The Best Budget Track Cars for Beginners, According to You

“Honda Fit. Cheap, reliable, chuck-able (relatively). Plus plenty of room to carry gear or others to and from the track.”

One person’s small yet practical city car is another person’s light and nimble track car.

Suggested by: mike937

“MIATA ALL THE WAY! It is the biggest class in SCCA for that very reason.”

In this case, the answer probably is Miata.

Suggested by: Beth Sala Covin (Facebook)

“Chevy Aveo/Sonic (or similar reasonably priced small car). Fiesta, Yaris, Mazda2, Hyundai.

“Take stock, strip, add tires. Disposable. Don’t throw ‘performance’ parts at it. GM is cheap to fix consumables.

“Passing/beating anyone feels like a Le Mans win. You can find a manual. And it teaches drivers that you can’t just throttle-solve bad lines. If you have to sell because anything (baby, partner, life etc), well a used Aveo isn’t going to net you much anyway. Heck, when gas prices become high or winter hits (with winter tires), you have a beater AND track car.”

Giving a Chevy hatchback the Lotus treatment of “simplify, then add lightness” sounds like a fun way to spend a weekend.

Suggested by: futuredoc

“Your parents’ old car is the best budget starter car.”

Not sure that’s quite what the makers of this aging Vauxhall Corsa had in mind when they designed it. But if I have to track one of my mum’s old cars, then the Corsa is the best bet.

Suggested by: Koala Joe (Facebook)

“Man, there are so many different schools of thought to what makes a good track car. FWD? AWD? RWD? Theres probably four or five of each of those that would be perfect. Is it a DEDICATED track car, or something you daily and also track? It’s just so wide open.

“But If I had to pick just one, I think I would probably go with whatever Mustang one could afford. From a 2,500 dollar rusted out Fox to a decent 7-8k SN95 to a $25k S550, there’s something for every budget.

“You have decent power, but not so much that you get into real trouble. You have a twitchy rear end that will teach you a little bit of restraint through corners. You have replacement parts at every parts store in town. You have enough trunk space to haul consumables and tools to the track. A backseat is there should you need it. Insurance isn’t terrible. The aftermarket is enormous, and the cars themselves are plentiful.

“I have nothing but personal disdain for Ford products, but there’s only one nameplate that has cars that can lose to a Geo metro, or lap a 911. That’s the Mustang.”

It sounds like there might be a Mustang for every occasion and every budget! That’s before Ford has even released its next wave of track-focused Mustangs.

Suggested by: caddywompis

“An MX-5 or Toyobaru (now GR86) is going to be the best answer for most drivers. Excellent chassis communication with enough power to be entertaining but not enough to easily get in trouble.”

The Toyota 86, the GR86 and the Subaru BRZ were all popular suggestions today. Maybe that’s down to the chassis, power and the car’s front-engined, rear-wheel-drive setup.

Suggested by: Scott Sanford (Facebook)

“Me again with my Fiat Abarth. I have been using this car for track and it is a lot of fun and surprisingly very resilient. Brakes endures well, 2nd and 3rd gears are very flexible with a lot of torque (all relative).”

Track all of the hot hatchbacks, please.

Suggested by: minardi

“Miata used to be the answer, but prices are going up on unmolested manuals. $6k minimum these days for even a moderate one. And pre built race cars that are already sorted aren’t cheap, and ones that aren’t well sorted can be a real headache. Spec Miata is great, but it’s not really cheap anymore.

“A 90’s era Civic or Integra might just be a more beginner friendly option. Sure, you’re forced into FWD, but decent ones are still cheap, parts are plentiful and the aftermarket is huge. And as much as I love a spec Miata, it’s become way too serious for a lot of new racers to really have fun and learn in their first year.”

1990s Hondas also proved a popular choice among commenters today. The EK Civic from 1995 came up due to its plentiful aftermarket parts.

Suggested by: Jason Kaplan (Facebook)

“Forbidden fruits for most people here, but Clio 2RS are awesome track/rally car... so much that I have five now haha.”

A vibrant yellow Renault Clio RS will always have a place in my heart. The 2.0-liter, straight-four engine that it came with means it’s also worthy of a place on the track. This recommendation is mostly meant for our friends across the pond.

Suggested by: flyingfrenchy

“I started with a 2005 Toyota Corolla XRS.

“Six speed manual, 170 hp, 8,200 rpm redline. Maintenance and consumables are very cheap, if you ever bin it there are plenty of Corolla parts/chassis in the junkyard. Super easy to work on, and while I was learning with that, I saved up for an MR2 Spyder, which also uses a Corolla engine lol.”

If you can learn to work on your car while you learn to track it, that’s got to be a win-win situation!

Suggested by: Natt Jimanaroj (Facebook)

“The Fiesta ST all day every day.”

In its stock form, the Fiesta ST gives you a manual gearbox, 197 hp and a top speed of 144 mph. What more do you need when you’re giving track racing a go for the first time?

Suggested by: duovamp

“You can get a G35/37 cheaper than a Miata now. More HP and just as good aftermarket support. And being longer than a 350/370z there’s more room for a cage and less twitchy .

“Added bonus, you can sell off the interiors for pretty decent money (depending on condition) for go fast parts.”

Being able to recoup the cost of a track conversion by selling off spare parts is a handy hint to know.

Suggested by: Brent Olbrych (Facebook)

“E36 BMW non-M3 – cheap, simple strong motor, plentiful. There’s a reason they run them in many enduros. Reasonable power

“BRZ/FRS – cheap consumables and parts, lightweight, good out of the box. Momentum car.

“C5 ‘Vette – also cheap and plentiful parts, lots of power. Can be a PITA to work on.

“Civic – FWD but otherwise a no brainer, pretty limitless platform.”

If you still don’t want a Miata, then the E36 BMW from the 1990s was another very popular suggestion from commenters today.

Suggested by: realityagent