Ultima GTR and outside parking.
Discussion
Been thinking of getting an Ultima for my next car. My issue is i have no Garage but a long drive so the car could live on the driveway. My initial plan was to wait until i finally get a house that has a garage before buying an Ultima. I am a little impatient however and was wondering how the Ultima might fair if it was kept outside? Do they have a habit of leaking and or the chassis Rusting?
Previously i had an Elise, Cayman s and now have an Evora. I have driven these cars as a daily driver everyday come sunshine or snow. With the Ultima i would probably consider purchasing a cheap car to do the daily commute in, but again i am interested in peoples opinions of the daily driving viability?
How are they with speed bumps? The Evora and Ultima are both listed as 200mm ride height but i think the reality seems quite different as the Evora has had 0 issues getting over speed bumps but the Ultima looks a lot lower in images.
The car would probably be a lower powered version and likely with a small block v8 and aircon as well.
Previously i had an Elise, Cayman s and now have an Evora. I have driven these cars as a daily driver everyday come sunshine or snow. With the Ultima i would probably consider purchasing a cheap car to do the daily commute in, but again i am interested in peoples opinions of the daily driving viability?
How are they with speed bumps? The Evora and Ultima are both listed as 200mm ride height but i think the reality seems quite different as the Evora has had 0 issues getting over speed bumps but the Ultima looks a lot lower in images.
The car would probably be a lower powered version and likely with a small block v8 and aircon as well.
You need to decide what is sensible rather than what is possible. The cars are really track focussed - you obviously can drive them on the road but it’s not really a road biased design. The steering forces when manoeuvring at low speeds are very high, reversing and rear visibility isn’t great which can make parking a challenge. The ground clearance isn’t too bad - certainly compared to say a Noble with a front splitter but the approach angle isn’t great if you want to drive up a steep slope. Seat belt adjustment with the full harnesses isn’t straightforward if you take a new passenger and the seats are the most uncomfortable of any car I’ve ever owned - others may find them OK. You also need to be aware of the level of fitness required and how tricky a lot of potential passengers will find getting in and out of cars. The chassis and suspension components are better finished to resist corrosion compared to most low volume cars but still aren’t up to anything like high volume production car levels. If you leave the car out in all weathers it will deteriorate. If you intend to do a relatively high mileage I would go for an SBC without a high level of tune as the maintenance for 500bhp plus engines will mean frequent strip downs for new valve springs etc and very regular oil and filter changes. The helicopter window vents are very efficient on the move but as you’ve said you really do want aircon. Having said all that the cars are a mega experience.
This is kind of what i expected. I did daily drive the elise for 5 years and i admit the experience wasn't always enjoyable. I tend to do in the region of 4 to 5k miles a year as i live roughly 4 miles from work. I think I will wait until i get a garage before buying. I rarely ever take passengers and i am fit enough to get in and out of low sports cars so i think i will be ok with the ultima although i do understand it will be more of a faff than even the elise.
How do the Ultima Sports fair in comparison to the GTR? Is there a lot of improvements that happened between the two?
I did 2 background checks on 2 different ultima gtrs and found both of them to have mileage issues, one had 20k in 2009 and the year after had 2k. I assume this is due to engine swaps etc and quite common? or are there quite a few duds out there?
How do the Ultima Sports fair in comparison to the GTR? Is there a lot of improvements that happened between the two?
I did 2 background checks on 2 different ultima gtrs and found both of them to have mileage issues, one had 20k in 2009 and the year after had 2k. I assume this is due to engine swaps etc and quite common? or are there quite a few duds out there?
There is a constant evolution process with the cars. So from Sport to GTR to EVO to RS there have been improvements made to the suspension geometry, brakes, chassis stiffness, cooling, gear change mechanism, etc. All this assumes the cars are built to factory specification rather than some indeterminate version by the original builder. To my mind it’s not easy to buy a car of the right specification and condition - not least because there aren’t that many for sale at any one time and a lot get sold without being advertised. I looked at I think 5 cars over a few years before I found the right one - some were in truly awful condition. I sold my car without advertising it via a post on this forum after having a new long engine fitted by Charles Dunn. I would be worried if people are misquoting mileages which is illegal... The cars are relatively simple but still need a real thorough check over before purchase. You also need to think about how you will maintain the car - apart from the factory or Charles Dunn there aren’t any specialist ‘Ultima’ companies. I used some racing companies for the work I didn’t want to do myself on the car.
I would say that if you kept it outside it would not last as long as you would hope and it really would be a pain to drive on a regular basis.
If kept outside in all weather, water WILL find its way inside.
If it doesn't, then opening the doors of a wet car invariably dumps a load of water inside due to the way the doors open.
I would say that driving these cars is an experience, and not for the everyday...
If kept outside in all weather, water WILL find its way inside.
If it doesn't, then opening the doors of a wet car invariably dumps a load of water inside due to the way the doors open.
I would say that driving these cars is an experience, and not for the everyday...
BobE said:
You need to decide what is sensible rather than what is possible.
If we all lived life that way none of us would've gotten laid in high school and we'd all be driving Camry's. 
None of the best things in life are sensible and parking nice cars outside is why God invented all weather car covers. I'm not saying it's going to be easy or perfect all the time but it'd sure as hell be fun for a while.TR3B said:
BobE said:
You need to decide what is sensible rather than what is possible.
If we all lived life that way none of us would've gotten laid in high school and we'd all be driving Camry's. None of the best things in life are sensible and parking nice cars outside is why God invented all weather car covers. I'm not saying it's going to be easy or perfect all the time but it'd sure as hell be fun for a while.An Elise and Evora is much easier to drive daily and far more productionised and weather proof.
With a decent cover an Ultima would be ok outside but I’d not recommend it without one, it’ll tarnish your enjoyment. During warm dry months no problems but you’ll find when it’s cold and damp some of the fixings will still rust when under a cover but it’s all cosmetic.
Do you have space for a cartoon or equiv? It would be fine in one of those whatever the weather. We kept a car in one for 8 years and it was great.
With a decent cover an Ultima would be ok outside but I’d not recommend it without one, it’ll tarnish your enjoyment. During warm dry months no problems but you’ll find when it’s cold and damp some of the fixings will still rust when under a cover but it’s all cosmetic.
Do you have space for a cartoon or equiv? It would be fine in one of those whatever the weather. We kept a car in one for 8 years and it was great.
BogBeast said:
lotuslover69 said:
...Maybe if i find a girlfriend who already has a house with a garage my problems could be solved 
Yup, until the divorce/separation due to spending too much time in said garage...Another aspect is Ultimas attract a lot of attention, which is fine on the road and car events, but not parked outside your house, Of course all the neighbours get to know you have one, regardless, but having one parked outside all the time will just have you curtain twitching the whole time every time you heard a noise, cos people will walk passed, stare and even give it a going over, looking in the vents and brakes etc... I know i would!. Again out and about is fine but outside your house, you dont know if they are an enthusiast or scoping it out!
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