leventor

I have a slightly mod'ed 545i 6MT.

Lucky me my wife gave me the permission to go and spend money on a second car of my choice . I am specifically looking for sth to go to track, autox events and so as well as enjoyin driving on curly roads. here are the options , let me know what you would have chosen

1. Z4 M roadster
2. 370z Nismo
3. sLK55
4. Beef up the 545 even further
5. Get an M6
6. Get an M5

bigbadbull

535i...with piggy back and upgraded Tires and break pad/disks
or
530XI Touring...stock
Basically what ever you got....

Cobb Tuned ( meaning a race block and race heads that is blueprinted and ported) Scuby WRX....well that is what my brother runs.
It keeps breaking half shafts due the torque.....

spandex

I wouldn't have classed any of those cars as track tools... Get something designed for the job like a Lotus Elise or, if you can get them over there, a Caterham.

xcntrk

Miata.. best auto cross vehicle hands down. Cheap, extremely light, easy to upgrade, handles like...well a tiny RWD convertable

pennetta

If you are looking for the fastest car around the track get an M3 Coupe with the V8. Yesterday I was in Spartanburg, South Carolina at the BMWNA Performance Center and attended M-School. We drove M6's, M5's and M3's around a road course, wet and dry skid pads, did forth gear high speed runs, practices individual corners of the track and logged timed runs. When it got into the turns I was surprised that the M3's were the car of choice. Autocross would just exagerate the benefits of the M3.

SBrown712

Am I reading this correctly? You want a car to take to the tract but still use on the streets? So you aren't planning on turning it into a dedicated track car? You would buy a new car to track? Don't get me wrong I'm just asking. Most events that I have been to do not allow convertibles, BMWCCA, unless rules have changed or you put in a full cage. M5 or M6 for track events, can't imagine that unless you just want to go out and cruise around the track. MCoupe, hell yea. But I ask again buy a new car to track? One run in with the Armco and there goes your new car. Most insurance companies do not cover any kind of track event anymore.
I'm surprised no one mentioned the E36 M3. The best handling car in the world when it was in production. You can buy a good car reasonably priced these days. Modifications are getting cheaper all the time. I sold mine not too long ago for less than 10k. It had Ground Control coilovers, CAI, software, a roll cage, 5 point harnesses, BMW Euro brake rotors and I'm sure there was more. I don't want to think about it too much because there are times I hate myself for giving that car up.
Back to the original question, I wouldn't pick anything on the list. Sorry, but I think there are better options out there.

spandex

Not sure an E90 M3 is particularly suitable either, really. It might be powerful, but it's still a big, heavy car. I don't know if it's an American thing, but over here a track car is usually lightweight and simple. BHP per tonne is more important than BHP on it's own. A little Caterham would make mincemeat of anything from the current BMW line-up on all but the fastest tracks. It will also be entertaining (if completely impractical) on the roads too.

Maybe it is just down to different attitudes to cars on either side of the Atlantic... I'm always surprised by how many people on here from the US would choose a manual gearbox for something like a 545 or 645, when in the UK (and Europe) they're considered comfortable cruisers, not sports cars (in fact, if you can manage to find a manual version of either of those for sale here, the price will be significantly lower than an auto with the same age/spec/miles).

Anyway, if there's a Lotus or Caterham dealer anywhere near you, I recommend going down there and having a drive. I think you'll realise that less is most definitely more when it comes to going round a corner.

v_therussian

Cayman S maybe?

porshah

Agree with Miata. If your budget is higher, go for the Cayman.

pennetta

There is an attitude difference for sure. I agree the new Lotus cars would beat anything on his list and you can get them here in the US. If you autocross or road course you know it takes a lot of practice and expertise to go around the track fast and the runs that "feel" fast usually are slower. In the US they keep closing the local tracks so there are less places to practice so we tend to do more 0-100 mph blasts on the street and for that we like roaring HP and torque. Now the Lotus never really caught on, not because it's not fast and even in the straights it's fast because of it's weight, but because it has a Toyota 2.0 four cylinder. Our culture thinks all four cylinders are economy car engines and they won't sell to the performance crowd here.