Top 4 Starter Drift Cars
5 considerations before getting into Drifting
10 things you should take to a drift day
5 easy steps to a perfect donut
There used to be something known as ‘Skyline Tax’ which basically meant people could charge extortionate amounts for anything with ‘Skyline’ in the title, insurers eventually felt they would get involved and do the same. This has now spread to most ‘drift’ cars. This amazing phenomenon means that if a car is rusty, sitting on the floor on £100 coilovers, ripped out interior, non-brand wheels and mismatching body panels it is suddenly worth some money when it’s dubbed a ‘drift car’. Don’t be fooled though, perfectly clean standard versions of the same car (including an MOT which didn’t arrive through the post) are usually cheaper and have lead a much calmer life.
So here are a list of what I believe are the Top 4 starter drift cars.
4. BMW E46
I’m a bit bias here as I actually have an E46, it’s not a drift car as it’s a 330D auto but I can easily do 3000 miles in a month and that’s not something I’d like to do in an out and out drift car. Anyway as is stated in the recent M3 comparison video, the E46 is an incredible machine. I’m not suggesting we go out and learn to drift in an M3 but pretty much any E46 is an option. These days they are as cheap (if not cheaper) as E36s as the market is saturated with them. They are very much a proper car which you could drive every day and be happy turning up to a meeting in as well as throwing it around a track. Plus half of the CT team seem to own E46s! Just a little side note, you can drift diesels and you can drift automatics. Neither of those are the best choices and I’m not recommending it, but it is possible.
3. BMW E36
I drifted for a long time before I even stepped foot in an E36 but I have to say I enjoyed each minute of it when the time came. Really easy car just to jump in and slide around. It’s longer than the MX5 so it does give you a little more time to catch the back end as it comes around. Also available in bigger engine sizes which is always nice (but not essential). E36 M3s will come with (I assume) some sort of LSD but other than that you will probably have to buy a locking diff or get the open diff welded. Only issue with these cars is that they are a little old these days so rust and general age related wear and tear needs to be kept under control.
2. 200sx
My first drift car was a 200sx S13. I bought it (and regrettably sold it) before the prices sky-rocketed for just £1000. I loved it, it was light and 1.8 turbo engine was nothing like I had ever driven before, it makes all the right noises and looks like a drift car. But, as I just mentioned the prices for the S13 has gone mad. As has the price of the S14a, but the S14 with the round front end is almost reasonable. For that you will get a 2.0 turbo engine with mountains of tuning capabilities and more available modifications than any reasonable person would want. I found mine a little heavy with standard power but that’s just my opinion. Very predictable car and the turbo means it’s easier to slide around so you won’t learn as much as you would in an MX5.
1. Mazda MX5 (MK1/MK2)
I’m not sure I can rave any more about the MX5 than Alex already does but I will give it a go. It actually hasn’t been a popular choice until more recently, it’s as if someone discovered one, accidently found out how much fun it was to drift and the rest of us followed suit. Its lack of weight, bullet proof engine and agile chassis means you can throw it around all day long. Power is low but you will be rewarded in the long run. The 1.8 is the better choice but the 1.6 will still drift. Look out for higher insurance premiums on the ‘Eunos’ for no other reason other than the fact that it’s imported. Some of the editions come with torsion LSDs which will slide but a welded differential is going to be more predictable. Probably not worth spending over £1500 on one in my opinion but each to their own.
This is by no means a complete list but in my opinion, these are all good purchases. Each of them you can get for under £1000 except the 200sx S14 (not 14a). They are still rather cheap and are turbo, more to insure and but more out of the box power. If you don’t need to insure it as you have a trailer, this list becomes pretty long. The MX5 is the king of starter drift cars, it ticks all the boxes and its amazing fun. Ask almost any experienced drifter and they will tell you that that is the car to learn in, and if you can drift that, you can drift anything.
To the drifters on here, make sure you comment and let us know what your first drift car was and why you picked that one. Also next week I will be going through drift day essentials so keep your eye out for that one!
Comments
Personally i dont really like when people get Silvias as theyr first drift cars, what happens is that they trash or crash them, theyre pretty rare already. Rather get e36/46 as your first drift car.
I’ve seen so many s13 trashed at drifting events, but I’ve gotten over it though. Those people are doing what they love. It’s their passion. And in my opinion, its far better than having a show car.
well… wont e36 and e46 be rare soon if you trash or crash them? It dosnt matter what car you take, some day they will all be rare.
I don’t think that many people can afford Silvias as their first car. It unfortunate when it happens, but I think its rare.
…none of these cars are truly starter cars. Maybe the E36. But it is difficult to drift. Sierra is good and easy to fix (dents and crash follow ups). Scorpio…. soft suspension gives you a good feeling and if you crash… they are cheap. The MX-5….well maybe, but it needs a bit of work first. So a little heads up.
E36/E46 are good for control drifting at high speeds. They do not slide that easy. You should be able to handle that.
In my opinion the Sierra is a little bit rare these days, hence the E36/E46 choice. There are hundreds on ebay for less than £1500. I know the 200sx is pretty rare but the parts are so abundant as is the tuning capacity I feel it’s not a bad place to start!
What was your first drift car?
Sierra needs lots more work to make as good as a MX5 for drifting. They are a good car to drift and fun but not in the same league as any of the other cars on the top 5 list for drifting.
I would have put Toyota Chaser, Mark II instead of the E46
I really like the Chaser but they’re just too expensive over here (in the UK) to justify having one as a starter drift car. I still want one though!
The mx-5 was designed for grip… I don’t see how a car designed to keep itself in a straight line is supposed to pull 50meter sweeper drifts
Take one out or get someone to take you out in one. Yes their power is low but they will drift all day long in the right hands!
Because of that reason you have to go balls deep in to everything and push these as hard as you can to reap the rewards. For someone to jump in a 200+ horsepower car and learn in is not easy but easier so you learn in something with less, in most cases you become a better drifter
It doesn’t take much to make an mx-5 sweep. But you’re corect they are originally built for grip. Yet so are Audi quattro’s. And I can tell you from experience even with awd (and the help of a variable center differential) we can all go sideways!!
Over pressurising the tyres and a hydrobrake really help.
Miata + snow = funniest drive of your life so I can see why getting it sideways would be easy
Good list, but It could use more variety.
what about the toyota ae 86? for beginers by the way
They cost a fortune and quite often you will have an incident or two when learning which may hurt your wallet, and the internet if they found out you wrecked one!
Expensive as hell. 350Zs are cheaper and super common. Go with an 03-05 they are $3k-$5k in the states if you look around a bit, which puts them in S13 price range. Please dont get an S13 bc they are dying off rapidly.
Why no American cars?
I live in the UK so I don’t get the access to them unfortunately. Well not to the extent to using them as a starter drift car.
I thought you did a good job with this article mate. Good copy backed up by solid opinion and reasoning. Keep at it.
Thanks!
What about the Lexus is200? The sport comes with standard LSD and 6 speed transmission. It might be down on power(156bhp) but you can stick some 16” rims on the rear and 50 psi in them and would drift all day long. I own one of almost 3 years and I’m very happy with it
I’m going to come clean and admit I have never driven one so wouldn’t like to comment. I don’t see as many around these days but that’s not to say it’s not a great idea. I need to find one to play with!
My First drift car is also my first car. It’s am 89 316i E30 Sedan with an M42B18is swap. It has no LSD half striped interior (back seat and back door panels) 136hp and 175nm is plenty for a 1050kg engine however I’m planning on upgrading the engine once this will fail on me. :))
No LSD? Is it a welded diff?