Nurburgring car help

HUDSONJONES

HUDSONJONES

441
Hi, a friend and myself are going to buy a car and go and spend the weekend at the nurburgring.

Does anyone out there have any experience of doing this, we are on a limited budget and would love to hear anyones ideas on hotels, general track info & a half decent car for about £1000 max.

At the moment we are considering a Mk2 MR2??

cheers
 
Places to stay - Bergstube, (35 Euros a night IIRC!) Ringhaus (About 8 seconds drive to the track!) or Hotel An Der Nordschleife. If you have a larger budget, try Blau Ecke.

General track info - Drive slowly, don't push AT ALL. Many corners are VERY deceiving with VERY little run-off. You are not covered by insurance to drive on the Nurburgring UNLESS you get it in writing from your insurance company - try to get them to cover you fully, not just third-party. A minor crash can become very expensive very quickly - a big crash can be financially cripling.

The Nordschliefe is covered by German law - you CAN be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.

I'd advise you to hire a track-prepped car when you get to the 'Ring OR buy a cheap hatchback (Focus, Astra). Taking a mid-engined car is asking for trouble on your first trip IMO.

Edited to add:

Be sure you are clear on 'Ring rules and etiquette. You are not racing, it is not a race track. Yield to faster traffic and ALWAYS use appropriate signalling to show your intentions. If in doubt, hold your line (but not aggressively) and back off. Do not hassle or tailgate slower vehicles or use them for a slipstream. Really importantly, be super alert and double check for motorcyclists.
 
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benzoboy
In which case I stand corrected.
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I'm not saying slammed is the best way but on a certain weekend everyone's was low and stiff which you can get away with in a golf anything any faster I wouldn't recommend due to the bumps and a few airborne spots.
I'm just saying a Golf Is cheap fun there.
 
Edit: The following is if you plan to buy your car in Germany.

Just make sure it has "TÜV" (MOT) and do yourself a favour and let your suspension and brakes be checked by a professional garage. Don't be stupid, if you want to have some fun you must be able to rely on your ride.

Forget commercial sellers, they'll have to give you warranty unless you find someone who sells it for export or for DIY as "Bastler Auto". That usually means it's not safe for the roads anymore and comes without TÜV/MOT.

Opel Astra, some Fords and maybe a Golf (though I doubt a GTI would be offered on budget) would be in your price range. Fiat is a possibility, too.

I would stay miles away from some RWD mid-engined ride with run down tyres and crap suspension.

Tricky, but I wish you the best of luck!
 
Why don't you just use the cars you already have? Sounds kinda dumb to buy a car for just one weekend lol.
 
Keef
Why don't you just use the cars you already have? Sounds kinda dumb to buy a car for just one weekend lol.
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Agreed,but if its for a weekend why not just rent a car? (Just try not to crash it)

Other than that, Good luck on the trip, I wish I would be able to do the same one day, don't think it will be any time soon.
 
The excess on 'Ring rentals is horrendous...

A full day in a Clio Cup from RSR is only €750 (fabulous little cars) but this does not include a €5,000 3rd party excess, and a €8,000 car excess... could get very expensive if you bend it!
 
benzoboy
It's stretching the budget a tiny bit but a Nissan 300ZX can be had for £1,250.

Numerous Mazda MX-5s can be had too

Not to mention various BMW 3 Series

If you want to be different/have a laugh

A bit gutless but a good chassis, I've heard
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Some of those cars prices would be Absolutely impossible to find here in canada, (I converted euros to dollar), Bmw 3s for around $150-300, Sure they may need some work.. But I helped my dad sell a ford escort hatchback 1995 for $750, Manual, And apparently (Unfortunately) when the guy ringed us up 2 weeks later, he said the transmission blew.. and he was also very upset.. :ill: , Kinda felt bad for him, He had moved from a different province and was planning on permanately living here, so it was his first car.
 
thanks for the advice. sounds like a golf could be a good buy. as for taking my car...i borrow my mums car so not sure she would approve??
 
Just pick a cheap hatchback! It sounds as if you're quite new to driving, so a 1.8-2.0 litre FWD car is plenty (and also very fun).
 
allent2
have at it!
http://www.rent-racecar.de/english/vehicles-prices/index.htm
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Read the terms and conditions and see if you still feel rentals is a good way to go...

http://www.rent-racecar.de/english/crg/index.htm

In simple terms, as long as you've done nothing stupid, and you've taken out comprehensive insurance (no costs quoted on the site, but likely to cost a HUGE amount of money) you're only liable for the excess in the event of you being involved in an accident (which ranges from €5.000 for the Suzuki Swift Sport to €17.000 for the Porsche 911 Carrera 996 and BMW M3 E92). I'm not 100% sure as the language in the terms is a bit confusing, but you may also be liable for the cost of recoverey and damage assesment, and the loss of rental income whilst the car is off the road even when you have comprehensive insurance.

Without the comprehensive insurance you're pretty much liable for everything other than any injury you may cause to another car or person whilst driving as long as you're not doing something stupid - if you are doing something stupid or negligent you're liable for those things too).

On top of the costs above, you also need to consider the costs the track owner will impose on you...

* 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

Recovery truck: €190 (inc VAT)
Hospital stay & air ambulance: A lot, but should be covered if you have good travel insurance
Everything except the recovery truck is then subject to 19% VAT.


Imakuni is absolutely spot on... get yourself a cheapish, but mechanically sound FWD hatch and drive well within your abilities. Also, try and get yourself on a proper organised track day rather than a public session.
 
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What Stotty said. There's an article in the back of the current Evo magazine about the financial risks of driving at the Nur’.

Edit: so I don't put words it Stotty's mouth ;)

Not wanting to piss on your chips but it may be cheaper and more fun to go to a track day in the UK. Brands Hatch isn't far from you and they do some very tasty looking driving experiences.

RaceMaster Driving Experience £180 - BMW M3 and Formula Brands Single Seater

PalmerSport Formula £440 - Palmer Jaguar JP1 Le Mans sports prototype, Formula Jaguar single seater, Caterham Seven Superlight (duel), Land Rover Defender, Go Karts.

I know Brands isn’t the same as the Nur’ but it’s still a great track.
 
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Heh, wasn't trying to put him off, I'd love to make the trip myself, but it's important to set out with the right frame of mind and know the risks.

The Jonathan Palmer 'Motorsports Experience' is one of the best days out I've had... great cars and really good instructors 👍
 
I should have phased it differently, I've changed it now :sly:

I think we'd all love to go there but there's easier ways to have fun on a track and single seaters are on another level. I did something similar to the Racemaster day at Donington and that was the most memorable days driving I've ever had. The Jonathan Palmer one looks like a bargain in comparison, very jealous Stotty!
 
The JP experience is fantastic. I'd recommend it to anyone who really wants to open up a well sorted car with expert tuition.

As already mentioned, the Nurburgring is a different experience. The atmosphere is amazing and so I keep going back there. Best days of my life spent there, along with Glastonbury Festival!
 
Abiding memories of my day at JP...

1st car I drove was the Clio touring car... on slicks, on a cold & damp November morning... any sort of cornering off the throttle = massive lift-off oversteer and the instructor shouting 'GAS, GAS, GAS!' Who says FWD cars aren't fun? I was on the lock stops everywhere and the cabin was mostly full of tyre smoke. I wasn't quickest on the day, but I had the most fun :lol:

Jaguar JP1 in the afternoon... err, WOW! Just awesome. Had a massive spin under brakes at the end of the straight, it went on forever :D

Also set fastest time of the day in the FPA, the Evo and the VX220 :D
 
http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/ gives you all you need to know. Spend about €50 on ADAC breakdown cover and they'll send you a truck to anywhere in continental Europe, including the 'Ring iteslf; otherwise if you breakdown/crash on the circuit it's a €185 charge just to get back to the car park.

Brands Hatch do novice-only track days for £99 for an evening; occasionally they do £25 sessions. I haven't been on one myself - yet.

If you're under 25 you won't be allowed to rent a car full stop. Blake and I looked into it a few years ago when he was up this end of the world.

I went in 2008 and stayed at the Hotel Wilhelmshöhe, which I can recommend, especially if like me you know no German whatsoever - the lady who co-owns it is British.

Also have a read through this thread wot I wrote. [/shamelessselfpromotion]
 
This thread has got me looking for another trackday and wondering how generous my missus will be for my birthday ;)

Your 'ring thread is awesome Roo, If Hudsonjones reads it there's no way he'll go to Brands :lol:

For the record my last trackday in a Formula Ford at Donington wasn't timed or a race but I won :D We were told whoever was behind the instructor car would set the pace so I got to the front and then stayed an inch behind his rear wing until he got the message to go for it. I can't describe how much fun it was flying through Craner Curves and The Old Hairpin overtaking everything else on track including Ferrari 360's, 911 Turbo's and Gallardo's. Happy days :)
 

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