S3 for daily use circa 10k a year
Discussion
Forgive the novice query. I'm a Lotus virgin, coming out of a series of Caymans.
Considering something like this, I want the s'charged engine for a bit more torque:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205035...
Would be doing 10k a year. How many miles are the engines generally good for, could I add 100k before needing a major rebuild? Sort of hoping the 'Yota lump is bombproof...
I would ask how liveable these cars are as dailies, but that's such a subjective call.
Considering something like this, I want the s'charged engine for a bit more torque:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205035...
Would be doing 10k a year. How many miles are the engines generally good for, could I add 100k before needing a major rebuild? Sort of hoping the 'Yota lump is bombproof...
I would ask how liveable these cars are as dailies, but that's such a subjective call.
Thanks.
Car would be garaged so hopefully slight leaks while driving won't be a major deal. Garaged when not in sue would also, I hope, help mitigate the weak HVAC. I'm not concerned about the getting in and out in the slightest. I am concerned about the road noise. Is the S3 any better than the S2 in that regard?
Hammering the residuals via miles is a general issue that would apply to another Cayman. But even the 9A1 engine in the 987.2 and 981 is suspect at really big miles and costs fairly serious money to run as a daily, as I know from experience. As they age, the DFI fuelling system is becoming problematical in the context of serious use as opposed to weekend toy use where the cars are fairly reliable.
My main concern is whether the Elise is actually a bit horrid as a daily due to lack of refinement and a relatively joyless engine. The flat six in the Cayman helps a lot with making even a fairly dull journey on main roads a little bit joyous. I'd be worried the Elise just feels a bit agricultural in that context.
I'm pondering the Lotus because having done 150k miles in last eight years in the Caymans, I slightly tire of the silly Porsche tax regards upkeep. If you really use them, they're very expensive to run and it gets tiresome. I spent 7k recently chasing a relatively minor fault on a 987.2 recently. Had a full engine replacement on a 987.1 in the past. The Elise I know won't be cheap, per se, but am fairly confident it will be a fair bit cheaper and, importantly, I think the odds of a really huge bill are far, far lower. Even with the DFI lumps in the Porsches, you know that a megabill is a real possibility when you're doing serious miles.
Arguably, none of these cars are really suitable for 10k-plus miles a year over many years. But I don't want to run two cars.
Car would be garaged so hopefully slight leaks while driving won't be a major deal. Garaged when not in sue would also, I hope, help mitigate the weak HVAC. I'm not concerned about the getting in and out in the slightest. I am concerned about the road noise. Is the S3 any better than the S2 in that regard?
Hammering the residuals via miles is a general issue that would apply to another Cayman. But even the 9A1 engine in the 987.2 and 981 is suspect at really big miles and costs fairly serious money to run as a daily, as I know from experience. As they age, the DFI fuelling system is becoming problematical in the context of serious use as opposed to weekend toy use where the cars are fairly reliable.
My main concern is whether the Elise is actually a bit horrid as a daily due to lack of refinement and a relatively joyless engine. The flat six in the Cayman helps a lot with making even a fairly dull journey on main roads a little bit joyous. I'd be worried the Elise just feels a bit agricultural in that context.
I'm pondering the Lotus because having done 150k miles in last eight years in the Caymans, I slightly tire of the silly Porsche tax regards upkeep. If you really use them, they're very expensive to run and it gets tiresome. I spent 7k recently chasing a relatively minor fault on a 987.2 recently. Had a full engine replacement on a 987.1 in the past. The Elise I know won't be cheap, per se, but am fairly confident it will be a fair bit cheaper and, importantly, I think the odds of a really huge bill are far, far lower. Even with the DFI lumps in the Porsches, you know that a megabill is a real possibility when you're doing serious miles.
Arguably, none of these cars are really suitable for 10k-plus miles a year over many years. But I don't want to run two cars.
I rented an S2 SC for a day a few years ago. Engine wasn't terribly impressive re noise or go. I was hoping the S3 was a touch more refined / polished and also a bit more muscular with the increased torque.
I do like quite peaky engines (loathe turbo engines), but the S2 supercharged lump didn't really impress me. It was OK, nothing more. A later V6 Exige in touring spec probably ideal, but out of budget, really. Don't want to go too much above £30k.
I do like quite peaky engines (loathe turbo engines), but the S2 supercharged lump didn't really impress me. It was OK, nothing more. A later V6 Exige in touring spec probably ideal, but out of budget, really. Don't want to go too much above £30k.
Shnozz said:
Have you considered an Evora? Early car would be in budget and lends itself better as an all rounder IMO. Only downside would be mpg.
MPG doesn't really bother me. I tend to get about 20 as it is, doubt the Evora would be so different it upset me. It's the bills when the car breaks that I find tiresome - especially with the silly Porsche tax on nearly everything. I've driven an early NA Evora. Nice car, very pretty and some great attributes, but as an actual driver's car without considering other factors, prefer the Porsche option. Didn't think the Evora's pedals or shift were up to much - brake servo was a bit OTT, which I hate, throttle overly light. Nice steering but didn't love the chassis - you could feel the top heavy engine/box config. Car I drove possibly needed a bit of a geo, but I didn't love it. Steering isn't quite as good in the Porsche, but primary controls overall far better / better matched and from what I've driven prefer the Porsche's balance, too. Early NA Evora is a bit slow, too. I'm not a speed freak, but the performance is a little disappointing.
Apart from the presumably bombproof Toyota V6, what are they like to run? If fairly expensive, may as well stick with the Porsche.
Gad-Westy said:
You probably already know all this but comparing to a Porsche on an objective level is always going to be bad for Lotus products. Porsches are generally much better at being cars and doing car things. Lotus far less refined and basic and IMO all the better for it. I find them far more appealing as a fun car but no denying there are big compromises. On the engine note thing, sadly a Porsche flat 6 will always trump a relatively 'ordinary' 4 cylinder. They can sound okay and have a bit of bark with the right exhaust and/or inlet but none of the depth of a bigger multi cylinder engine. That's just how it is. You don't get the rebuild bills though so....
The point I was making is that I prefer the Porsche to the Evora purely for driving enjoyment. The Evora did some things better. But not enough. When I had the S2 SC for a day, it was a harder call for pure driving enjoyment versus a well setup Cayman. Versus a Cayman on, say, factory 19 inch wheels etc, the Elise is easily better. But if you put the Cayman on small wheels and make a few other changes, it's probably too close to call. Granted, I know really nothing about setting up Elises.
Yes, think everyone is probably different in that regard.
I take the view that life is too short to spend time in a boring car when you could be in something a little bit joyous. It does normalise the experience a bit, I agree. But some aspects never get old - a really nice engine, really good primary controls etc. To an extent you probably have to make a little bit of an effort to consciously focus on the car a bit, if I was a hipster I'd say you need to work on being present when you are driving to get the most out of it.
While I do typically nip out a couple of times a week just to drive, I enjoy it much more when I have a good drive on the way to somewhere, when I'm actually travelling A to B rather than looping out from A and back just to drive. The latter I find that a bit empty and unsatisfying. When you're actually going somewhere and having a great drive, well, that's a real thrill.
I take the view that life is too short to spend time in a boring car when you could be in something a little bit joyous. It does normalise the experience a bit, I agree. But some aspects never get old - a really nice engine, really good primary controls etc. To an extent you probably have to make a little bit of an effort to consciously focus on the car a bit, if I was a hipster I'd say you need to work on being present when you are driving to get the most out of it.
While I do typically nip out a couple of times a week just to drive, I enjoy it much more when I have a good drive on the way to somewhere, when I'm actually travelling A to B rather than looping out from A and back just to drive. The latter I find that a bit empty and unsatisfying. When you're actually going somewhere and having a great drive, well, that's a real thrill.
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