Upgrade Current Car or Buy New (progression strategies and more)

[blewberry]

So I am new to this kind of racer, I usually stick to arcadey kart racers and I am really enjoying NFS Shift.

Being new to this kind of progression system, is it better to upgrade the Tier-1 BMW initially purchased or buy a new car? The more races I win, the more difficult it's becoming without either levelling up or buying new.

And with all the things that can be upgraded, where does one start?

Any tips for progressing through this game? I'd much prefer to do it "casually" rather than spending a lot of time picking and tuning upgrades... I play these games to race, not so much to tweak the cars I race in.

Many thanks.

[Tydo]

There is probably more info on google.

There is no problem using a "tier 1" car all the way through, though you will get some difficulties in the T4 / end cup, because T4/works/upgraded T3 are just better.

I would not take the BMW. It does not work well when upgraded in this game, it has been a topic of disappointment here before.

Something that will carry you through with upgrading: Audi TT quattro.
You can upgrade it all the way to "Works" status.
I would still recommend switching to a Tier3 car once you unlock those, but until you do, it can get the job done.
When you get to T3, get the GT-R or R8 quattro. You can keep those into T4, since as far as this game is concerned, when you upgrade, them they are almost the same as a Reventon.

I found the Tier2 races the most annoying to get through. You can upgrade a T2 to have T3 power and speed, but it just does not handle like one, and the computer just gives you upgraded opponents so you don't have much advantage anyway - but you still have a car that is harder to handle.
Better to not upgrade much at all during Tier2.

Another thing that you may find useful: you are not awarded less money or XP on low difficulty, so use that to level up quickly.

When it comes to xp/hour, do laps on nordschleife. Easily 4-5k per lap @ 7-8 minutes per lap.
Just do 2 laps, no opposition, thats a 17-20 minute session including loading the game. Do that a few times per week on top of your regular driving and you quickly get to level 50.

[blewberry]

Hey, great reply!

I am at Level 11, with the stock BMW 135i?, and am at Tier 2 (T-2) with about $300K in cash... since I've haven't spent any in-game money. I was thinking that I will just buy a new car every time I start racing at a new tier (I am still completing T-1 races to get all the stars).

Thank you for that information. I am going to head into the game with all that knowledge.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write that out.

[Tydo]

Since you have opted to not take upgrades yet, here is a bit more for you:

You can sell the upgrades (and the entire car) for 100% refund, so the money is never lost... you can experiment without worrying about that.

My personal recommendation:
Even if you want to avoid most upgrades, for a T1/T2 car you should always take 1 level of tire upgrades, as your first upgrade. Just one. And if you still have grip issues, try taking the wider wheels too - or ask a doctor what he can do about your "heavy foot" :)
If you are ok with braking agressively then take at least some form of brake upgrade. That goes well with the tire upgrade.

One of the computer weaknesses that are built in (to give us humans room to feel superior) is braking sooner and softer - so braking harder and later buys you fractions of a second on every turn. You just need tire and brake upgrades to make the most of that.

[blewberry]

Thank you, I am just about to jump back in to it! The game doesn't do a very good job of explaining the upgrades, which is also why I seem to have a bit of an aversion to the upgrade system. Your replies are most appreciated.

Any other recommended upgrades... or would it just make sense to upgrade everything to level 1?

So I think I will be buying a new car for each tier, and upgrading them (at least a few components) when I pick them up.

[blewberry]

This game is great. I was always steered(!) away by the simulation aspects of it, but this simcade racer is awesome and I am having a lot of fun with it. Your advice/tips really kicked up my enjoyment of this game. Especially this: "You can sell the upgrades (and the entire car) for 100% refund, so the money is never lost... you can experiment without worrying about that."

Thank you.