As i m planning to look at a S1 soon, any tips or what i should be looking out for except the general like service history and etc?? any advice will be highly appreciated!!! thanks!!
I am biased - so dont worry about high mileage!!
Check out who has previously owned - there were a few owned by track day companies and they had a hard life. As long as service records are up to date then most are fine. Check brakes, tyres and alternator S1 Exiges go through these fast. Batteries only last 2 years. Any sign of battery warning light on and thats an alternator. Exiges stone chip at front. Sill covers last 30000 miles and they are �60 each.
Some have starting problems but these are often linked to old battery.
Apart from that there are very few for sale and they come up rarely.
Mine is in for sale section and is cheapest you will find - and dont be put off by high miles - it just mneans its been used regularly and is reliable.
Check that the chassis is ok.
Make 100% certain all the numbers match and that it is a proper one.
Check for corrosion on the inside of the black washers where the front wishbones mount to the chassis.
All of the steel stuff will be rusty, that’s just a fact of life if it hasn’t been restored.
Original exige anything is tricky to get hold of so have a good look at the exige specific stuff.
thanks guys for the advice, but my next question is how to match the number? all i know is i will check the chassis no to the V5? but i assume if the chassis is change the so will the V5??? Are there any coherent no that will match the original chassis to the clams?? also where are the numbers on the clam?? Sorry for many question as i m new to this…may be i need a book like Exige S1 for dummy or something like that!!!
There are manufacturing numbers on the crash box and I had numbers on my clams but you will need to dismantle the thing to find them - I dont know how those relate ( if at all ) to the chassis number though …
An Exige chassis number starts with an 8 and then a zero and then a 4 digit number …
This thread may help
As Sean said I would look to get as genuine one as possible and set aside a 5 figure fund to rebuild anything that will need it over the next few years of ownership.
Thanks for above info, it seems that there are amny numbers needs to match? So i dont think i can dimantle the clams to check on the clam nos if even i can verify it?
Yes i m looking at a genuine one but just seems that the usual engine and chassis check is not enough for the S1 as i will have to check on the clam no too>???
I would say just make sure that the cassis is of an acual Exige S1. so it will need to have the 8 digit to confirm its an Exige and not an Elise. The clams do have numbers on them but these seem to have nothing to do with the chassis really. Also I think that many will have had a front respray or clam change to restore the chips or minor dents.
The crash structure does have a sticker with a manufacture date and some scribbling but again, IMO the important part is the chassis number.
Engine number should match but again its difficult to verify this if it has been changed on the V5 already. Also considering that these engines are not the most reliable in the world and do throw a rod every now and then, they might have been swaped out for new/replacement units. So I would not worry too much about that as well.
Yep my S1 had a new engine at 28K before my ownership as HGF overheated the whole thing so badly it screwed the block and head! So a new PTP engine was installed and my V5 was amended accordingly.
Make sure the chassis number visible via inside the RH wheel arch is indeed an Exige number. Also the ‘white’ VIN sticker located under the front ‘boot’ on top of the chassis rails.
A genuine car ahould be obvious anyway.
If the one you are looking at is ‘local’ to any of us, I am sure most peeps would be happy to look at it with you too.
Good luck anyway! 
One more thing. Cars with recent chassis replacement will have the chassis number on the RH front chassis leg as per an S2.
“not the most reliable in the world and do throw a rod every now”
90 odd thousand miles - one head gasket failure and one engine rebuild — I think that is pretty good by any measure
OK there have been a few brake pads, alternators, batteries and a coil pack - but nothing catastrophic. By their nature they are never going to as reliable as VW Passat - but they are not bad.
Not sure. When I went to an official Lotus to have my chassis number re-engraved, I asked for the S2 position (easier reading at MOT), but they would have it positionned at any place. I’ve asked Sarah at Lotus (refer to my post on chassis number) if there was a mandatory position, answer was no.
I asked as well after my chassis was delivered (last one made to date I believe)and the factory replied to me back saying that the reason its in the S2 position at the front is because that is how their new tooling works. Re engraving elsewhere by hand I believe is possible as well.
[quote=Tone]“not the most reliable in the world and do throw a rod every now”
90 odd thousand miles - one head gasket failure and one engine rebuild — I think that is pretty good by any measure
OK there have been a few brake pads, alternators, batteries and a coil pack - but nothing catastrophic. By their nature they are never going to as reliable as VW Passat - but they are not bad. [/quote]
Opening the engine twice in 90k miles is not what I consider (my standards) reliable by today’s standards unless you have been doing lots of track days.
Still you are a brave man to have done so many miles in an S1.
Forgot to mention : a chassis leaving factory has a number engraved by some kind of lazer tool to avoid deformation of the alu, with the sequence “dotted”. If it has been re-engraved by a dealer (as my chassis), it’s done with the traditional tooling (punched).
“Opening the engine twice in 90k miles is not what I consider (my standards) reliable by today’s standards”
I am planning a rebuild every 40k miles. This is pretty good in my opinion for a 100+ bhp/1000cc N/A engine that weighs 97kg.
When buying look hard for damaged, worn parts, some can be very expensive to replace, the rear Perspex engine cover is about �1500 for example. I ended up buying a car from a dealer for the first time for my S1 Exige as they had the exact car I wanted, and in the end I was lucky I did as it ended up with a new Rad, Engine, A/C pump and various other items all covered under a Lotus warranty, so if buying form a dealer I would look into what warranty they are offering.
Thanks guys for the advice, i think we should make this thread sticky so that any potential owner can take it from here!