Trip to the ring, £500 budget, some advice please lads!

[dan11219]

So my brother in law has a stag do, and a £500 budget for the car, anyone have any tips? Been looking at v6/v8 barges and on the best of bargin basement thread and ive found these for him:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/f... (This might need some knocking down

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C334629 (seems pretty good)

What do you think? Any better suggestions? Can't really choose an mx5 or small sports car as everyone has been told barges (the celica is pushing it)

Work your mystical magic please gentlemen and guide me to the right choice!
Appreciate the time, cheers, Dan

[Rawhide]

Have a great time but please ensure your motors don't drop fluids. Could be fatal for a biker

Old jag would be a giggle

[Yamatrix850]

Rawhide said:

Have a great time but please ensure your motors don't drop fluids. Could be fatal for a biker

Old jag would be a giggle

Was just about to say the same about leaky older cars.

Even if you don't kill or injure someone, it's bloody expensive if you're accused of causing an accident at the 'ring.

[Freddy88FM]

As the guys above have mentioned... don't drop fluids... or you might end up mortgaging your house.

Likewise... if you crash... here are the costs:

Base fee for attendance of armco truck: 150
Removing damaged armco: 10/metre (x2 or x3 or x4 for multiple-height sections)
Replacement armco: 31/metre (x2 or x3 for double/triple height)
Removing damaged armco posts: 5.10 each
Replacing armco post: 39 each
Safety car attendance: 82 per 30 mins (car + 2 people)
Circuit closure: 1,350 per hour (though not sure if this still exists)
Recovery truck: 190 (inc VAT)
Hospital stay & air ambulance
Everything except the recovery truck is then subject to 19% VAT.

I go quite regularly and now just hire a suzuki swift which comes with insurance cover. The car is spec'd up and is brilliant fun. Yes it's more expensive than taking your own car but it does mean you won't end up paying the costs for the next few years...

(costs in euro)

Edited by Freddy88FM on Monday 25th March 16:29

[dan11219]

I have warned him about the costs if he buys a stter, my brother in law isn't a petrolhead at all and has never owned something over a 1.6 despite being almost 40, he keeps saying he wants something with a big 4+ litre because he has to get around in at least 14 mins, despite me telling him an old MR2 would get around faster than a big lazy V8 (he does not really understand that big engines dont mean fast)

Will keep looking for him, he isnt liking anything i send him really, an he insists on a manual (again hard to explain he wont get a manual big engine barge for 500)

Cheers, Dan

[CampDavid]

Honestly, I'd rent. HOWEVER, if he wants a manual big engined barge then the following are where I'd start:

Piggy spec Omega MV6
errr

That's prtty much it

[crofty1984]

dan11219 said:

I have warned him about the costs if he buys a stter, my brother in law isn't a petrolhead at all and has never owned something over a 1.6 despite being almost 40, he keeps saying he wants something with a big 4+ litre because he has to get around in at least 14 mins, despite me telling him an old MR2 would get around faster than a big lazy V8 (he does not really understand that big engines dont mean fast)

Will keep looking for him, he isnt liking anything i send him really, an he insists on a manual (again hard to explain he wont get a manual big engine barge for 500)

Cheers, Dan

Just try and get him home in one piece.

[rallycross]

its really not a good place to be messing about in 500 bangers, you are in effect creating a liability to others not to mention yourself, when things go wrong its no laughing matter and you might need several thousand euro's in your pocket to sort it out.

Freddy88FM said:

As the guys above have mentioned... don't drop fluids... or you might end up mortgaging your house.

Likewise... if you crash... here are the costs:

Base fee for attendance of armco truck: 150
Removing damaged armco: 10/metre (x2 or x3 or x4 for multiple-height sections)
Replacement armco: 31/metre (x2 or x3 for double/triple height)
Removing damaged armco posts: 5.10 each
Replacing armco post: 39 each
Safety car attendance: 82 per 30 mins (car + 2 people)
Circuit closure: 1,350 per hour (though not sure if this still exists)
Recovery truck: 190 (inc VAT)
Hospital stay & air ambulance
Everything except the recovery truck is then subject to 19% VAT.

I go quite regularly and now just hire a suzuki swift which comes with insurance cover. The car is spec'd up and is brilliant fun. Yes it's more expensive than taking your own car but it does mean you won't end up paying the costs for the next few years...

(costs in euro)

Edited by Freddy88FM on Monday 25th March 16:29

[Yamatrix850]

If you go there with a target time in mind... you're going to crash - and possibly take out others with you.

[Cemesis]

The Ring has the potential to really ruin your year. I've been a lot and on one trip went along with a friend of a friend in his Mazda 6. I went out in the passenger seat and very quickly worked out this guy didn't know what he was doing and was driving far too fast. I said to slow down twice and he only made it to the 5 corner before spinning out and into the Armco. It was a really minor shunt and the bill was 2650 plus his car (the prices listed above are out of date).

On another trip we saw a GT3 that brakes hard for a tt in front of him and the 306 behind rear ended him. Nice fat bill there.

Is it thrilling and exciting? Yes.
Is it worth going? Yes
Can you do it whilst drinking in the evenings with no experience in a cheap banger with budget tyres and patchy history? Yes you can...but you shouldn't.

[dan11219]

Guys I have tried to tell him all of this before, but unfortunatly with me being only 20 he just brushes it over with the "You dont know what your talking about, it will be fine, my mates a car person" routine.

I've shown him better cars for more money, i've told him to rent and i've warned him about the costs. Unfortunatly he just trusts his 'Car person' friend whos stag it is, who set the rules. All im trying to do is get him something that wont blow up or kill him (or anyone else), hence comming here for some advice. I do appreciate the help but I cant get the info into his brain so im just doing my best to find him something half decent.

Cheers, Dan

[martin mrt]

Having been there, its a wonderful but very dangerous place and reading your posts describing your brother, the nature of the visit, this is going to end badly for your brother and anyone unlucky enough to be in his vicinity when it goes wrong.

Doing it in a 500 car with no mechanical knowledge, on a stag trip, and chasing lap times is asking for trouble.

[MajorProblem]

Go there in your banger then go round in the ring taxi.

[ARobinson]

Old 5/7 series v8s can be had very cheap.

Old Mercs also very cheap.

They will all have tired suspension, engines and boxes generally solid!

[steve2]

Show him this post

[Baryonyx]

A bloke who isn't into cars, clearly knows nothing about driving, on a stag do, with a time limit (and an unrealistic one at that) in a banger car? How could anyone think this is a good idea? Providing he manages to avoid death or injury by crash, the implications for his wallet would be staggering. Enough to call a halt on a wedding for a couple of years!

What he should do is go and hire an insured car with some tuition.

[Matt UK]

OP, when is your party heading over to the 'ring?

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Matt UK said:

OP, when is your party heading over to the 'ring?

Yes I'd like to avoid that weekend too

[hornetrider]

Just checking in for the inevitable in a few months time.

[dan11219]

I have sent him a link to the thread but he still thinks he knows best unfortunatly. I think he is going around the end of May.