#Blogpost: 7 Track Day Cars For Any Budget [American Edition]

We’ve all seen Darren Cassey’s post about track day cars on any budget and I must say, it’s a very good article for CTzens in the UK/EU. But, here’s the thing; those are for the UK/EU CTzens, how about us in the USA? We all know that there are some cars that aren’t available in the USA. Look no further, I’m here to help you with this article!

Under £1000 ($1500) - Pontiac Grand Prix

At the cheapest lot on this article, is the Pontiac Grand Prix. A 2 door coupe that brings Bobby Labonte to the Winston Cup Series title in 2000. This car has a bit of a stock car racing in its blood. It is an utterly fun car. You can find ones with 130k+ miles for under $1500 these days. It is a bit down on power, I’ll be honest but, it has a lot of aftermarket support on the market. Reliability is pretty solid, it’s not as reliable as, say, a 1990 Honda Civic which you can buy for the same price but that thing is way down on power, the GP too but not that down.

The only drawback of the GP, however, is the fact that it’s only available with an automatic gearbox but the thing that made me chose the GP is the handling. The handling in the GP isn’t a typical American car, it’s not the best handling car for a track but for a really tight $1500 budget, this one’s for you.

Under £2500 ($4000) - Mazda MX-5 NA/NB

I was surprised too, don’t worry. Yes, “Miata is also the answer” for the American market. There are a lot of NA’s and NB’s for under $4000. Odometer? Most of them on this price has about 110-140k on them. It may not be the manliest vehicle here, and they are known to be susceptible to rusts but it is a track capable vehicle. Give it a nice set of tires and you’re good to go.

The base model 1.8L NB can reach 62 mph in under 8 seconds and with a top speed of 130 mph, the Miata is good enough for me to be a proper track car.

Under £5000 ($7500) - Mini Cooper S

For the British cars enthusiasts looking for a track day weapon for under $7500, this is definitely for you. The MINI Cooper S. You can get the ones with 90-100k miles for a tempting $7500. This car may not be the most reliable one, I’ll be honest. It’s a really good handling car in stock form.

There’s a good amount of aftermarket supports for this car, maybe not the greatest one but, pretty decent. Speaking of decent, yes, this car in stock form is very decent. The handling is very track suited. Take it for a spin, and prepare for a big smile.

Under £15,000 ($22,000) - Ford Mustang GT

You want a muscle car for track day? You don’t have the money for a Shelby? No problem, because the 2007-2009 Mustang GT exists. It has a screaming and burbling V8 which makes 300 hp, and that’s not it, you can get the ‘07-‘09 models for $15k-$20k which gives you a lot of room for modifications.

And that’s not it too, because the Mustang GT is equipped with a magnificent Tremec TR-3650 5-speed manual gearbox. Well, good news for muscle car enthusiasts!

Under £30,000 ($45,000) - Chevrolet Corvette Z06 C6

We’re getting pretty serious here with our higher budget. How serious? Well, this serious: 7.0 L naturally aspirated V8, aluminum chassis, stiffer sway bars, wider tires, 6 speed manual gearbox, and most importantly, staggering performance. How staggering? 505 hp, 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 205 mph. That’s way up there with things like the 911’s everything (you can get a 997 for the same price).

Another American car, a rather brilliant one, let’s say. Aftermarkets? A lot, a lot. A lot. You can get some high mileage Grand Sports for $40k, and then spend $5k on handling mods, this thing will become a beast.

Under £50,000 ($75,000) - Aston Martin Vantage

Big V8 engine? Check. Amazing suspensions? Check. Great handling? Check. Noise? Check. Track capable? Check. The Vantage is pretty much perfect for a $75,000 budget. You can get one for around $70k to $75k. “Doug DeMuro bought his for a cheaper price”, yes, but that Aston has a higher mileage and if you remember, his Vantage broke down. That’s the $50k Vantages. The $75k ones? You’ll get one with around less than 10k miles on the odometer.

You can even get a DB9 if you really wanted it but those are the ones with 40k+ miles on them. The Vantage comes with a manual gearbox or an automatic gearbox, and with its staggering performance and handling, this could be a very decent track car.

Under £100,000 ($145,000) - Porsche Cayman GT4

Well, at this amount of budget, you can buy basically a million options of cars. When I looked around, I found a 12C, a GT3, some more Astons, many Gran Turismos, and many other things. That’s your choice. My choice, however, would be the ultra fun Cayman GT4. It’s a car that every Porsche lovers wants, it’s light, it’s track focused in stock form, and it has a manual gearbox.

The GT4 to me is a perfect track car from the factory. You have the suspensions from a 991 GT3, the engine from a 991 Carrera S, and many other goodies. There are some of these on sale for around $130,000. That means, with the $145,000 budget, you still have $15k to spend on mods. This is the one I’d pick for under $145,000.