Planning an assualt of the 'Ring..

[J4MES]

two reasons why not to have one then - despite being a 4wd/rwd fan, driving the 'Ring in a fwd in the spring in the wet at speed should be safer/predictable (and potentially less 'financially damaging') and therefore more fun.. a Polo might be an option too.. German car cos it's in Germany, obviously Suprising how many GTis are available, not suprising how may are high-milers/boy-racers though

[SilentDeath]

sorry :/ I noticed that the engine is mounted length ways in the 900..usually means rwd except this is pointing frontwards....

german car becuase its in germany........ but everything else going round will be german.. and that would be a little boring i think

[mycarsavw]

You've no doubt seen it already, but Ben Lovejoy's Nurburgring Nordschleife website is a godsend when it comes to arranging a trip

[Neo_VR]

Polo G40's aint cheap.. plus are tempremental and really too low geared for the 'ring

Best bet is an old E30/36 bimmer, or a old Vauxhall Omega 2.5/3.0 MV6 or a Merc... maybe even a old ex-police senator/carlton GSI.. stripped out they are rather rapid, 200bhp RWD with LSD.
Most important thing for the 'ring is brakes... so factor in a full disc/pad/fluid change regardless which car you choose.

everythings been said really, £200 fuel is a bit on the light side, id say £500 upwards for a petrol motor.. my mate who went in his Octy vRS spent over 1k on fuel for 2 and a bit days at the ring. and even in my Furby vRS, economy was sub-20mpg (its a diesel!!), so 4 laps wiped out almost 1/4 the tank

[Zak33]

Sabb 900 turbo (or non turbo if your fussy) gets my vote + rwd

bemused...... chap, Saabs are pullers, not pushers.


My advice James, is as follows:

Front Wheel drive only. Proper suspension, with virtually perfect shock absorbers.
As Trig said, new brake fluid and pads.

And dont get a fast car....get a slow car...a mild understeerer....

My suggestions:

Astra Mk 3 1.6 8v 100ps (Si or Cesaro) like my rallly car

Why? You need a strong shell, in case you get shunted by a quick car, and you need a very very stable car for those unexpected lift-off moments.

And I do advise, with all my heart, a slowish car.

You'll learn much more, and want to go back. But if you screw up in a qucker car, you'll end up in a bankrupt court

[schmunk]

Why? You need a strong shell, in case you get shunted by a quick car, and you need a very very stable car for those unexpected lift-off moments.

Get a 306 - it sounds perfect...

[[GSV]Trig]

I find 306's are snappy if you lift off, terrible in the wet.
Well, the S16's were, dunno about the rest.

[J4MES]

Zak - strong words, softly spoken... I think an Astra might not be a bad bet (and I could put an Open badge on it to make it German too), having owned (in the literal sense) one as my second car I know they do handle fine... A slow, fwd car makes more and more sense the amount I read into the safety aspects of doing the 'Ring, and I'm guessing a good one would be easier to find - I just need a mammoth HEXUS sticker for it though...

I'll keep you all posted - this will be my biggest (only) motoring adventure to date and I'll blog it on here. New year I'll start loking for a motor, open-track dates for '08 aren't published yet but I reckon a couple of track days in the UK would be worthwhile prior to the trip. I'll happily take all of HEXUS' collective advice, so any info is appreciated.

[[GSV]Trig]

If you get an Astra I've got enought bits to make an XE or LET if you want

[mrt9888]

How about a Rover 75, they share parts with the BMW 5 series which makes it a bit German and they should be in your budget.

[kalniel]

How about a Rover 75, they share parts with the BMW 5 series which makes it a bit German and they should be in your budget.

I think he wants to race around the ring, not cruise