200: Uncertain what to do.....

iAndy

iAndy

Platinum Member
Ok after last nights go karting I have come to realize something........

1. The Clio needs to be faster
or
2. I neeeeed a 197 that can be track prepared
or
3. I have to admit defeat.... give up on trying to be quick on track and just enjoy it and keep my trophy

But points to consider....

1. I ain't a quitter
2. I have a trophy to pass on
3. I won't hear the last of it from certain people if I bow out of future events

So.... BMW sold.... I have a £6k budget...... do I say sack it to all warranty on the Clio with it being only 8 month old and start playing with it or let the start begin for a 197.... must have cup chassis and recaro's so will no doubt be an F1..... sorry for the thought of wrecking a numbered edition

Whats the thoughts guys??
 
Get a cheap one and gut it out thats what I'm doing. I would never butter a fresh 8 month old one I'd die lol If you've got a 6k budget you can get a lot from that, look into the meg engine conversion for 4k, people are running some 280BHP from them, then you can sell off all your old 197 engine & components that weren't used to get some money back and use that to upgrade other things like shocks, brakes, etc.
 
I saw a white 08 cup go on salvage not long ago for 2,300. If you know your stuff about fixing cars thats another route.
 
Spend some of the money on tuition and sticky tyres and a few other choice mods and blow whatever is left on trackdays and road trips... And something cheap, derv' and VAG for pottering about in.

Trackdays are just for fun really. For that money you could pick up a cheap and already built race car, get your licence sorted, pick up an old trailer and then go actual racing. Or, spend the money on a van and a good kart and get into karting. Keep the 200 for road use and the odd trackday etc..

It's a nice chunk of change to have!!! :smile:
 
you can pick up a very decent TKM setup for £2k ish. race meeting with a team ~ £400 all in per weekend. by yourself, much less, £80 or so entry plus spares. set of tyres about £125, can last about 4 meetings if you're not expecting to be winning races. And nothing is more fun to race than a kart. So direct! Also, the people are great
 
If I had abit more money before I got my clio I would have gone down the focus st route..
Stage 3 remap close to 300bhp and producing more torque than a ferrari 458! Lots of things to consider
 
Willis said:
Spend some of the money on tuition and sticky tyres and a few other choice mods and blow whatever is left on trackdays and road trips... And something cheap, derv' and VAG for pottering about in.

Trackdays are just for fun really. For that money you could pick up a cheap and already built race car, get your licence sorted, pick up an old trailer and then go actual racing. Or, spend the money on a van and a good kart and get into karting. Keep the 200 for road use and the odd trackday etc..

It's a nice chunk of change to have!!! :smile:
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just a word of warning go kart racing is extremely expensive! unless you are good enough to get sponsored. I had a mate doing it and was costing in the region of 50k a year, and had to stop because obviously couldnt afford once he lost his sponsorship. He was at a high level but even still
 
Stick some KW V3s and some R888s on and I think you'll love it as a track car, not much else will give you the same thrills per pound
 
It doesn't have to be expensive...

If you're just doing it for fun and to get some energy out then you can do it pretty cheaply, like any form of motorsport. If you're realistic and accept that you're very unlikley to get scouted by an F1 setup then it's no more expensive than anything else. It depends how serious you want to be and how realistic you are with your expetations of it.
 
alistair197 said:
just a word of warning go kart racing is extremely expensive! unless you are good enough to get sponsored. I had a mate doing it and was costing in the region of 50k a year, and had to stop because obviously couldnt afford once he lost his sponsorship. He was at a high level but even still
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Unless you race in the national championships it's not expensive at all actually :smile: I raced at club championships (exactly the same karts, rules etc etc as the national championship except at only one track for the year) (also national champs are just binning fests) against national championship drivers, so the competition is still very high and yet it only cost me a few k a year after buying all the gear. Worth EVERY PENNY!
 
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197, strip it, upgrade brakes, tyres and suspension, and get it over 200bhp

Nice lil track car then :smile: not what I'm doing btw :-P
 
Sod the warranty, get a 250 conversion for the 200, coilovers and some sticky rubber.

Yes you could buy a 197 but if it breaks down or something goes wrong you've got no warranty anyway so you'd still be paying for it just as you would with a modded 200.
 
Well I've thrown a twist in it today.... 04 plate jaguar s type and a trailer... Something comfy and my fears of anything happening to Clio on track are gone, just need to sort out if I can tow the Clio on a trailer on my licence, if not the Exocet will be used for track or a stripped down 1*2 on a trailer, need to get car and trailer weighed in at less than 1500kg so I can legally tow it :s
 
Personally I wouldn't put 6k of mods (Megane engine + suspension mods) in to the 200. By the time your finished doing that you'll have blown ~20k on a car you're not quite sure if to keep it on the road and be nice to or throw at a track.

Not to mention you already have the Exocet for track days. For me I'd pick up a couple of things for the Clio to keep you happy and use it for the road and the odd fun track day. And spend the rest on a solid turbo/supercharger job on the MX5 engine in the Exocet (they're well able for it). That will give you a VERY fast track car a nicely sorted sporty road car and leave plenty of change for track days, tuition and wear and tear.
 
If your thinking of building a track car, 6k would go a long way if you started with a previously damaged car.

Prices are tumbling now and 3/4k would get you a base car (197) and strip it out, a few brake and suspension mods would get you started then build on that from there.
 
iAndy said:
Well I've thrown a twist in it today.... 04 plate jaguar s type and a trailer... Something comfy and my fears of anything happening to Clio on track are gone, just need to sort out if I can tow the Clio on a trailer on my licence, if not the Exocet will be used for track or a stripped down 1*2 on a trailer, need to get car and trailer weighed in at less than 1500kg so I can legally tow it :s
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I had this problem need to get a trailer license so it says Be on it

Although I've been told you can tow if the total trailer weight is less than the tow vehicle
 
Andy if you garage your car then measure it first, jags are bloody long cars and a toe bar too boot would put most garages out of the equation if like most you have old kitchen cupboards at the back.
 
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