Question: Do you guys think a 96 lexus es300 would make an ok rally car?

[Bolton Midnight]

$6-10k to prep for road rallying, what do you need to do that in the US? i the UK I used to use hire cars any old piece of junk would do. I've used Renault Lagunas, Peugeot 306 diesel, VW Vento, Vauxhall Astra diesel etc just as they came from Aviz/Hertz.

[janvanvurpa]

So you're going to recommend a Quattro? Name anything you can build (or buy already built and logged) for less then $15k and still have any budget for parts, transportation and entry fees. At that level getting a car to run is a lot more important than trying to get an optimal gear ratio. I was thinking in terms of starter cars, which is why people sell them if they decide to continue with rallying and move up to something with all the wiz-bang accoutrements you mention. Or if they decide rally is too expensive for what they get out of it.

I'll name 2 cars, but you should already know them: XR4Ti and Volvo 240 Turbo. Built, long booked and rallied for under 10K.
Dead reliable, and the guys can upgrade as they get more time in the car. Which they have been doing.

Initial purchase cost of under $200 means you can spend at bit on the good bits you need, like decent suspension...

And the critical question about buying used rally cars: why is the guy selling it? Is it to move "up" ( by factors of 5 to 20 in terms of cost---is that what you meant?) or move ON? from a car that they spent now $2000 for a cage $2000 for suspension if they get good stuff, hours and hours of work on shell and sump guard, wiring, lights, maybe some paint----and throwing away half that investment----are they doing that cause the car just isn't fun enough??? Or the NEXT step is going to be what they imagine "Too gawddam expensive" (which is what I hear).

Far better to get into a car which is basically good, is fun in near stock form and which can be bit by bit affordably upgraded...

[janvanvurpa]

$6-10k to prep for road rallying, what do you need to do that in the US? i the UK I used to use hire cars any old piece of junk would do. I've used Renault Lagunas, Peugeot 306 diesel, VW Vento, Vauxhall Astra diesel etc just as they came from Aviz/Hertz.

Stage rallies is the subject.

[Gregor-y]

I'll name 2 cars, but you should already know them: XR4Ti and Volvo 240 Turbo. Built, long booked and rallied for under 10K.
Dead reliable, and the guys can upgrade as they get more time in the car. Which they have been doing.

Those are actually really good ideas, though the Merkurs may be hard to find (at least around here). 240s definitely are not; they're still all over Chicago, even with this climate. Granted most have rust and aren't in very good shape, but they do survive. I'd still like to find a decent one for myself.