It can be somewhat confusing, expensive and time consuming if you make mistakes when purchasing your first rally car. This particular type of vehicle is still a niche market in the automobile market, and most people who are not schooled in this area will enter into it with little to no knowledge as to how to obtain the best deal and without a clue of determining which car is most suited to them in particular.
With these points in mind, the following tips will serve to help in getting started. Enjoy yourself!
Is It Best To Rent Or To Buy?
Some people will enter the world of the rally car by the considering the rental with a short-term option to buy. (Some teams have a plan known as ‘arrive and drive’ that is designed for people who simply want to try things out). Purchasing a rally car can cost anywhere from 100,000 pounds to a quarter of a million, and there is a great amount of effort involved in owning such a vehicle as well.
If you have the feeling that you are going to go for it, there is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you actually own the vehicle. In addition, if you handle things correctly there is the potential of selling the car at a later date for profit. The options of part exchange or looking for a used model, can save much needed cash during the important investment up-front, and can assure that you are well informed about the whole process.
What Is The Definition Of A Rally Card?
The world of rally has its own fair share of technical language and specifications that can be confusing. First of all, there is a large amount of Rally Car Classes with which you will need to become familiar.
Starting with Road Rally (basically a road rally car is a production car that is slightly modified) to groups A, B, and N, all the way up to the high-end of WRC, which is short for World Rally Car, and represents the ultimate high-end of the rallying technology tree. A very good source for learning all of the ins and outs of each group can be found in Wikipedia.
What Questions Would Be Good To Ask Sellers?
When you begin to get serious about buying a Rally Car, you will probably want to ask questions in regard to the different advantage of one motor over another. When you find discover a rally car that is for sale and it fits your requirements, you will want to ask some specific questions about the car that the seller should be able to answer as follows:
1. Is the vehicle log-booked (you can view the end of the article for the explanation about log books)?
2. Who was the original builder of the car? (Here you are looking to discover if the car was home-built or was it made in a factory)?
3. What is the mileage of each major part (here you want the mileage of the engine, shocks, differentials, gearbox, etc)?
4. Which accessories and parts come with the car (You will want to know if you will need to add your own parts such as a sump guard, a bucket seat for example)?
5. Does the deal include any spare parts?
6. What is the recent competition record of the vehicle?
7. Is the car legal to drive on normal roads?
What Do I Need To Do To Get My License?
You will be anxious to get up and running, once you have purchased your car. You will need to obtain the proper license however, before you will be allowed to get anywhere near a rally car track. Begin by purchasing a starter pack from the Motor Sports Association and then join the local motor club. You will find invaluable information from the current members in regard to what you will need to know, and you will quickly make lifelong friends who will help you to fit into the rallying community immediately.
The Jargon Of Rallying
Clubman: Used to illustrate non-works cars, which usually contain components that are slightly cheaper. Works/Ex-works: Referring to a factory built car, which was put together with the best components that happened to be available at the time. This will usually give the car a decided edge in performance over those vehicles that are available on the public marketplace.
Track Day: This is a time that allows non-members to drive the circuit by paying of the requi
Citations:
- The history of rally cars.
Amy Rice writes about rally cars, when not writing she enjoys driving her own Audi Quattro and visiting the cinema.