PublicSecrecy
i think probably the easiest way to learn how to drift, is by doing the lap normaly without losing control. as you get more and more familiar with the limits of the car you can push them and eventually lose a little grip, just keep pushing it and seeing how much control you can keep over it until you're a full-fledged drifter!
First off, welcome to GTP PublicSecrecy, hope you enjoy your stay.
Second, I suppose what you're saying is preaty much correct I guess. I can't find much if anything wrong with what ya mean, ineed it makes more sense to know your car inside and out while keeping it on the road...THEN maybe you can drift it on a given set of turns, but it boils down to just what car you're using to...
as for you and everbody else whom cares...
The vets and pros ofthen suggest Silvia's, Truenos and RX-7s (FD models) because they are light weight and low power, they teach ya a lot of things, espically when you apply sim tires since they more or less realistcly apply just how those cars would behave in reality for the most part. You get used to those, you'll be able to handle cars of higher power and performace range, examples inlcude Camaros, Skylines, Corvettes, TVRs and so forth.
If noting else, as Swift pointed out just pratice sound technique, or just pratice, learn some things little by litte, I first learned power-over before I got to other techniques such as feniting, and yes a little undersanding of weight shifting helps, but pratice is the best weapon, one can read about techniques for all the time, it's trying to do it or actually doing it that helps the best.
That's about it for now...maybe more later...
Till then...