£800 to spend.... What's my options?

Thread in 'Drifting Chat / Pictures / Videos' started by chris1811, Aug 12, 2015.

  1. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hi all, new to drifting, got £800 to spend to get me started and on the track :)

    Car must be road legal as it will be used as a runaround from time to time.

    Anyone got anything for sale or have any suggestions??

    I'm not a badge whore so fire away :)
     
  2. Stavros

    Stavros Active Member

    Joined:
    May 17, 2005
    Posts:
    26,133
    Likes Received:
    9
    Mazda MX-5 1.8 i S 2dr

    This, and spend the spare money on a drivers bucket seat and some cheapo eBay coilovers.

    Done.
     
  3. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    I do love the mx5, buy I'm told they suffer from snapping back and spinning you quite badly, is this true or are they fairly easy to learn how to drift in?

    Other than lowering and seat, is there anything else I need to consider?? I've heard they are easy to Turbo :)
     
  4. Tom_R33

    Tom_R33 Member

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2012
    Posts:
    824
    Likes Received:
    0
    Sellin my 318 convertible ... [​IMG]

    £800 Ono
     
  5. Rubix_Cube

    Rubix_Cube Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2005
    Posts:
    882
    Likes Received:
    6
    Many people learn to drift in them, their short wheelbase makes them a little more challanging, but if you learn in a 5, it will give you the skills to drift almost anything bigger or with more power.

    Also, if you have £800 for a road legal car you want to drift dump ideas like turbo-ing the car down the shitter as you'll triple your budget and make the car unreliable.
     
  6. silverzx

    silverzx Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Posts:
    540
    Likes Received:
    0
    BMW 3 series with any 6 pot?

    Can pick up 323, 325 and 328's for £500 and under leaving some cash for servicing, repair, modifications etc.
     
  7. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0

    Have pm'd you dude. :)
     
  8. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0


    Yea looked at loads of 323s, 325s etc but most I can find around my budget are 1.8L om being told that especially with beemers, they are quite hard to drift unless wet in smaller engine form. Like I said though I have no idea how true this is as I'm totally new to this and at the end of the day I'm going to have to learn.

    As for the budget, that's the initial outlay. This is going to be a project to improve over time and have fun with. As long as it goes sideways oit of the box so to speak I'm happy. I can then add bits and bobs as and when :)
     
  9. Ollie

    Ollie LOOSE!

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2010
    Posts:
    1,696
    Likes Received:
    3
    Mx5's don't "suffer" from snapping back - their fractionally shorter wheelbase does allow them to transition nice and sharply though.
    If I can get people with little to no RWD experience (occasionally some with only automatic driving experience!) to link a few second gear corners and hold a few slides in a couple of hours then its definitely technique not the car. I'm no genius either, its just really really not that hard - whoever is imparting their wisdom about mx5s either heard it from someone else or hasn't got a clue.
     
  10. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    Haha I think it's probably the latter! :)

    So my next big question then is....to get started does engine size or bhp matter massively?
     
  11. silverzx

    silverzx Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Posts:
    540
    Likes Received:
    0
    I'd get a 323/325/328 if you can find one cheap enough.

    Parts are dirt cheap, panels are dirt cheap, they seem pretty easy to work on (so far).

    Never driven an MX5 so can't comment.
     
  12. Stavros

    Stavros Active Member

    Joined:
    May 17, 2005
    Posts:
    26,133
    Likes Received:
    9
    Listen to people who can drift, not people who can't, is the best advice there.

    They're not "easy" to drift if you new to drifting (or if you, like many, have drifted for years but never a low power car so have no idea how to drift by using speed and flicks), but they are by far the best to learn in, and a pretty standard MX5 with a decent driver will out-drift most people/cars with 4 times the power, as they can drift FAST.

    Fuck power, fuck turbos, ignore that if you want to learn anything.

    Oh and forgot something off the MX5 shopping list- A set of Mintfab hubs- About 150quid.

    If you can drift a hard to drift car, once you pretty good in that, you will jump in to a decent car and be awesome as it will be piece of piss in comparison.

    I'd rather do that than be average and boring in a more powerful car for ever.
     
  13. Srs_721

    Srs_721 Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2013
    Posts:
    371
    Likes Received:
    0
    Another vote for a mx5 here. Brought one last week to run around in while my 14s off the road and i love it! Its pretty much a standard import 1.6 (air filter, zorst, strutbrace) and even with the worn out viscous lsd it slides surprisingly well so with a welder or even a torsen diff its more then capable. Saying that i do have a fair bit of experience but an absolute ideal car to learn in.
     
  14. Rubix_Cube

    Rubix_Cube Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2005
    Posts:
    882
    Likes Received:
    6
    Listen to everything this guys says.... ignore all the others.
     
  15. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    Yea I hear you, only problem is I have a wife.... Lol so I need 4 or 5 seats, I won't get away with 2. If I ever can afford a 2nd car, the mx5 would be the first motor I jump to!
    Because of this restriction I've been looking at 318 and 328 BMW...now obviously the 328 will have more grunt, but 318 are genuinely in better nick for the same money.

    Are they suitable!? What would I need to consider to get me going?

    I'm also hoping to get some tuition at some point too so I'm not just going into it blind :)
     
    #15 chris1811, Aug 12, 2015
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2015
  16. silverzx

    silverzx Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Posts:
    540
    Likes Received:
    0
    Don't get a 4 pot BMW, you'll regret it.

    Unless you intend to drop a 6 pot lump in.
     
  17. PurcyP

    PurcyP Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2014
    Posts:
    184
    Likes Received:
    0
    Wonder how long till NC Mx5's price bomb become a more common choice as well.

    Actually they arent chosen much in general, guess the price of them currently you could buy a S Body or something scene.
     
  18. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0

    So we are looking at 323 minimum then. Cool best get hunting :)
     
  19. silverzx

    silverzx Member

    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Posts:
    540
    Likes Received:
    0
    Don't forget the 320, though I'd be looking 323 minimum. 323's are VERY capable.
     
  20. chris1811

    chris1811 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Posts:
    64
    Likes Received:
    0
    Well going to have a look at a couple of 328s this evening. So wish me luck!
     

Share This Page