Is a 914 a good car for weekend / track car fun?, A bird says otherwise... Options

[2mAn]

I made a similar thread over on Pelican and was shocked to see the responses that the 914 was a bad choice...

Heres the story.

I've had this E30 ('84 BMW) that I built a few years ago and am closing in on 4 years of ownership. Its a total blast, but being in California, and having a motor swap, Im having a headache making it street legal and then it will be hard to modify it to STAY street legal.

Ive really had the 914 itch and this last year the BMW no longer has to fulfill duties of daily driving. That means that the E30 is strictly a "fun" car and doesnt really need to be "comfortable." Its not plush anyways but it still has a back seat, carpet, stereo, etc. A "fun" car doesnt need these things because its simply to take out, drive like a maniac and tuck back in the garage. Im not going to be hauling people around, sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, going on long drives, etc. This works to the benefit of the 914 because A) its an older design so naturally will be less "comfortable," B) It doesnt need to be smog compliant which gives me more room to play around and finally, C) its a car that is more oriented to being a "fun" car than a "comfy" car.

The plan with this fun car is to slowly get more involved with autocross, HPDE and eventually take part in either BMW CCA or PCA or POC track events. I've really wanted to take a 914 and give the 911 a run for their money. I know the BMW is powerful enough to compete with them, but then I dont want this car to be a trailer queen, it needs to stay streetable and thats where the E30 is going to be a tough one as I love the package Ive built, I dont want to strip this car out, I feel like it just becomes another raced out E30.

I was shocked to find that nobody thought the 914 was a good choice, whereas Ive always felt it was the BEST choice, given budget and the above mentioned options.

So, I know you guys are biased, but I thought I would ask directly from the source and get some input. For the record, the miata is simply there because everyone thinks its so great. I will never get one. I would rather ride my Schwinn.... or just keep my E30 instead.

Hopefully this makes sense, but I may need to clarify my intentions more...

thoughts? opinions?