Racingswh

Such a great point Ken!!

Almost too much logic in your post.

I incorrectly assume all the time that someone already has all that figured out. So much to consider when you go the race car route.

duk007

I love how all of us, myself included, have got this poor guy buying into a racing career after just one track day. Trucks, trailers, Motorhome, and a race car ! I have no place to judge anyone, I’ve gone down the same path, even looking into a Motorhome this spring, but it took me more than one track day to get there!

All of this is great advice. OP needs to be honest with himself about how far he might want to go with this new “hobby” since its clearly a slippery slope. No matter what he decides, a used stingray is probably not the best dedicated track car compared to other options out there at a much lower cost.

One thing for sure is that you will have a community here with good people that will share their experiences and help you get into it with whatever you decide. Most of us have been at the same point you are now, and have an idea where you might be headed!

Nowanker

Sage advice!
Still recommend buying an already prepped, mid-pack spec Miata. Can be had below $10K. Low operating costs, and can be resold at about the same price if you don't crash it. If you do crash it, it will be at a lower speed, and a much cheaper lesson.
Meanwhile... be building that spec Corvette for some REAL fun.

D K

If anyone wants I have an almost complete turbo supermiata s1 build with a bunch of brand new stuff for sale.
That class should be about as fast as the spec vette (?)

salcolkat

I have an enclosed trailer and would trailer it to the track. Im starting to think im going to go with a C5 spec vette.

duk007

A truck and trailer makes it easy...SPEC Vette is the way to go !
That's the direction I went. I know a couple of guys at my home track that are interested in building a spec vette but are waiting to see a couple of cars do it first. I'm building mine now. I look at it like this: The components on the spec vette series address most of the weaknesses of the C5 platform while keeping the costs down. Most of those things were going to be replaced anyway, why not build it to fit a specific class from the beginning so your ready to race W2W once it catches on here on the east coast. Worst case is that the series doesn't catch on which means you built a car that just needs a few additional mods to run T1/2, or run NASA. If the series catches on , your car will be an easy sell when your done with it. There really isn't much of a downside other than you can't choose the components that you use.

Good luck, hope to see you at Watkins , Pitt Race or VIR !

D K

Thats exactly how I feel as well.
The platform will make it fairly easy to spec the car up or down. You could hop up the engine, put some aero and now youre in an entirely different level.

Cap'n Pete

Who in their right mind would want to drive a MIATA after driving a Corvette on track?!?!?! Eff that!!!!

I totally support the guys saying C5 / C5Z, for a dedicated track car. They are tried, tested, and proven, and flat out OVER-ACHIEVE.

That being said, each generation is a little "faster" (from the factory) but what it REALLY comes down to is your BUDGET.

Back to the stupid MIATA idea .............. a few years ago, saw a very experienced driver take a fellow driver's C5 for a few laps and CRASH on his 2nd or 3rd lap, because he was so used to the (lack of) power of his Miata, and thought he could hold full throttle into a corner with the C5 the same as he could with the Miata. Obviously NOT .

So IMO, why bother "conditioning" yourself to going slow, then only having to "re-learn" to drive when you inevitably get bored of driving the slow car, and want to get back out in a 'Vette??! Makes no sense to me!!

jd86L98

JayhawkCPA

C5 zo6

Nowanker

^^ Corvette vs. Miata:
If you're new to the track...
'Horsepower challenged' cars will teach you how to go faster sooner.
'Horsepower surplussed' cars are funner sooner, but can hamper driver development and mask lack of talent.
Choice between the 2 depends on your goals.
As for getting out of a Miata and promptly crashing a Corvette... gross overconfidence and basic lack of skill.

Just my opinion...

duk007

[QUOTE=Nowanker;1596549200]^^ Corvette vs. Miata:
If you're new to the track...
'Horsepower challenged' cars will teach you how to go faster sooner.
'Horsepower surplussed' cars are funner sooner, but can hamper driver development and mask lack of talent.
Choice between the 2 depends on your goals.
As for getting out of a Miata and promptly crashing a Corvette... gross overconfidence and basic lack of skill.

Just my opinion...[/QUOTE

^^^Very true. Also depends on what your going to do with the car. If your planning on competeing, then a spec Miata with a bunch of other spec Miata’s is a blast, but that same spec Miata at a HPDE or an SCCA TNiA event is not so much fun with a bunch of high horsepower cars zigging past you like your standing still. Some of that is ego, some of it is just plain physics.

The answer is a c5z that you drive like a momentum car. Problem solved !

D K

There was some talk a while ago about who is better, an acoustic guitar player or an electrico one. Of course opinions were all over the place.
Then Zakk Wylde said: Let's give Tracy Chapman a Les Paul and Marshall stack and see what she can do...


[QUOTE=Cap'n Pete;1596545416
So IMO, why bother "conditioning" yourself to going slow, then only having to "re-learn" to drive when you inevitably get bored of driving the slow car[/QUOTE]

Nowanker

As someone here on the forum once said:
"They're ALL momentum cars."
When you're first starting out, it's exponentially more difficult to modulate surplus horsepower to exploit that momentum.
Some people are a natural at it, most are probably not... I'm still learning.

Hrlyrdr22

subd, in similar boat as OP.

bigmackloud

I'll just throw another option out there for kicks and giggles... a Thunder Roadster, particularly one with the Hayabusa motor. 170hp, 1400 lbs, cage, clutchless upshifts, faster than a Miata (busa motor typically lands in NASA ST3 I believe), requires a smaller trailer/truck than a Corvette, easier to work on (ie, not a street car converted to racing), closed wheel so you can run with most HPDE groups.

Bill Dearborn

The Miata has the advantage that repair parts are sometimes as close as the local junk yard. They are cheap. My neighbor purchased a spec miata and actually raced it Vs doing schools. Typical of the Spec Miata bumper car runs he got banged up by other people hitting him. Repairs weren't fun but I was surprised at how low cost the parts were. He also had some mechanical problems and again parts were cheap. Maintenance items were cheap as well. You can get the parts anywhere. He didn't pay much for the car to begin with and could operate it and then sell it without losing too much.

I know on the big tracks if you are driving a Miata you may feel like a gnat with a max speed of 120 and cars are blasting by at 150+ but they sure do get around corners.

I hadn't driven a low power car on the track when one of my first students showed up with a MR2. We were going up the Esses at Watkins Glen and I felt like I could get out and walk faster so said more gas. He said it had been to the floor since we apexed previous turn. That is when I realized I needed to revise my instruction. Everything was about keeping the steering wheel straight and the right foot on the gas pedal as long as possible. Any time he turned the steering wheel the car slowed down even if he was at wide open throttle.

Bill

apex26

The OP's car is too fast to start with. He'd wind up with the computer driving the car and learn very little. The C5z is a great choice--get faster and turn the nannies off, drive the car 100% yourself, and really learn--that's very gratifying as you progress. I bought a Miata for "duel purpose" and can't stand it--goes for sale in spring. Yes, it's cheap, but my blender has more torque.

laserbrn

I used to do a lot of track days just for fun in my C5 when it was brand spanking new in the early 2000's. I sold it 10 years ago and haven't been back to the track since. I had a friend that wanted to get into it and I always had fun doing it so we bought a C5 base model together.

We picked up the car for $5800. It took another $5k or so to really get it it useable, sway bars, shocks, springs, tires, fluids, brakes, spark plugs, etc, but now we both agree it's a beast and I think it has proven to be a good starting point for my friend who's never done it and it's still great fun for me. We've had it out twice and both times we came home all smiles.

I couldn't imagine trying to get started in these 500+ HP animals on the track, you really aren't doing yourself any favors trying to start out that way.

The_Backmarker

I'm a former Spec Miata driver. They're great cars but not the only option and they do have drawbacks. My opinion on Miatas as track cars and as race cars (I've owned 5 of them and raced two of them):
Pros:
1. Very affordable to buy and operate
2. Huge body of knowledge on how to set them up for the track
3. Very reliable assuming stock motor (forget turbocharging them for the track - too many issues)
4. Handle and brake well right out of the box. They don't need much to be track-ready
5. Lots of fun to drive at the limit. Very predictable and well-behaved. Good "learning" car
6. Consumables are affordable (especially tires)

Cons:
1. Very cramped inside since they're so small. Installing a racing seat is no joke and usually requires some modification of the transmission tunnel
2. You'll need to install a proper roll bar before even being let on the track. Hard Dog makes good ones.
3. While they're good cars to learn on, they're kind of slow on the straights and you'll be pointing by lots of poorly driven Mustangs, S2000s, BMWs, and, gasp, Corvettes!
4. After tracking a Miata for a year (or less), you'll probably be ready for something with better performance.

My point being that while Miatas are great cars, there are other options. C5 Corvettes (especially non-Z06) are affordable and don't have so much power that they mask mistakes that much. If it were me, I'd go with a C5 Corvette. Of course, the biggest (IMHO) issue with a Corvette is the much higher cost of consumables (such as tires) so I'd run street performance tires instead of Hoosiers or Toyo R888s.

Just my $0.02.