I am looking at Dave R’s Exige with a serious view to buying it in the near future, what are the potential problems with exiges ownership and do you foresee any issues with the resale values of an S1 exige if Lotus bring out the S2 exige with a 250bhp engine.
Many thanks
Mark
Mark,
I’d encourage you to have a good old trawl of the site but basically few of us are too worried about the S2 as it’s heavier, not as classic and is likely to have lost a bit of focus (ABS, wall-to-wall carpets, e/wins, c/l, I ask you!).
250bhp would be better but probably only increase the bhp/ton over an S1 by about 30. They’d charge a load more for it and it’s already cheaper to throw a 240bhp Honda (with a flatter torque curve than the Toyota. Or opt for a Duratec, Audi, etc) in the back of an S1 than buy a boggo S2.
Exige ownership is perhaps a slightly higher risk than a normal car, due to tuned parts and pre-VX220 Lotus build quality. They do cost a bit more to keep going (servicing, tyres, etc) but are worth every penny!
The ownership experience is definately worth it. How many other racecars can you virtually use every day on the road?! For less than �25k!!! With fellow owners as nice as us!!!
Ian
Ian
Spot on
I thank you.
You have trained me well.
Ian
Besides, it’s not coming with 250BHP, but 190.
Hardly an improvement.
I think Mark meant what happens when the super-charged version appears later in the year (annoying the 7 people that bought one before then).
Ian
Yeah, right.
If I only had a crystal ball…
But of course we are talking Lotus here.
Never a company to worry about customers who have invested in a lesser product.
I really wouldn’t put it past them to do a supercharger before the end of the summer, thus devaluing every existing S2 Exige at a stroke. After all this car needs some serious differentiation from the 111R to be a success. Or will we again witness the spectacle of demo cars sticking to the showroom floor like limpets?
Back in my S2 Elise days, I well recall that you simply couldn’t source a hardtop for the earlier models like mine. This went on for the entire time I owned the car and, for all I know, there still isn’t an official after market hardtop.
I’d be interested to know if the situation ever changed, by the way.
Mark about 18 months ago I was in the same position as you - concerned how reliable the Exige was going to be. 18k miles later it has been the epitome of reliability and more importantly what fun
The guys on here are a mine of information for diagnosing those minor niggles that have occurred - better than any main Lotus dealer.
Can’t see S2 Exige damaging residuals, there’s not enough S1’s to go round
Same here, owned for 14 months now, and done 15k miles, in use most days, less in winter, but no issues. Just keep replacing the tyres every 5-6000 miles.
A few more weeks for light evenings and dry B roads!
Many thanks for the comments off to look at the car again tonight
Mark
The Exige is something you want or you don’t. If you want it and never buy it - you’ll regret it!!
Can you all stop saying how great they are - I’m gonna miss this car but needs must and all that !!
David you gotta get the ol’ priorities sorted , between the wife, kids, house, 18 year old mistress and Exige - my silva machine would def be last to leave - Given the choice I’m sure 9 out of 10 Exige owners would agree
Mark, Ive only owned my car since last sept, bought it with less than 6000 miles on the clock and only done just over 1000 miles since but that mileage was by far the best 1000 miles I have ever experienced in any car. Okay it takes a little getting used to with the low speed driving but once mastered any other car seems rather boring and like your piloting a yacht around the bends. My advice would be to BUY and ENJOY.
Steve.
Depoist down, trackday booked just need to sell the Elise now!
GOOD MAN! You won’t regret it!
[And that’s coming from a man that spent 4 hours in a service station with a sick one today. See other post in Trackday section, it has a happy ending]
Ian
Nice one Mark P