# Poor man's rally car ideas



## zeno (Sep 17, 2002)

I'm thinking after I get out of grad. school I'd like to build a rally car just as a project as to have some fun with. I'm looking for some suggestions as far as cheap rally cars that have decent power and handling and I really won't care if I drive it into a ditch. Opinions? Nissans and others....


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## TheVodKA (Sep 19, 2002)

Turbo AWD Geo Metro (yes, it has been done BTW)


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## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

S12 200SX would be cool

older Audi

Eagle Talon turbo

older Mitsu Eclipse turbo


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## B11sleeper (Oct 15, 2003)

Any car.

i'm working on making a B11 rallycar. mostly because I have one. 

Cars with shorter wheelbases have an advantage in tight turns, so geo metros and other econo boxes may be easier till you get comfortable bringing the back end around. FWD is probably the easiest to drive, AWD second and RWD the hardest.

I also recommend a rally car control class, not the SCCA rallycross training day. http://www.team-oneil.com/ is where i went a few years back, it's in NH and is quite spendy, but it makes driving a lot more fun.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

zeno said:


> I'm thinking after I get out of grad. school I'd like to build a rally car just as a project as to have some fun with. I'm looking for some suggestions as far as cheap rally cars that have decent power and handling and I really won't care if I drive it into a ditch. Opinions? Nissans and others....



For your first car, I would recommend buying a previously enjoyed (only rallied on weekends!) model. An already built car will save you well over 50% of the cost of building one and that extra cash can go into reinforcing all the bits.

B12s & B13s are a solid starting point for a good Nissan rally car. VW has a lot of aftermarket support and there are a lot of knowledable people drving VWs that can help you. A2 & A3 golfs are good. Others to consider are the Suzuki Swift GTi and Mazda 323s. These are all good starters with less power so you can learn to drive first then work up to faster cars.

It is also recommended, from a budget standpoint, that you start out in a production class. Running Group 2 (2wd modified NA) or Open gets really expensive if you want to be competitive. Running a car like a Turbo AWD Metro will put you into open class, competing against EVO & WRXs where you'll never stand a chance, so be very careful about the type of car you are building.

If you are really serious about building or buying a car, the first thing you should do is join the SCCA or NASA and get a copy of their rulebook. Read it, understand it & memorize it so you can build or improve the best car for you within the rules. Check out their websites for more info on classes ( www.scca.org )


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## zeno (Sep 17, 2002)

Thanks for the suggestion. At this point it will just be a hobby, nothing competative...at least until I figure out what the hell I'm doing.

Pretty much I would only be upgrading the suspension and safety equipment (i.e. rollcage) and keep the rest of the car stock or minimal mods.

What about something like an old CRX. Dirt cheap, small, light, and thousands of interchangalbe parts.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

zeno said:


> What about something like an old CRX. Dirt cheap, small, light, and thousands of interchangalbe parts.


The only thing is, Civics (and their CRX brethern) are a little too flimsy for rally. The need more reinforcement work than a VW or even a Sentra.


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## atomicbomberman (Jul 6, 2002)

Geo metro is a good thing to start with, fwd, short wheel base, just set the rear sway really tight and you'll have the oversteer u need to counter the understeer that result from low traction condition.

Get an A2 Golf GTI, with the 16v engine, those things are pretty cheap, the 16V is a great engine and it's almost bulletproof. The chassis can be reinforced easily with many readily available rollcage and stuff. Strip the car down and put in the cage, a seat and you're set. And in case u crash it (in rally, you will), your wallet won't feel as bad as say... a preped EVO or WRX...

the Sentra SE-R B13 can be pretty competitive, I think there is one running in Group 5 in SCCA ProRally and keep up pretty well with some of the newer, more technically advance cars.


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

atomicbomberman said:


> Strip the car down and put in the cage, a seat and you're set..


You must be careful here to consult the rules for what you can strip. Removing the wrong panels in the interior can bump you from Procuction to Gr2, a signifigant jump, especially in a low powered car.


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## Slayer2003 (Jun 4, 2003)

...hm, a rally car out of a 200sx......hmmmm......neat 

im curious though......if you did a turbo'd car, wouldnt you lose alot of the hole shots when coming out of turns, due to the lag? i read somewhere i think it was on here even, that a NA car will be quicker on the corners, but the turbo will last through the straights...............dunno

good luck on the project though :thumbup:


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## B11sleeper (Oct 15, 2003)

stay NA until you get good at driving. A turbo makes a fun car, but from what I see at rallycrosses having a WRX doesn't make you very fast unless you can drive it.


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