos. no biggie building them. thats why i heart them.
go s13.

coils. lsd. bushing kit. sr20det. brakes. wheels/tires. and you have a car thats compettive in anything..

eh, its just that ive never done a build before. I have the time and the money, I just hope I have the skills. Also, I spoke with the 240 guy this morning, 3k firm. I told him sorry, cant do it...

[engineer14teg]

Have you considered an Integra? I auto-x mine. The DC chassis is mega fun, and fast with cheap mods. Any LS/RS/GS/SE can compete with a GS-R simply with sways, suspension, and wheels+tires. There's good reason why it's called the best handling FWD car in the world.

Other details: The gear ratios in the GS-R tranny make it real hard to keep in vtec between 1st and 2nd unless you electronically change the crossover. Performance-wise, the ITR is in a whole other ballpark with an LSD and mega suspension mods but you won't find one for that price anyways. Civics are underpowered and sohc (1.6 v 1.8).

[Cal]

drift tax :P

This foreal. Damn drift tax.

eh, its just that ive never done a build before. I have the time and the money, I just hope I have the skills. Also, I spoke with the 240 guy this morning, 3k firm. I told him sorry, cant do it...

Good man! Don't fuck up and buy a lemon. You might end up like me, with a $2100 NA KA in your bay. Plus there are plenty of SR20 build threads, write-ups and guides online. I am just learning how to turn a wrench ( I can't read a ruler with out counting out the lines and dividing) but I am confident that with enough time I could do an SR swap.

[LilJohn]

Have you considered an Integra? I auto-x mine. The DC chassis is mega fun, and fast with cheap mods. Any LS/RS/GS/SE can compete with a GS-R simply with sways, suspension, and wheels+tires. There's good reason why it's called the best handling FWD car in the world.

Other details: The gear ratios in the GS-R tranny make it real hard to keep in vtec between 1st and 2nd unless you electronically change the crossover. Performance-wise, the ITR is in a whole other ballpark with an LSD and mega suspension mods but you won't find one for that price anyways. Civics are underpowered and sohc (1.6 v 1.8).

if your going with a FWD i would go CRX.

[toyofan]

Have you considered an Integra? I auto-x mine. The DC chassis is mega fun, and fast with cheap mods. Any LS/RS/GS/SE can compete with a GS-R simply with sways, suspension, and wheels+tires. There's good reason why it's called the best handling FWD car in the world.

Other details: The gear ratios in the GS-R tranny make it real hard to keep in vtec between 1st and 2nd unless you electronically change the crossover. Performance-wise, the ITR is in a whole other ballpark with an LSD and mega suspension mods but you won't find one for that price anyways. Civics are underpowered and sohc (1.6 v 1.8).

I didnt really think much about an integra... im guessing the gsr is the sport version... I thought the integra was awd, maybe that was the eclipse... anyways the gsr integra would be good its just for one with around 100k miles its like 8 grand (a little outside my price range). I would consider buying an LS/RS/GS/SE if i could get it for like 5 grand but then i wouldnt have much room for mods... nice cars but im not sure if i want to go with a fwd car... I guess I wouldnt mind it, but i prefer awd or rwd.

[engineer14teg]

Like someone said earlier, if you're going to tinker with more than intake/exhaust and wheels/tires/suspension (boost, swaps, tranny work, internals), you'll end up in a much different class for autoX.

Regarding Hondas, you'll get the best time gains from things that affect handling not power, and still stay on the cheap side. The motors are bulletproof, 100k is just breaking it in! Finding a stock motor in the car is tougher though.

The GS-R is worth way more bc of the vtec motor. It's a-whole-nother beast in straight lines, power production potential and on high speed tracks, but for autoX the ++'s over non-vtec motors (LS/RS...) is limited b/c there's not much rev range (5-8k). Any handling ++'s over non-vtec models matter little bc all parts are interchangeable.

Bc it's lightweight and small, $2500-$3k in quality parts will make any Honda crazy faster than stock around a track.
Good coilovers: $800-1200 new
22-24mm Rear sway and subframe brace w/ bushings: $300 used
205's on 15's or 16's: $800-1000 new
Front pads: $100 new
I/H/E: $400-500 used
Tower strut: Stock
Bulletproof short geared tranny: Stock
Bulletproof motor: Stock

Get advanced with an LSD, corner balancing, dedicated tires, stripped interior, and a supercharger and there isn't much that can keep up with it.

Sounds like you found some decent Integras, but the prices are about $1k high on what you could find for a barely modded one. I hear ya on FWD, you're limited by physics on power you put down in corners and it can get a little frustrating for some.

A little deeper reading on the Integra if you desire

[modifiedMR]

mr2 or mrs. Maybe I'm biased? lol.

[Deslock]

Your list looks pretty good except you're missing the obvious choice: an MX5. An NA or early NB would be the best for autox, given your price range... bullet proof, dirt cheap to buy, easy to maintain, lots of mods available, very fun.

If you're OK with FWD, a GSR (you won't find an ITR in your price range) or CRX can be amusing as well.

[toyofan]

Like someone said earlier, if you're going to tinker with more than intake/exhaust and wheels/tires/suspension (boost, swaps, tranny work, internals), you'll end up in a much different class for autoX.

Regarding Hondas, you'll get the best time gains from things that affect handling not power, and still stay on the cheap side. The motors are bulletproof, 100k is just breaking it in! Finding a stock motor in the car is tougher though.

The GS-R is worth way more bc of the vtec motor. It's a-whole-nother beast in straight lines, power production potential and on high speed tracks, but for autoX the ++'s over non-vtec motors (LS/RS...) is limited b/c there's not much rev range (5-8k). Any handling ++'s over non-vtec models matter little bc all parts are interchangeable.

Bc it's lightweight and small, $2500-$3k in quality parts will make any Honda crazy faster than stock around a track.
Good coilovers: $800-1200 new
22-24mm Rear sway and subframe brace w/ bushings: $300 used
205's on 15's or 16's: $800-1000 new
Front pads: $100 new
I/H/E: $400-500 used
Tower strut: Stock
Bulletproof short geared tranny: Stock
Bulletproof motor: Stock

Get advanced with an LSD, corner balancing, dedicated tires, stripped interior, and a supercharger and there isn't much that can keep up with it.

Sounds like you found some decent Integras, but the prices are about $1k high on what you could find for a barely modded one. I hear ya on FWD, you're limited by physics on power you put down in corners and it can get a little frustrating for some.

A little deeper reading on the Integra if you desire

thanks for the reply, yeah I would consider getting a gsr.. the price is a bit much, but they hold their value well and are very reliable... if they were awd, i would probably already have one... oh well, i just gotta give it some time... if a good deal pops up, ill hopefully snag one.. until then, i just gotta keep searching.. thanks!