Help. Opinion please

[ANDYRACER]

Hi, Ive been offered a fairly clean mk1 1.2 nova for a very cheap price now seeing as im bored every weekend due to not having any other cars to play with i was thinking of buying it and having a mess around with it, but there are 2 ways i could go with it:

1. I could turn it into a GTE replica and then sell it on.

2. Build it into a track day car and drop the 2.0 8 valve i have sat in my shed into it and the Avo coilovers my bro has on it and build it over the next year.

Personally i like idea 2 because it seems more of a adventours thing to do but im not sure because:

1. Do you need to insure a track day car?
2. Do you need a licence?
3. How much is it to enter a track day?

If anyone could fill me in with the last few questions it would be greatfully appreincated. And im open to offer suggestions apart from don't even bother go and get a licence.

thanks Andy

[Jack]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes... oh, er wait lol. Dunno, depends on the track I guess.

Option 1 seems a bit of a waste of time, as you'll never get back what you pay for it on the upgrades - and at the end of the day people will think its a GTE until they find out how slow it is lol

[ANDYRACER]

I didnt mean road insurance i meant is there a special track cover you can get only due to there is no chance i could insure a 2.0 8 valve for the road.

[Chris]

You do need a license for a track day, cost is usually around ?100 for an airfield day and upto ?200 for a circuit day. And no you dont need insurance. I aint being nasty but you are really not in a situation to be considering building a 2.0 8v track car. If you are serious about building a track car (ready for when you have passed your test) then consider something like a 1.4 as they are much easier to drive, as the weight distribution is much better, they dont wheel spin all over the place etc. Personally I wouldnt want to be on a track with a 17year old in any 2.0 nova wether it be 8v or 16, there is a lot to be learnt about driving on teh road before doing a track day IMO

[Dave]

i'll back chris up on this one!
don't go for a 2.0 track day car too much as cp eas proved with a smaller engine and the right mods good things are possible!
but if you do go that route remember to have a track day car you'll have to have a trailer/recovery truck which i think means another licence test you'll need to take and pass

if it was me i'd either tidy it up an sell it on or tidy it up an keep it

[novamadcars]

would just like 2 say nice car dave love the colour

[Jim]

Where do you get the money to afford all these cars? I could only just afford bus fair when I was 16.

Jim

[boredbloke]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I was the same! although i did get a market job which i got paid ?100 a day! that was pretty sweet!

[Jos]

Andy - Idea 2 sounds great, but don't go straight for the 2L. Stick to the lower ones, to begin with anyway.

I'm currently in the process of tidying up my nova for the track, but as I'm still a young driver, my insurance is sky high as it is, so I won't be putting anything BIG into the engine bay for some while.

[NovaloadedAgain]

Yeah I have to agree with the old timers...Lol. Im 18 Ive been driving for a year n a half, n i find my 1.4 a good place to start...its now over 100bhp & stripped & thats quick.
No point starting with 115-150bhp, Especially with no driving experience on the road! U will cock up & it wont be pretty. I would like a 2L but not for about another year. Its for your own safety mate. you can make a decent project track car out of a 1300-1400 to start with?

[Philsutton]

if you go for the 2lt track car you will crash it. Simple as, start smaller an get a feel how a car handles first before you up the power.

[ANDYRACER]

Some good points there. I do agree with starting with something smaller i only suggested the 2.0 seeing as it is fully rebuilt and sat in my shed. If i did build one i wouldnt have it going for this summer and would aim for summer 2006 when i should have hopefully passed my test (touch wood). I was actually thinking of going for a 1.6 due to me not having to buy the conversion kit and also maybe getting some experience by re-building a engine. Plus due to it being a on a budget i wouldn't be able to afford all the right components to make a 2.0 handle as well as a small block engine (if you know what i mean). I was also be investing in a car trailer to transport it on and begging my dad if i can borrow his estate car. Also Jim its called getting a job thats how afford my cars. lol Also what sort of insurance do you need for a track day car which i never intend to take out on the road? Is there special companys just for this sort of cover?

Thanks Andy

[NovaloadedAgain]

A 1.6 is still gonna be expensive on the insurance! But when you get some cash you can make it into a 150bhp plus beast. Look at Jims! Lovely car. Dont get a big head mate! :wink:

[Chris]

This is going to be very difficult for you.

You wont be able to tow a car on a trailer. The license you might have will restrict you to 3500kg vehicle towing a trailer no greater than 750kg, unless it is braked then it can be up to 80% of the drawing vehicle with the train weight no more than 4250kg, but insurance is also a problem with towing a trailor over the 750kg.

Chris

[ANDYRACER]

Ahh right i never knew that oh well the dream was nice while it lasted. What do you mean by the licence i hold does a trailer of that weight come under a hgv licence or something. I really havent a clue so could you please explain what you mean. Would be greatly appreicated.

Thanks Andy

[NovaloadedAgain]

Looks like whatever you build mate, Its gonna have to be a stripped out road car.

[Chris]

What I meant was if you pass your test after 1st Jan 1997 then you will hold a C1 license. In order to tow a trailor outside the regs I meantioned you have to do a C1+E.

C catagory is upto 18tonnes rigid (with 750kg trailor)
C + E is upto 18tonnes with trailor (ARTIC)

E annotation is always for a trailor

chris

[Jim]

My how times have changed. When I was 16 I was earning ?2.11 working weekends at Bhs. Like I said that just about covered my bus fair into college during the week, lol. The closest I got to owning a car was a selection of scale models on my window sill, lol.

Jim

[ANDYRACER]

Right i see what you mean know thanks alot Chris much appreciated. The only problem with it being a road legal car is that i wanted to have another car to use such as a nova sr with all the seats in and a system as my general car and then a track car to strip and tune, but due to only being 17 when i intend to have finished it won't be able to afford to insure 2 cars espically if one is a stripped out track car tuned as much as possible.

[Philsutton]

i go to uni an work in mine an it doesnt even have heaters. If i had the money then i would have had another run around so i didnt have to.

[ANDYRACER]

I feel such a muppet ive just re read what Chris originally wrote and i thought you wrote you don't need a licence and you need insurance so ive being asking about insurance when i don't need to. sorry about that. So just to put it to rest if i did build one i should go for a 1.4/6 engine and would either have to get my dad to drive with the trailer on or pass another test to allow me to tow a trailer of that size. If that sounds wrong please tell me.

[Chris]

You need to be 21 to have the E annotation on your license IIRC