do you think a cls 350 blueefficiency is too fast and too big for a new driver

[johnfromstaffs]

In 1971 I had a Lancia Fulvia 2c Berlina (80bhp, 90mph) in which I hit a tree due to a blow-out of a new front tyre, and the subsequent collapse of a front wheel. The engine and gearbox joined me in the front passenger seat and if anyone had been there they would have been dead. I had six years' driving experience by then, including weekly trips from Staffordshire to London, where I was working, and then after a posting, a daily commute of 40 miles, so I had covered over 100,000 miles.

I wrote the car off, spent two months in hospital, and 9 months off work.

My suggestion to you, 42 years after my crash, and two more write-offs which were not wholly my fault, is think before you do it. Perhaps a couple of years in a C250 before you get something really powerful, and, just out of interest, are you taking a manual or an automatic test?
I have now driven about a million miles, and hopefully have learned some lessons, although I am not going to tempt fate by saying how long it is since I last stuffed a car

 

[RBYCC]

thanks for all the replies. I was thinking about doing skid pan training, advanced scheme training, off road get away driving lessons, track training and maybe some drifting training as well.

Before you do any of your desired training you need to get some road experience under your belt...
Too much too soon

Out of curiousity why did it take you till 26 to get your license?

Try reading first...particularly "The Racing Driver..the theory and practice of fast driving" by Denis Jenkinson.
It contains all the techniques you need to know to go fast...

Still should be available...
I received the first edition hardcover in 1959 for my eleventh birthday...
Passion for competitive motorsports typically starts at a very young age

 

[bolide]

I think the suggestions of driver training are a really good idea. There are quite a few instructors who will do on-road instruction which would benefit any driver. Track driving and drifting offer great experience for car control when the car gets loose

Most modern cars only get loose at extremely high speeds and in already-critical situations. Reducing the threshold at which a car slides - either by using a wet or loose surface or by driving something 40-60 years old - makes the learning process much easier

One thing I want to do is ice-driving up by the Arctic circle. A few days driving on ice would be a great way to develop the reflexes and hone the counter-steering instinct

Credit to the OP for asking the question and for being receptive. I thought I knew it all when I started driving

Nick Froome

 

[redbaron]

When I was 26 I had a Ferrari. Though I had my license at 17 and had built up 200k miles or more of experience before I took delivery.

I would not want to put you off buying a nice car... but at the same time driver training is essential. Especially high speed track work. If you can learn what the limits are in a safe place then driving in an unsafe place is far less daunting.

 

[RBYCC]

Most modern cars only get loose at extremely high speeds and in already-critical situations. Reducing the threshold at which a car slides - either by using a wet or loose surface or by driving something 40-60 years old - makes the learning process much easier

Nick Froome

Nick

Most drivers don't know that....
High performance radial tires have slip angles that can be unforgiving...
Once they lose traction, difficult to regain.

Driving a high performance 40-60 year old car is a different experience.
I used to track a 1966 Aston Martin Vantage on Avon Turbospeed bias ply tires. Also a few Jag Mark II 3.8 sedans on race Dunlop bias ply.

With the bias ply the slip angle is very defined up to a controlled four wheel drift by going reverse lock in a corner..nothing like what is called a drift today..more the fastest way around a corner by using power over the tires...

Ed A.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I learned enormous amounts from track driving - knowing the car's (and your own) limits and capabilities improves day to day driving no end. Oddly, the principal benefit has been in my fuel efficiency - being able to carry speed through corners more safely without using the brakes so much has really shoved the average mpg up!

 

[RBYCC]

I learned enormous amounts from track driving - knowing the car's (and your own) limits and capabilities improves day to day driving no end. Oddly, the principal benefit has been in my fuel efficiency - being able to carry speed through corners more safely without using the brakes so much has really shoved the average mpg up!

Not only ups the mileage but gets much greater life out of the pads, rotors, and tires

Track experience also teaches respect for the vehicle's power, regardless of the amount.

 

[V12]

I was a very wreckless driver at 17. I had a series of peugeot 306s and 190s and then a 500sel when I turned 19. Looking back I was seriously lucky not to seriously injure myself or anyone else.

Despite having lots of off road driving experience before I got on the road, I quickly learnt that car control is only a small part of driving. The major thing that only experience teaches you is anticipating other people's actions and leaving yourself plenty of room.

 

[David Bird]

No amount of track driving - skid pan or off roading could prepare oneself for the mayhem on British roads especially in larger towns and cities - A massive portion of those having passed their test have not got a clue and are a danger to other road users.

 

[st4]

Would a CLS250cdi be a better bet, cheaper to buy, insure and slightly less power and a louder engine note that may alert a new driver to the speeds its travelling at.

Very quiet cars can be dangerous as they amass speed without a massive alert to the driver. 70mph can feel like 45mph in a big quiet fast car. Something a little louder and needs working a little harder may be a safer bet for the OP, who clearly wants a large and comfortable car.

 

[bolide]

Six months driving a Triumph TR4 will teach anyone anticipation, survival skills and how little grip is available in the wet. And it will give you an entirely new vocabulary of hate words for drivers of modern cars who cut in on the entry to roundabouts then anchor up twenty feet in front of you

So I recommend six months in an old car with negligible weatherproofing, no ABS and awful braking distances

Nick Froome

 

[NISFAN]

A CLS as a first car? Really bad idea IMO

You first cars are an opportunity to really get to learn how cars work.....right gear for the moment, engine braking with gears, rev - gear matching, feeling for grip in bends at a low and safer to recover speed, etc.

Going straight to a heavy, wide tyre'd, auto dulls those sensations no end, and your progress will be stunted.

In addition to that, I remember having a friends Dad's 380SEC for a whole week at around age 22. Felt like a **** in it, like I was definitely driving Dad's car, lol.....NOT COOL, drove it twice and parked it up, jumped back into the much more fun GTi I had.

If you can afford a car like that and are into motorsport I can think of 100 other, more suitable first cars.

Good luck whatever you decide

 

[finisterre]

It seems I am not alone in thinking that the deceptive nature of an overpowered luxury barge is pretty dangerous. To yourself and others.

May I suggest an S2000. Quick, chuckable, and entertaining. Plus it won't bamboozle you.

This

S2000 polis önünde drift yap?yor - YouTube

looks more fun than floating around in an old man's car.

Have fun.

 

[Oli]

Would a CLS250cdi be a better bet, cheaper to buy, insure and slightly less power and a louder engine note that may alert a new driver to the speeds its travelling at.

Very quiet cars can be dangerous as they amass speed without a massive alert to the driver. 70mph can feel like 45mph in a big quiet fast car. Something a little louder and needs working a little harder may be a safer bet for the OP, who clearly wants a large and comfortable car.

If he wants noisy maybe he should go straight for a CLS63.

 

[rsk21]

It seems I am not alone in thinking that the deceptive nature of an overpowered luxury barge is pretty dangerous. To yourself and others.

May I suggest an S2000. Quick, chuckable, and entertaining. Plus it won't bamboozle you.

This

S2000 polis önünde drift yap?yor - YouTube

looks more fun than floating around in an old man's car.

Have fun.

He's getting an SLK as well apparently........

 

[Clkrichard]

As a former S2000 owner with more than a few miles under my belt and a fondness for occasionally exploring its ability to be tail happy I am horrified at the thought of a new driver in one !
I would love to be that young mans insurance broker !

 

[moff]

As a former S2000 owner with more than a few miles under my belt and a fondness for occasionally exploring its ability to be tail happy I am horrified at the thought of a new driver in one !
I would love to be that young mans insurance broker !

Agree completely it would be totally insane!

An S2000 in the wrong hands is lethal.

 

[rsk21]

As a former S2000 owner with more than a few miles under my belt and a fondness for occasionally exploring its ability to be tail happy I am horrified at the thought of a new driver in one !
I would love to be that young mans insurance broker !

Agree completely it would be totally insane!

An S2000 in the wrong hands is lethal.

Agreed

Another ex S2000 owner here.

Recently thought about buying another one to keep in the garage for weekends. It's a 2000 so pre most of the chassis mods - £4.5 k value £1300 insurance quote !

I'm 41 years old and paying £380 for a C63 by comparison.

 

[Oli]

What about a Boxster over an SLK or S2000?, would definatly pick one over an SLK but havent driven an S2000 to compare them to and they have a pretty good rep, Honda build quality too.

 

[RBYCC]

What about a Boxster over an SLK or S2000?, would definatly pick one over an SLK but havent driven an S2000 to compare them to and they have a pretty good rep, Honda build quality too.

The last thing a novice driver needs is a rear engined vehicle with a decent power to weight ratio that by design has handling anomalies.

Any "performance" vehicle is unforgiving in the handling department...