Hi everyone, I'm in my late 20s and interested in racing and drifting, planning to buy a sim rig this year as well. I haven't driven for a few years but am now in need of a car for daily chores etc. I would like help finding my perfect slow project build car chassis, that happens to be a good daily driver option until drift modifications are made, that could eventually be a fun race/drift car. I would like to know how much I should worry about the mileage/rust likelihood of different models? I want to use the car immediately but also slowly upgrade the internals and be left with an impressive car in 5 years time. Does the fact I'll be adding mileage/wear-and-tear to the car mean I should be looking at lower-mileage cars, and cars that aren't as prone to structural chassis issues? From research, I really like the 350z/MX-5/E36 frames but not sure if I am better off with a different type if I can only spend ~£5000 and am looking for a more gentle intro (less issues) and better medium term (3-5 years) potential for upgrades. So what is the 'best' chassis you would recommend for a fun, easy to work on, safe(ish) daily driver car model that can be had in a decent state for under £5000 [[though I would be interested to hear about options in the £5000-8000 range if significantly better options are available]].
You buy any one of those and drive it daily for the next 5 years, you won't have a chassis left to take drifting. {}
GT86 It will last you the 5 Years. It will cost a bit more than £8k It will teach you a lot in those 5 Years.
That's a nice looking car. If I would rather spend <4K am I better off just getting a Ford Fiesta or similar hatchback to use as a daily driver? Do you agree that the 350z/MX5/E36 or E46 would rust too much over the time period?
E46 330 or E39 540 (if you can find a manual). Have always had daily/drifters, started with an E46 318, then a E39 540 manual, then E46 330ci (daily'd and drifted for 2 years) now an E46 M3. the E39 540 would be the perfect daily that does drift car things, followed closely by the E46 330 (better than E39 for track stuff, but not as comfy as a daily). The M3 is overkill and unnecessary for a daily/drift car compared to the 330, but obviously better for Track Day things. Hope this helps...
