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Car shopping - what would you do?


Gaz6002

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before you say no just think of the potential ,

small wheels

light

cheap to run

good on petrol

ready for track

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ADE-250-ROTAX-SUPERKART-GEARBOX-SHIFTER-KART-257-ROTAX-/200597736212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2eb48e8b14

 

:D I think you're taking my use of the word 'toy' a bit too far! That would be insanely good fun though.

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Would you consider a single seater? 8K would buy a tidy Formula Ford, a ropey old F3, or a really nice Formula Jedi. The Formula Jedi will be cheapest to run, and as fast as an old and ratty F3. In fact I think one still holds the outright Cadwell park lap record.

 

8K would also buy a very old Sports Prototype, or a fairly modern kit car based race special, which are rarely as reliable as purpose built race car due to costs and compromises.

 

For 8K you need to look at properly handling race cars to go very fast, you don't need much power in something featherweight. Big power single seaters are well outside the budget, and usually VERY expensive to run and maintain.

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Would you consider a single seater? 8K would buy a tidy Formula Ford, a ropey old F3, or a really nice Formula Jedi. The Formula Jedi will be cheapest to run, and as fast as an old and ratty F3. In fact I think one still holds the outright Cadwell park lap record.

 

8K would also buy a very old Sports Prototype, or a fairly modern kit car based race special, which are rarely as reliable as purpose built race car due to costs and compromises.

 

For 8K you need to look at properly handling race cars to go very fast, you don't need much power in something featherweight. Big power single seaters are well outside the budget, and usually VERY expensive to run and maintain.

 

Glad you posted, Chris. I'd consider anything that allows me to go bloody quickly and I've been looking closely at the Jedi-type cars. I've been checking out such cars with bigger bike engines in too, and I'm still unsure whether such high-revving units would be as reliable as a more conventional car engine.

 

The other thing I've been keeping an eye on is a Ginetta G20, but unfortunately I've already missed the season opener.

 

I wonder if a dedicated hillclimb car would be the best bet.

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Bike engines in something as light as a Jedi seem to survive well. The heavier a car gets the more torque can be transmitted, and the bigger the loadings. Radicals with bike engines are so so, Caterfields seem to be OK with some types of bike engines, used sympathetically, less so with others. I can't off the cuff think of anything faster than a Jedi for the price. I hate hillclimbs. Just as much prep and trailering as for a race or track day, for sod all seat time and load of pushing and shoving the car about.

 

Trust me though, whatever you buy will seem mega at the time, but a year later you will want something faster still :) Eventually you start drooling over this sort of stuff, and buying lottery tickets, or having the house valued and viewing cheap caravans ;)

 

http://www.gurneyflap.com/11hockenheim.html

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I'm fully aware that I'll be addicted soon enough :) but equally I've never had the opportunity to do this before and it's an itch I really do have to scratch.

 

One thing I did want to ensure was that I got the most seat time I possibly could, which means not only a reliable car but also something that has more chance of being used in anger regularly.

 

I'd been looking at Westfields, but do you think I'd have more fun in something with a bit of downforce?

 

Seen that Porsche group C road-legal racer that was doing the rounds last week? This is my drooling sorted for this month: http://bringatrailer.com/2011/04/11/mulsanne-commuter-road-legal-switec-porsche-962c/

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If you bought a Formula Ford you could run it in F4 trim, with slicks and wings. Very reliable, excellent access for servicing, cheap parts if you buy something mainstream. I have run Formula Fords and they are a great entry level single seater. No direct experience with Formula Jedi, but the chassis is well sorted (it must be to turn the times they do ;)), the engine is a bit of an unknown to me, but I know a few people to ask. If the budget were bigger I'd say go for something like my Zeus, but older. The Vauxhall engine is bullet proof, and they have serious downforce. Caterfields are two a penny on track days, and race days. They go well enough, but don't have the purity of a single seater or a sports prototype. Downforce is a drug, like Crack, once you try a bit you crave more :)

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Just seen your PM Chris - thanks for that. Looks like a proper bit of kit, that does. I think with the budget I have it's stretching things a bit far though, as I'll have to buy a trailer and actually get the thing running. It's incredibly tempting though. Maybe I should get my cash out and stick it all on black :D

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