How to try multiple cars without breaking the bank?
Posted by Psychological_Money8@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 39 comments
How can I try multiple cars either for a weekend or like a few hours/track drive without it costing too much?
I have been using Turo to rent some cars on the weekend and it has been great so far but it’s expensive. I am mostly trying mid-range sports cars (Supra, c8 vette, 718 , 911 etc) but I also want to try higher end vehicles but maybe on track. Sorry if this question is very vague/general but any suggestions/advice appreciated.
I also thought about test drives but I feel they are bit too short to get the experience of the car.
Thank you!
Savings-Judgment-222@reddit
selling feet pics?
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
lol..i don’t have great feet 🥲
b1gb0n312@reddit
Let us be the judge of that
JPhi1618@reddit
Not always a problem…
gotcha640@reddit
Not really clear what the long term goal is - are you shopping for a car and you want some longer test drives? Or you just want to know how different cars feel? Or you want to own more different cars?
If you just want track time in supercars, that’s going to be a lot more expensive than Turo. Most of these track experiences in the hundreds of dollars are in the range of one passenger lap, one lead/follow lap, then maybe as many as 5 hot laps.
Are you experienced enough on a track to get more out of a supercar than you would driving it on the street? I’ve done 20ish laps at my local track, and I would absolutely rather drive fancy cars on the street for a couple hours through Turo than a total of 30 minutes on a track focusing on the track.
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Long term goal is actually to get a weekender something that is fun on mountain roads and also regular drives . I am kind of already leaning mostly towards getting a 991.1 911 but I want to try out a few cars before I decide for sure. I mostly want to know what different cars feel like. I just feel a bit skeptical/worried about driving exotics or high performance cars on roads that have regular traffic. I have never actually driven on a track and it’s something to I definitely want to try once. Mostly I am just curious how different cars would feel like.
gotcha640@reddit
I would absolutely not recommend first time on track in a supercar as a way to determine if you want to buy one.
First time on a track is exhilarating and terrifying and awesome, and you’ll have no idea what you’re doing, and you’ll be trying to go fast, and you won’t be pushing a supercar past 4/10ths. First time should be in a stock Corolla so you have a chance of feeling the limits. Driving on a track may as well be called something else, it’s not related to driving on the street.
If you’re ready to spend $100k, go talk to a specialty independent dealer, and let them know what you’re thinking. A good dealer will be able to suggest a car in their inventory, but also suggest other cars for you to consider, find one for you to test drive, and then get you that car.
Then you drive that car for 6 months or a year, trade it back in to same dealer, and say “get me another fun car, this time convertible/faster/4wd/yellow/more luxury/more raw”.
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Yup. I just want to try a supercar for the experience. I have no intention of owning yet. I don’t think I am anywhere near capable of owning one..both financially and skill wise 😂. I guess I would need to find a good dealership/dealers. I don’t have a great experience with dealers and I give into peer pressure very easily hence I am avoiding interacting with dealers directly until I am clear about what I want.
hourGUESS@reddit
Extreme Racing Experience. I drove a twin turbo Ferrari on a closed track with an instructor. It was extremely fun. Expensive but fun. Chose your car wisely though and I think it is totally worth it. Being able to take a car of that caliber out and play in it was one of the most fun car experiences I have ever had.
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I have been on the fence about this..but I’ll definitely try it out. They have a good line up. I want to try either a cayman GT4 / 488 GTB / Z06 on the track!
hourGUESS@reddit
IE I drove the 488 GTB. It was fast as fuck. But what stood out was the heroic grip. I remember when the instructor commanded that I lay the hammer down mid turn on a wide sweeper. Can't remember the G's we pulled but I remember the smile on my face.
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
lol. I am a big fan of Porsche’s. Recently drove a 2015 4s and was absolutely floored and how good it sounded! So i definitely want to try the track focussed cars! Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds cool as hell!
hourGUESS@reddit
Try it out man. The Porsche's are significantly louder than they honestly legally should be in person. You can hear the Porsche's over all the other cars they offer.
No_Tower_7026@reddit
Where are you located ? Many companies out there now do track laps or autocross events with luxury high end sports cars
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
I am in the San Francisco bay area, CA. I think the closest to me would be Laguna Seca, or Sonoma raceway…
SnooGadgets9669@reddit
Carmax
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Does CarMax do rentals? Or you mean like a test drive? I didn’t know about this 😅
No-Specialist-5173@reddit
Carmax actually has a thing called a 24 hour test drive contract they’ll let you take the car on a test drive for a full day like let’s say you go in at 3 pm tomorrow you’ll have to bring it back by 3 pm the following day. No deposit required just valid insurance.
Did that with my Camry so I could take it on a drive and take it to a mechanic for inspection before pulling the plug to officially purchase
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Oh cool! That sounds pretty close to what I am looking for! 😊
No-Leading-4232@reddit
There is a bigger car max in a town 30 minutes away from me. The bigger ones have cooler cars.
beamshots@reddit
Test drives.
Just remember, You never like whatever color they have avail.
beamshots@reddit
Haha. Yes. Absolutely Carmax.
My wife loved the looks of the GR Corolla. She wanted to test drive one when it was released. Literally no one would let us sit in one.
Carmax tossed us the keys and said be back in 30-45 mins. 😂😂
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Ok damn, I’ll try this. Thank you!
ThaiTum@reddit
Companies like this. https://www.gothamdreamcars.com/
I did an auto cross with a similar company in a Gallardo probably 10 years ago. I’ll never forget it but I also decided that I wouldn’t want one.
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I didn’t know about the driving experiences. I knew about Porsche experience center in LA but that’s the only one. No clue they had experiences closer to the bay!
Puzzleheaded-Race671@reddit
I’ve heard about x treme experience
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Oh cool! I get there ads very regularly on insta 😅
Puzzleheaded-Race671@reddit
Same 😂
Afkargh@reddit
Get a job as a valet
No-Citron-2774@reddit
Track drive that could be interesting. I'm sure folks will let you do that
margosobet@reddit
Carmax is very chill. Just be respectful.
austic@reddit
Track the best bets are the exotic rental places at the tracks in vegas, austin etc. they are not cheap at all but no one is going to let you track a high end car for cheap. Even the consumables are fucking expensive, like breaks, tires and insurance. I think am paying around 3K for a track day with a Gt4 class race car which I thought was a pretty good deal.
beamshots@reddit
Best bet for varied track exposure is getting invited to a dealer’s track day. Typically just the high rollers get invites though.
Are you near a major metro? Get in good with [insert brand of interest]‘s used car manager. (A lot more flexibility on extended test drives w/ used cars.)
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Yes, bear a major metro (CA). I hadn’t thought about this. Thanks!
beamshots@reddit
I should say… only do this if you’re actually interested in/intending to/capable of making a purchase of that or a similar vehicle. If you go about the wrong way you can end up being hated at the dealership/auto group.
K-Rimes@reddit
Challenging if not impossible to rent cars for track use. As you're noting, even renting for street use via Turo is expensive. Can't think of a much better option that Turo. You should be able to get an idea of what they're like on the street sufficiently to know if you like them or not. I would certainly not allow you to take my sports car out on the track without serious vetting of your credentials.
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
Yup that makes complete sense! I know of some organizations like track experience or good wood racing that let you have track days..but those are also quite expensive 😞. Turo’s been great for regular sports cars. But I also want to try a z06 or 488 once and I am worried about driving them on the road or in town.
HousingSmart4426@reddit
Turo?
Psychological_Money8@reddit (OP)
That’s what I have been doing so far. I rent once monthly..and it feels kind of like a monthly car payment lol.