Nothing beats the exhilaration brought about by speed. Anyone who has ever driven an automobile has at least dreamt of taking the role of Steve McQueen in “Bullitt”, getting into a high-speed car chase. If not Bullitt, each driver has dreamt playing Michael Caine’s Charlie Cosker in “The Italian Job”, driving that gorgeous convertible into the very heart of the gold heist.. Anyone who has ever taken control of the wheel has at least once dreamt of driving not just to get from point A to point B but to go from point A to B in flair. And driving a fantastic sports car fulfills this dream.
In making an automobile or any land vehicle for that matter, a lot of factors are being considered: cost of material, safety, efficiency, and performance are only some of these at play on the drawing board of a car maker. A sports car however, in definition gives priority to performance above all other factors. By performance, speed is usually the first thing that comes to mind. Speed relies heavily on the power of the car’s engine.
Most sports cars do have muscle engines which can outrun even the fastest sedans easily. A sports car engineer therefore puts it first on the list of factors that he has to consider: how to travel the distance with the least amount of time possible.
But of course, even if performance is a cut above every other consideration, the other factors are never neglected. Safety cannot be compromised, because even the fastest sports car needs a driver on the wheel at all times, and safe at all times. Besides, everyone wants to drive from start to finish in one piece, after all. So a performance-oriented vehicle must pay attention to the other factors and not rely solely on the car engine’s power.
A number of sports cars compensate for a not-so-powerful engine with a light body, paying due respect to the laws of physics: the lighter the mass, the smaller amount of force required to move this mass. This is also the reason why a sports cars usually are smaller, and do not have backseats. If these cars do have backseats, these are not as convenient as a sedan’s and is only a throwaway to please the insurance companies. One may also notice that a sports car quite often only has two doors, and it shares the same reason as that of the backseat.
Because it can outperform any of the regular four-seater cars out in the market, sports cars are sold obviously at a higher price. Another reason is because quality materials are almost always being used to withstand the heavier wear and tear in this type of vehicle.
This also explains why purchasing a sports car remains a pipe dream to most car enthusiasts. But it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. It is easier to get one’s hands on the steering wheel of a sports car than most people think. One just has to have the imagination and acumen to do so.
Buying a sports car does not have to mean going to your nearest car dealer and getting a brand new vehicle off the rack. There are quite a handful of these vehicles beyond the dealer’s garage, in very good condition and sold at a lower price. You can always check out car auctions and watch out of sports car models being sold at pancake rates. Pre-owned sports cars are always available on your local car magazine or website; sometimes it just requires you to pay more attention to these ad placements; you’ll never know when the sports car of your dreams is right under your nose.
Buying second-hand sports cars maybe the best way to go if one is facing monetary constraints. If a pre-owned sports car is taken cared of properly, it will give one the same excitement that a new one can provide.
There are also private sellers particularly of sports cars. More often than not, owners of these sports cars found themselves short of cash and are willing to dispose of their sports cars at considerably low prices, much to their resistance. Desperation is in a way good for buyers on the look-out: they get their dream vehicles at bargain prices.
And once you have spotted the car of your dreams, it is wise to exercise routine vehicle inspection, the way one does when buying a regular car. Do not forget to visually inspect the engine, the interior and the body. It is a folly to disregard these simple reminders, especially when buying a pre-owned sports car. You as a buyer can easily assess the condition of the car, how well it was maintained by the owner, simply by looking at it. Then, the proof of the pudding is in the eating: do not forget to test-drive your prospect sports vehicle before closing the purchase. Give it a go and see how it feels. If it feels good – and you feel like Steve McQueen in Bullitt – it is time to call that sports car your own.
Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/learn-about-sports-cars-before-you-buy-one-69331.html
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Easiest Way to Learn to Drive a Manuel Sports Car?
I’ve never driven a manuel car before and want to know how. I know that basics, but it seems impossible. I want to learn to drive my moms new nissan 350z, which has a 6 spd. Is this a hard car to learn on? I’d love to drive it, but I don’t think my mom would appreciate it if i wrecked her 40,000 dollar car.
It’s hard at first, but once you start getting the hang of when the clutch engages and how much gas you need you’ll get better quickly.
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I see your frustration. I burnt out my dad’s clutch on his Kia the first time i attempted to drive it. Everyone says the stick is so easy, but I beg to differ. I’ll stick to auto. The stick just seems like too much work. Add in Chicago traffic, and it makes for a real idiotic decision.
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Driving a manual is like riding a bicycle. hard at first. But eventually you do it without even thinking about it.
There’s no way to learn it other than just practice.
Good Luck…
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At first, you’re going to think that you’ll never be able to do all the things at once but my first car was a stick. It’s alot easier than people mae it out to be. You just have to get a feel for the car and listen to it. Once you get used to it, you won’t even think about it anymore.
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Being a Six speed the Z’s first gear will be lower and easier to take off. easiest way is to let out easy on the clutch til u feel it start pullin. this car has enough torque to pull itself off, once you’ve taken off and let completely out of the clutch give it some gas, jus don’t pop the clutch when it begins to pull ( most common mistake) good luck
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Dont touch the Z!!!!! (not to be funny but way too much power for the first time, something like 300hp) drive a cheaper and less powerful car to learn in (like a Honda Civic)…your most likely pop the clutch out to fast and jump the Z into the car in front of you or a tree (isnt good) or something else bad. Your gonna end up with a bunch of assholes trying to fuck with you and wanna race and shit when your in that car which can be intimidating when learning but when you get it down its a shitload of fun to kill the fucking civic bastards lol
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My first time [(learned in a 94 accord 5 speed which was a very easy car to drive, now I drive a Infinity G37 (same as the Z pretty much)] driven probably 300,000 miles with manuals (mostly city, which can suck and be fun, depends on the day lol) and Iv never owned an Auto (there for pussy’s lol)
Hmm… Okay, I’ve driven a sports hatchback of Proton Satria GTi before. Just to let you know, practice makes perfect. All you need is practice (best on an older car, just like me learning to drive on a Renault 19) before you commence into driving a real car. You have to be accurate in gear-shifting and clutch, brake and accelerator pedals in driving such cars. I know, most of us always aim for 0 to 62 miles per hour or 0-100 km/h, but firstly we should ask ourselves if we’re qualified to drive so without crashing out… But don’t let this deter your dream to do so. I’ve driven the GTi without crash above 80km/h(50mph) and so can you…
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All you need is practice, practice and practice. Practice till your steering, coordination and footwork are at their best.