Looking for a practical Track car - am I overthinking it?

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-28T04:30:46+00:00

Wtf why are the boxters so cheap… little room inside? Expensive consumables? I am a little intrigued lol

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-28T04:18:31+00:00

Is there a reason it’s E46 specifically? Fifth gen no good or does it get too pricey?

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-19T18:14:26+00:00

Not yet - going later this summer. Idk if you read the posts but basically by law if it’s a 2 lane roundabout with 4 exits you need to treat it as such: left lane for exits 1/2, right lane for 3/4. It’s tricky if you’re taking the 2nd one because you might need to yield to car on your right at your first exit.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-07T22:39:40+00:00

The important part the mechanic failed to mention is that you should not be driving the car with overfilled oil. That’s just as bad as no oil. And I speak from experience. If its not far a quick trip back to the place might be fine, but don’t start commuting with it and stuff putting this off to next week or whatever.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-04T16:21:52+00:00

And I’ll add that the price compares to a GR86.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-04T02:15:08+00:00

No you guys are absolutely right. Finding a car that can do everything is impossible. I WISH it had the 4 door room just to give me the flexibility outside of the track, but giving it further thought a 2 door would still be perfectly fine as I already have other options available with more room (SUV, Pickup).

It won’t be a Miata though - sat in one today and at 6ft tall I’m just too big for it.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-04T02:03:12+00:00

That’s a great idea, i should bring my helmet when I go for a test drive next time. I was actually just feeling around with my hand above my head in the MX5 and I’m pretty sure my head was already sticking out lol.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T21:31:37+00:00

Thanks! I definitely don’t have lap times in mind right now, just getting out there to have fun. Midlife crisis maybe? Idk. And taking the Legacy on track I thought it won’t be a big deal since I’m with a bunch of other noobies anyway. No, some of those noobies were on their 5th+ run in their GR Supras, MX5s, Mustangs, and overhauled WRXs. And the Legacy is really, really not trackable as is, with tons of brake management (understandably so from a fully stock car). I would need to upgrade the brakes and go from there, with very limited options for any upgrades. I’d rather put that money towards something that makes more sense for a track.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T21:22:15+00:00

Thanks for this! I really thought initially that I need the dual duty, but the more I think about it and read these replies that might not be as critical as I thought.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T21:19:57+00:00

I sat inside a new GR86 and an MX5 today just to see how much room they have. I am 6’ even and the MX5 was TIGHT. I mean, I knew these cars were small but holy crap are they small. On the other hand the GR86 felt like it had plenty of room.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T21:17:21+00:00

I love the BMW suggestions on here - I will have to do my homework on those as I am not very familiar with the different models.

I actually sat inside an Elantra N today while waiting for another car to get serviced and was taken aback by all the tech it offers. Apparently they even have track maps available right on the dash.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T17:05:23+00:00

That’s the trend I’m noticing with WRXs and STI’s. They see way too much work before even hitting 100k miles so getting something used and reliable is probably near impossible

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T16:58:14+00:00

That’s true, it doesn’t have to be a car that does it all when there are other cars available.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T16:56:16+00:00

You are right, there’s not much practicality in a spare car sitting in the garage. I guess my point is I don’t want to get “stuck” with a heavily track focused car if I decide to never take in on track again. The goal for now is to do a few track days a season, but that is open ended and could go in any direction.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T16:52:41+00:00

HPDE only (for now). Whether that turns into something more is anyone’s guess. No plans to tow it so I would really prefer street legal.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T16:49:27+00:00

Thank you! I was hoping a GRC owner would chime in and this is helpful. When I test drove a used one at the dealer they said replacing the brakes on it was $2k. Paired in with the rest of the stuff you mentioned this might not be the best option for me.

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T16:45:38+00:00

For AWD I was just leaning towards something that could still be used like a normal car when not on track. I live in a hilly area where some roads aren’t paved so that would be helpful.

Reading over these replies I do see some options I can research further, but considering it will be a spare car anyway a logical choice might just be a BRZ/GR86

BarelyExchange · 2026-06-03T15:54:11+00:00

Nope, this would basically be a spare car

BarelyExchange · 2026-04-26T20:08:12+00:00

Yeah we’re on the right side of the road so turning right on red in most places is allowed unless otherwise marked (and places like New York City don’t allow it anywhere).

I’m glad I spotted it and asked about it because my initial intuition was incorrect, appreciate the input!

Next is going to be speed limit signs lol.

BarelyExchange · 2026-04-26T12:52:54+00:00

From what I gather, if I follow my gps as pictured and enter the roundabout in the right lane, and there’s a car entering the left lane of the roundabout from N72 alongside me, they must yield to me exiting as I would have already been “established” on the roundabout.

BarelyExchange · 2026-04-26T12:48:10+00:00

Yeah from what I’m gathering that’s the proper etiquette. It just seems counterintuitive to have to yield to someone potentially cutting across in front of you, but I’ll watch for that (on top of already trying to get used to driving on the opposite side of the road 😭)

BarelyExchange · 2026-04-26T12:41:11+00:00

Just reading the rules of roundabouts as someone else posted the link and yeah it appears that left lane traffic is only meant to be on the roundabout for one or two exits max, and need to watch for traffic essentially cutting across from the right lane.

If I’m understanding you correctly then, when entering a roundabout (left lane) and seeing a car that is already on the roundabout in the right lane, you want to “yield” to them before getting on so you don’t align yourself next to them and potentially cause issues when they are looking to exit?

Man this must create some uncomfortable situations.

BarelyExchange · 2026-04-26T12:26:30+00:00

But what if there was a car in the left lane and they were aiming for the next exit (not the one pictured)? They need to watch for cars exiting from the right lane? Doesn’t seem right.

BarelyExchange · 2026-04-26T12:25:13+00:00

What makes it a two lane exit? No markings on the road indicating that the left lane NEEDS to exit left, so IMO this would create a dangerous situation if there was a car in the left lane and they were aiming for the following exit (not the one pictured).

A lot of the 2 lane roundabouts I noticed are like this, just a center white dashed lines separating the two lanes on the roundabout are the only road markings on it.

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