stonefish

Hello guys wanting a bit of advice off the masses..
I have the opportunity to buy an Audi A4 1.8t Quattro (2000 B6)for £300 and use as a track car.. The car in question is my dads he has had it for over a year and i had it for 2months before him.. (I only sold it because i got offered a Blobeye WRX that i couldn't refuse).. Just before Xmas the audi was Written off by the Insurance company.. It was shunted from behind and the damage doesn't seem to bad no airbags went off, no engine managment light, starts, drives and seems ok accept from some small creases in the rear quarter, Dent in boot lid scuffed bumper and the cd player jamed..
So do i buy it and use it as a track car..
Thanks

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

they are bloody heavy for a track car, but for the money why not.

stonefish

I know its heavy, it even looks heavy but once i start stripping it out that should help a lot and it does handle well.. ???

RS Grant

I don't think it'll be a low budget track car once you start adding costs of track preparing it... and it's VERY heavy to start with when building a track toy. I assume it's the 163bhp model??


Cheers,
Grant

Turbodanc

iTrader: (1)

Its probably gonna be a REALLY bad track car unless you start spending some serious money on upgrades. Also have you seen the prices for upgrades for them, VERY expensive!

I'd just buy it and break it, you will make plenty of money from it.

stonefish

Cheers guys this is the input i need to keep me level headed about things because in my mind im seeing a touring car.. Well i still have a few weeks to decide and do some pricing on it..
Thanks

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I say go for it, just don't spend any money beyond an oil change, strip it out and rag it till it dies.

£300 for something you don't care about and know is ok is nothing.

There is a lot to be said for just running a knacker on track days and then buying another, any car can be fun on track, just don't expect too much and enjoy it for what it is.

Oh and DON"T SPEND ANY MONEY ON IT.

daz b

If it dies buy another,cheap toy

sovietspybob

iTrader: (3)

Surely this, having a car you just don't care about is ace! Just don't spend any meaningful amounts of money other than supplying it with oil, petrol and ditchfinder tyres!

grahamc

iTrader: (10)

Completely agree

Surely you can sell off some of the parts you stripping off? Ok, it wont be a fortune, but it gives you some funds to play with or it pays back your £300.

RS Grant

But even running a binner requires some spending before it is safe enough for you/those around you to chuck it around on track... at the very least an uprated brake (disc/pad/lines/fluid) set up, a basic suspension upgrade (given the base car here) and decent rubber on all 4 corners.

You may see enough from the parts you're stripping out of the car to cover it, but you may not... do a wee bit of research on what second hand parts sell for and then what the upgrades would cost to get your car to a basic level of track preparation. After that you'll see if it's something you're still keen on.

LOL @ seeing the touring car in your mind.


Cheers,
Grant

stonefish

The car just had £800 spent in it including rear disc's, pads, full service and 12 months MOT .. The tyres are pretty much brand new ( BF Goodridge ) which aren't to bad to be honest and seems to work well in all condition.. I will try and put a pic up later of the car..

murray555

iTrader: (9)

Break it and buy a classic wrx or sti with the price of the audi, the 1.8t engine worth a bit! If it has a armrest i'll buy that

hill79

If you're looking for a long term track car project this isn't the car to use. Too heavy, parts too expensive and it won't perform well without some costly upgrades.

If you're looking for a cheap snotter to chuck around a track a few times for a laugh, for £300 I don't think you can go wrong. Depends what you want from it!

geesta

WTF? £300 for that?! You buy it and I'll give you £400 for it! It's got
To be worth twice that if you break it!

billythekid

Strip it as light as you can get it.

The brakes should be ok, because you will be 20% lighter than OE so see how they go.

I would consider better seats - with strong sub frames and 4 point harness.

You are going to drive it like a £300 car... so chances you might end up on your roof... quite high - so weld over the sunroof.

After that have a look at how it handles, but you will probably require stiffer and lower springs at the least.

Consider a roll cage, or half cage. Not cheap though.

Make sure you really check over the car on a regular basis - things like brakes and bushes will wear out quickly - 2 or 3 track days for a set of pads - maybe less. Bushes, probably not in the best condition already - so maybe a few days. Dampers might start to leak. Check all your brake system from top to bottom. Clutch / engine wear should not be too bad - but I would do an oil change after each outing and check for metal in the oil.

Make sure you do full cool down laps. An oil temp gauge is a good idea.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Easy tigers with the full on track prep.

That completely defeats the object, he's not Jason Plato entering BTC regardless of his fantasy

Tyres are ok and with new brakes you should be fine first time out, the only things you need to consider are some decent brake fluid 5.1 or similar and a spare set of track based pads and the tools to change them on the day, murder them in the morning session and change them at the interval, couple of warm up laps should see them bedded in.

Then just go easy and get to know how the car performs on track, after the first outing you can decide if you want to go further with it or sell it on.

It's just meant to be a bit of cheap fun, no need to go mental on the car or in it.