Hi,
Having just completed a 1,000 miles since buying Trophy 383 from pm_air I thought it about time I shared my initial thoughts:
Having wanted a Trophy since they first came out I have to say the car is great fun and lives up to the hype. I came close to buying one new to replace my Elise (two seaters and a new baby isn't a winning combination) but instead somehow managed to persuade my wife that a 2nd hand 996 Carrera would be a sensible family wagon. Having waited 4 and a bit years to return to a hot hatch the wait has been worth it.
Thoughts are as follows:
Driving position not right with seat too high but strangely you get used to it after the first few miles. Recaro's hold you well and make the interior a bit special.
Turn in is great - it seems to dig in and just get on with it no matter how you enter a corner. The car almost inspires too much confidence, luckily because you can actually feel what the car is doing i.e. steering gently tugging as you extend the motor, you don't need to go a million miles an hour to have fun. My 996 was an unbelievable car but the ease of hitting serious speeds did make me nervous about being asked to visit jail to share a room with bubba....
The suspension is obviously firm but not overly crashy or harsh, even with the heavily pot holed and scarred roads that exist at the moment.
6 gears would be nice but at least there is still some urge in 5th to make up for the boomy engine note on the m-way.
I am hoping that running costs should be sensible, my car is due it's cam belt in August but routine servicing seems fair value according to all the receipts that came with the car. Does anyone have any recommendations for a decent renault specialist in or around Bristol?
In todays world of heavily congested roads it seems to have enough performace to keep you happy and be able to overtake safely whilst also offering accesible perfomance. It's easy to focus on 0-60 times but rare to find yourself on the right road at the right time so something that is too nippy ends up being frustrating.
My plan is to keep the car standard and keep it for as long as possible - given the excellent press they get I am sure they will be a real collectors item one day.
Anyway, sorry if I told you stuff you already know, having only made 3 posts since joining the forum in 2005 I thought it about time I made a contribution.
Thanks
Having just completed a 1,000 miles since buying Trophy 383 from pm_air I thought it about time I shared my initial thoughts:
Having wanted a Trophy since they first came out I have to say the car is great fun and lives up to the hype. I came close to buying one new to replace my Elise (two seaters and a new baby isn't a winning combination) but instead somehow managed to persuade my wife that a 2nd hand 996 Carrera would be a sensible family wagon. Having waited 4 and a bit years to return to a hot hatch the wait has been worth it.
Thoughts are as follows:
Driving position not right with seat too high but strangely you get used to it after the first few miles. Recaro's hold you well and make the interior a bit special.
Turn in is great - it seems to dig in and just get on with it no matter how you enter a corner. The car almost inspires too much confidence, luckily because you can actually feel what the car is doing i.e. steering gently tugging as you extend the motor, you don't need to go a million miles an hour to have fun. My 996 was an unbelievable car but the ease of hitting serious speeds did make me nervous about being asked to visit jail to share a room with bubba....
The suspension is obviously firm but not overly crashy or harsh, even with the heavily pot holed and scarred roads that exist at the moment.
6 gears would be nice but at least there is still some urge in 5th to make up for the boomy engine note on the m-way.
I am hoping that running costs should be sensible, my car is due it's cam belt in August but routine servicing seems fair value according to all the receipts that came with the car. Does anyone have any recommendations for a decent renault specialist in or around Bristol?
In todays world of heavily congested roads it seems to have enough performace to keep you happy and be able to overtake safely whilst also offering accesible perfomance. It's easy to focus on 0-60 times but rare to find yourself on the right road at the right time so something that is too nippy ends up being frustrating.
My plan is to keep the car standard and keep it for as long as possible - given the excellent press they get I am sure they will be a real collectors item one day.
Anyway, sorry if I told you stuff you already know, having only made 3 posts since joining the forum in 2005 I thought it about time I made a contribution.
Thanks
. A ITG Maxogen is on the cards along with some 4 pots, exhaust system and CAT mod, amongst a few other things! 
