Should I buy an Exige??
Discussion
Ok, bit of a big question and some background may help. I'm 31 years old, 6' 2" and love my cars. Had STI's, RS4's etc and now driving a 535d Sport BMW for comfort and long trips. Had a GSXR bike last year and sold it at Christmas as not using it etc. Looking for some fun and "coolness" now for the summer and love the look of the Exige - S2.
Would be using for pleasure only at weekends and dry roads etc, and perhaps the odd track day (mind you never did those before). Live in the country so roads not great sometimes.
I know everyone reading this may be a little biased as they probably own or want one, but practical sound advice would be much appreciated.
1. Are they hard to run / maintain / insure? Would be a second car
2. I love the stand out colours - bright red, orange, blue - would I be mad?
3. What is potential resale value like? Say if I sold it at end of summer - would it be hard to sell? Do I have it for life?
4. Would I fit into it comfortably? Don't mind a hard ride but need some headroom and legroom...
5. What would you recommend in relation to mileage - e.g. stay away from cars over 40,000 miles etc.
6. How fast are they really? I know they are light. Any stats 0-60 etc?
Thanks a million for any thoughts!!
Ró
Would be using for pleasure only at weekends and dry roads etc, and perhaps the odd track day (mind you never did those before). Live in the country so roads not great sometimes.
I know everyone reading this may be a little biased as they probably own or want one, but practical sound advice would be much appreciated.
1. Are they hard to run / maintain / insure? Would be a second car
2. I love the stand out colours - bright red, orange, blue - would I be mad?
3. What is potential resale value like? Say if I sold it at end of summer - would it be hard to sell? Do I have it for life?
4. Would I fit into it comfortably? Don't mind a hard ride but need some headroom and legroom...
5. What would you recommend in relation to mileage - e.g. stay away from cars over 40,000 miles etc.
6. How fast are they really? I know they are light. Any stats 0-60 etc?
Thanks a million for any thoughts!!
Ró
0-60 isn't everything, get out and drive one, you'll realise that soon enough 
Roads - You should see the ones round here, I use my Elise as my only car (granted Exige is a bit firmer).
The best advice, go drive some. I'm 6ft 3", but that tells you nothing as it's more down to your proportions than absolute hight.
Roads - You should see the ones round here, I use my Elise as my only car (granted Exige is a bit firmer).
The best advice, go drive some. I'm 6ft 3", but that tells you nothing as it's more down to your proportions than absolute hight.
Not an Exige owner, but i have an S2 Elise, so some points you ask are relevant to both.
Running costs are very good when you consider the performance level (certainly be cheaper to service than your BMW). One cost factor on the Exige is the tyres - the sticky, semi-slick AO48s wear out after about 5k miles apparently. Also, insurance is not cheap - group 20 due to the cost of accident repairs.
You should have no problem fitting into the car (I'm 6ft 1in) but as the steering wheel is not adjustable, and neither is the seat back, finding a perfect position can be hard. Despite the stripped out interiors they are very comfortable cars - but on the Exige most people recomend aircon, which will also help if you do want to sell it on (though you may find you want to keep it forever)
I would definately recomend a bright colur (my Elise is Solar Yellow). These cars suit that IMHO, and in something this low to the ground that can corner so fast, you want other road users to see you!
Performance for the normally aspirated Exige is (I think!) 0-60 in 4.9 secs - very quick, but the engines are very peaky, with most fo the bhp coming in above 6k rpm. If you want more grunt low down, go for the supercharged S (not a huge gain in 0-60, but much better mid-range and torque)
That's the best that an Elise owner can give you - maybe one of the 'big boys' will fill in the missing details soon...
Running costs are very good when you consider the performance level (certainly be cheaper to service than your BMW). One cost factor on the Exige is the tyres - the sticky, semi-slick AO48s wear out after about 5k miles apparently. Also, insurance is not cheap - group 20 due to the cost of accident repairs.
You should have no problem fitting into the car (I'm 6ft 1in) but as the steering wheel is not adjustable, and neither is the seat back, finding a perfect position can be hard. Despite the stripped out interiors they are very comfortable cars - but on the Exige most people recomend aircon, which will also help if you do want to sell it on (though you may find you want to keep it forever)
I would definately recomend a bright colur (my Elise is Solar Yellow). These cars suit that IMHO, and in something this low to the ground that can corner so fast, you want other road users to see you!
Performance for the normally aspirated Exige is (I think!) 0-60 in 4.9 secs - very quick, but the engines are very peaky, with most fo the bhp coming in above 6k rpm. If you want more grunt low down, go for the supercharged S (not a huge gain in 0-60, but much better mid-range and torque)
That's the best that an Elise owner can give you - maybe one of the 'big boys' will fill in the missing details soon...
TTwiggy said:
Not an Exige owner, but i have an S2 Elise, so some points you ask are relevant to both.
Running costs are very good when you consider the performance level (certainly be cheaper to service than your BMW). One cost factor on the Exige is the tyres - the sticky, semi-slick AO48s wear out after about 5k miles apparently. Also, insurance is not cheap - group 20 due to the cost of accident repairs.
You should have no problem fitting into the car (I'm 6ft 1in) but as the steering wheel is not adjustable, and neither is the seat back, finding a perfect position can be hard. Despite the stripped out interiors they are very comfortable cars - but on the Exige most people recomend aircon, which will also help if you do want to sell it on (though you may find you want to keep it forever)
I would definately recomend a bright colur (my Elise is Solar Yellow). These cars suit that IMHO, and in something this low to the ground that can corner so fast, you want other road users to see you!
Performance for the normally aspirated Exige is (I think!) 0-60 in 4.9 secs - very quick, but the engines are very peaky, with most fo the bhp coming in above 6k rpm. If you want more grunt low down, go for the supercharged S (not a huge gain in 0-60, but much better mid-range and torque)
That's the best that an Elise owner can give you - maybe one of the 'big boys' will fill in the missing details soon...
good man! Real good info there...Running costs are very good when you consider the performance level (certainly be cheaper to service than your BMW). One cost factor on the Exige is the tyres - the sticky, semi-slick AO48s wear out after about 5k miles apparently. Also, insurance is not cheap - group 20 due to the cost of accident repairs.
You should have no problem fitting into the car (I'm 6ft 1in) but as the steering wheel is not adjustable, and neither is the seat back, finding a perfect position can be hard. Despite the stripped out interiors they are very comfortable cars - but on the Exige most people recomend aircon, which will also help if you do want to sell it on (though you may find you want to keep it forever)
I would definately recomend a bright colur (my Elise is Solar Yellow). These cars suit that IMHO, and in something this low to the ground that can corner so fast, you want other road users to see you!
Performance for the normally aspirated Exige is (I think!) 0-60 in 4.9 secs - very quick, but the engines are very peaky, with most fo the bhp coming in above 6k rpm. If you want more grunt low down, go for the supercharged S (not a huge gain in 0-60, but much better mid-range and torque)
That's the best that an Elise owner can give you - maybe one of the 'big boys' will fill in the missing details soon...
RedRobert said:
TTwiggy said:
Not an Exige owner, but i have an S2 Elise, so some points you ask are relevant to both.
Running costs are very good when you consider the performance level (certainly be cheaper to service than your BMW). One cost factor on the Exige is the tyres - the sticky, semi-slick AO48s wear out after about 5k miles apparently. Also, insurance is not cheap - group 20 due to the cost of accident repairs.
You should have no problem fitting into the car (I'm 6ft 1in) but as the steering wheel is not adjustable, and neither is the seat back, finding a perfect position can be hard. Despite the stripped out interiors they are very comfortable cars - but on the Exige most people recomend aircon, which will also help if you do want to sell it on (though you may find you want to keep it forever)
I would definately recomend a bright colur (my Elise is Solar Yellow). These cars suit that IMHO, and in something this low to the ground that can corner so fast, you want other road users to see you!
Performance for the normally aspirated Exige is (I think!) 0-60 in 4.9 secs - very quick, but the engines are very peaky, with most fo the bhp coming in above 6k rpm. If you want more grunt low down, go for the supercharged S (not a huge gain in 0-60, but much better mid-range and torque)
That's the best that an Elise owner can give you - maybe one of the 'big boys' will fill in the missing details soon...
good man! Real good info there...Running costs are very good when you consider the performance level (certainly be cheaper to service than your BMW). One cost factor on the Exige is the tyres - the sticky, semi-slick AO48s wear out after about 5k miles apparently. Also, insurance is not cheap - group 20 due to the cost of accident repairs.
You should have no problem fitting into the car (I'm 6ft 1in) but as the steering wheel is not adjustable, and neither is the seat back, finding a perfect position can be hard. Despite the stripped out interiors they are very comfortable cars - but on the Exige most people recomend aircon, which will also help if you do want to sell it on (though you may find you want to keep it forever)
I would definately recomend a bright colur (my Elise is Solar Yellow). These cars suit that IMHO, and in something this low to the ground that can corner so fast, you want other road users to see you!
Performance for the normally aspirated Exige is (I think!) 0-60 in 4.9 secs - very quick, but the engines are very peaky, with most fo the bhp coming in above 6k rpm. If you want more grunt low down, go for the supercharged S (not a huge gain in 0-60, but much better mid-range and torque)
That's the best that an Elise owner can give you - maybe one of the 'big boys' will fill in the missing details soon...
also bear in mind that you can put 'normal' road tyres on the exige if you want better mileage and wet weather grip and you can also take the roof off in about ten minutes (Lotus will actually supply a soft-top conversion)
RedRobert said:
Ok, bit of a big question and some background may help. I'm 31 years old, 6' 2" and love my cars. Had STI's, RS4's etc and now driving a 535d Sport BMW for comfort and long trips. Had a GSXR bike last year and sold it at Christmas as not using it etc. Looking for some fun and "coolness" now for the summer and love the look of the Exige - S2.
Would be using for pleasure only at weekends and dry roads etc, and perhaps the odd track day (mind you never did those before). Live in the country so roads not great sometimes.
I know everyone reading this may be a little biased as they probably own or want one, but practical sound advice would be much appreciated.
1. Are they hard to run / maintain / insure? Would be a second car
2. I love the stand out colours - bright red, orange, blue - would I be mad?
3. What is potential resale value like? Say if I sold it at end of summer - would it be hard to sell? Do I have it for life?
4. Would I fit into it comfortably? Don't mind a hard ride but need some headroom and legroom...
5. What would you recommend in relation to mileage - e.g. stay away from cars over 40,000 miles etc.
6. How fast are they really? I know they are light. Any stats 0-60 etc?
Thanks a million for any thoughts!!
Ró
1) They are very easy to maintain, and fairly cheap to fix if they do break. Would be using for pleasure only at weekends and dry roads etc, and perhaps the odd track day (mind you never did those before). Live in the country so roads not great sometimes.
I know everyone reading this may be a little biased as they probably own or want one, but practical sound advice would be much appreciated.
1. Are they hard to run / maintain / insure? Would be a second car
2. I love the stand out colours - bright red, orange, blue - would I be mad?
3. What is potential resale value like? Say if I sold it at end of summer - would it be hard to sell? Do I have it for life?
4. Would I fit into it comfortably? Don't mind a hard ride but need some headroom and legroom...
5. What would you recommend in relation to mileage - e.g. stay away from cars over 40,000 miles etc.
6. How fast are they really? I know they are light. Any stats 0-60 etc?
Thanks a million for any thoughts!!
Ró
2) I used to have a yellow S2 Exige and now have a grey S1 Exige - the loud colour was cool sometimes, but other times I felt like a total donkey driving about looking like an attention w
e :-)3) Depends how you buy - buy new and you will lose a stack, buy well second hand and you would do OK.
4)I am 6foot and my bro 6foot2 and he also has an exige, fits no problem.
5) I wouldnt worry about miles, worry about history. Miles are fine if its cheap.
andy_s said:
Enough with the questions already - go and just test drive one - that'll be answer enough!
( )
Andy is right, I've had my Elise 111S for 2 years and hadn't really thought about an upgrade.....until my test drive that is!! I collect my black Exige on 10th May and even I'm surprised at how excited I am!! I'm easily as excited as when I went from a Golf VR6 to the Elise, probably more so.(
)Do it, you'll never look back
DO IT!!!! They really are sublime little cars.
.
1. Are they hard to run / maintain / insure? Would be a second car
2. I love the stand out colours - bright red, orange, blue - would I be mad?
3. What is potential resale value like? Say if I sold it at end of summer - would it be hard to sell? Do I have it for life?
4. Would I fit into it comfortably? Don't mind a hard ride but need some headroom and legroom...
5. What would you recommend in relation to mileage - e.g. stay away from cars over 40,000 miles etc.
6. How fast are they really? I know they are light. Any stats 0-60 etc?
Reply:
1. No/no/no, excellent.
2.definitely Orange, and if you are, so what? it's your car, do as you please.
3.Resale has been low but not un-typical for a Lotus. Don't waste your money if you plan on selling it right away. These cars are meant to be kept and enjoyed. Part timers or posers need not apply
4. Yes, with this caveat. If your inseam is morre than 35" you may find the fit awkward. The Exige/Elise line fits a lot of folk, but seems to favor average height to inseam ratios. Best hing is go and sit in one and not rely on anything posted here, mine included.
I'm 6'-2", 215lb. and fit just fine. It's the getting in and out that becomes.....difficult.
5. All depends on how well the car has been taken care of. The Toyota engine equipped cars should be fine and just broken in if driven responsibly and well maintained. Avoid those that swear to "never tracked the car". Most of them are lying. Buyer beware. You can always request an ECU download. The brains in these cars keep track of how often the car has been red-lined. Cannot speak about the Rover fitted cars.
6. In a recent test where the Exige was pitted against a Porsche and a Ferrari in an up/downhill run the Exige was just a touch slower than the porsche uphill, faster downhill. Ferrari finished last.
Not bad for a car at less than half the price.
Get one and you will be rewarded with knowing what the driving experience is all about.
Also, Lotus people tend to be less attitude oriented and just more friendly, ready to share their ownership experience and help out if the need arises. Much unlike certian other marque owners.
IMHO.
2. I love the stand out colours - bright red, orange, blue - would I be mad?
3. What is potential resale value like? Say if I sold it at end of summer - would it be hard to sell? Do I have it for life?
4. Would I fit into it comfortably? Don't mind a hard ride but need some headroom and legroom...
5. What would you recommend in relation to mileage - e.g. stay away from cars over 40,000 miles etc.
6. How fast are they really? I know they are light. Any stats 0-60 etc?
Reply:
1. No/no/no, excellent.
2.definitely Orange, and if you are, so what? it's your car, do as you please.
3.Resale has been low but not un-typical for a Lotus. Don't waste your money if you plan on selling it right away. These cars are meant to be kept and enjoyed. Part timers or posers need not apply
4. Yes, with this caveat. If your inseam is morre than 35" you may find the fit awkward. The Exige/Elise line fits a lot of folk, but seems to favor average height to inseam ratios. Best hing is go and sit in one and not rely on anything posted here, mine included.
I'm 6'-2", 215lb. and fit just fine. It's the getting in and out that becomes.....difficult.
5. All depends on how well the car has been taken care of. The Toyota engine equipped cars should be fine and just broken in if driven responsibly and well maintained. Avoid those that swear to "never tracked the car". Most of them are lying. Buyer beware. You can always request an ECU download. The brains in these cars keep track of how often the car has been red-lined. Cannot speak about the Rover fitted cars.
6. In a recent test where the Exige was pitted against a Porsche and a Ferrari in an up/downhill run the Exige was just a touch slower than the porsche uphill, faster downhill. Ferrari finished last.
Not bad for a car at less than half the price.
Get one and you will be rewarded with knowing what the driving experience is all about.
Also, Lotus people tend to be less attitude oriented and just more friendly, ready to share their ownership experience and help out if the need arises. Much unlike certian other marque owners.
IMHO.
Personally for what you want I'd get an S1 Elise. You'll find the ride more compliant (if it's not on it's original naff Koni dampers), and if you buy sensibly now you'll probably be able to sell it on at exactly the same price. If you're getting an S2 Exige, buy carefully, lots about at the moment with touring packs, very few with performance packs. Could be hard to shift at the end of summer.
S Works said:
Personally for what you want I'd get an S1 Elise. You'll find the ride more compliant (if it's not on it's original naff Koni dampers), and if you buy sensibly now you'll probably be able to sell it on at exactly the same price. If you're getting an S2 Exige, buy carefully, lots about at the moment with touring packs, very few with performance packs. Could be hard to shift at the end of summer.
For your use an S1 Elise (but I confess to just a little bias). Try and find a nice Sport 160 and that'll be as quick as you'll ever need on the road. To be honest though the Elise is more about the whole driving experience and their road holding and handling is sublime. The whole package is so complete that even the little boggo 120bhp S1 can humble many a supposed faster car on track.Don't worry about cars that have been tracked if the owner is honest and upfront about it: they were designed for it and tracked cars tend to be very much loved.
Finally join Lotus On Track and do some track days with them. Great fun and a great bunch of guys (and girls!) and I bet you'll want to keep the car come the end of the summer (LoT organise trackdays all over the country all year round).
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