Exige to replace a 996 C2
Discussion
Hi all,
Due to the possibility of a change of jobs (contract to permanent) and thinking logically I need to free up some cash to pay the shortfall on my tax. I am considering selling my wifes 911 (still under porsche warranty & just had new brakes & big service) and getting an Exige. Has anyone else done a similar move to this and if so what are your feelings on it?
Additionally what are the running costs like & what are the weak points of these cars?
Thanks for you help in advance,
DD
Due to the possibility of a change of jobs (contract to permanent) and thinking logically I need to free up some cash to pay the shortfall on my tax. I am considering selling my wifes 911 (still under porsche warranty & just had new brakes & big service) and getting an Exige. Has anyone else done a similar move to this and if so what are your feelings on it?
Additionally what are the running costs like & what are the weak points of these cars?
Thanks for you help in advance,
DD
Edited by dasherdiablo1 on Thursday 12th June 08:29
I looked at a 996 C2 before buying an Exige. Very different cars and the 996 far more useable day to day, but no sense of occasion in comparison.
Would the car be for your wife? How old is the 996? Seems to be an awful lot of 996s for sale and once they are outside of OPC warranty availability they seem to drop their value quite a lot and I'm quite surprised that you would get a lot of change out of the swap.
Have you considered an Elise 111R? Possibly easier if its to be used everyday, same engine and possibly more change from the deal.
Would the car be for your wife? How old is the 996? Seems to be an awful lot of 996s for sale and once they are outside of OPC warranty availability they seem to drop their value quite a lot and I'm quite surprised that you would get a lot of change out of the swap.
Have you considered an Elise 111R? Possibly easier if its to be used everyday, same engine and possibly more change from the deal.
I went from a 997 S to an Exige S last December after owning the Porsche for 2 years.
Initially I thought I had made a huge mistake as I only really dropped the 911 because it had lost £20k over the ownership period and seemed to be heading ever downwards? I sort of missed the "pose factor" of the latest uber-beetle!
Now though, I wouldn't go back - the Exige is a "white knuckle ride" down the same twisty B roads. I cannot help but thrash the car at every opportunity, it is addictive! I even had a motorcyclist wave me through the other day as he didn't feel comfortable with me staying with him at some pace (at a reasonable distance I would add - I ride a bike also!). The acceleration at low speeds is staggering for a car (faster than the Porsche) and if the surface is OK, it will fire through corners at a pace you won't believe (just remember the comparative lack of electronic wizardry in the wet!).
Forget any quality, ride comfort and day-to-day use comparisons as there aren't any and be prepared for little niggles on the Lotus to p155 you off. I have to say the Porsche was faultless in that department.
You just need to be really sure what you want the car for - if you enjoy a proper good thrash then go for it, but if you like decent performance with comfort and a bit of posing thrown in, and don't mind losing buckets of dough in depreciation/road tax, stick with the Porsche?
Costs wise, the fuel consumption is a bit better say, 28 plays 22 mpg, road tax is marginally cheaper, 208g/km plays 258g/km, tyres work out about the same, maybe £100 a set cheaper and for me at least, the insurance has proven to be a couple of hundred quid less due to the value being £30k rather than £65k?
Initially I thought I had made a huge mistake as I only really dropped the 911 because it had lost £20k over the ownership period and seemed to be heading ever downwards? I sort of missed the "pose factor" of the latest uber-beetle!
Now though, I wouldn't go back - the Exige is a "white knuckle ride" down the same twisty B roads. I cannot help but thrash the car at every opportunity, it is addictive! I even had a motorcyclist wave me through the other day as he didn't feel comfortable with me staying with him at some pace (at a reasonable distance I would add - I ride a bike also!). The acceleration at low speeds is staggering for a car (faster than the Porsche) and if the surface is OK, it will fire through corners at a pace you won't believe (just remember the comparative lack of electronic wizardry in the wet!).
Forget any quality, ride comfort and day-to-day use comparisons as there aren't any and be prepared for little niggles on the Lotus to p155 you off. I have to say the Porsche was faultless in that department.
You just need to be really sure what you want the car for - if you enjoy a proper good thrash then go for it, but if you like decent performance with comfort and a bit of posing thrown in, and don't mind losing buckets of dough in depreciation/road tax, stick with the Porsche?
Costs wise, the fuel consumption is a bit better say, 28 plays 22 mpg, road tax is marginally cheaper, 208g/km plays 258g/km, tyres work out about the same, maybe £100 a set cheaper and for me at least, the insurance has proven to be a couple of hundred quid less due to the value being £30k rather than £65k?
Edited by nsm3 on Thursday 12th June 10:59
I've just sold my Boxster and moved into a 2007 Exige S. Completely chalk and cheese to be honest. The Exige is a "proper" performance car very loud (mine has stage 2 lotus exhaust) and raw where as Porsche's are a bit soft these days aiming for a completely different market to Lotus. The handling is incredible and with the supercharged exige the performance is unreal to. Comfort wise the Porsche is streets ahead but you have to sacrifice the comfort to get good performance/handling and to be honest once your in the Exige its cosy enough. I ran the Porsche daily and now my Exige and i love the car to bits. Its a car that i probably wont ever sell. The other thing is the reactions of people, i used to get quite a bit stick in the Boxster for no apparent reason but everyone waves and loves the Exige!
dasherdiablo1 said:
Another question is regarding clearance. Coming into our village there are a few 'ditto' speed bumps (the ones you can drive straight over in a 4x4).....do you have any issues negotiating these?
I have some in my street and the front doesnt catch at all. I even got my car on the drive and its one hell of a gradient. Key is to do everything really slow. Try and borrow a car or im sure somebody on here local to you would come round and try it for you. I had the same issues but a mate came round we tried his Exige on the drive and then that allowed me to start hunting for a car properly. kambites said:
The Elise and Exige have more ground clearance than a 997 if both cars are standard (I think). Can't imagine a 996 is much difference.
I'm not sure ground clearance is the problem - in the case of the Exige, it's more a case of the front spoiler hitting the ground when coming down from a speedbump. My car may be a bit lower than standard though, but *I* for one keep far away from parking garages. You won't have this problem with the Elise though.Well after having a test drive in a Supercharged Exige I must admit it is a brilliant drive, I can imagine in time it would feel like a glove and you merely had to think about the manoevre and it would just happen. If I was going to to alot of track days then I'd get it. However for day to day driving it is just too harsh.....and the rear visibility is appalling.
Whilst there we saw a black Europa and must admit it's the first time I've ever really looked at one, I know they've had some poor reviews about being too soft for a Lotus, but I must admit I love the look of them, and the interior is really my kind of thing. Also the dealer was telling me we could have it upgraded to 220bhp with a brake upgrade etc also for 1200quid! This would reduce the 0-60 time from 5.6secs to approximately 4.6??? I do wonder how smooth the power deliver would be though with the remap.
So we have a test drive booked for next Saturday, but will only consider a used one as they seem to depreciate quite fast.
Has anybody got any experience of owning one of these? It will be a weekend car, living in the garage with the odd commute (once or twice a month).
Cheers all,
Whilst there we saw a black Europa and must admit it's the first time I've ever really looked at one, I know they've had some poor reviews about being too soft for a Lotus, but I must admit I love the look of them, and the interior is really my kind of thing. Also the dealer was telling me we could have it upgraded to 220bhp with a brake upgrade etc also for 1200quid! This would reduce the 0-60 time from 5.6secs to approximately 4.6??? I do wonder how smooth the power deliver would be though with the remap.
So we have a test drive booked for next Saturday, but will only consider a used one as they seem to depreciate quite fast.
Has anybody got any experience of owning one of these? It will be a weekend car, living in the garage with the odd commute (once or twice a month).
Cheers all,
I have a one year old Europa with the interior upgrade pack and I love it. I have never owned a Porche but driven lots. The Europa is a little more towards comfort than the Exige but still goes like stink. Compared with a 996 it is much more alive. I have the 225 pack and brake upgrade and it drives really well. I used to have an S4 Esprit and the Europa is a mini modern Esprit in my mind. I personally think the looks are great and as people say you can tune the car to your hearts content.
Things to check before you buy one. Well make sure both you and anybody who is a regular passenger can get in an d out as they are still low and the tank is small (~170 miles). They are setup to understeer a bit. For some that will be fine but if it drives you mad you can see Thorny and sort that easily for about £150.
cheers
C43
Things to check before you buy one. Well make sure both you and anybody who is a regular passenger can get in an d out as they are still low and the tank is small (~170 miles). They are setup to understeer a bit. For some that will be fine but if it drives you mad you can see Thorny and sort that easily for about £150.
cheers
C43
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