Sports car 2008...the plan!

rossyl · 12 Jan 2006 at 18:58

I WANT or rather need a sports car.

However, before I throw myself into a 5sec 0-60mph car I thought i better improve my driving skills and prepare for such a thing.

I'm thinking for my bday (June ages away) I'd ask for one of those red letter days. But until then what else?

[TW]Fox · 12 Jan 2006 at 19:03

Work your way up the car ladder... plenty of time before 2008

172gus · 12 Jan 2006 at 19:20

Ive been toying with the idea of buying brand new at the tail end of 2007 so that i can get my number plate. My name is Gustav so was thinking I could get
GU57AV* and although it has my name it would still to most other people look like a normal brand new number plate. The only downside is you have to attach it to a brand new car.

[TW]Fox · 12 Jan 2006 at 19:27

You must really want other drivers to know your name if you'd buy a brand new car and suffer all that depreciation just to get a private plate :confused:

TripleT · 12 Jan 2006 at 19:32

The red letter days won't improve your driver skills. I've done one, they're fun, but they teach you how to avoid getting into trouble and smashing they're nice cars (thats all they care about!), not how to control etc.

As fox said, work your way up

Del Lardo · 12 Jan 2006 at 19:42

If you are planning on jumping straight into a sports car rather than working your way up then the only thing to do is proper driver training. Carlimits run excellent training at North Weald airfield not too far from you.

Red letter days are a complete waste of time if you want to learn anything useful. You get very little time in the cars and from what I've heard a lot of them won't even let you drive the cars hard.

Koncordski · 12 Jan 2006 at 20:45

[TW]Fox said:
You must really want other drivers to know your name if you'd buy a brand new car and suffer all that depreciation just to get a private plate

Some people buy new cars because they're new, it's one of those milestones in your life. First suit then first bespoke suit, first car then first brand new car. It's something to work for dude. And cool plate for an unusual name.

TomO · 12 Jan 2006 at 20:49

172gus said:
Ive been toying with the idea of buying brand new at the tail end of 2007 so that i can get my number plate. My name is Gustav so was thinking I could get
GU57AV* and although it has my name it would still to most other people look like a normal brand new number plate. The only downside is you have to attach it to a brand new car.

but they wont do 57 plate cars in the new format. it will be 55 then 61 :confused:

Gojira · 12 Jan 2006 at 20:49

[TW]Fox said:
You must really want other drivers to know your name if you'd buy a brand new car and suffer all that depreciation just to get a private plate

What do you mean, I bought a brand new Vectra and didn't even get a private plate!

Then again, no-one has ever accused me of having common sense!

But yes, I bought a new car once, because I could, so I can sympathise with people who want to. I doubt that I'll do it again though!

Alan Woodford

Nozzer · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:02

Pff, by 2008, your average repmobile will do 0-60 in 5s!

Ev0 · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:11

TomO said:
but they wont do 57 plate cars in the new format. it will be 55 then 61

51 plate, 02 plate, 52 plate, 03 plate, 53 plate, 04 plate, 54 plate, 05 plate, 55 plate, 06 plate, 56 plate, 07 plate, 57 plate was my thinking, are they changing it then?

Vertigo · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:12

TomO said:
but they wont do 57 plate cars in the new format. it will be 55 then 61

Why will it go to 61? The current system just has the last two digits of the year for March plates and then adds 50 to that for the September plate. This will work until 2050. The 61 plate will be Sep 2011.

Gojira · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:15

Nozzer said:
Pff, by 2008, your average repmobile will do 0-60 in 5s!

Pah, my Vectra will do 0-60 in about 3 or 3.5 seconds now!

It will need a fairly tall cliff to drop it off, though

Alan Woodford

Dr Who · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:18

Build your own sportscar

Trickle · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:48

Del Lardo said:
If you are planning on jumping straight into a sports car rather than working your way up then the only thing to do is proper driver training. Carlimits run excellent training at North Weald airfield not too far from you.

Nothing wrong with buying yourself a cheap track car and doing some airfield track days off your own bat either and from what I've heard (and stated above) is going to be much better than a red letter day where you have little control. Though you will probably find the costs involved tracking even cheap track cars to exceed that of the letter day. Plus side will be much greater track time and freedom.

Nozzer · 12 Jan 2006 at 21:59

Trickle said:
Nothing wrong with buying yourself a cheap track car and doing some airfield track days off your own bat either and from what I've heard (and stated above) is going to be much better than a red letter day where you have little control. Though you will probably find the costs involved tracking even cheap track cars to exceed that of the letter day. Plus side will be much greater track time and freedom.

The days that Mr Lardo recommends are run by a Mr Walsh, who is a fantastic driver. I've seen him do things with a 430 that Mr Badoa would be proud of.

TomO · 12 Jan 2006 at 22:56

Vertigo1 said:
Why will it go to 61? The current system just has the last two digits of the year for March plates and then adds 50 to that for the September plate. This will work until 2050. The 61 plate will be Sep 2011.

it goes to 61 cos i am special

TripleT · 12 Jan 2006 at 22:58

Aw bless

rossyl · 12 Jan 2006 at 23:25

Hey...cheers for all the advice.

I completely understand your logic but can't really work my way up. As I haven't the money at the moment but will do then. I'm travelling till Sept this year. Then going back to "school" for a year. The Sept 2007 starting my actual job, thats where the money comes from.

I have driven my Mum's Saab Turbo, which is porettyd amn quick, and was fine in that. But it is a well balanced family saloon, not really a wild sort of car.

I want a sports car asap, as I truly believe the time to own a sports car is when your young, free and single. Not old, married, and bald. Granted there are insurance and maturity benefits and driving experience that comes with owning a sports car later in life.

So Red letter days...are a no.
Car limits is good but I would need the car, and it seems reasonably expensive for the use of your car, tyres, fuel, and I presume insurance. Those teachers seem pretty damn expensive. However, I am sure many of you will say that they are worth the cash.

Any other advice?

PardonTheWait · 13 Jan 2006 at 02:17

TripleT said:
The red letter days won't improve your driver skills. I've done one, they're fun, but they teach you how to avoid getting into trouble and smashing they're nice cars (thats all they care about!), not how to control etc.

As fox said, work your way up

My father's an instructor at the schools that Brands Hatch run, I believe Red Letter Days cover the whole group of tracks Brands is a part of.

On the subject of punters/improvement, he says anyone willing to learn and open to criticism/teaching will learn a lot. Anyone who thinks they're the nuts and think they know it all already won't learn a thing.

Of course I don't know where you went, and some of the instructors may be better than others, but all the tracks in the group (includes Silverstone and a few more) run their days the same way, with the same pool of instructors.

Also, the reason the instructor doesn't want you to damage the car isn't because he cares about the car, it's because he cares about his job

If you flip it or badly smash it up while under instruction, your instructor gets the sack or at very least severely gets it in the neck.

If you're up for learning, will take criticism and tuition well, and listen to what they say, you will learn.

Don't buy it from Red Letter days though, buy it direct from whatever circuit/group you want to go to, it's much cheaper.