Bang for your buck in a track car

[steveh]

I think, by definition, a street legal/DE car will have to involve some trade-offs.  Clearly the best track car is a race car (stripped, caged, suspended like a rock, lowered to within short hairs of the track surface), but not everybody has a tow rig or wants to get one. 

I read this thread to ask what's out there that's cheap to buy and run, will get you to the track (and maybe carry a set of track tires, along with a helmet and some tools) and will still put a smile on your face while on track.  Depending on your version of "cheap" and how much discomfort you're willing to put up with on the ride to the track, there seem to be a lot of good choices.  Few of those choices (except maybe an E36 M3) that are really inexpensive are going to be the absolute fastest on track, but they can still be fun.  I loved my 951, but being able to go really fast in the straights had a substantial price tag attached.

To me, the fact that my two "beater" track cars are low hp and still streetable makes them much more challenging to drive on track, and ultimately more rewarding (again, to me, your mileage may vary) when I can make my lap times drop.