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I'm not up on the rules nowadays, but it might be a cheaper option to import one from Japan as a race/rally import.

Probably won't be able to register it for road use, but you might be able to pick up a bit of a bargain compared to a locally delivered one.

Sorry if I missed it, but what type of track work do you want to do?

And do you want to road register or not?

baron

If I am correct on what the guys are about to elude to, if you are never going to drive the car on the road (which makes it harder to get to the track legally) then I somthing like a jap import would be the go. I looked at doing this myself not long ago, but I would have to have it reg'd for road use for me to rationally own a 2nd MX5, and that simply isnt possible with what I was looking at. Im not sure if this will confuse the issue futher, but you might want to have a look at these.

http://mx5.jp/stock/index.html

Just having a quick look at this one with alot of mods already done for you maybe a great way to save $$$ and have a very quick track car. Considering that its a 98' NA 1.8 with a six speed, turbo and a heap of goodies and @ 900,000.00 JPY = $10,460.54 AUD It seems to be a bargain.
http://mx5.jp/stock/e277_98_MAZDA_Roadster_turbo/index.html
Or for $4,500 AUD plus usual costs of importing you would end up with a nice NA 1.8 with tupperware and other assorted goodies.

Do you have somewhere to keep a car trailer? It is a fairly large commitment. Perhaps start with a road registered one and if you want to take it further, sell it and move onto a dedicated track or even race car. It's a tad addictive.

Cal.

the road registered/track only call is a big one for which I can't offer advice.

The issue of what setup is important. Consider carefully which club you are likely to participate with, and how that will affect what mods you might want for what class (eg, they might not let you compete in stock in an unregistered car????)

As you're aware, a dead stock MX-5 is great fun on the track, you don't \"need\" mods to have fun. But you might want mods to make the car competitive, if that gets you hooked (and it will). You really don't need to do anything to make it more \"durable\", apart from regular maintenance. The cooling and braking systems are perfectly adequate for track use on a relatively standard car.

Start with the basic options: roll bar, 4-point harness, good brake pads and fluid, etc.
Leave out unnecessary weight and options (though I like power steering).
From there the list is pretty much endless: shocks, springs, swaybars, intakes, exhausts, engine internals, ECUs, chassis mods, basically whatever your budget can handle...

Having a car you can drive to the track and back is the most convenient, but buying a racing car is probably the cheapest way to do it.
You can buy reasonable MX-5 race cars, with a trailer for around the $10K mark, which is cheaper than buying a 1.8 street car in any sort of decent condition.
Considering you are going to turn it into a race car anyway, and spend a lot of money doing it, start with a race car in the first place.
If you don't like it etc., you can always sell it later for roughly what you paid for it, and you will loose a lot less doing it this way than spending 12-15K on a road car, then anohter good few thousand $$$$ convertingit later on.

Except that turning a road car into a race car is a lot of hard work or a lot of money - generally both. Either car is a compromise but I think you have got the right idea. Get a cheap 1.8 NA, shocks, springs, sways, intake, exhaust for mods and go nuts. You can drive it anywhere, it will be quick whatever event you choose, track, hillclimb, motorkhana etc and you will have a ball doing it knowing that if you kill it, it's not the end of the world.

Just do it!

Get a NA8 Clubman, comes standard with Torsen LSD, Bilstein shocks, no ps, no ac... should do you quite well for a track car.....

Clubmans are around - a guy on the forum just bought one for ten Kish.!
Mine cost me 15kish, but I love it.
No power steer Bilstien shock, LSD.
GREAT FUN.
Cheap to insure if you are old too.
MUCH NICER than a stock import.
Just watch this forum and a nice car will come up.
THen buy some sticky tyres, join the club and your laughing!!!

Shouldnt be too much trouble to find, they come up for sale quite often..

But it has to be your best option if your looking for an NA8..