Greetings all,
I am new here, and I would like to embark on trying to find a track car. I know they are popular track cars, so i thought it would be wise to ask around here first.
For a budget of around £3500 what edition / year is the most recommended and why?
Thanks!
Welcome along and good luck with the project, I’m sure you’ll receive some useful feedback.
I have a 2006 NC 2.0 with 5 speed box, it has 105k miles and had the engine checked and rebuilt by a local specialist then a BBR Super200 kit fitted. The local circuit is Snetterton where we take it out 4 to 5 times a year. We’ve also taken it to Cadwell, but it’s quite a schlep. The suspension has been fettled but is basically the Sport Bilstein dampers with height adjusters and Eibach springs.
For the money we’ve spent on all the upgrades and the original car (approx £6k), we have a great track car which is still good for taking the wife to the coast in comfort. The ride is very compliant, but still fantastic on track.
The alternate we looked at was an S2000, but that would have been at least £12k.
You’ll hear loads about oil levels being critical, but we’ve never seen issues with oil pressure and temperature (I fitted a proper oil pressure and temperature gauge to be safe).
So my vote goes to an NC.
Its funny you should mention the S2000, I briefly looked into that area to, and as much as I love them they do hold their price well.
Are most of the MX-5’s reliable in general, or is the a particular era to worry about?
This is positive feedback though, thanks for the input Mike!
An early NC is the sweet spot for your budget, if you can find one that isn’t rotten underneath you should have a good basis for a track car.
IMHO the S2000 is too much money to start with, you still need to chuck the same amount of money on mods, like suspension, engine etc etc.
Personally I think the mx5 is better basis as value per money spend. If money not an object then look at Renault, Alpine or even go BMW, lotus and the list goes on and on and on… 
just buy a mk2.5 or NC ad run it with minimum changes. If its a dedicated track car the roll cage is probably the first bits on the list. I’d look at alignment and an adjustable suspension next, then brakes then engine mods. IMHO if you will do engine mods don’t go stupid. you wont get much out of the car (power wise) but you can chuck loads of money into it with not much to show. With an MX5 as a track car you will never be the fastest thing on the track on the straights but you will enjoy the corners a lot…
Hi,
enjoy checking out what car options you find
if you fancy an NC, I have a 56 plate 2.0 Sport 6 speed track car with various track mods such as coil overs and manifold plus remap to 180 BHP - and would like about £2750 for it if it interests you
Got any pictures? I may be interested
That is some valid advice I was looking for, its a car to be driven right… I can live with the modest power. There is more fun to be had out of the corners anyway lol
maybe jump on the car above mate. if you dont want it let me know
Hi Mike, (Srm888 sorry to hijack your thread!) I’ve just been reading this thread and wondered what oil pressure/temp gauge you fitted? I’ve got a 06 NC that sadly threw the crank out on my first track day. New engine is in but I want a proper oil temp gauge… I’ve looked online but unsure which one to go with. Are yours separate or one u it? I’d be glad of a reccomendation!
Hi, I used this type:
There’s a matching oil temp available too.
The setup was easy on my car as I fitted an oil cooler and remote filter, so the pressure and temp gauges were connected to the block via a manifold which took the oil to the front of the car.
We’ve never seen oil temps higher than 95c on track, despite having a shield in front of the cooler.
We were deliberately cautious with the setup after hearing all the scary stories, but we figured better to be safe.
Even at 75 mph on Corum at Snetterton, the oil pressure never falters, so I’m glad we never wasted £500+ on a baffle plate sump.
Checking the oil levels before during and after each track run is just good practise, even though we use less than 100ml of oil on each trackday.
Hope this helps.
from?
It was either Burton Power or The Very Expensive Sump Shop.
The former i think 
I did have a look some time ago but only found one option from overseas which comparatively is cheap…
https://www.chikaramotorsports.com/product-page/chikara-nc-miata-oil-pan-baffle
I didn’t look at Burton and having said that I just spend about an hour drooling over very expensive engine parts 
yikes…
not sure whether this fits?
That’s perfect- thanks. May well consider the oil cooler too. Thanks again
I had the same mission this year and went for a 2006 2.0 NC with 5 speed. I was lucky enough to find one with LSD and less than 70k miles. Fitted AD08 yokohama semi slicks, new brake rotors, regular pads (soon going to upgrade for serious EBC or Ferodo ones).
Went for a couple of track days (Bedford, Anglesey) and then upgraded suspension, fitting MeisterR ClubRace and RX8 ARBs yellow dots. Last track day at Hethel proved the car to have a fantastic setup. Honestly, it is not powerful, but you can’t get as much fun for the buck anywhere else. Car is reliable, a great learning tool, fun and when you need parts you have many affordable options.
Unfortunately, though, I think I’m jumping to a BBR 200 or a BBR Supercharger Stg 1 Q1 next year… I know it’s risky at 75k miles, but hopefully it doesn’t fail within 20-30k miles or when it does it happens in a slight fixable way (ie doesn’t throw a rod through the block). Let’s see. This car with c.240bhp and the setup I have will be a beast.
Yeah I must admit that sounds like a formidable weapon you will have there.
The searching has come to a halt for now as everything else is life is just taking over. But learning more each day!
Thanks