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New car(s) dilemma...



So in the coming months I'll be in the hunt for a new car, had my heart set on a M135i or 235I auto. The plan was use it for the 15k miles a year commute, daily/weekend duties and then around 5 track days a year, but i'm having doubts about using it for the latter due to the cost of the car being around £17k and also the additional costs of tyres, brakes, servicing, maintenance and wear and tear on the car. Track insurance is also £100 a day as well.

So as a different approach get a nice comfortable auto like a F10 530d for around £10k with BMW insured warranty, sell the Skoda for around £3k and buy a ready built track car for around £5-6k (Civic, Clio, E36 etc) to do more track days, around 8 days a year.

Pro's of a new track car, new car feeling, gives me a project, we have a spare car in the household if another breaks. Con's potential money pit (again)!!!

Or get a nice comfortable auto like a F10 530d for around £10k with BMW insured warranty and keep the Skoda and strip it to its bear bones, stage 2 tune (just needs a decat and map for 275hp/340 ft/lb), seats and harness etc. Would cost around £1000 to get it to this stage with a power to weight of around 230hp/tonne if I could get it down to 1200kg which shouldn't be an issue.

Pro's of the Skoda it gives me a project, it'll be unique at track days and hold its own pretty well against the usual bunch, I know the car has been maintained to a very high standard and doesn't need money spending on worn or broken parts, we have a spare car in the household if another breaks. Con's, its a Skoda!!!

Whether buying a new track car or transforming the Skoda I'll still have to insure them for the year and tax through the track season which would cost around £500.

Thoughts?

M*35i and track it (most expensive option by far...)

Comfy daily and new track car (middle ground option, but potential money pit)

Comfy daily and transform the Skoda (least expensive option by far but its a bit meh!)
 

imprezaworks

ClioSport Club Member
  Mk5 Golf GTI :)
if it was me. Middle ground car that covers both daily/track hero. As a quick example, rs250.
 

donnylad

ClioSport Club Member
just did my B and E last week, thank fluck I passed though as its a 250 quid retest or similar.

Stupid my 80 year old grandad who cant drive for s**t can tow my race car for me, yet I couldn't.
 
just did my B and E last week, thank fluck I passed though as its a 250 quid retest or similar.

Stupid my 80 year old grandad who cant drive for s**t can tow my race car for me, yet I couldn't.
I know its mental, my mum can drive huge horse boxes and everything. I missed out by a year as well.
 

R3k1355

Absolute wetter.
ClioSport Club Member
Keep the Skoda and work on that, the number of 'ready built' track cars isn't very high. Most are just stripped with had a couple of cheap bolt on mods.

The Skoda is cheap and straightforward to do now and if you get abit bored you can stick a bigger turbo on it and push tons more power.
What happens when you get bored of the Clio or Civic, gotta sell it and buy something faster anyway.
 
Keep the Skoda and work on that, the number of 'ready built' track cars isn't very high. Most are just stripped with had a couple of cheap bolt on mods.

The Skoda is cheap and straightforward to do now and if you get abit bored you can stick a bigger turbo on it and push tons more power.
What happens when you get bored of the Clio or Civic, gotta sell it and buy something faster anyway.
Yeah i'm defo leaning towards this, as you say more power is easily achievable with a K04 conversion.
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
Personally i think the M135i would be the best idea as you are only going to use is for 5 track days so surely the extra cost is going to be cheaper then getting a full on track car and towing it around etc. Then the M135i would be fine when you are not on track and would be more fun.
 

R3k1355

Absolute wetter.
ClioSport Club Member
Extra money on BMW priced consumables though, plus there's always the worry that something lets go on track and you find yourself with an expensive repair bill and a broken car for the daily commute.

At least if you explode the track car it can be dumped on the driveway and repaired as and when you have the funds.
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
OK BMW parts will be a bit more expensive. I would still go for 135i and have a set of track wheels and brakes for it. I can't imagine it will have many issues on track apart from maybe temps.
 

Greeny.

ClioSport Club Member
  440i + 182
I have an M135I LCI for daily and my 182 track car for... track although its insured, MOT & Taxed as I don’t wanna pay storage costs for a trailer plus I would need to buy one and find something to tow it. This is my preferred option purely as I like to have something that feels abit more track dedicated and keeping the Clio fairly standard engine mods wise and never driving it like I stole it on track keeps the maintenance down, however if I was to have one car for both for a reasonable price it would have to be a RS250 Cup.
 
I have an M135I LCI for daily and my 182 track car for... track although its insured, MOT & Taxed as I don’t wanna pay storage costs for a trailer plus I would need to buy one and find something to tow it. This is my preferred option purely as I like to have something that feels abit more track dedicated and keeping the Clio fairly standard engine mods wise and never driving it like I stole it on track keeps the maintenance down, however if I was to have one car for both for a reasonable price it would have to be a RS250 Cup.

I just can't help it though, hence why a £17k 320hp RWD motor is not the best idea for me as I'll end up backwards through the armco in no time, lol.
 

Greeny.

ClioSport Club Member
  440i + 182
I just can't help it though, hence why a £17k 320hp RWD motor is not the best idea for me as I'll end up backwards through the armco in no time, lol.

Don't get me wrong I hardly feather it around track but I do try to drive with a certain amount of mechanical sympathy, especially gearbox wise. I certainly wouldn’t have bought the M-lite for track work although they are meant to be decent fun, but no diff!
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
EP3 would be the best one to get, but prices are going up. My mates supercharged one was a weapon and mainly used as a track car.
 
Do like the ep3 having owned one for 5 years and it was hands down the most reliable motor I've ever owned. They're getting a bit old now and most cheap ones will have terminal rust and It'd have to have engine mods as well as they just aren't quick in standard form.

Like the idea of a s2k but you're scrapping the barrel at £6k.
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
Citroen Xsara VTS, proper weapons and then get the WRC livery.

xsara_wrc_2005_11.jpg
 

Clio_fool

ClioSport Club Member
I'd go for the Honda track car option. Strip it, tyres and pads and enjoy. A screaming NA has to be more fun on track than wads of turbo torque.
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
The VTS is around 170BHP i think and weight around 1100KG. So pretty quickly and they handle really well. You can increase the power with not too much work.

I would either get something french or a Civic/Mx5
 


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