Irritating Newbie

[niall1717]

Yes, me I'm afraid.

I'm fortunate enough to have £45K or so to spend on a car and have been looking at the predictable Porsches, Nobles and Nissan GTR as well as a couple of rather nice C6 Z06 Corvettes. Then today a bright red Ultima GTR goes past (in case you are the owner it was between Danbury and Maldon in Essex - I was in the blue Fiat Coupe that pulled over so you could floor it )

Wow. What a machine. It looked like a fairly new one and I want one.

I would buy a used one being utterly useless in every way when it comes to mechanics even though I have a friend who is superb (and of course £45K is not enough for brand new). I would need someone to service it for me - do you guys do it yourselves?? I'm wondering what it would cost to run one for say 5000 miles a year as a weekend car?? I understand from my research so far that 6'4" is not a problem which I assumed it would be.

So many questions. I hate newbies like me - usually it's me on other forums telling them to use the search function. I have tried but don't know where to start as this seems like such a different ownership prospect to anything I have considered before.

Thanks guys.

[Mjpmark]

Hi Buddy,

Glad to see you like the Ults, but after looking at your previous posts, you mentioned not hard or track focused. The Ultima is about as hard as it comes for the road, and very much track focused. Grab yourself a test fright first, Cant think of many words to describe it better than - Brutal!
Good luck with the search, the guys here are very helpful.
Mark

[mrdexter]

Brutal ...

somewhat debatable ...

I say that because unfortunatly a test drive at the factory involves being sat in the passenger seat thus immediatly taking me out of my comfort zone / control of the car (cant remeber the last time i was driven as a passenger)...and it could be argued this would make me feel the car was extreamly brutal,and did !

I realised this robbed me of my ability to get a true feel of the car, and whilst on the test drive i was gripping the cage & attempting to compare the performance with the car i came in...unfortunatly it was the silver car , not the 720 and it wasnt enough to make me throw caution to the wind and commit to buy at the time....

coincidently, i drove down in a 20vt.

my purchase i know to be imminent as aside from the cars obvious qualaties, residuals are good , costs reasonable , and insurance at £700 kept on the road a gift !

obviously it would be sensible to get the garage first !!!

was nice to see a car give way whilst "ON" the roundabout and actually stop to let the ultima out ...

Edited by mrdexter on Sunday 21st March 20:36

[Paul.B]

mrdexter said:

Brutal ...

somewhat debatable ...

I say that because unfortunatly a test drive at the factory involves being sat in the passenger seat thus immediatly taking me out of my comfort zone / control of the car (cant remeber the last time i was driven as a passenger)...and it could be argued this would make me feel the car was extreamly brutal,and did !

I realised this robbed me of my ability to get a true feel of the car, and whilst on the test drive i was gripping the cage & attempting to compare the performance with the car i came in...unfortunatly it was the silver car , not the 720 and it wasnt enough to make me throw caution to the wind and commit to buy at the time....

coincidently, i drove down in a 20vt.

my purchase i know to be imminent as aside from the cars obvious qualaties, residuals are good , costs reasonable , and insurance at £700 kept on the road a gift !

obviously it would be sensible to get the garage first !!!

was nice to see a car give way whilst "ON" the roundabout and actually stop to let the ultima out ...

Edited by mrdexter on Sunday 21st March 20:36

Hi

Whilst understandably frustrating not being able to drive the car you may not be aware that one of the Ultima demo cars was involved in a huge accident whilst being driven by a potential customer. The driver lost control exiting a rounderbout, hit a Vauxhal Omega coming the other way, went through a road sign and armco and ended up in a field. Both the driver and Ultima Director walked away but they are now understandable cautious! The insurance company may also have a part in not allowing customers to drive.

As for the car giving way. Not as rare an occurance as you would think. Peoples reactions to the cars can be quite unorthadox! Always friendly though.

Paul.B

[mrdexter]

Thanks for the explanation ....

interestingly as i got my insurance quote over the phone they specifically asked "what high powered car had i driven before" and i got the impression it might be a problem had i not...

[cliveg]

mrdexter said:

interestingly as i got my insurance quote over the phone they specifically asked "what high powered car had i driven before" and i got the impression it might be a problem had i not...

I think that's a common question. I was asked it when I first insured my Can-Am. The most powerful car I had driven on public roads before was a Saab 9-5 Aero, which wasn't a problem.

[cliveg]

Mjpmark said:

The Ultima is about as hard as it comes for the road, and very much track focused. Grab yourself a test fright first, Cant think of many words to describe it better than - Brutal!

I have to disagree with Mark, at least in part. An Ultima doesn't have to be brutal or track focused. Sure, an Ultima doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that you find on most cars, but I've driven the Can-Am exclusively on the road. My longest single trip has been around 350 miles with a couple of coffee/petrol stops. I find its a car that wants to be 'driven' all the time; its so absorbing that I haven't once considered turning the radio on, for example. That said, it isn't any more tiring than driving my son's Yaris, and drives/sounds a whole lot better. Its reasonably comfortable too. Its a pussy cat to drive in traffic jams and through big cities, and an absolute dream on fast winding roads. I'm sure it will be great on a track when I eventually get around to it, but I built mine primarily for road use and am very pleased with it.

That said, if you want brutal I find pushing hard with the right foot works a treat

Edited by cliveg on Monday 22 March 10:55

[Stig]

cliveg said:

Mjpmark said:

The Ultima is about as hard as it comes for the road, and very much track focused. Grab yourself a test fright first, Cant think of many words to describe it better than - Brutal!

I have to disagree with Mark, at least in part. An Ultima doesn't have to be brutal or track focused. Sure, an Ultima doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that you find on most cars, but I've driven the Can-Am exclusively on the road. My longest single trip has been around 350 miles with a couple of coffee/petrol stops. I find its a car that wants to be 'driven' all the time; its so absorbing that I haven't once considered turning the radio on, for example. That said, it isn't any more tiring than driving my son's Yaris, and drives/sounds a whole lot better. Its reasonably comfortable too. Its a pussy cat to drive in traffic jams and through big cities, and an absolute dream on fast winding roads. I'm sure it will be great on a track when I eventually get around to it, but I built mine primarily for road use and am very pleased with it.

That said, if you want brutal I find pushing hard with the right foot works a treat

Edited by cliveg on Monday 22 March 10:55

I'd echo that. It's down to the spec of the car. My GTR was more of a 'hardcore' track car, but the Can-Am was conveived as being far more of a 'daily driver'. It worked too

[shithotfast]

My thoughts.....

Porsches, Nobles and Nissan GTR as well as a couple of rather nice C6 Z06 Corvettes. - yes nice but, ultima is on a different planet really. The ultima is a hand built and (can be) fairly "basic" ie none of those fancy electronic gismos on a GTR or 911.


I would buy a used one being utterly useless in every way when it comes to mechanics even though I have a friend who is superb (and of course £45K is not enough for brand new). I would need someone to service it for me - do you guys do it yourselves?? - Because they are "basic" they are very easy to work on and service - again no electronic or computer stuff to go wrong, in fact not a lot to go wrong at all. I spend around £100 a year - oil, filters and spark plugs for service, but I do have a "basic" car.

So many questions. I hate newbies like me - usually it's me on other forums telling them to use the search function. I have tried but don't know where to start as this seems like such a different ownership prospect to anything I have considered before. - The ultima is very different. It isn't a standard production car and so all (most) often electronic aids and interior comforts are missing. Its all about the performance, rarity, looks, sounds etc. Also, remember to wear a crash helmet if you sit in a GTR/Sports to ensure you fit for track days. hope that helps.

[niall1717]

Sounds encouraging to me. I guess there's no service book as such so you can take it to any trustworthy garage if you are not of a mind to maintain it yourself and it won't affect resale value?

[V8Dom]

cliveg said:

Mjpmark said:

The Ultima is about as hard as it comes for the road, and very much track focused. Grab yourself a test fright first, Cant think of many words to describe it better than - Brutal!

I have to disagree with Mark, at least in part. An Ultima doesn't have to be brutal or track focused. Sure, an Ultima doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that you find on most cars, but I've driven the Can-Am exclusively on the road. My longest single trip has been around 350 miles with a couple of coffee/petrol stops. I find its a car that wants to be 'driven' all the time; its so absorbing that I haven't once considered turning the radio on, for example. That said, it isn't any more tiring than driving my son's Yaris, and drives/sounds a whole lot better. Its reasonably comfortable too. Its a pussy cat to drive in traffic jams and through big cities, and an absolute dream on fast winding roads. I'm sure it will be great on a track when I eventually get around to it, but I built mine primarily for road use and am very pleased with it.

That said, if you want brutal I find pushing hard with the right foot works a treat

Edited by cliveg on Monday 22 March 10:55

My friend will also agree with you here... He has always called my car the beast and never quite understood how i can drive it in the wet so well. Ive always maintained its a pussy cat until I hit the 'loud' pedal then it sits up and goes!!!!!!!!!.

He drove it back from Oulton Park last week and still cant believe how pleasant it was to drive and if cautious how easy. Having said that he did not stamp on the accelerator, as he knew full well how fast it is....

cubes = torque = drive-a-bility....It all depends on the lump behind you, get a 550hp AS or standard ls2,3,7 and you will be fine, get a full race fire breathing race engine and then expect it to be a pig in traffic....

Me ... I now want the fire breathing race engine....

Dom

[Mjpmark]

Guys, youll have to forgive me here, ive only really been in GTRs that have been driven hard, so im yet to experience, the softer side. Have to take as i find im afraid.

[Rusti Evo]

Go along with cliveg on this. I guess a lot of the hard, brutal, monster, blah blah stuff tends towards pub talk.

The truth is an Ultima is really very nice on the road. On road settings it's not crashy and hard and rides better than a Lotus. The only thing that perhaps approaches brutal is the standard Sachs clutch! You can drive them as smoothly as any other car - fast yes, but like any car its only as fast as you make it go. If you only have an old carbed iron block you will probably be wanting more power anyway. Get some proper switch gear and its easy peasy.

To me the bonus of this vehicle is it's versatility. Sir wants to trickle gently along a country lane with the shopping - thats fine. Sir wants to shred tyres - thats equally fine. Just apply gas as required. Its a fantastic way to enjoy a beautiful yank V8.

[robm3]

I'd have to 2nd Rusti's comments, I commuted in mine from Birmingham to Milton Keynes with no issues. I have a servo on my clutch so that problem is non-exsistant for me (reminder, please re-fit clutch servo Kyle!!).
As mine doesn't have side pod inserts fitted space can be tight if two up with gear but otherwise was okay.

In 4,000 miles I experienced the following issues:

1. Wiper fell off, it was a -3 degree day so I think it was frozen when I switched it on, this caused a bolt to shear.
2. While taking the car to Kyles to discuss engine swaps the clutch servo failed.
3. Sometimes had a strong smell of fuel when full tank and doing trackdays but found out tank vents were not fitted correctly.
4. LT5 Motor had bad oil leak.

All in all quite amazing really as it was driven sun, rain (frequent) and snow (yep, snow).

Can't wait to do it all again from next this weekend onwards...

[robm3]

Just to add, the ride quality is very good but a negative is the visibility when reverse parking (if you intend to use it daily).

[Mjpmark]

Hhahahahahaha - Rob id make that call re your servo, rumour has it your left foot may begin to ache soon.

[V8Dom]

robm3 said:

Just to add, the ride quality is very good but a negative is the visibility when reverse parking (if you intend to use it daily).

Reverse parking problems?? you need one of these....and its infra red at night time tootoo.........



I use it instead of a rear view mirror but its great from reversing too..

narrow angle lens so Im pleased with it..

Dom

[Rusti Evo]

Looks good. How does the brightness compare to a rear view mirror?

[V8Dom]

Rusti Evo said:

Looks good. How does the brightness compare to a rear view mirror?

Hi Rusty, it will never be as good as rear view mirror or a zoomed in.But the picture is only as good as the monitor you look at.... my monitor is in the headlining and is very close just like a mirror so pixels are more of an issue rather than light.I got it as i can never see a police car creaping up from behind as i cant see behind as my wing is in line of site..Im even thinking of raiseing the wing 1.5 inches to help.

If you re at Stonleigh come and have a look...

The cars in the distance still look small. The infra red at night is amazing. pitch black you can see a coke can at 30 yards.

Dom

[robm3]

Do you run without a mesh on the back?

Looks good, at first glance it reminded me of the compulsory red lights that Race Car's need in wet weather.