My current car is off to its new home this weekend, and I’m giving some thought to an Exige S2. The car will be a weekend/track day purchase, so practicality is not high on my list of priorities.
Obviously the cheaper the better, is there much difference between the earlier models as opposed to the revised MY06 version…is the MY06 worth paying extra for? I have seen a few 04/05 S2’s between �16.5k and �18.5k - which is in and around my budget.
I dont know about an 05/06 change, but I would recommend getting a clean model with sport packs, pref adjustable suspension as my journey into Lotusland seems to suggest this is the single biggest gain in performance.
Have a look in the for sale section, people have been pointing out some bargains recently.
How are values sticking it? Don’t want to fork out �16k+ and get �8k in 6 months!!
Exceptional circumstances in the used car values will come into play with Exige (I hope)
1)future classic (most Lotus are)
2)very economical (will be crucial in years to come)
3)continued market (track toy)
4)not going to die a brown death (rust)
Look at S1 values since they were introduced … Very very good !
20 years ago I sold another Lotus car which I,d had enough of …
20 years on I now cringe at that sale cos if I,d kept it in storage it would now command 4 times the price I sold at
Buying at this price level, I don’t see you loosing a fortune if you sell in a years time, they have already done the worst of their depreciating.
Most don’t do many miles, so take your time and find the best for your cash, I don’t see the MY update being critical, it did give a better heal and toe position via the peddlebox but I’m sure the earlier ones can be modified to suit. Only other expense to factor in is suspension if your serious on track as the standard setup is fairly soft.
Sport Pack or early Performance Pack cars give the harness ready seats if thats what your after rather than just the touring pack.
The only difference to the MY06 cars is that they came with LED lights that look good but have a habit of breaking; and drive by wire instead of cable.
Try and get one with the seats with harness holes in as these are expensive on there own. Some of the early ones didn’t come with any oil coolers so keep an eye out for that (you can see them through the front).
If your buying from a dealer ask if it’s got a toe link brace fitted and if not get them to fit one as part of the deal.
The heater resistors can also break and are a pain to fix so make sure it works.
20 years ago I sold another Lotus car which I,d had enough of …
20 years on I now cringe at that sale cos if I,d kept it in storage it would now command 4 times the price I sold at
20 years ago I sold another Lotus car which I,d had enough of …
20 years on I now cringe at that sale cos if I,d kept it in storage it would now command 4 times the price I sold at
I was under the impression that there a few other bits for MY06. For example proback seats (a bit more comfortable) and revised pedal box.
Out of interest I bought my Exige a couple of months ago as a temporary practical car for the winter and/or until I get my kit car back on the road. I chose it on the basis of very low depreciation compared to more mainstream offerings, for example the Audi TT’s I was looking at have already lost a couple of grand in that short time, the Exige has remained level.
Just make sure you get a good price from them, the dealers are pretty desperate at the moment and need to shift cars just to pay the next months bills. Don’t worry, they won’t be making a loss!
And as regard practicality, totally standard ones like mine are surprisingly practical. I often take my three year old daughter out in it, complete with push chair in the boot.
And now that I have a proper car seat (very girly pink) I’ll be taking my one year out soon.
Good luck.
The only difference to the MY06 cars is that they came with LED lights that look good but have a habit of breaking; and drive by wire instead of cable.
Try and get one with the seats with harness holes in as these are expensive on there own. Some of the early ones didn’t come with any oil coolers so keep an eye out for that (you can see them through the front).
If your buying from a dealer ask if it’s got a toe link brace fitted and if not get them to fit one as part of the deal.
The heater resistors can also break and are a pain to fix so make sure it works.
I agree, I think your �18.3k offer was pretty generous
A reply at last!! Thanks, Sean!
We’ll see how things pan out, I expect he’ll be back in touch when he realises how crap the used car market is…maybe then I’ll have to revisit my offer!
Lovely looking car, but the white stripe would be straight off!