lurking for a while, have questions, track fun / 914 vs cayman s Options

[Dirty Evo]

ok , been lurking here for a while hesitant to post because I don't have anything useful to add to any threads, and I don't have any important questions.

but hell, I need to start sometime....

a bit about me: currently own '08 Cayman S... my daily driver, and occasional HPDE car. I also have a 1990 BMW 325i built to SPEC E30 race spec (built by me and my friends and local shop). I don't race , but that is my normal track car for HPDE... do roughly and even per month. About 12-15 track days per year total. I have the E30 because obviously cheaper to build out than the cayman, and every single conceivable part is cheaper and its super easy for me to learn to work on(I am not very mechanical, so I am learning about working on cars as I go along). And its fun and great car for learning to drive.

Problem is, I don't like BMW. Have always been a porsche guy... funny thing is I also don't like 911's (never have). My first car and highs school graduation present was a 72 914 1.7. Slow as hell, but fun (this was in 89). Then I had a 944S2 and now my Cayman and of course a whole bunch of fun non-P cars in between. But always been a fan of 914... maybe just a sentimental thing, not sure.

Ok , so that is my introduction to the site.

now my question: this is just looking for opinions / ideas / thoughts... for me to think about. for a track car, should I go with 914-6 (conversion due to my budget) or my cayman S ? I mean, if I drop $20K on a 914, will I still wish I was driving the Cayman on the track instead? Or is the 914 going to be more fun? remember, I don't race (only in lemons races, with a diff car), I am only out having fun at HPDE in upper-intermediate or advanced groups. I want to have FUN and be safe and be able to afford to fix my car and learn to work on it and have it look good.

So, build out my Cayman? or pick up one of these REALLY nice 914-6 up for sale right now.

Would love input from people who have driven BOTH on the track... which one did you like better??

[Thorshammer]

HMM, good question.


First, find a real advisor, that isn't trying to sell you their services or have any other agenda when they advise you... LOL

Chris has a good point, prepare to race something you can afford to walk away from and not injure your financial stability. The days of irresponsible racing are pretty much over, because they can't be sustained.

Before you buy a car, or have one built, find out where you want to race. Some guys like PCA, or POC, some guys like SCCA or NASA. Also, what type of racing you want to do.

If it is autocross, prep the Cayman or buy a race prepped 914. Great car (the Cayman), still under warranty (sorry PCNA) and you will have a great time, but be prepared for some fairly expensive maintenance costs. Find out where the local guys are racing, and contact some racers in advance and tell them you are thinking about starting racing. IF you contact a shop, they will guide you to what they do, which may not be what you want to do. The 914 is light agile and cheap to run, and there are lots of high performance parts out there new and used, and several 914 specialists to make the car into exactly what you wnat.

If roadracing is your choice, I would not choose the Cayman. But if you insisted, build it to a SPEC set of rules, this way you have a chance to compete against cars that are fairly equal. Don't get me wrong, you will still have a few in the clas that will prep to the inth degree, usually because they can't drive....

The 914 would be a good choice, but two things come to mind. 4 cyl engine reliability, and the vintage of the car. While I raced one at a high level, I also had the ability of building my own engines, and knowing enough good people (such as Chris Foley) to help with the items I did not have the tools or ability to do. The 6 cylinder is a better choice and will run many hours without major rebuilds, but the cost to build one is a bit higher. If you choose to run a four cylinder car, you must a have a spare engine. Most competitors have at least one spare and one mule engine with reduced horsepower.

Next brings us to the Boxster. This would be my choice at this time and the reasons are a few. One, the cars are getting very affordable, there is a Spec Series which has many cars and is very popular, and also, you can run a Spec Boxster in many different classes and organizations. NASA, PCA and POC all have Spec Boxster classes for the 2.5 liter Boxster. SCCA has ITR, and may soon have E production if I get my way. The cars are well known, and there are several for sale at reasonable prices.

I would suggest you buy a car already built. This will eliminate many issues you will have trying to build your own. Make sure you take someone with you that knows race vehicles and at least has some high level amateur experience. Just because they say the "race" doesn't mean shit. The way you step into this, will guide your success.

Good Luck,



Erik Madsen