The handling is very well represented once you get used to it. 👍 Though it is far from perfect in some respects.
An RR handles like an RR, an MR handles like an MR, and FFs handle like FFs.
It's a vast improvement over other racing games, where an 800HP FR monster will handle as predictably as a 100HP FF car. 👎
The
key here, as in real life, is to learn. GT4 has a section designed to help you do that. The Licence Test center. 💡
Did you / do you expect to, learn to drive, first time out by leaping in an F1 or GT class monster?
No!
Why? Because without the acquired skills learned from previous experience you'd kill yourself in minutes, and although it's not possible (that I know of anyway
) to kill yourself in GT4, the game bills itself as the real driving simulator, and in this respect it parallels real life quite well! Just because there's no risk of death or injury doesn't mean you should jump in the fastest car you can lay your hands on and be able to drive it like a God immediately.
Look at the way the licence tests are structured. Try a corner in something underpowered and FF to learn the racing line. Now try in a faster FR to help you memorise the line, and learn the difference between FF & FR. Now try something in an MR, see how that feels different? Try things with driving aids on and off, see the difference? They're sequentially ordered to help your knowledge of drivetrains and track conditions progress
before you get into trying to race a 980HP MR LeMans monster.
You'll gain more enjoyment and racing skills by taking the time to learn the track layouts and racing lines in the licence tests and beginner stage races than you will if you take the easy route, i.e. rake in a ton of cash, buy an overpowered LMP monster and rely on straighline speed to waste all the cars in the early races. This will gain you quick % points early on, but once you come across some of the harder races, such as GT World Championship, this tactic simply will not work, and you'll end up frustrated again!
Have a look around GT Planet, there's a huge amount of information on prizecars, race requirement, used car lists, pitting information for longer races, tuning guides and more! (Most of it linked in the FAQ or stickied at the top of this board.) Make friends with the search engine.
Also check out the race reports forum, there's numerous walkthroughs of many championship and endurance races in there too.
Have fun here.
This is not good advice! 
Sure it works, but it harks back to taking the easy way out that I mentioned in my previous post. 
but giving someone that hint who is already struggling to get 5% is only going to encourage him to go down that road. And then next thing you know we'll have yet another "I can't beat GTWC" or "How do I beat GTWC in my Stage 4 turboed Minolta?" thread to go with the other eleventy one million that're already kicking around here. 
I gave up on the game for about two months.
(Something around 10 Dollars, guess it was tagged wrong or the guy wanted his stock to liquidate???) I grabbed it nd went on to race again.
