Help me buy my first drift car
 

Not sure where to post so I'll start here. I'm looking to buy my first (hopefully last) drift car. I figured all the experts are and you can help me choose the right car.

1. My mechanical skill
... are zero to none. I can do basic stuff like brakes and fluids, but that's all.

2. Purpose
... I'll probably drift 1 to 3 times per year. And I'll drive the car 3 to 5 days a week less than 5 miles. Once or twice a month I may drive it about 50 miles.

3. Life
... I'd like to keep this car around for at least 10 years.

4. Budget
... 16K

5. Right or Left hand drive
... I'm open to either

6. Doors
... 4 would be ideal, but I can't be picky about that.

7. Manual gear box

Is there anything else to consider?
What kind of car should I be looking for?

Thx

For $16k.....you can buy a completed car easy on here. Id search the cars for sale thread. Good to get input, however there are many opinions here in this community. What chassis/make do you prefer?

Wait... Are you looking for an already completed drift car for $16k?
Or a drift project that can be completed for under $16k?

You sound like a beginner, so I would not recommend a completed drift car for you. Any car that is realistically worth $16k is likely making some serious power. Starting with lower power is a better way to ensure you might have keep it around for that 10 years.

I'd say get a 6spd Infiniti G35 Sedan. You can pretty much consider it a 4 door 350Z. They are cheap as shit these days, might even find some in the $3500 range. But I'd plan to spend $5k on the car, and maybe another 5k on entry level coilovers/suspension mods and some N/A bolt-ons. Good little starter drift car.

Basically, you need something disposable, in my opinion. That way destroying it won't hurt as much.

Do not buy a g35 at all! Don’t listen to that


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If you havent drifted at all i suggest a lower budget car as you are gonna tear it up. Take a portion of that 16k and buy a cheaper chassis of your choice obviously an schassis is easily had and play around. Then once you are comfortable shoot for a nicer car/build and go. You may find your likes and dislikes change as you find out your driving style.

Buy a 2007/8 350Z with a 6 speed for under 10k and spend the leftover money on nice coilovers, a nice diff, a nice seat and some wheels.

What's wrong with the G35 Sedan? He said he wants a 4 door...

This thread might also be worth a look, OP.
#/f/showthread.php?t=321339

350z is king for cheap drift these days.

there's lexus is 250 or 300. but i dont know about parts.

Let me clarify my original post a bit.

We're a two car family and both cars needs to be able to transport the kids. That's why I wanted 4 doors. I wanted to stay away from having 3 cars in the household. The idea was I could get/make a 4 door drift car and still transport the kids to school. Is this a bad idea or should I just get the third dedicated drift car?

I was getting enamored by all nice drift cars out there.
1992 Nissan Silvia S13 link
1991 240 SX link
But it sounds like starting here isn't a good idea as the car is gunna get a beating.

Thanks for the tips on the cars. If it were up to me, I'd get a e46 sedan (a 330i if I could find it). Only because there's a local mechanic I know who races and he'd be able to keep my car in good shape. What are the downsides to starting with a bmw?

Doing a quick search on autotrader, there are 5 G35's under $5k.

Maybe I should ditch the sedan idea...
Does the 350z have back seats? If so, maybe my 3 and 5 year old can fit back there.

thanks for the help so far.

ah. reading #/f/showthread.php?t=321339 now.

350z is a 2 seater only. G35 coupe has 2 doors & 4 seats. G35 Sedan has 4 doors & seats 5. That's why I recommended it. They're basically all the same chassis, suspension and engine.

But it does sound like you're more interested in "What 4 door car can I hop into that will drift right out of box for $16k?"

I mean, at the end of the day, you just need something with:
- RWD
- Manual trans
- limited slip differential
- low cost of maintenance/repair

Personally, as a beginner, I wouldn't daily drive a car that I was planning to use as a drift car knowing my family might be depending on this car for transportation. It would be naive to not expect some downtime, even in a newer or fully built car. Maybe as your skill level increases down the road...

I'm a big advocate of having a dedicated daily driver/support vehicle. For your budget of $16k you can do this with ease. Spend maybe $6k on a SUV to haul both the family and the drifter (if needed) and then buy a mildly built starter drift car, like a 240sx, Miata, FC RX7, Z31/Z32/Z33 for maybe another $5k or $6k. I'm talking about lightweight coupes that already have manual transmission, coilovers, wheels and a lsd. I excluded BMW because, while they can be good performers, they can be pretty maintenance heavy too.

If you haven't already, find a grassroots drift event to attend. Get a sense of the abuse these cars can go through and formulate your plan from that. Here in Texas, we have the Lone Star Bash which was very friendly for beginners as it was a gigantic parking lot you could learn in, without fear of running into stuff or running off the track. Until you started learning to tandem drift, you could keep the wear & tear to a minimum. Can't speak for other locations though.

I hate to bump an old thread, but this is great advice. I myself have also been looking into an SChassis, particularly in mind a zenki s14. It would be something I can commute from home and Work and possibly take to a track, slap on some spares and throw around. But now reading this, kinda puts it into perspective. Although it wouldn’t be a dedicated drift car as mentioned, I would still consider a daily just because i know some point in time the “toy” will break down..


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Get a 2001+ 5spd Lexus Is300. Solid base, doesn't look ancient to your peers, decent aftermarket, and replacement parts are cheaper than a 240sx.

Cosigned for another good one. They can be a little hard to find for bargain basement prices, but are better quality cars than the ocean of 6mt G35 Sedans out there. Easily within the OP's budget if he's even still looking. But stock vs stock, the G wins in performance, if that's important to you.

any s chasis or 350z, stock n/a motor, welded diff, coilovers, good front tires and you would be set to learn on a wrench at your own pace.

4 door E36 or E46. JZX90's are also 25 years old now.

JZX are illegal in California.

Say weeeeerd? I had no idea.

dafuq is a toyota rush

Get a Lambo cousin.

I see you are in Oakland, I have a badass R32 sedan but I dont think I could let it go for $16k

This.

1. nice condition 350z
2. welded diff or even easier get an Enthusiast or Track model with a viscous LSD (just know it's not perfect, but it's fine to get started)
3. set of BC BRs (https://lowoffset.com/nissan/best-35.../#bc-br-series)
4. bash bar (https://lowoffset.com/nissan/350z-ba...s-drift-armor/)
5. aftermarket swaybars (everyone loves cuscos but you can probably find something cheaper)

Would be a great starting point and well within budget. Then when you want to go chasing power you can turbo it or LS conversion.