I'm considering turning my street/ track day ride, an e36m3, into a track only project. I can't help but think it might be better to sink my money into a purpose built race vehicle of some sort. I don't know. Many track junkies have been faced with this choice before. Don't let me make a stupid mistake. If someone had to do it all over again, what car would they have gotten, just for the track or, what car did you get and feel you made the right decision?:az: :)

First off, what year E36 do you have? I bought a '95 specifically to track it, but for now it's a driver as well. It also depends if you plan to go racing with SCCA or the BMWCCA. That can get expensive, but if you stay in a stock class you might get away with adding about $8000 worth of stuff to your car (wheels, suspension, roll cage, minor engine mods, good expensive brake pads).

I haven't been to the track yet (at least in this car) but the bills are adding up. I recently bought $1700 worth of goodies at TMS, bought used track wheels/tires for $1000 and am about to purchase a full track suspension from Ground Control for about $2200 (incl. install/alignment/corner weighting). The only thing I need to go racing now is a cage and window net.

For the $8000+ it would cost you to get your car ready, you could go out and buy an E30 or E36 318i track ready car. Sure, your M3 would be faster but you could upgrade your track car as you become a better driver.

Depends on your budget, purpose of the car, your schedule, commitment.

Are you talking about a DE only car, or a race only car?

It's a '97 M3. I have intake, software, lt. wt. fly wheel, under drive pullies, fan delete, AA toe bushings, srtut tower braces, H&R sport springs, bilstien sport shocks, power flex ft. conrol arm bushings, UUC sways, adjustable rear control arms. I've been to several DE's and find the car to be too slow. I really want something faster. It's not a '95 so all I have is the traction control delete. You know the deal, do I go Obd 1 and take it off the street forever? Do I do the obd II cam kit (expensive). Or do I put in a cage, ground control coilovers, strip the car and add the new twin screw supercharger when it becomes available? I would want to race the car on an amature level, so that rules out the supercharger. I don't know weather I really have the time and money to race the car, so maybe I should just make a supercharged DE car out of it. Are there any decent pupose built spec race cars out there?