What driving experience should i buy?

[Jimbomofo]

Basically I have a friend who I would like to buy a driving experience for. He is a massive rally fan, but his girl friend has already bought him one. So rather than buy another rally experience I thought I buy him something else.

I’m looking to spend between £100 and £150. i know this isnt very much, but want the longest and the most enjoyable one i can get for my money. Consider it a challenge.


I quite like the idea of getting him a skidpan experience... but i'm open to anything really.


I have heard many disappointing stories about driving experiences, so I was hoping you guys could recommend some good ones.

Many thanks in advance.

Jim

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

How about the IAM 'Skill For Life' course? Costs £99, lasts your whole driving career...

Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Tuesday 22 April 13:30

[Mr Whippy]

Jimbomofo said:

I have heard many disappointing stories about driving experiences, so I was hoping you guys could recommend some good ones.

I'd recommend none really.

The rally ones are probably the better ones though, because they are more way out of what most people would have experienced.


I took my partner for one (supercar 'experience' (read that term loosely) earlier in the year, and I had a go too. Generally just disappointed. Maybe if the most you have ever been exposed to is a Citroen Picasso being given beans, and you just don't 'get' cars, then the supercar experiences are ok, but for anyone else, just a bit arse really.

Cars rev-limited (by force in some cases with a throttle pot link), instructors can be over-bearing and just distracting making it not fun and more like a chore.


I'd go for high speed passenger rides, because they seem to rag the cars and you get more of a feel for them, but then you could get that from a friendly PH'er on the road for free at the appropriate time/place.


OK, maybe being a tad harsh, I went in a Challenge Stradale which was nice, lovely to drive, got to give it about 8000rpm tops at one point which was ok, but no option to try the faster throttle shifts. Instructor saw me extending the car and let me push a bit more and more, but I'd still have prefered to have one ear shattering blast into the limiter in 2nd just to get a feel for the engine!


LP640 was dire, 4500rpm was absolutely wank, experience my arse, the stock Murci was being given more revs and had exhaust silencers, so likely more 'experience' for less money, the instructor was over-protective and had a throttle cut trigger. The instructor just seemed to never want me to do anything except change into a higher gear before I'd even got near the power band.


My partner felt exactly the same. Not really an experience at all. I had more fun driving out of the car park and back to the A64.

Now, if they at least let you have one full blast to the rev limiter in 1st or 2nd to experience the full beanage then fair do's, but nope. So you don't experience the acceleration, nor the handling (reasonable), and the instruction can be so distracting you forget to enjoy the experience.
I understand their reservations because random people are an unknown quantity, but I think they should understand why you are there as well, to enjoy and experience!

Dave

Edited by Mr Whippy on Tuesday 22 April 17:32

[BOF]

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

How about the IAM 'Skill For Life' course? Costs £99, lasts your whole driving career...

Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Tuesday 22 April 13:30

AND will give him the basics if he wants to take it further...

BOF

[tybo]

Mr Whippy said:

Jimbomofo said:

I have heard many disappointing stories about driving experiences, so I was hoping you guys could recommend some good ones.

I'd recommend none really.

The rally ones are probably the better ones though, because they are more way out of what most people would have experienced.


I took my partner for one (supercar 'experience' (read that term loosely) earlier in the year, and I had a go too. Generally just disappointed. Maybe if the most you have ever been exposed to is a Citroen Picasso being given beans, and you just don't 'get' cars, then the supercar experiences are ok, but for anyone else, just a bit arse really.

Cars rev-limited (by force in some cases with a throttle pot link), instructors can be over-bearing and just distracting making it not fun and more like a chore.


I'd go for high speed passenger rides, because they seem to rag the cars and you get more of a feel for them, but then you could get that from a friendly PH'er on the road for free at the appropriate time/place.


OK, maybe being a tad harsh, I went in a Challenge Stradale which was nice, lovely to drive, got to give it about 8000rpm tops at one point which was ok, but no option to try the faster throttle shifts. Instructor saw me extending the car and let me push a bit more and more, but I'd still have prefered to have one ear shattering blast into the limiter in 2nd just to get a feel for the engine!


LP640 was dire, 4500rpm was absolutely wank, experience my arse, the stock Murci was being given more revs and had exhaust silencers, so likely more 'experience' for less money, the instructor was over-protective and had a throttle cut trigger. The instructor just seemed to never want me to do anything except change into a higher gear before I'd even got near the power band.


My partner felt exactly the same. Not really an experience at all. I had more fun driving out of the car park and back to the A64.

Now, if they at least let you have one full blast to the rev limiter in 1st or 2nd to experience the full beanage then fair do's, but nope. So you don't experience the acceleration, nor the handling (reasonable), and the instruction can be so distracting you forget to enjoy the experience.
I understand their reservations because random people are an unknown quantity, but I think they should understand why you are there as well, to enjoy and experience!

Dave

Edited by Mr Whippy on Tuesday 22 April 17:32

That doesn't sound too hopefull...i've got one booked for August

I'm really looking forward to a passenger lap in a supercharged Atom though

[Engineer1]

did a Ferrari, Mitsubishi Evo experience and to be honest had more fun in the Evo than the Ferrari, but then i am possibly not the ideal shape for a race prepped F355

[Mr Whippy]

Engineer1 said:

did a Ferrari, Mitsubishi Evo experience and to be honest had more fun in the Evo than the Ferrari, but then i am possibly not the ideal shape for a race prepped F355

I'm not sure if it's the owners of the fancier kit being over-protective or something, but either way, the people in the 'cheap' experience runs looked to be having more fun in the cars they were in, although they were less exotic, I think that is an important thing. Getting what you pay for, an *experience* of the car, hence the name of the product!

Wish I'd gone for Gallardo (with added silencers so it could rev), and 911 Turbo (quiet to rev anyway), and both seemed to be given beans.

Seems the nicer the cars you go for, the less point there is bothering.


Total let down. I think on the website they should at least say if they rev-limit cars etc... really makes a huge difference imho. I almost felt like asking for my money back for the Lambo 640 at Elvington... Made what should be an exciting car really boring, but it was imho flawed as a car too anyway F360 CS infinitely better to actually drive!

Dave

[p1esk]

BOF said:

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

How about the IAM 'Skill For Life' course? Costs £99, lasts your whole driving career...

Edited by S. Gonzales Esq. on Tuesday 22 April 13:30

AND will give him the basics if he wants to take it further...

BOF

....which of course he will need to do, if he wishes to become an advanced driver.

OK, the IAM package is extremely good value, and everybody should be able to gain something from it - even if it only gives the punters an opportunity to do a bit of gambling. Hiya BOF.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[hardcorehobbit]

I'm worried now too, I've got one booked for just after my 21st. Then again, the fastest car I've ever driven has 105bhp, so I guess even if the cars are limited, it'll be quick.

I want to do a rally one at some point too.

The one I'm doing means I get to drive a Cayman S, an F355 and a Ginetta G20 race car. I am looking forward to the high speed ride in a Caterham too.

There's plenty of websites to look on for these kinds of things, or you can do directly through the circuit.

[Mr Whippy]

hardcorehobbit said:

I'm worried now too, I've got one booked for just after my 21st. Then again, the fastest car I've ever driven has 105bhp, so I guess even if the cars are limited, it'll be quick.

I want to do a rally one at some point too.

The one I'm doing means I get to drive a Cayman S, an F355 and a Ginetta G20 race car. I am looking forward to the high speed ride in a Caterham too.

There's plenty of websites to look on for these kinds of things, or you can do directly through the circuit.

I think that selection is more interesting though, and the slower/cheaper the cars the more they seem to let you have fun and experience them properly.

I'd avoid the ubercars on offer basically, because you don't really experience them at all. Well, if the experience I had was what a Murc LP640 is all about then they are a waste of money

Dave

[Jimbomofo]

Thank you for all the feed back. some very interesting stories. I’m thinking a rally experience of some sort is going to be the best option.

After to speaking to few friends who have had a full day in all sorts of cars, they all seemed to enjoy the rally experience the most.

Many thanks for the help gents, much appreciated. I’ll have a little look around and let you know which one I get.

Jim

[WazzaL]

The best rally experience I did was with Bill Gwynne.
Fantastic day and learnt a lot.

Had a play with a 355, was ok as instructor realised I wasn't the usual turn up and blat punter and allowed me to have some fun without having a go at me. Quite a few were being slowed down as the instructor didn't feel the punter had enough control.

These experiences always appear a little to short, but then you do generally get what you pay for. - Cn you combine monies with others to get a better experience?