Looking for my first car pre prepped or car with major mechanical damage or needing tlc. Blown auto trans is a good candidate. I want something rwd preferably bmw. Been trying to find a e36. Second what class would you recommend to start gunning for going for? Thanks in advance

Another great little car that is rear wheel drive is the Mazda Miata, If your handy you can put one together for under $10000 and there are a few for sale for under that if you look around.

If you're stuck on a BMW, try to get a E36 325i or 325is and race it in IP2.  Talk to the Nixon Prosports guys, they've built one that's fast and could probably give you some very good advice.

Alternatively you could buy/build an E30 PRO3 car and compete in ICSCC events.  Hit up the guys on the ICSCC forum and they'll point you in the right direction.

Buy a ready built car and save yourself a lot of money and grief. ;)
Spec Miata can be bought for less than $10,000.
You'll need deep pockets for a competitive Pro 3 BMW :o.

+1 Spec Miata.
Unless you're really interested in learning to prep a car yourself (like I did), buying a race ready car is significantly cheaper.

i would love to race pro3 i already own a e30 as a DD love that car ;D but i would have to use R888 i can't get them rilly cheep like i can nitto nt01's

racing a miata i would do if i can move the steering column up i am 6"3' so i don't fit that well in that car

wear are the rules for this spec maita ? read skimmed the icscc 2013 rules and couldn't find anything

and has thar ever been any competitive 240's ever?

Have you considered open wheel? Formula Vee and Formula Ford are inexpensive and a blast. You can easily get started for well under $10k.

Doug is right, Formula Vee would be cheaper.

When you started asking about BMWs I assumed you had enough money that 15k for a PRO3 car wouldn't be enough for you to blink, but it sounds like your budget is pretty low.

How much do you have set aside for this, and what yearly budget can you afford?

Oh, and to answer your question about the 240, no, it would not be competitive.  Take a look through the tech forum, some guy asked a car classing question and in response I gave a list of cars that could be competitive.  If you don't see a car on that list, chances are it will not be competitive in the IP class, which sounds.like the only closed wheel class besides SM that you might have the budget for.

You can find the spec miata rules here: http://www.scca.com/clubracing/content.cfm?cid=44472

At 6'3" you may be a bit big for that car (I'm 6'1"). The steering column can move, but you can't cut the floor pan to lower the seat (I'm bolted directly to it).

Hey, you're a big guy...get a big car! Lots of cheap but fun/fast Camaros, Firebirds or even Rustangs out there!  8-)

Thanks for the advice another thing i would like to how much do you budget for a season of racing exuding the cost of a car?

Budgeting is something that car vary widely depending on the car you race, how far you want to travel, how often you race, and how often something goes wrong with the car. Autocross is a heck of a lot cheaper, as the safety requirements are minimal. I thought I wanted to start with that as it was a cheaper option, but after the race I did during driver training, wheel to wheel racing was the only thing for me!
I just finished my 1st season last fall (which was only half a season really). I spent about 20K for the car, required safety equipment/clothes, car safety modification, high performance tires and brake pads, driver training, racing fees, licensing fees, fuel (which is damn cheap for a Miata). My 2nd season will have a similar budget - pickup truck, enclosed trailer, suspension, race tires, race exhaust, fire system, and a bit left over in case something goes wrong :P.

You can probably get into a Formula Vee for under $4,000 (Talk to Al Ores), if this is your first year racing all you want is a reliable car. Formula Vees can be kept on the track for very little money if you can do your own work, and there is lots of support at the track. You can almost guarantee you will have someone to race with. Because Vees are momentum cars (not much power so you need to take a line that keeps your speed up) you will gain more driving skills (fast cars can hide your lack of skill... until you run against a good driver with an equal car). Fuel is also cheep for a Vee. For a little more money you can rent a Vee from FART and arrive and drive (and I considered this for my daughter), however it can be more fun and less expensive to wrench on your own car.

Although I agree with Larry about Camaros and Mustangs, they are thirsty, and if you are running a race motor in one the gas is not cheep either (this is why I have someone else race my Historic former Trans Am / IMSA tube frame Camaro, I can’t afford the gas).

Hope to see you at the track

bimmerfest,

I forgot that the 1971 MG that is for sale is a screaming good deal, is well sorted and reliable (if you don't mind Vintage - a fun bunch of guys). I'm sure Al will give you lots of support (along with the other vintage guys) and it would be great to see this car stay in the area. The FV just listed today is a good car as well, worth paying for the extras.

Mike

Thanks for the +++s boys. ;) If you're (bimmerfest) near Delta this coming Sat. we will be at the shop. Give us a call and stop by for a viewing. 604.838.8264. We just happen to have a couple of Pro-3 cars, a few FF's, and a number of FV's. Try one on, bring your helmet. Big decision ($$) to make. Get lots of info and try on some different rides. You can rent O/W cars and C/W cars and decide from there. Oh ya....don't forget your sense of humour (humor) when you show up. :)
Bob

How much a season costs will depend on what you race and how much you race.  Here are some approximate numbers for an IP3 Integra GS-R that I race:

$250x7 = $1750 race entry costs
$150x3 = $450 brake pads
$50x5 = $350 fuel
$1800 for 2 sets of Hankook Ventus Z214 tires.  Go for 1 set of Nittos and you're looking at somewhere around $6-800, I guess?
$2000 on average for maintenance (both expected and unexpected).  Engines need rebuilding every few seasons, rules change so you need to buy new safety gear ($1200 last year for HANS device + new helmet), axles break, fuel tanks leak and catch fire, wheels fall off, etc.  In a good season you might spend less than this, in a bad season you'll spend a lot more.

This comes to around $6350 for a season of racing, just in terms of keeping the car going.  In closed wheel, this is close to the cheapest you'll find to be near competitive.  If you don't care about winning, you might be able do a season for $3000 in IP3, assuming absolutely nothing goes wrong (trust me, it will).

I don't know what costs are for Formula Vee.  Probably less.

Hope that helps.

Well......let's try and make this simple, a per CACC race w/e 6 sessions, approx. 1hr. 40 mins. of track time:

entry fee.....same as above......................240.00
fuel...about 4 gallons Chevron 94.................30.00
brakes....last a year sometimes 2 (drums)......60.00
tires....."could" last all season as cheap as...300.00/set 
rain tires.....never rains here though ;)........500.00/set

All the peripherals that Jordy spoke of, safety gear, suit etc. FHRD, and so on a one time purchase. Broken parts are relatively inexpensive to purchase.....more serious damage, well let's just say....make sure you're properly prepared "before" you get to the track. This helps a lot for the little things that can easily lead to $$$$ items. There are enough owners of Vees and Fords at any given w/e that can help with any bits and pieces you might generally need to keep going. If it's a catastrophic issue :'( there are plenty of good folks that will help as much as they can.
It's not F-1, but, it's sure a lot of fun :)
See ya at the track.
Bob 

Hey Bimmerfest,

  You mentioned a 240 in reply #5. I assume you are referring to a Datsun Zcar? If so, There is a local car that has fresh motor and drivetrain. Runs on Pump gas and is pretty fast. Parts are not as readily available as a Miata, but not too hard to find.

  Let me know and I'll contact the owner.


  Thanks,

   CJ

I think Keith is mistaken about the cost to run pro3...   If you want to run at the front of pro3, specE30, or spec miata you have to bring a cheque book.  I don't think the cheque is any bigger for pro3 vs the other spec series.  As far as the car build cost you can add shocks and a diff over spec Miata but that is typically a one time cost.  The pro3championship car from last year was on a stock style diff and Koni shocks so you don't have to bring the cheque book.  That said....  money helps.... alot!  The part I can't explain is the cost of built pro3 car is around 15-22k right now.  I guess it is supply and demand but the other spec series built cars are typically less.   

As a Pro3 guy and looking at your screen name I have a hard time believing you would be interested in anything other than a Pro3.  We had 43 cars start the nascar race at Portland last year.  We typically get over 20 cars to any one icscc race weekend.  In the pacific north west the is no class that has bigger fields but the Miata is a close second on most race weekends.   

This car looks pretty good for $5800. 
http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=280793
While it is not legal for pro3 it would not take much to make it legal.  You could run as is for the novice program and then swap out the parts when you get your senior lic. 

However the others have brought up some solid choices as well.  Miata and FV would be my next choice because of the excellent fields at Mission if you want a spec class.  IP3 if you like the variety of different cars.

Dave

yeah i would rilly love a pro3 car i own a e30 as my dd but too much money at this point. :(  on a side note whats the best place to pick up helmets and all the rest of the ppe ect.

Frank @Drivers Edge.....604.298.5575