RE: Lotus Exige S3 | PH Used Buying Guide
Discussion
My 430CUP is, IMHO, the most visceral, engaging and fun car you can buy, at almost any price! I bought mine after test driving a 991.2 GT3 manual and a Superformace GT40 and it won. I have owned it almost 2 years and have no intention of ever selling it. While not quite as fast as my 675LT the manual gearbox and instant throttle response means it doesn't really feel much slower on the road. The throttle response, steering feel, gearchange, brakes and ride quality are unmatched. My last service was £250 and nothing has gone wrong with it at all. There are really very few negative points. The head-unit / radio is poor but easily changed for £120, they ultimately under-steer but this can be dialled out very easily.
Regarding the roadster 'v' coupe the only differences are the rear spoiler, front splitter and hard top. I also had a roadster It was pre-reg, brand new, paid £51K had for 18 months and sold for £50k! I bought a used rear spoiler for £350, a splitter for £250 and a hard top for £900. So for £1,500 you can turn any roadster into a coupe (I kept mine and sold separately) . I am not sure the electronic speed limiter actually exists and I have never met anyone who could confirm hitting a limiter in a roadster.
Buy a V6 for £35k and upgrade to nitron suspension and a get mild Komotec tune and for under £40k you will have one of the most fun cars imaginable. The nitron suspension makes massive difference not only to handling but to ride quality. For what they offer they cannot be beaten, at any price! That's why they retain their value so well.
Regarding the roadster 'v' coupe the only differences are the rear spoiler, front splitter and hard top. I also had a roadster It was pre-reg, brand new, paid £51K had for 18 months and sold for £50k! I bought a used rear spoiler for £350, a splitter for £250 and a hard top for £900. So for £1,500 you can turn any roadster into a coupe (I kept mine and sold separately) . I am not sure the electronic speed limiter actually exists and I have never met anyone who could confirm hitting a limiter in a roadster.
Buy a V6 for £35k and upgrade to nitron suspension and a get mild Komotec tune and for under £40k you will have one of the most fun cars imaginable. The nitron suspension makes massive difference not only to handling but to ride quality. For what they offer they cannot be beaten, at any price! That's why they retain their value so well.
Alan Partridge said:
As all dedicated PH pop-pickers will know, Sir Cliff Richard recently celebrated his 80th birthday. To quote one of his own toons, Congratulations, but let's not forget another anniversary that passed by this year with somewhat less fanfare - the 20th birthday of the Lotus Exige.
I have to say Alan, I think this is the best piece of motoring writing... I’ve ever read. It’s first class.
rockin said:
I'm interested to follow this thread because if people are saying the Elise is a better drive, what's the point of Exige S?
I found the blistering performance of Exige S quite magnetic.
It depends on your usage and what you're used to. I found the blistering performance of Exige S quite magnetic.
I found the Elise lacking in puff compared to previous cars, so bought a 410. I absolutely love it, but it's a handful on track.
Having done the Lotus Academy I can see why track users might prefer a 220/250 Cup. They're just lighter and easier to chuck.
rockin said:
I'm interested to follow this thread because if people are saying the Elise is a better drive, what's the point of Exige S?
I found the blistering performance of Exige S quite magnetic.
I have had 2 Elise's and 2 Exige's. It depends what you want. The original S1 Elise is magical and I could say that's enough and end of discussion. It is my favourite car ever made and at under 850 kilos its light. The S3 is 900 kilos. 150 kilos more. Its a lovely drive too. S1 has the best steering of any car ever made, full stop! The S3 comes 2nd and the S3 Exige 3rd. I found the blistering performance of Exige S quite magnetic.
However the Exige is only 150 kilos heavier at 1.050 kilos and has so much more performance, noise and drama. The 220/250CUPS struggle to keep up with a Boxster S but a 911 C2 would not know which way an Exige went. They are all brilliant, in an ideal world i would keep my 430CUP and also have an S1 160 Sport.
Think of an Exige as a very fast Elise with the only downsides being very slight weight increase and steering dilution but no other downsides as they are still the same car at the front and very small. The upside is a MASSIVE hike in performance.
rockin said:
I'm interested to follow this thread because if people are saying the Elise is a better drive, what's the point of Exige S?
I found the blistering performance of Exige S quite magnetic.
top trumps and "because you can" when it comes to power.I found the blistering performance of Exige S quite magnetic.
Exige S is excessive to have fun on the public road. Elise is lighter, smaller, simpler. a better fun car
personally, i think around 175bhp and some reasonable low down torque would make a great driver's Elise for a country blat/sunday car. The 181hp MX-5 ND for similar reaasons. V6 Loti are better for euro tours etc. These are the same points that affect all cars today. thankfully some journos are catching on too.
rockin said:
I'm interested to follow this thread because if people are saying the Elise is a better drive, what's the point of Exige S?
I think the point is that neither is "better", they're just different. The Exige is MUCH faster, especially at the top end, but the extra weight and wider tyres remove some of the steering feel and it doesn't feel as... playful as an Elise. On the road my preference is for an older, lower powered version of the Elise; on a tight track probably one of the faster Elises, on a big open track the Exige. The Exige is slightly beter company on the motorway, probably because of the longer wheelbase.
Edited by kambites on Monday 26th October 15:13
Gad-Westy said:
I have to admit, as a massive fan of the S1 and S2 Exiges, when the S3 came out, I was slightly disappointed. The first one I saw was on the Lotus stand at LeMans 2013. I think it may have been a roadster. It seemed to look a bit soft, bland and for some reason on that stand it looked huge compared to regular Elise sized stuff. But that said, the later cars gained a little much needed aggression and I really like them now. I parked my S2 next to an S3 in a car park in Keswick a few weeks ago (
if you're reading this) and the new didn't look much bigger or bulkier than mine at all. Looked great in fact! Not sure I'd actually want to swap but it's the the first time that it's crossed my mind. They're lovely things.
Was it Motorsport Green, if so, might have been me. if you're reading this) and the new didn't look much bigger or bulkier than mine at all. Looked great in fact! Not sure I'd actually want to swap but it's the the first time that it's crossed my mind. They're lovely things. Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 26th October 08:14
Lavazza1 said:
Gad-Westy said:
I have to admit, as a massive fan of the S1 and S2 Exiges, when the S3 came out, I was slightly disappointed. The first one I saw was on the Lotus stand at LeMans 2013. I think it may have been a roadster. It seemed to look a bit soft, bland and for some reason on that stand it looked huge compared to regular Elise sized stuff. But that said, the later cars gained a little much needed aggression and I really like them now. I parked my S2 next to an S3 in a car park in Keswick a few weeks ago ( if you're reading this) and the new didn't look much bigger or bulkier than mine at all. Looked great in fact! Not sure I'd actually want to swap but it's the the first time that it's crossed my mind. They're lovely things.
Was it Motorsport Green, if so, might have been me. if you're reading this) and the new didn't look much bigger or bulkier than mine at all. Looked great in fact! Not sure I'd actually want to swap but it's the the first time that it's crossed my mind. They're lovely things. Edited by Gad-Westy on Monday 26th October 08:14
Kent Border Kenny said:
In line with the upcoming regulation banning European cars from year-end I'm switching my German and Italian ones for English, so out went my Abarth, to be replaced by a range Rover, the R8 was swapped for a 650s, and now I need to decide what to do with my SL63.
Given how much softer the new sports car is than the R8 that I had previously (it was a Plus, so a very firm road setup), would going in the opposite direction and replacing the SL with an open-topped Exige be a nice way to round out the set, or is even that version designed to fry the senses, and light up the synapses, making it pointless for anything other than out-and-out hooning?
Or is it too close in purpose to a Mclaren; is the handling enough better to offset the performance so that the Lotus would actually get used very often?
I can feel some test drives coming on, if they ever become a reality again...
What's meant by this bit?Given how much softer the new sports car is than the R8 that I had previously (it was a Plus, so a very firm road setup), would going in the opposite direction and replacing the SL with an open-topped Exige be a nice way to round out the set, or is even that version designed to fry the senses, and light up the synapses, making it pointless for anything other than out-and-out hooning?
Or is it too close in purpose to a Mclaren; is the handling enough better to offset the performance so that the Lotus would actually get used very often?
I can feel some test drives coming on, if they ever become a reality again...
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