Want to buy your first drift car but can't afford to pay the increasing "drift tax" on classics like the Nissan 240sx, Corolla GT-S or FD RX7s? We give you three affordable alternatives!
Please note, this is an opinion of ours and we are aware that there are plenty other choices ;)
1. Infiniti G35
These are awesome looking cars, they sound great and have Nissan racing heritage in their engineering. The option of a 6-speed manual, Brembo brakes and 280hp stock output makes them a great performer out of the box. There is also tons of aftermarket support for these cars. Priced as low as $4,000 on local classifieds! Keep in mind to look out for rust and for potential excessive oil consumption.
2. Mazda Rx8
Given their release in 2002, these coupe styled 4-door cars (mini rear suicide doors) have been on the decline in value for quite some time, this could be that they were not the most reliable of cars after about 5 years from new. They are rotary powered which makes them rev-happy, but that also comes with a cost as rebuilding the engine is more frequent than a regular piston engine and significantly more expensive. The platform, however, is great for performance, especially with it's 50/50 weight distribution. Mazda strives to make an awesome handling car and the RX8 is just that, they are a lot of fun to learn how to drift. We have seen RX8s as cheap as $2,000 in Ontario / Toronto classifieds! It's a given that repairs would be needed at that, it is a great platform to swap in a different engine altogether though ;)
3. BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 series as far back as 1982 up until present, have been known in the drift scene worldwide. Let's face it, BMWs have been known as the "Ultimate Driving Machine" so of course that means they're great for drifting, in-fact, BMWs seem to be the car that most people are learning how to drift with these days. There are countless companies offering aftermarket drift parts, the cars are also decent to work on and the engines sound raw and awesome. Although the early generation BMW 3 series (E30 chassis) are creeping up in value, early 2000 BMWs (E46) have been seen in Toronto classifieds for as cheap as $1,500! Definitely not turn-key ready to drift, but pretty good 6-speed rear-wheel-drive platforms.
What's your favorite cost-effective drift car?
Keep drifting off the streets! Learn with us at Drift Control.