Track Cars: Build One, Buy One, or Burn Your Wallet Trying?

After sinking an embarrassing amount of time, money, and energy into the track car rabbit hole, I figured it was time to share what I’ve actually learned. There’s no shortage of advice out there—everyone has an opinion on building or tracking a car—but how much of it really applies to your goals?

Sure, the guy yelling “Miata is always the answer” (guilty) or “run what you brung” might be right in certain situations. But how does that help you figure out where to start—or what path makes sense for you?

I want to get into the financial conundrum of buying a prepped track car versus building one yourself. But before we head down that rabbit hole, there’s a more important question to consider:

What Do You Want Out of This Hobby?

It’s worth taking a moment to figure out what’s really driving you to spend your hard-earned cash on a hobby that, let’s be honest, rarely makes financial sense.

• Do you just want to drive fast?

• Are you focused on becoming a better driver?

• Curious what it’s like to drive on a track?

• Is the idea of building a track car more appealing than actually driving it?

• Do you dream of lining your garage shelf with trophies and reliving glory days that haven’t happened yet?

All of that matters. If your only goal is to go fast or dip your toes into track life, then great—keep it simple. Slap on some high-temp brake pads and fluid, make sure your car is properly maintained, and sign up for an HPDE at your local track.

But keep in mind: track days are much harder on your car than your daily commute. If you neglect basic maintenance—things like sketchy wheel bearings, bald tires, or overdue oil—it’s a quick way to end your day early (and expensively). Safety first, always.

Now, let’s say you’ve done a few HPDE events and you’re hooked. Lapping alone doesn’t quite scratch the itch anymore, and now you’re thinking about competition. That’s when it’s time to start asking yourself what kind of racing you’re actually into—and how much abuse your wallet (and your lower back) can take.

Probably the cheapest way to dip into competitive driving is autocross. Entry fees are low, and because you’re only pushing the car hard for 40 to 60 seconds at a time, you usually don’t need to upgrade brakes or worry about overheating. Safety gear is minimal (just a helmet), and tires can last a full season or two. That makes it one of the most affordable ways to get involved.

It’s also a fantastic way to sharpen your technical driving skills. You’ll be pushing the car to 10/10ths at every corner—with very little risk of damage beyond a bruised ego or a scuff mark from that cone you bashed in the slalom. It’s probably the safest and cheapest form of motorsport out there.

So yes, autocross is a great place to start. You should sign up and give it a shot. But there are a few things you should know before you show up.

First, like any motorsport event, there’s check-in, tech inspection, and a required work assignment. You’ll also need to walk the course before you drive it—because it changes every time. If you’re anything like me, the sea of cones will feel like a confusing maze at first. Walk it with someone who knows what they’re doing. Plan to spend at least 30 minutes walking, even though you’ll only drive it for a few minutes total.

Once the event starts, cars run one at a time, so you’ll have some downtime between your own runs. And when your group isn’t driving, you’ll be working—usually chasing down cones someone else just obliterated. Bring sunscreen and plenty of water. Shade is rare, and the day is long.

By the end, you’ll probably get 3 to 6 runs—each one lasting under a minute. And yet you’ll have spent 6–7 hours at the event. Is that a good trade? Depends who you ask. Some love the camaraderie and chill vibe. Others thrive on the challenge of optimizing every detail. And then there are folks who can’t get past the time-to-seat-time ratio—and eventually move on to something else.

So, what kind of driver are you?

To be clear, I’m not here to sell you on autocross. I just think it’s a relatively fun, inexpensive, and educational entry point that every car enthusiast should try at least once. But if you’re thinking bigger—like tracking your car on a full-size road course—then let’s dig deeper. There’s a lot to consider.

Where do you want to compete?

Maybe you’re happy continuing the HPDE journey and just want to get faster. That’s perfectly valid, and we’ll get into that more below. But if you’re aiming to actually compete, you’ll need to find a league that suits your goals.

Popular options include the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), National Auto Sport Association (NASA), BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA), Porsche Club of America (PCA), and national tours like GridLife (GL).

I could write an entire article on the different classing systems, but your best bet is to research them yourself and figure out what fits your tastes—and more importantly—your budget. Some use power-to-weight ratios. Others factor in engine displacement, aspiration, or vehicle modifications. Some group cars into classes with limited upgrades allowed. It varies wildly.

Before you get too deep into picking a class, look local. Just because a class is popular nationally doesn’t mean it’s alive and well in your region. You could spend a small fortune prepping your car only to show up and find you’re the only one in your class. Congratulations, you’re the “champion”—but it’s not all that fun with no one to battle against. Unless you're ready to chase national events with a tow rig and a travel budget, it's worth checking local participation first. (Ask me how I know.)

Once you’ve settled on a class, look at the cars that dominate it. Is there a “car to have”? If so, you might want to start refreshing Facebook Marketplace sooner rather than later. Sure, you can run whatever you want, but if one or two platforms are consistently winning, it’s easy to feel like you're fighting an uphill battle. Better to buy smart up front than regret it later.

Also, not all cars are created equal when it comes to aftermarket support. If you go with something common—say, a Miata—you’ll find a massive ecosystem of parts for any kind of motorsport. But if you decide to build something weird and wonderful, expect to spend more time fabricating than driving. Ask yourself how much wrenching (and how much waiting on parts) you're willing to put up with.

And while “Miata Is Always the Answer,” safety always needs to be part of the equation. If you’re running a convertible, make sure your roll protection is actually up to snuff. In the event of a rollover, is your helmet sticking above that questionable eBay roll bar? Can you pass a broomstick test? If not, start thinking about how to get your long torso safely under proper roll protection—because no lap time is worth a trip to the ICU.

So you’ve picked a class and a car. What now?

First and foremost: brakes. There is nothing more terrifying than barreling toward a tire wall with a mushy pedal and no stopping power. Ask any track rat—brake failure is one of the worst feelings you can experience behind the wheel.

Start with the essentials: dedicated track pads and high-temperature brake fluid. The type of pads you need depends heavily on your driving style. If you’re coasting through corners like you’ve got Grandma in the passenger seat, you might get by with aggressive street pads. But once you start pushing harder, especially braking late and deep, you’ll quickly find their limits. Track-specific pads aren’t just a luxury—they’re a necessity.

If you ignore this, best case, your sessions get cut short due to fade. Worst case? You find out how expensive tire walls really are.

What About Upgrading Calipers and Rotors?

It depends. Some cars come with beefy factory setups that can handle serious heat with the right pads. Others were built to a price and barely cut it in stock form. If you’ve added sticky tires, suspension, or more power, you’re likely entering braking zones faster—meaning your brakes are working harder.

Brake ducting can help tremendously. But even with good pads, a larger brake setup can lower temps, reduce fade, and extend the life of your components. Less pad wear = fewer replacements = long-term savings. Stronger brakes also boost confidence, letting you brake later and harder—shaving seconds off your lap times.

The Most Important Braking Component: Tires

Let’s not forget the one thing that actually stops the car: the tires. Your calipers might clamp the rotors, but grip comes from the rubber. If you're restricted to 200-treadwear tires, know that the "Super 200" category is constantly evolving. A new hot tire seems to take the crown every year.

Not all 200-treadwear tires are created equal. Some are built for a narrow peak performance window. Others sacrifice a bit of grip for consistency and longevity. And some 100-treadwear endurance tires are surprisingly close in outright performance to the Super 200s.

Slicks? That’s a different beast entirely—and we’ll get to that.

Wheels: Size Matters (But So Does Fitment)

Check your rulebook: What are the wheel width limitations or penalties? Slapping a wide tire on a narrow wheel won't always make you faster. You're better off pairing wide tires with appropriately sized wheels that support them properly.

And before you buy wheels, double-check that your tire of choice comes in a size that actually fits those wheels. Nothing’s worse than dropping cash on wheels only to find out your favorite competition tires don’t come in that size.

More Grip = More Body Roll = Suspension Time

Add grip, and suddenly your suspension can’t keep up. The car starts to feel sloppy. That body roll kills your confidence and consistency. Suspension upgrades start making sense.

Sway bars help limit lateral movement, but they don’t do anything for dive under braking or squat under acceleration. I see them more as balance tuning tools than primary roll-control devices. Quality sway bars and endlinks can provide fine-tuning options—especially with preload adjustments that affect turn-in behavior.

But the real magic happens in the dampers.

Dampers and Coilovers: Choose Wisely

Are you allowed to run coilovers in your class? What about external reservoirs or multi-way adjustable shocks?

Most entry-level coilovers are single adjustable (usually rebound only). They don’t reduce body roll per se, but they slow it down—giving you more confidence. Some setups, like Ohlins DFV, adjust rebound and compression simultaneously for a more refined feel without stepping up to full two-way kits, but keep in mind the rate of adjustment in fixed, as their DFV setup cannot adjust rebound and compression independent of each other.

Koni-based kits are a popular budget choice. They handle higher spring rates decently, can be modified for dual adjustment, and won’t destroy your fillings. But being twin-tube, they’re less heat-tolerant and not as responsive as monotubes.

For more serious builds, motorsport-grade dampers from JRZ, MCS, or Penske offer greater control and can handle very high spring rates. Yes, you can throw stiffer springs on cheaper coilovers—but if the dampers can't keep up, the result is harshness and instability, especially over curbing.

Picking Spring Rates: Track, Street, or Both?

Will this be a dual-purpose car or a dedicated track toy? Are you trailering it or driving it? Do you want to feel like a bobblehead en route to the grocery store?

Also consider your local tracks. Are they glass-smooth or borderline off-road? Your spring rate choice should reflect those conditions.

Don’t Forget the Supporting Cast

Coilovers are just part of the equation. What about alignment adjustability? You may need camber plates, offset bushings, adjustable control arms, or toe arms. Want to correct roll center from lowering the car? On certain platforms you need to plan for it.

And don’t overlook bushings. Replacing worn-out OEM rubber with stiffer options—or even spherical bearings—can sharpen response. But NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) will increase.

Before anything else: check your control arm bushings. It's pointless to chase lap times if the suspension geometry is shifting mid-corner.

Cooling: Keep It Together

More speed = more heat. How’s your factory cooling system? Many OEM setups are fine for street use but fall apart on track. An all-aluminum radiator is usually a good starting point.

Check that your front bumper ducts air efficiently to the radiator, and that the hoses aren’t cracked and brittle. Overheating is a quick way to end a session—or worse, warp your block.

OEM coolant gauges are often vague. Invest in real temp readouts. Gauges that show actual temps (and possibly warning lights/data logging) are cheap insurance.

Oil Cooling: The Forgotten Necessity

Oil is just as important as coolant. Overheat it, and it breaks down. Even the fanciest oils have limits. A well-placed cooler can work wonders—but remember, extra oil lines reduce pressure slightly. An upgraded oil pump may be worth considering.

More oil capacity can help too. Swapping to a larger capacity pan buys time before the oil gets too hot.

As grip increases, so does the risk of oil starvation in corners. Some OEMs (like Corvette Z06s and ND Miatas) are built to withstand 1.4g+ from the factory. Others aren’t. Adding a baffled pan, an accusump, or even a dry sump system (plan on taking out a second mortgage to pay for it!) might be necessary depending on your car and grip levels.

Power: Just Say “Yes”... Maybe

Everyone wants more power. But what does it do to your classing, reliability, and cooling needs?

A high-flow exhaust can reduce EGTs and free up a few horses, but check your track’s noise limits. Local emissions rules matter too if you're street driving.

Tuning is tempting—especially on boosted cars—but adding boost, timing, or leaning AFRs increases heat and strain. Some ECUs pull power to protect the motor mid-session. Your 1320 tune may not survive 20 minutes of lapping. Talk to a tuner who understands your goals.

Could you double your car’s output with a turbo kit? Sure. But will it survive? Or would it make more sense to start with a car that already makes that much power stock?

Differentials and Drivetrain: Getting It to the Ground

Did your car come with a proper LSD? If not, you’ll want one. Torsen-style diffs are great for dual-duty cars but less predictable at the limit compared to a clutch-type LSD. The trade-off? NVH and noise.

Transmissions and diffs also get hot. Can your factory units handle the abuse? Do they have finned covers? Should you run coolers or upgrade to beefier components? Power isn’t free—it stresses everything downstream.

Safety: The Most Important Mod If Something Goes Wrong

You’re going faster. What happens if it all goes wrong?

Do you need a roll bar or cage? A race seat and harness? What are the safety requirements for your class? Track days don’t require the same protection as wheel-to-wheel racing, but you should plan accordingly.

Safety gear gets expensive fast—but your spine is worth more than a set of coilovers.

The Bottom Line

There’s a lot more we could cover—like aero, geometry correction, widebody kits, standalone ECU's, forced induction, etc.—but you get the idea.

This hobby isn’t cheap.

I’d love to give you a ballpark figure for building a proper track car, but it varies wildly depending on your starting platform and class.

So now we arrive at the real question:

At What Point Does It Make More Sense to Just Buy a Built Track Car?

As a general rule, if you’ve got the cash in hand, it’s almost always significantly cheaper to buy someone else’s fully built track car than it is to build one yourself. It's not uncommon to find cars with over $50,000 in modifications selling for under $30,000. That doesn’t even factor in the hundreds of hours of labor and research the original owner likely put into it.

In other words, if your goal is to get out on track and you can afford the upfront cost, buying a completed car can save you a ton of time, money, effort, and headaches—especially if the previous owner has already dialed it in and worked out the typical teething issues.

Does It Ever Make Sense to Build Your Own Track Car?

Absolutely. Many enthusiasts enjoy the build process as much (or more) than driving the car itself. There’s something satisfying about seeing incremental improvements and shaping the car to your preferences over time.

But from a financial standpoint? No, building your own track car almost never makes sense. Buying new parts and piecing it all together will nearly always cost more than buying someone else's completed project.

If you're approaching this hobby with a fiscally conservative mindset, allow me to stop you right there. The money you put into building a track car isn’t coming back. Consider it part of the experience—because there’s nothing financially smart about it.

That said, there are cases where building your own car does make sense—particularly if you can’t afford a fully prepped car upfront but can slowly modify a car over time.

What About Factory-Built Track Cars or OEM Track Packages?

Yes, some manufacturers offer cars that are purpose-built or optioned specifically for track use. While most of us can’t swing a 911 GT3 RS, there are options that start to make a lot of sense depending on how you plan to use them.

Take the 6th-gen Camaro 1LE package, for example. For around $6,500, you get an upgraded suspension (including GM’s excellent magnetic dampers), big Brembo brakes (six-piston front, four-piston rear), 2-piece rotors, an electronically controlled LSD, a 3.73 final drive ratio, and enhanced cooling for the engine, transmission, and differential. Good luck sourcing and installing those upgrades for less money on your own. If you plan to track your Camaro, the 1LE package is a no-brainer.

The same logic applies to Corvettes. If you're looking at a C6 or C7, you might consider stretching your budget for a C6 Z06, Grand Sport, or ZR1—or a C7 Z51, Grand Sport, Z06, or ZR1. These all come with a factory dry sump oiling system, which is critical for surviving extended high-G cornering with a wide, sticky set of tires.

Of course, if you're planning to immediately upgrade those factory parts anyway, it may not make sense to pay extra for them. But otherwise, these factory packages can offer serious performance and long-term value for the money.

This Is Not a Cheap Hobby

And we haven’t even talked about track fees, insurance, lodging, or consumables. For out-of-town events, it’s easy to drop over $1,000 for a weekend between entry fees (time trials are generally cheaper than wheel-to-wheel), lodging, insurance, and food.

Sure, you could skip track day insurance to save money—but take a moment to consider how much you’ve already invested in your car. The mods, the labor, the car itself. If something goes wrong, can you afford to walk away from it?

That brings up an important point: once you’ve sunk $20,000 in parts and countless hours in your garage, are you comfortable throwing the car into a competitive environment where things can go wrong? It’s a question worth asking before you dive in headfirst.

This is one of the most fun and rewarding hobbies out there—but like anything worth doing, it’s best to go in with your eyes open. So if you're ready, open your wallet, grab your tools, and send it.