A very everyday GTR - Possible?

[wywywywy]

Hi all,

Noob here, so be gentle please.

Basically I cannot afford an Ultima GTR at the moment in terms of time and money, but I would like to start building a kit car in two/three years once the mortgage is fully paid. (!)

An Ultima is obviously the best choice for many people wishing to build kit cars.

But I am wondering, can an Ultima GTR be made to be used as an everyday car? So that I don't need a diesel runabout really. I know the Ultima is designed to be able to use as a road car, but to me a road car isn't necessarily an everyday car. So can an Ultima be as everyday as, let's say, a Lotus Elise?

Now if I do these:
- Air con
- Non-drilled non-grooved brake discs
- Road pads (DS2500?)
- Parking sensors, or even a rear view camera
- Stereo
- Lowest spec Chevvy V8 (better fuel consumption, lower maintenance and less danger in wet)
- Better interior trim
Would the car be "livable" everyday in your opinion?

And does anyone use an Ultima as an everyday car? Any advice/comments/suggestions/opinions/experience to share? Or would I be better off getting an Aeon instead?

By the way, can it be fitted with ABS? Certain cars, like Corsa B for example, have fairly simple ABS systems. Can they be retro-fitted to an Ultima?

Thanks.

[pilbeam_mp62]

This topic has already been done to death on the forum - may I respectfully suggest that you do a search and all of these questions have already been answered previously.

Best of luck with your project.
Regards

Kelvin

[Steve_D]

As Kelvin said but the simple answer is;
Road car......Yes
Daily driver..No.

Steve

[Scotty-Boy]

My Ultima is a toy and will be used accordingly.

I have, however, run a Lotus Exige S2 as a daily driver and although it's easily enough done, it can become very wearing when you're not in the mood!

Having said that... I now insist that my daily driver must be automatic, so maybe I'm not the right person to be offering opinions on this one

[LuckyP]

Steve_D said:

As Kelvin said but the simple answer is;
Road car......Yes
Daily driver..No.

Steve

Agreed.

Think of it as a weekend special like a GT3RS but with more edge and less practicality.

[d3vine]

I'm 28yo and would/could use a GTR/Can-AM everyday. Guess, I'm the very few that could handle such a car for an everyday basis.

[wywywywy]

First of all thanks for the replies.

And yes I have searched before asking, but there actually weren't many threads about this and they aren't conclusive either.

Saying that, I am still not sure whether it can be a daily drive reading the above replies. Ground clearance and speed bumps don't worry me as my current car has only 90mm clearance and I cope everyday just fine. But parking and security could be a killer...

[LuckyP]

d3vine said:

I'm 28yo and would/could use a GTR/Can-AM everyday. Guess, I'm the very few that could handle such a car for an everyday basis.

I think you were looking for one of these

Edited by LuckyP on Wednesday 9th July 15:32

[Stig]

IMHO, the closest you can get to a daily driver Ultima would be what I did with the Can-Am. All the creature comforts, but still exhilarating to drive (tru to the marque).

Even then, whilst you 'could' use it every day - you probably wouldn't want to.

[DHGTR]

Why do anything with the interior, Lotus isnt exactly luxurious inside from my last ride in one.
Would have thought 300-350ish bhp sbc would be pretty cheap, pretty easy to drive but still pretty quick.
The Scorpio brakes must be up to the job else Ultima wouldnt offer them, big saving.
Paring sensors and rear view camera have both been done before so, why not.
A lot of the cars have radio fitted, the factory loom supports this.

Would have thought how 'daily driver ' the car is would depend on your definition.

Who says this car has to be a ball breaking 720bhp monster, great if you can afford and drive the thing to its full capability but isnt 'sthots' car 400ish and from what i can gather he loves it and has a great time at various events.

Edited by DHGTR on Wednesday 9th July 16:14

Edited by DHGTR on Wednesday 9th July 16:14

[highflyer]

Buy a GTR, try it as a daily driver, and then you can let us all know for sure, one way or another

I know a couple of guys with TVR's and Elise's that are every day driver's so why not an Ultima ?

[wywywywy]

Thanks guys.

Let me list my "worries".

- Is driving an Ultima in the wet dangerous? Mind you while I am not crap (no accident of my fault in my life), I wouldn't call myself a good driver either.

- How about crash safety and ability to avoid accidents? The front and side seem to have good crumble zones, but I am not too sure about the back. Handling is by default brilliant so some accidents could be avoided, though I can't really say as it doesn't have ABS.

- Is it comfortable enough for long distance trips, like driving from Manchester to London for example? Some kit cars will give you a headache and break your back while straining your arms/legs obviously.

- If I go on a holiday and leave it parking on my drive (I don't think it can go into my tiny garage). Do I need to worry about its security like it was a Robin Hood/Dax/Cobra, or can I enjoy my holiday like it was a modern factory sports car?

- Is it too low to go into multi-story car parks? I don't want to be parking it on the streets.

- Can I actually park this thing!?

- Does it leak?

- Is it too wide to use some of the narrow lanes in for example London?

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Thanks!

[Stig]

wywywywy said:

Thanks guys.

Let me list my "worries".

- Is driving an Ultima in the wet dangerous? Mind you while I am not crap (no accident of my fault in my life), I wouldn't call myself a good driver either.

- How about crash safety and ability to avoid accidents? The front and side seem to have good crumble zones, but I am not too sure about the back. Handling is by default brilliant so some accidents could be avoided, though I can't really say as it doesn't have ABS.

- Is it comfortable enough for long distance trips, like driving from Manchester to London for example? Some kit cars will give you a headache and break your back while straining your arms/legs obviously.

- If I go on a holiday and leave it parking on my drive (I don't think it can go into my tiny garage). Do I need to worry about its security like it was a Robin Hood/Dax/Cobra, or can I enjoy my holiday like it was a modern factory sports car?

- Is it too low to go into multi-story car parks? I don't want to be parking it on the streets.

- Can I actually park this thing!?

- Does it leak?

- Is it too wide to use some of the narrow lanes in for example London?

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Thanks!

Hate to say it - but based on that list, I think you're better off with a Lexus

[andygtt]

none of your list above would worry me about using it every day.... I used mine all the time and my daily driver is now a Noble so it can be done (very similar car) and if you spec'd a decent EFI engine like and LS1 (laughting while I write LS1 as its so topical) I'd say it was doable.

The killer will be the fuel cost and maybe more regular than most time under the bonnet making sure things are tip top.... it does use lots of things that are consumables and need adjusting unlike a sloppy normal road car.... but it would be fun if you can hack it every day including the attention etc.

[gtr-gaz]

Stig said:

wywywywy said:

Thanks guys.

Let me list my "worries".

- Is driving an Ultima in the wet dangerous? Mind you while I am not crap (no accident of my fault in my life), I wouldn't call myself a good driver either.

- How about crash safety and ability to avoid accidents? The front and side seem to have good crumble zones, but I am not too sure about the back. Handling is by default brilliant so some accidents could be avoided, though I can't really say as it doesn't have ABS.

- Is it comfortable enough for long distance trips, like driving from Manchester to London for example? Some kit cars will give you a headache and break your back while straining your arms/legs obviously.

- If I go on a holiday and leave it parking on my drive (I don't think it can go into my tiny garage). Do I need to worry about its security like it was a Robin Hood/Dax/Cobra, or can I enjoy my holiday like it was a modern factory sports car?

- Is it too low to go into multi-story car parks? I don't want to be parking it on the streets.

- Can I actually park this thing!?

- Does it leak?

- Is it too wide to use some of the narrow lanes in for example London?

That's all I can think of at the moment.

Thanks!

Hate to say it - but based on that list, I think you're better off with a Lexus

Yep, my Honda Accord does all of the above!

[highflyer]

Fook me, after a list like that, I would suggest buying a fold up biycle.

Edited by highflyer on Wednesday 9th July 23:04

[crafty]

highflyer said:

Fook me, after a list like that, I would suggest buying a fold up biycle.

......with training wheels and a nice shiny helmet and a reflective vest

[Wilder]

To be fair its not in its nature to be a relaxing daily driver.
When you want to get in and just potter around, you will prefer something less compromising, especially when its wet!
I suppose you could use it every day, but trust me, you wont.

[crafty]

.....what you need is something sensible....... like this...which could soon be my daily driver. Turbocharged LS1, 4L60e trans, Wilwood Brakes, Power R+P steering, Air Ride suspension, Digital Dash, Vintage Air.

Needs a bit of finishing off - needs upholstery, which is great cos I can do it the way I want. If the deal goes through it will be sent to Jeff for conversion to RHD and colour change - orange will be changed, most likely to white as per photoshop below.

Edited by crafty on Thursday 10th July 02:26

[Wilder]

crafty said:

.....what you need is something sensible....... like this...which could soon be my daily driver. Turbocharged LS1, 4L60e trans, Wilwood Brakes, Power R+P steering, Air Ride suspension, Digital Dash, Vintage Air.

Needs a bit of finishing off - needs upholstery, which is great cos I can do it the way I want. If the deal goes through it will be sent to Jeff for conversion to RHD and colour change - orange will be changed, most likely to white as per photoshop below.

Edited by crafty on Thursday 10th July 02:26

Very nice ... do you also have a floppy hat & pimp a bit on the side?

Edited by Wilder on Thursday 10th July 03:52