s2 elise or exige?

[darren1976]

hello - i'd like some advice...

i've got about £20k and i'm buyinga lotus..i've always wantd an elise and now i can afford one. i have seen a few s2's that i love but then saw a 2000 exige that i can afford....what shall i do? also does anyone know of any major problem things to look for on the elise s2's?....and do you think a higher mileage one (i.e. 30k-45k) will be ok?

cheers
darren

[mister kevlar]

if i had 20k i would buy, an s1 about 12k then the audi lump 7k...few quid left over to!

[bogie]

An S2 Elise and an S1 Exige are different cars.

Depends on lots of things - daily driver?track day car? how many miles per year? etc

If you want to use it daily, be comfy and cool ()ish) in summer, and put avg miles on it each year Id go with an S2 - ...you may even get and S2111S for £20K private.

The Exige is more track/weekend orientated, and comes with a 177 or 190bhp VHPD engine as std....can be a bit temperamental and rebuild times (depending on use) could be as low as 20-30K miles...saying that, there are people that use them daily etc...just depends what you are used to.

If you want a factory car then Id be looking at a S2 Sport135 or S2111S...if you want something ridiculously fast for trackday/road use, dont mind modifying (and the downsides that go with it, like poor ROI, insurance etc) then Id get a cheap S1 and stick a Honda or Audi lump in it...you may even find a cheap S2 for £15K and spend a few quid on it.

As for the mileage thing - its a Rover engine...jsut the same as in a lot of other cars - 45K miles on a 4 year old car is avg - wouldnt be worried about it myself as long as it has been serviced regularly and any consumables replaced - things can wear out quickly on an Elise if used as intended - my June 2002 car has done 54K miles now...just had the big C service at a specialist, base service is £550 ish...total bill was £2200 - needed disks (now on my 3rd set), pads, new steering rack, geo check, brake fluid change and a few other bits n bobs...it can soon mount up - Id just changed the shocks the other month...otherwise it could have been another £1000 for some new shocks fitted...dont underestimate how much they can cost to run if you do a fair few miles in it and the occasional track day.

[DanH]

Only problem with mileage is resale as people can be funny. Also you may end up spending what you saved on new consumables like damper/bearings/ball joints/etc. that wear with age. You could get that on a newer one too though to be honest.

[bogie]

agree with Dan - thing is with the Elise is the owners usage pattern can vary so much - could be high miles and be lots of (easy) commuting miles....could be low miles and its spent 90% of them on track and then everything needs replacing. Best bet is to jude the owner as well as the car...and try and get any potential car checked out at a specialist before sale - most will do it for an hours labour or so...at least you get the heads up on any work that needs doing

[stevie111s]

I had an Exige for 2 years and (w/o aircon) found it uncomfortable in the summer on a longer journey due to the buildup of heat in the cabin. It was great on the track though! IMHO this kind of car should always have a removable roof! I now have a s1 111s which, ok, doesn't have quite the street cred of the exige, is more fun and pretty much as quick (143 v 177 bhp). If you get an exige, try to find one with aircon. As for miles, I disagree with previous comments about frequent rebuilds, a 177bhp K series is not that powerful and properly looked after it should last as well as any rover provided it's not thrashed of course.