What are the Best REAL Driver's Cars? 

This channel is such a treasure trove of information that gets overlooked for not being overproduced drivel with obnoxious thumbnails.

This is just good general car enthusiast buying advice we all could use hearing

I really wish they made Honda's like they did in the 90s

Miata might not be a rally car but it is a real Driver's car for sure

Based on 10 years experience as a high perf driving instructor on tracks around the northeast, here are my thoughts: 1) Most common trackday cars by far: Miata (all), E36, C5 & 6. To lesser extent Fiesta, Focus and VW hatches. Price, parts support and reliability all contribute to popularity (along with the driving fun of course) 2) popular but seem to be really fragile are the Subaru’s - they break far to often compared to above. An interesting observation considering O’Neil rallies them...? 3) The FRS sibs are a more recent addition to track days and so far so good - they seem to be holding up really well and are a great driver’s car 4) my track day only car of choice is an Ariel Atom SRA: $30K used, zero driver’s aids (even steering and brakes are manual), ~1400 lbs, honda drive train, 1 set of tires and pads per year, rotors ever 2 years. Literally put gas in it and drive. Virtually no maintenance.

at 24:00 he basically sais "go mental its a rental" about his own cars

Amazing coverage, truly useful conceptual advice is rare on RU-vid.

Wyatt should be doing car reviews for world-class magazines and automotive media. Great info as always👍

At the 5k mark... Old 5speed subaru. 2005 is one of the best NA years. Drive by wire(ECU Flash capable), No AVLS, return fuel system. Super easy to work on, cheap parts. LSD's readily available. No traction control.

Basically he's laying out a Jalopnik Nice Price or Crack Pipe in plain language.

I like this with the exception of age. while I know logically it makes sense to go newer, the simplicity that comes from older rides (like a 90s miata) is just invaluable when something does break. What I look for is a good running engine and no chassis rust (body rust is fine its getting dented anyway) and everything else i can fix. This is anecdotal, but I had a corvette 09 that had an airbag sensor go bad during cold weather only. Thats just a pain that wont appear in something simpler like a miata. If you are comfortable working on cars, or are looking to get comfortable, I still highly recommend going old, cheap and simple since hard driving in whatever you are hooning in is gunna cause damage over time. THEN move on to bigger stuff, newer stuff, or simply more complex cars with your basic mechanical knowledge gained from an older ride. if you arent interested in working on your own stuff though, for sure go as new as possible with what you can afford, so you can beat on it every day

I texted with you about a month ago on here about this. I was asking about the Fiesta 5spd vs the 2003ish ford Focus SVT... i went with the 2014 Ford Fiesta SE thanks to much of what you are saying here and I'm glad I did. THANKS BROTHER. It's all set up now for the rallycross season

I got into rallycross last year. I was looking for a budget car. I found a 99 legacy gt 5spd for 700 bucks. I put some new struts on it and a skid plate. I have been beating on the car for over a year now and haven't had any issues surprisingly. and it has been really competitive in stock awd class.

It's a real bummer that Ford has decided to stop selling cars (other than the Mustang) in North America. The new Fiesta ST looks very cool and comes from the factory with a mech LSD.

I raced RWD V8's in the 80's and 90's in both 1/4 mile and track... I drove an AWD Porsche Turbo... And now I am racing a Mazdaspeed 3... And I don't see any being better, a good driver adjusts... AWD is faster but leaks more power than the other two... RWD is fun to control under steer and oversteer with power more than just speed vectors, and it has a minor power leak... FWD is more forgiving yet faster than the RWD, leaks less power than the other two and if Mustangs are fun at launch so is the torque steer of a 400+ bhp FWD Buying a sports car has some advantages, the oem suspension and springs are more solid than the same regular sedan or hatch so you can leave that to upgrade till last. Also the engine platform is better than a regular version with smaller size engine. The rest, starting with tires, is probably the same... A regular Civic from a Mustang. Handling -> tires.... TIRES! Upgrading springs with out the best tires is nonsensical. Brake pads are super important, I haven't seen a stock brand which is anything but mediocre, all brands! And the driver is the most important part... Can anyone here remain cool when a "fast car" revs up and launches at a light on the street? No? Then you shouldn't be driving a fast car at all... Cool mind, calculations, risk assessment.... The more the better.

I'm probably getting a Lexus IS200/Toyota Altezza. RWD, manual, some have an LSD, and enough power for me. Also very reliable.

So glad i was able to get my 86 Mercedes Cosworths for less than 2k each. 5spd dogleg with mechanical LSD. Been very reliable and fun the last 8 years.

Porsche 987 cayman and boxsters are excellent track day cars, and you'd end up with a lot of car for your money as well.

i have an o4 blobsti ideal for canadian mountain life spirited and willing in the snow and dirt... the rust is a constant battle is the biggest issue. nearing a decade of ownership reasonably satified. 7/10

Any year Honda Fit/Jazz is a great little hatch honestly. Decent performance numbers (for what it is), light, manual, some trims have LSDs (aftermarket ones are available), good MPG, cheap, and pretty sturdy for the most part. There's even a Honda Fit Spec racing series that's pretty entertaining to watch. I've seen one in Autocross that was hanging with Miatas and well built BMW's. Wheels and tires are fairly small which help cut costs too. I don't know how good the aftermarket is for them but thankfully they're fairly simple to modify for most things on it and some of the more popular engine options have good aftermarket support. And hey, VTEC bro.

How is there not a single comment about 350Z, G35, 370Z and G37? Depending on budget, theyre such great bargains for any performance driving on pavement. That plus they pass through every filter in on the board with ease.

I love your videos, The information and insight that you share from driving techniques to decision makings is amazing. And you explain in a straightforward and understandable way!

I daily an frs right now and I agree with your recommendation. Amazing car for the money. I would also recommend the compact and subcompact Japanese cars like the corolla XRS or the civic SI. They are very forgiving, affordable, and unbreakable. Good cars to learn on.

I have loved using my 09 Honda Fit sport because it has funneled through this criteria all except balance is a little lower on the power but it rides corners like a beast and as far as i know doesn't have a front lsd. Highly recommend it for a rally car if anyone is wondering 😁

Oh and thank you so much guys your lessons are amazing and I've improved so much I beat a 535i with a crv and I hope that in a few years I'll be able to fly out and take the whole course, keep it up guys your amazing!!

Going into this video I was afraid that I was going to hear that I just need to throw some money at the Bugeye Subaru I already own. I'm not sure if I should be happy or disappointed that I was mostly right. Haha.

Thanks so much for doing this video. Super informative and helpful

Hey i absolutly love your videos, please keep doing these ❤

Every car enthusiast, whether tarmac or gravel, should put Team O'Neil's Rally School on their bucket list. Seriously, the skills you learn on the course will improve your ability no matter what or where you drive.

A lot of people run '00-'05 Honda S2000s as track cars. They can be found between $10k and $20k, weigh 2800 lbs with 50:50 weight distribution and double wishbone suspension on all four corners, 240 horsepower, reliable NA 4 cylinder, 6-speed manual transmission, ABS only, no TC or stability control, cable throttle, mechanical LSD, cable handbrake, and 20-24 MPG.

My gold standard is the 1989 Peugeot 405. It was light, cheap, had great motors, fade free brakes and you could heal and toe with ease. It was FWD but really responded to left foot braking , the handling was balanced and the ride was excellent. The best part was the steering feel. Steering rack was mounted without rubber to the chassis and the power steering assist via was a rubber mounted actuator. You could feel what the tires were doing all the time. It was very confidence inspiring. It was slow and the limits were low, so you could drive it fast and nobody would notice. I always wanted to drive the piss out of that car and it would take it well. My first/last one had 290k+ miles on it, with the original clutch (albeit nearly toast). It autox, TSD rallied, camped and carried my new born kids. Highly underrated. Finally sold it in 2019. Currently driving a Mazdaspeed Protege for fun and TSD rally, Sicon iA to commute.

2007 Mitsubishi Galant. Has 233k miles, and we still beat it every weekend up the canyon or in the desert. Has never let me down. Super durable and has decent stock suspension.

My 2000 Jetta VR6 has been great (bought 2 years ago). Bought for $600 with no real issues, added Wilwood and GLI brakes, ABS/AST disabled, coilovers, race motor mounts, light flywheel and pulleys, intake/exhaust/tune, Recaros/Harness, and some maintenance (with best fluids possible). $7000 in and about 7000 great miles of death rides and events so far...

Honda Type-Rs generally hold up pretty well

S2000 is my favorite for canyon carving

Dude my '98 audi A4 with the 1.8t and a 5 speed manual transmission has been the absolute best privateer stage car ive ever owned. Ive done quite a bit of work to get it where it is but, it was all cheap and it completely changed the car. All in i own the thing for $4800. Its fully set up and squared away. I threw every factory vacuum/ventilation, safety, electrical, and cooling component in the garbage to start with. I did a haltech elite 1500 stand alone ecu. It has a catch can and 3 vacuum lines. It has the factory exhaust manifold i cut up and welded a 3 inch vband to. I went to an externally gated gtx35 gen 3. It has totally custom Qa1 based coilovers, spherical suspension bushings, billet aluminum subframe bushings. It has 2006 rs4 brakes, certified roll cage, very significant weight reduction. The engine internals are bone stock. The differentials are bone stock and AMAZING. The axles are bone stock and invincible. The transmission is bone stock with a short shifter, twin disc clutch, single mass lightweight flywheel. The car weighs 2760 lbs with me in it and im 6'5 240 lbs. She also makes 324 wheel hp and 350 ft lbs of torque. Its way too fast to be honest its not necessary to have that kind of power. So i have it turned down to 285/300. Its perfect. I cannot stress to you enough how amazing this chassis is once you re-engineer all the stupid ass kraut bullshit. Its all so unnecessary. It honestly could have been one of the greatest cars ever built if it wasn't so over engineered. Its a 4 cylinder turbo mounted transverse with 3 differentials and a manual transmission. Yet it gets NO praise because the germans screwed it qll up with their auxiliary water pumps and insanely, pointlessly complex pcv, vacuum, and cooling design. I promise you, if you spend the $1800 to buy one and do what i did, youll wonder why it took so long to figure it out.

The best driver's car is a Manual Transmission, Naturally Aspirated, RWD, Gasoline/Petrol, Durable, Reliable, $30,000 Thirty year old Toyota Corolla Hatchback AE86. Just kidding, Other than that the FF Honda Civic Type R, Si, and Sport Manual are pretty nice. If you like AWD a Subaru WRX and STi, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, or Ford Focus RS are fun. Very Cheap RWD MR2 and S2000 are cool too but the rule of old needs to be heeded. You’re not buying a brand new car

06-11 Civic Si for a FWD car. 200hp, 8k rpm redline, 6 speed w/ a LSD, coupe or sedan, bulletproof.

Peugeot 106, very cheap, very light and enough power, amazing for a first bash car, to see if it's really for you.

This content is golden, great advices

I would add 2005 to 2008 Audi A4s, with 2.0T engines and the 6-speed manual. Decent power, decent all wheel drive, nice balance and brakes, has an actual hand e-brake, and be had for $5k to $9k. Had one when I lived in Connecticut, and nothing is more fun that sliding an A4 around turns in the winter with a dedicated set of snow tires.

And here i am with my 97 Land Cruiser with 320,000 miles that I daily and beat on the trails. Granted, you are totally right about age being the main problem. Little things like seals and wire brittlement and what not.

You guys are so cool. Ive only driven a Honda Civic in autocross ONCE years ago, but I still love learning all this stuff even though I'll probably never be on a track again

You can't get more car for less money than a Nissan 350Z/G35. It's a little heavy and needs better shocks but the engine is stout, the balance is good and it can make 300HP with very little modification. I got mine for 6 grand, no regrets

Dope video that will help me out, thank you!

RWD king imho is the C6 Corvette. Early years are under 20k, and you can find 2010-13 Grand Sports with under 50k miles for under $30k. Rock solid LS, real diff, 6 speed, traction control is easily disabled, real grip-rip handbrake, supercar level handling and enough power you won’t outgrow it. Yes they require more discipline to drive fast, but that’s the idea right? (Bonus) huge aftermarket community. horsepower? Sky is the limit and relatively affordable and very reliable.

BMW E36 is the car I would say has the best bang for buck, a 325 or 328 has enough power with some cheap mods to have real fun in, and the cars are still pretty cheap & plentiful.

Too many edits on this one - but awesome content 👍👍

I love my $4,000 03 wrx. Only issues are some of the aftermarket parts the previous owner installed like $199 coilovers, cheap wastegate and front mount setup. It also burns oil, but at least it had a new clutch and newer transmission.

Jeez, this is so good!

I love my dc4 Integra. One of the most pure driver’s cars ever made

2011-2014 mustang v6. Yes I said v6. Clutch based Limited slip? Check. 300hp? Check. 6-speed manual? Check. Real handbrake? Check. 30 mpg on highway? Check. Can be found for under 10k? Check. The only problem you may run into is that it is on the heavy side. Everything else about it fits into the criteria. I daily drive one (:

Pretty much my thought process when I picked up my 09 BMW 128i.

this is the video i needed

Thanks for the great videos and awesome content. I'd start the list with, does it have a limited-slip differential.

I bought a 1995 Miata in 2008 for $4900 that had 91k miles and a hardtop. It's been my only car for the last 12 years and has 180k miles now. Adding everything up, including insurance, fuel, maintenance/repairs, all of the modding I've done to it, I've spent maybe around $20k on it. There are so few cars I'd rather have that it's not even worth thinking about.

I picked up a 2003 impreza wrx for 3800$ and with a bit of time and about double that in mods/maitinace I have a very fun/ safe car that I belive meet all the requirements here especially for western Montana. Love your channel

Great Great information

Honda Fit

I have a 2008 Nissan 350z HR, I haven’t gone on the track with it but I have definitely put it through hell and it’s held up pretty great. I wouldn’t get a DE due to it’s known issues, but the HR’s are reliable sub-100k miles. I’ve driven long distances in the snow, run it 150 mph+ on a few occasions and 130+ more than I can count. Great reliable affordable car.

I like the new whiteboard guys, it looks nice!

I just got a 2019 Fiesta se a few months ago and it’s great! Yeah it only has 120hp but like you were saying it’s well balanced and I have a lot of fun with it(mostly because of the proper handbrake)...it only has 1300 miles so far and I’ve definitely pushed its limits and it’s running like a champ so far! It’s definitely reassuring to hear you say that it’s a great car to get started with rallying! (Wish I could’ve afforded the ST, but I’m saving up for an STI so this’ll do in the meantime)! Keep the great content coming!!

very valuable info

I bought a 2011 STI Hatch, paid too much for it but I do not regret it one bit. I drove Skylines, RX-7s, 350Zs etc and none of them could compare.

I have a 2020 Hyundai Veloster N and I absolutely love it

I feel really iffy about the BMW turbo motors for hard driving. Seems they may not be as well suited as the NA motors where. Fiesta ST was a good car for me but I find myself moving back towards Miata as I come closer to another fun car purchase. Would be my 4th Miata

Feeling kinda validated with my WRX and 128i. I will probably be adding an LSD to the latter but it will remain primarily a street car, not an all out performance car.

I have a Fiesta ST and love it. I want to get into Rally Cross this year, or next. It will be paid off soon, so Ill be able to tune or modify it a bit more too.

1995 Subaru Legacy AWD She's underrated. Never quit.

Manual E36 with M50 Engine. Bullet proof once you take care of some basics...Can buy for $2000 and spend $1500 on new suspension, good clutch, brakes, upgrade your cooling system and you are good for years.

Really good video awesome👍

Great info..and I have taken only some to heart.."94 suzuki swift gti..not new but it is light..rattley but solid..performance is ok when the revs are high(still pretty slow)..kms per L are sensational.. and it has a proper handbrake ..and ..I think for everyone out there..it's gotta be fun to drive!..Thats the biggy.

Great video

I used the same filters as in this video, but also add comfort (as it'll also be a daily, not just a track car), and needs to have a button to FULLY disable driver aids, without having to pull fuses. I ended up with a BMW 645Ci with a 6-speed manual.

damn. just found out my 2011 tacoma 6 speed is a racecar lol.

Solid Advice!

Bought a r53 mini cooper 4 months back. So far seems to be a pretty solid little car. Cast iron block, getrag transmission. I wanted a supercharged car because during the summer here in Texas the turbos dont like the heat. Im hoping the supercharger will do better.

Great video, as laways :) I'm actually in the process of buidling a stage car. Using a Honda Civic EP3 2003. Doing a full rebuild , all new bearing, bushing suspension etc. Toughts on the car? Also wanted to say thank you for all the great videos, you guys inspired me to start this build. Hopping I can make my way out to the school from Canada some times.

Nothing beats the Suzuki Samurai. I had thought it was a slugger but that was only until I bought one. Especially in slow corners it is way faster than the E39 BMW 528i I used to have. And the fun you'll have with this vehicle? Priceless!

Exciting times we're in as the original WRX's, Evo's, Celica's, Escorts etc. are importable now due to the 25 year rule. New ones coming online every year. They check every box except the "newish" category but there seems to be no shortage of lower mileage examples for sale by importers. Would be great to see some showing up on our rally stages and we can count on seeing more and more on the streets.

All facts perfect explained, thanks a lot for that valueable videos...I choosed the Swift Sport with KW suspension, lightweight daily fun.

Current car is a '15 Fiesta ST with stage 1 tune. GREAT car! Needs a real LSD, and for track days (mine, at least) a better radiator. Next new-car purchase would be a Veloster N.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of e36 and e46 bmws. I'm a bmw guy and stick to track days/auto X. Awesome cars, TONS of parts, GREAT chassis. awesome cars. You can get a solid e36 for ~3k. e46 closer to ~5k

I live in Germany and got a 2018 Fiesta ST (not available in North America) . It has a lsd from the factory and is a pleasure to drive.

A miata can be used as a rally car if fitted with a proper rollbar/rollcage.

Early IS300 with a factory five speed and LSD. Cheap, reliable, quick enough, and exceptionally well balanced. They are not that hard to find!

one day i'll be able to afford to take the courses at the actual team o'neil location

Citroen C2 VTS - It's a dirt cheap FWD car that's essentially a new Saxo. It has a huge aftermarket support and pretty decent specs for its price

mitsubishi lancer ralliart : it's newish, it's solid, good chassis, decent brakes, not expensive, turbo, awd, mechanical lsd front and rear and active center diff, you can cancel traction controls, got handbrake. And is pretty basic, with the only exception being the gearbox, that is a wet double clutch.

Subaru!!! Great AWD cars. 02-07 are the best years for WRX or STI.

11-14 Mustang with the coyote 5.0. Stick axle so maybe not the fastest around a bumpy track, but a blast anyway!

GREAT VIDEO: Some of this I was telling my teenagers, stressed the weight of a car. I wish I had a redo, lol. But I have a 2019 VW GTI with 7 speed DSG and LSD that I think meets most of this. I drove it on Barber Motorsports Park and had a blast. I have it modified with 347WHP 374FTLBS with coilovers. I'll be doing my first autocross soon. I'll be going to Road Atlanta for first time in July. I'll be posting videos of the runs since I have a better camera mount set up.

Great video! While i was watching I wondered how do viscous center differentials like in a wrx go with hand brakes? Is pushing the clutch enough or should I strictly stay away from it? There are lots of mixed comments about it on the internet which is confusing.

Hi Wyatt/Team O'neil, I have the '15 Fiesta ST (stocks, minus sport spring I'm going to install). It's my daily driving up here in New Hampshire. Will replacing the diff to LSD making the car drives differently? I drive mostly on tarmac road but still I've noticed some wheels spin when driving out of a stop light and also on some straight/turn on wet/snow road. I'm planning to take it for my first autocross this summer. Thank you for all the work you guys do for this channel. It's GREAT! :)

pre-vw skoda favorit. literal mileage tank. maybe not really powerful, but may i mind you it won the 1300cc rally championship twice.

Fiesta ST FTW!!!

MR2 Is Always The Answer

First gen Cayman S fit the bill for me. Bought 6 years ago for $24k, under 30k miles on it. Extremely well balanced, dead reliable on track after you install a deep sump, and was surprisingly cheap to run.

Corvette, Cayman, Miata for track cars

Mini Cooper S R53, preferably 2004.5 through 2006. Excellent go kart car, supercharged, 6 speed manual, very good in auto cross and fun to work on with a lot of options to upgrade. Cheap too. Not so reliable but all the corks are well known and easily fixable.