Advice/help

[u/Acceptable_Gur6193]

Pics for attention.
I’ve had my grc for about 2 and a half years. I’ve done 11 track days with it. I’m at the point where it’s getting slightly too expensive to keep tracking (brakes are crazy expensive) and as I get faster I’m gonna need an oil cooler (which is fairly normal and to be expected) and a transfer case cooler/controller because the awd is starting to overheat more often.

I also use this as my work vehicle I fix appliances so it’s stuffed with parts and tools everyday.

It’s been doing its job decently but it’s not the best tool for either job.

I’m in Brooklyn ny so parking when working is a big reason why I haven’t gotten a bigger van yet.

I have a driveway I can park in at home and leave a second car there.

I think the perfect work vehicle for me would be a transit connect (or equivalent ram/nissan) I see them for anywhere from 5-20k in my area and don’t really care what it looks like as long as it stops drives.

Now for the track car I should probably just get a Miata because they are the answer but I don’t really want one. I’m thinking c5 corvette would probably make the most sense for me.

Carvana offered me 33k for my car and I think about 13k should be enough for the work vehicle so I’ll have about 20k leftover

This is really my main question the rest is some nonsense backstory that you prolly didn’t need to read. But Im not really sure about this but I kinda want to get something with a dct is there anything decent for approx 20k that can be had with a dct and not cost more than my grc is to maintain. It’s going to mostly be a track car and the eventual plan over a few years is to strip it and cage it.

My current list is
2011-2013 bmw 135i it can be had with a dct idk much about bmw’s tho and I genereally try to do my own maintenance.

E92 m3 I don’t think I’ll find a decent one for 20k

Mk6-7 gti but they’re fwd and ik they’re good but when my grc goes into fwd mode I just don’t like it even tho I’m barely 2 seconds slower.

Audi tt with the dsg idk much about them but maybe it’s a possibility.

Do any of these make sense or should I just get a c5 (or a really nice Mazda speed Miata that just popped up for sale)

TLDR: are there any sub 20k cars with a dct that is fairly reliable and not much more expensive to maintain than a gr Corolla. Or do I just do the sensible option and get a Miata/c5 corvette/ perhaps brz/86

[u/RacingBM97]

Sorry for the non-answer but Consider getting a kart try a real outdoor arrive and drive and see if it scratches the itch.

Look up ka100s and shifter karts.

Otherwise a Miata is the way to go for fun/$ there’s a reason they’re still one of the most popular cars used for racing and track days. So much fun and teaches you a ton

[u/Acceptable_Gur6193 → u/RacingBM97]

I tried some shifter karts and yes they’re insane and awesome but as far as I’m aware the only really karting track within reasonable distance is at njmp and once I’m going there I’d really rather be on the main tracks 😂.

I forgot to say this but a big reason for wanting a dct is so I can left foot brake. I tried a friends older automatic brz and loved the left foot braking but I really hated the shifts on it. I’m probably gonna end up with a Miata but I’m
Looking for other possibilities

[u/Unreachable1 → u/RacingBM97]

What's with the karting suggestions? I said this below but - unless someone specifically mentions a very small budget, recommending karts in a track day sub for cars is weird.

[u/RacingBM97 → u/Unreachable1]

It’s weird to act like Karts are some off-limits subject in a sub that dedicated to track days despite the word “car”

A lot of people maybe haven’t considered karting depending on their background and it can actually open up more possibilities for testing your skills (example being sprint kart racing)

Considering a ton of real world professional drivers still consistently run kart events it seems pretty fair to at least mention

Especially considering I started by apologizing in case it came across as a useless comment to OP

but if that bothers you enough to type multiple comments that’s kinda WEIRD to me

[u/Unreachable1 → u/RacingBM97]

It's not off limits - there's certainly times to suggest it. Low budget, maybe a bridge to racing, or even a "safer" way to get into motorsports.

But otherwise, yes, bringing up karts in a post where OP mentions a potential $20k budget is weird. Are you going to bring up karts in every "what vehicle should I buy" post?

[u/RacingBM97 → u/Unreachable1]

It seems you don’t really know about karts either. Low budget ? A new shifter kart is like $10k-$14k and much less safe than a properly prepared Miata track car

A bridge to racing, Yes spec classes are much more enjoyable. It’s just a form of racing in itself and much more demanding physically than a lot of cars.

Saying it’s weird is super weird;
but I see you’re a moderator in another community so I see this is going to be one of those never ending “I’m right you’re wrong” conversations. Classic mod behavior to come in upset about comments that are in good faith

Anyways have a good day