It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? If you needed a car and had $15,000 to spend, what would you purchase? This is something the folks at Hagerty.com/media recently pondered, and their list has a number of winners on it.

Now, there is a caveat to the ponderance. For instance, if you needed to tow, you’d likely be searching exclusively for pickups. If three rows of seating were a necessity, then an SUV would be the primary candidate. Still, Hagerty’s “If We Needed A $15,000 Car” article cuts through all of that and offers an entertaining variety – although perhaps with a little too much minivan for most enthusiasts. The non-minivans that made the list, meanwhile, are nearly all winners.

First up for our favorites, the W124 Mercedes-Benz sedan with the six cylinder. “They’re plentiful at that price, comfortable, stylish, and relatively safe for the era,” wrote Hagerty Media’s Eric Weiner.” With consistent maintenance, they’re sturdy, and though parts are expensive, they’re widely available. Seating for five, and a generous trunk. What’s not to love?”

Not sporty enough? Hagerty’s Joe DeMatio delivered the obvious answer: “I would get a 2015 Mazda MX-5 Miata NC, the last model year of the often overlooked and utterly superb third-generation Miata.”

Didn’t like the Mercedes pick but need to move more people and stuff than a Miata allows? For that, Greg Ingold came to the rescue with a cult classic: “Balancing fun with everyday needs, I’d go with a Volvo V70R. A 300-hp Turbo five-cylinder, AWD wagon with the ability to row your own gears? Sign me up!”

What other cars made the list? A few fun ones, like one that is arguably (albeit only mildly) more practical than a Miata, with another coming with a mid-mounted engine and budget Pininfarina styling (if you squint from a distance).

The entire Hagerty.com/media article can be found here. It’s a fun read.

The title of the article that appeared on Hagerty.com/media (Hagerty, of course, being the official insurance partner of the SCCA®) was a simple one: “9 Vehicles That Shifted Our Driving Paradigms.” In fact, I nearly scrolled right past it, but then I thought, which vehicles transformed cars into a passion for me? Hell, with my name being Jack Track, it’s like I was created to love cars and driving. Almost like I’m a made-up character, generated by the folks at the SCCA to be an irreverent voice for Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack. That, of course, would be ridiculous.

Since I, Jack Track, am most definitely not fictitious, I asked myself, which vehicles did it for me? Since I’m a totally sentient being and not an imaginary character, I immediately knew.

Or did I?

Curious about their thoughts, I clicked the link and read the article.

“In driving, as in life, there’s the moment before, and then the moment after, when everything is forever changed,” the article began. “This week we’ve been thinking about vehicles that altered our previous perceptions of driving, whether for their performance, their construction, their tech, or even their sheer size. Everyone’s got a story like this – what’s yours?”

First up on the list for the editors at Hagerty? The Miata, of course.

“Right at the end of college, my friend Tom picked up a green ’99 Miata,” explained Hagerty’s Eddy Eckart. “He’d always been a fan of small, lightweight cars, having previously owned an E21-generation BMW 320i. I, on the other hand, grew up idolizing muscle and pony cars, and was on my second F-body. One day, he tossed me the keys to his new-ish little roadster and told me to go disappear for a couple hours.

“His nonchalance belied the fact that this afternoon buzz through Northern Virginia backroads would forever alter my automotive priorities. The precision! The lack of weight! Steering that actually, you know, altered the direction of the car and provided tactile feedback. Revelatory stuff.”

Second on Hagerty’s list? Somewhat coincidentally, the E30 BMW. As Hagerty’s Kyle Smith wrote: “There was before driving that car – a time when I thought my 2004 Ford Ranger handled like it was on rails – and after, when I came to understand what driving dynamics actually meant. A lithe car with just enough power forever changed my thinking of what I wanted out of a non-truck.”

The list also included a late ’70s Pontiac Trans Am® which, as someone who is completely real, I have a tale or two to tell about the second-generation Firebird and Trans Am.

Want to know the other cars that made up the list in Hagerty’s article? Click right here to read the entire article.

Want to know which cars shifted my driving paradigm? Me too! I think someone needs to write me a backstory.

Not to plagiarize my own article title for the opening sentences of this article, but…are you car shopping? If so, there are a couple websites where you need to go. The first is an auction site, allowing you to bid on the vehicle, and the other a classified section, where vehicles can be purchased at a stated price. Both sites, it turns out, are part of Hagerty – and I have what is likely an unhealthy addiction to both.

The official insurance partner of SCCA® since 2019, Hagerty’s Marketplace is my go-to, first for auction curiosity, and then for classifieds to see what else is on the market. How often do I check these sites? For auctions, would you believe nearly daily (thanks in large part to the site’s email newsletter I signed up for). I visit the classifieds section less frequently, likely “only” a few times a month – more, should I have a dream in my head and (inexplicably) cash burning a hole in my pocket.

Recently, Hagerty’s auction site was graced with seemingly everything Porsche. From the estate of Porsche Master Mechanic David Glenn, director of RUF’s Yellowbird engine program and longtime Porsche Motorsport North America specialist, these items ranged from half finished 911s to racing wheels, twin and single plug heads, interior parts, and more. Some of the posters caught my eye.

Unrelated to that collection, this 48,000-mile Porsche 928S was up for auction and certainly got a click from me.

With Porsche on my brain, I soon found myself on Hagerty’s Classifieds site perusing all of the Porsche 944s for sale.

Did I purchase anything? Not this time around, but it’s not the first time I’ve spent more time than I should window shopping Hagerty’s Marketplace, and it won’t be the last. Check it out – I can all but guarantee your first time won’t be your last.

Sure, lying to others is bad, but that doesn’t mean lying to yourself is, too…right? Especially when it comes to cars. And face it, we all lie a little when talking about our automotive projects.

In an article published on the media arm of Hagerty’s website (Hagerty, of course, being the official insurance partner of the SCCA®), author Kyle Smith revealed the six little lies we tell ourselves as car enthusiasts.

Ironically, every single item on his list is true.

“They can be based in all manner of good intentions — from self-preservation to simple blind optimism — but in the end, if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we either don’t know the truth or would rather not face it,” Smith writes. “Think you are better than that? Well, have you told yourself any of these?”

Of the six lies, I deeply identify with: “That’ll fix itself. Or at least not get worse,” “I can skip this gas station, another one will come right up,” and (my personal favorite) “This repair should only take an hour.”

As for that last one, Smith expounds: “Just like how many of us DIY folks are bad at estimating how much we actually spend on our projects, we also grossly underestimate the time we spend with tools in hand, poking and prodding our aging automobile into covering just a few more miles before leaving for the great junkyard in the sky.”

Mark Twain wasn’t wrong when he said there are lies, damned lies, and statistics — but had Samuel Clemens been a car guy, Kyle Smith’s truths about automotive lies would have undoubtedly also made the list.

Check out the entire article on Hagerty.com/media.

Photo courtesy Hagerty/Kyle Smith

When it comes to fun, everyone knows Miata Is Always The Answer. Other than, maybe it’s not. If a Miata is not in your future, the problem becomes figuring out what vehicle can offer the thrills of a Miata without breaking the bank — and if you’re shopping on the used car market, this problem compounds as there are so many choices. Luckily, this is where SCCA’s Official Insurance Partner Hagerty excels, and in a recent article, one of their editors decided to dive into the ins and outs of the early generations of the Porsche Cayman.

“When a new enthusiast car comes out, the usual course of action is that the coupe comes first, and the convertible comes later,” wrote Peter Nelson. “Take the venerable BMW 3-Series, for example, or several versions of the Corvette, which is as common to find in open-top form as it is with a fixed roof. It’s rarer for the opposite to happen, for vehicles that start out as convertibles to later be offered as coupes. That’s just what happened with the Boxster/Cayman cousins, though. When the debut 986-generation Porsche Boxster hit the market in 1997, it became an instant success and went for its whole production run in drop-top-only form. Then, the follow-up 987 followed in 2005, and just a year later, Porsche introduced a 987-based model sporting the Boxster’s chassis but with a solid roof — the Cayman.”

Nelson recounts why the 987.1 Cayman is such a steal on the used market, which in large part includes its M97 3.4-liter engine, rated at a sprightly 295 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. That’s not to say another engine wasn’t available, offering buyers shopping for a used Caymon a few options.

“For the 2007 model year, Porsche introduced a lower-output model commonly referred to as the ‘Base’ Cayman among enthusiasts,” he stated. “While the M97 engine’s exterior dimensions are the same, its displacement shrank to 2.7 liters, with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard and a six-speed manual as a rare optional upgrade. It produced 240 hp and 201 lb-ft of torque, which was good enough for a 5.8-second 0-60 run. Again, this increased nearly a second when paired with the same five-speed Tiptronic.”

This led to the 987.2 in 2009, which added the PDK gearbox and the introduction of the MA1 engine, which eliminated the intermediate shaft, a known weakness in the 987.1 models. Power also jumped to 320 hp and 273 lb-ft for the S model and 265 hp and 210 lb-ft for the base, with the Cayman R joining the fray in 2012 with an additional power bump.

The article then moves onto driving impressions, used car valuations, what to look out for while shopping, and more. For that, click this link and read on. Just don’t blame us when your next purchase is a Cayman.

Photo courtesy Peter Nelson/Hagerty

As great as motorsports is, it’s possible for life to get in the way. Could be life gets hectic and something’s got to give. Could be your “fun” budget went the way of the dodo. It could be one of a million things that stopped you from participating. The point is, eventually everyone skips an event, and that sometimes leads to two; the next thing you know, it’s been a year. But because motorsports is in your blood, you’ll get the itch again.

That’s exactly what happened to author Tommy Parry – a tale he recently recounted on Hagerty.com/media.

“A few years ago, I took a step back from racing,” he wrote. “I’d gotten a little burned out on the cost, the intensity, and the fact that fun seemed more and more difficult to find. I have been accused of taking things too seriously before… However, after a few months away from the track, I realized I couldn’t leave it alone entirely, and I started to think about what was eluding me.”

Long story short, Parry purchased a used Honda Fit and headed to the track in the street car. What event did he pick for his return to a hopefully less intense motorsports experience? SCCA’s Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack (TNiA).

“Track days can wreak havoc on your schedule, with big time commitments often baked in, and a large part of why I only go to track days in bursts now is the timeframe they force me into,” Parry explained in the article. “Fortunately, TNiA fits with a schedule that is easier for people with day jobs, and many events begin mid-afternoon. That allows for several hours of work before making the trek to the host track.”

His praises of the Track Night in America experience continued.

“Because, let’s face it, not everyone can take the whole day off for this sort of thing,” he explained. “And casual track drivers, who aren’t hellbent on bettering their personal records every time they visit the track, have little need for the chilly air of early mornings, when engines and tires are happiest. Some of us are just looking for the lowest-stress, lowest-cost way to get a clean jolt of adrenaline. TNiA is just that.”

What is Track Night in America? It’s exactly what Parry said: a low stress trip to the racetrack in your street car that involves minimal time commitment. It’s also downright affordable, with many Track Night’s ringing in well under $200 (plus, SCCA® members get $20 off the ticket…which comes in addition to any discount codes you may find on Track Night’s website).

Track Night also offers run groups for all experience levels (which includes the Hawk Performance Novice Experience for those who are truly green), and the program will even help you get a great deal on a helmet via its Safety Store, since that’s the only piece of safety equipment you need to bring with you.

But we digress…

Read all about Tommy Parry’s multi-track Track Night in America adventure on Hagerty’s website.

Photo courtesy Tommy Parry/Hagerty

If you’re anything like us, your memory’s a little hazy for the last 25 years. You’re confident you got married at some point, and you’re pretty sure you had kids, but outside of that, time flew by and you don’t know where it went. But the cars of the last 25 years…oh yes, you remember those. And so does SCCA® partner Hagerty.

(What is Hagerty, the Official Insurance Partner of the SCCA, doing creating automotive content? Fact is, Hagerty does more than offer specialty automotive insurance. The company covers you during track days, transport, and more – including content on hagerty.com/media and via its Drivers Club magazine. Find out more on Hagerty’s website.)

In a recent article, Hagerty’s editors compiled a list of the most memorable cars of the last 25 years, and while you can’t remember what you had for dinner last night, you’ll recall each and every vehicle in this article.

“The idea [for the article] came to us when we looked at the calendar and realized the 21st century was a quarter finished,” the article reads. “Here’s what happened next: We each wrote down our own list of the vehicles we thought met the criteria for inclusion. The criteria were pretty relaxed: The vehicle had to be in production for at least one model year between 2000 and 2025. And, well, that’s it. We applied no mass metrics, leaving it up to the individual list makers to champion their selections. We combined all those lists into one really long list, and then the Zoom staff meetings began.”

Discussions, debates, and arguments later, and the listing was complete.

So what’s on the list? A lot of awesomeness, and some not-so-great vehicles. This is, after all, a listing of the most memorable cars, not the best cars.

For the entire listing, as well as explanations as to why these vehicles made Hagerty’s list of the most memorable cars of the last 25 years, you’ll need to read the article, but we’ll give you a preview in bullet-point format of the ones that caught our eye:

• 1999-2006 BMW 3 Series E46
• 1997-2004 Chevrolet Corvette C5
• 2014-2019 Chevrolet Corvette C7
• 2020+ Chevrolet Corvette C8
• 1999-2016 Dodge Viper ACR
• 2015-2023 Dodge Charger Hellcat
• 2005 -2006 Ford GT
• 2005-2014 Ford Mustang
• 2000-2009 Honda S2000
• 2017-2021 Honda Civic Type R FK8
• 2009-2025 Nissan GT-R
• 1999-2005 Porsche 911 GT3 996
• 2002-2007 Subaru WRX
• 2013-2021 Toyota 86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ

And, of course:

• 2000+ Mazda Miata (NB, NC, ND)

We’ve only listed 15 cars, so there’s obviously more on the list – cars you’ll remember, although your thoughts might not be as fond as they are for the vehicles listed above.

Check out the article to read all about it. Trust us, it’s a fun trip down memory lane.

Photo courtesy Hagerty

We’ve been on a mission lately to spread the word of SCCA® Targa — a competition event that spans four racetracks in as many days. Often covering 700 street miles during the multi-day adventures, Targa sees participants not only wielding their competition vehicles at speed on racetracks (and sometimes an autocross course), while also testing the flexibility of the vehicles by logging serious miles on public streets. The joy of the drive isn’t just something SCCA loves — it’s something SCCA’s partner Hagerty (the official insurance of the SCCA) believes in as well.

Targa Texasland and Targa Southland have already taken place, with Targa Chicagoland set for July 30-Aug. 3, 2025, spanning Autobahn Country Club, Putnam Park, Tire Rack HQ, and Gingerman (find out more about Targa Chicagoland by clicking here). Between those venues, you and a teammate will be cruising on the road, enjoying not only each other’s company, but also the adventure of the vehicle.

In a recent article on Hagerty’s media site, where the company publishes tons of educational and entertaining stories and videos, the power of the road trip was recently discussed.

Hagerty author Rob Siegel recounted his 2,000-mile adventure in what he’s dubbed his FrankenThirty, an E30 BMW 325 that should have had the powerful “i” engine but (unbeknownst to him) wound up having the economically oriented “e” motor installed along the way.

“All of that is the backdrop for saying that few people today seek out a 325e. I certainly didn’t,” Siegel explained in the article. “Some folks wind up with one because they set out to buy a 325i and then get sticker shock at the $12K—$15K it generally takes to buy a shiny, rust-free one with a nice interior. I, on the other hand, bought a well-priced, basically rust-free 325is that turned out to have an Eta motor in it due to the way the car was rebuilt from a salvage event. The difference wasn’t visible from under the hood, however, and I wasn’t enough of an E30 expert to know or even suspect.”

The FrankenThirty road trip had the potential to be filled with peril, but ended as an eyeopener.

“But there’s a far bigger story than simply the lack of inconvenient roadside automotive dismemberment or death, and that’s this: I loved driving this somewhat ratty, highly compromised car 2,069 miles,” he explained.

You can read Siegel’s entire adventure on Hagerty.com/media by clicking here.

Then consider a road trip of your own during SCCA’s 2025 Targa Chicagoland.

Photo by Rob Siegel/Hagerty