Hey Guys,
Me and my Dad were looking into to getting an M3 to make a street/track day car out of. We were thinking of getting a normal E30 and putting shocks, chip, racing seats, harnesses, a bolt in roll bar or harness bar, some engine mods, and calling it good. I think that were not really willing to go over the $13K mark. So, I was wondering if you could tell me anything to look out for when buying, or any other things I need to know. Thanks.

If you want to do all that on an E30 M3 you will go well above the $13k mark unless you find a good deal on an M3. With a regular E30 you should be able to meet that goal by choosing good but maybe on the low end of the spectrum parts.

I don't mean tons of engine mods. Actually very little engine mods.

So are you talking E30 or E30 M3? You mention both. $13k for a track ready E30 M3 is reasonable as you can find them in that ball park all the time. To find one that needs work you will probably spend more than $13k.

E30 M3

Look around and you can find a car with most of the mods you want for sale here, or S14, or Roadfly.

By track car do you mean for informal track days, or for actual competition in a specific class? Most actual racing classes limit the mods you can do, so don't build or buy a car that won't pass tech for your intended purpose.

If you buy a stock car, put in the racing seats, roll bar, etc. realize you will probably get less for the car than you paid for it if you try to sell it. Not to mention, no money added to the bottom line for the racer parts. And no hope of getting any ROI on your labor.

The E30M3 makes a pretty good track car as-is, if the shocks are not worn out. I'd suggest getting a decent car, limit your mods to better tires and brake pads, and spend the rest of your $ on track days.

If you consistently run a high-mile S14 beyond about 7,000 RPM, you are looking for big-end bearing trouble. You need to be sure it has the oil pan baffle so you don't uncover the pickup on IIRC left turns.

I'm not an expert on track prep, but do want to point out that this could turn into a money pit pronto.

I spent a tiny bit under 20k for a built car, and a built s50 in my e30 m3