i went down to my local tesco today and saw a lovely s2 lotus exige in black. ive never seen one up close and can say it looks amazing. how much of a gap is is to a trophy? is it best for this sort of car be in a garage as i do not have one and that it would be parked outside on a main road? also worried that if left out in rain because the engine has a mesh grill and same for the front, didnt want any water getting in here. are they expensive to run as i know they can do 35 mpg. any info would be helpful to choose a new car come august thanks
anybody got or knows much about a s2 lotus exige?
BenG
ClioTrophy Moderator
The lotus Exige S2 is hopefully going to be replacing my Trophy in the future. I love them !
There quite a big step up from the Trophy. As for being expensive to run I would say it depends on how you use it, (stupid comment really). Tyres wont be cheap for starters and I would imagen services wont be either, or parts.
I personally wouldnt be buying that sort of car if I never had a garage, I wouldnt want it standing out in the rain (Its a sad condition of mine where I actually treat cars as if they have feelings !) nor would I buy one as an everyday car.
What happened to getting an Evo or Scooby P1 ?
There quite a big step up from the Trophy. As for being expensive to run I would say it depends on how you use it, (stupid comment really). Tyres wont be cheap for starters and I would imagen services wont be either, or parts.
I personally wouldnt be buying that sort of car if I never had a garage, I wouldnt want it standing out in the rain (Its a sad condition of mine where I actually treat cars as if they have feelings !) nor would I buy one as an everyday car.
What happened to getting an Evo or Scooby P1 ?
Fantastic cars, with a big step up from the Trophy, especially the supercharged ones.
Will be a little more on the running costs, and I imagine they are fine living outside.
Very good track cars too.
Will be a little more on the running costs, and I imagine they are fine living outside.
Very good track cars too.
Sold my Elise to buy the Trophy - if you have a decent 2nd car to use when its... the winter /raining /cold /not worry where its parked etc...then its good...not a great "only" car for sure.
oh and no safety devices like ESP & ABS to calm thing down when you get out of shape either, so know your driving limitations or pay the price...
oh and no safety devices like ESP & ABS to calm thing down when you get out of shape either, so know your driving limitations or pay the price...
as a daily driver they're compromised due to luggage space etc compared to the T, but in terms of performance then it's a different league, plus RWD!
They are simply stunning. Though alot more expensive to run than a Trophy. My brother had two 111s' followed by a S2 Exige.
Tyres are Yokohama ADVAN A048s, which are essentially semi-slicks, so the wear rate is alot higher. My brother never took his on a track and they lasted around 5000-6000 miles. Price-wise they're around £170 each I think. I can't remember the prices of the discs and pads, but again, significantly higher than the Trophy. Basic servicing costs aren't too bad, though that's if it requires no further work. He owned his for a year and on the whole it was extremely reliable, though on the occasions that additional work was required, the costs rose quickly.
When I decided to buy the Trophy I asked my brother if a basic S1 Elise was comparable, with regards to running costs. Quite simply, no. The annual servicing rates on the surface may be similar but it's the consumables that soon crank the price up. Especially if you drive it the way it was intended
My brother didn't have a garage, so it stayed out all winter, which had no consequences at all with regards to the engine. Mileage-wise the Toyota engine is extremely efficient. Though if you spend most of your time on the second cam, (kicks in after around 5500rpm), much like the Trophy, the MPG will take a tumble.
It's difficult to explain how amazing these cars are and having been lucky enough to drive my brother's, my plan/dream is to move up to a 111R or Exige one day, though keeping the Trophy and running the Lotus as a second car.
Exiges hold their value much better than 111Rs, so the 111 is worth considering. The Elise is certainly more useable day-to-day aswell, primarily due to the wet-weather grip; standing water in the Exige is a tricky to say the least...
Though if you only intend to use it as a second car, then this shouldn't be a problem.
Tyres are Yokohama ADVAN A048s, which are essentially semi-slicks, so the wear rate is alot higher. My brother never took his on a track and they lasted around 5000-6000 miles. Price-wise they're around £170 each I think. I can't remember the prices of the discs and pads, but again, significantly higher than the Trophy. Basic servicing costs aren't too bad, though that's if it requires no further work. He owned his for a year and on the whole it was extremely reliable, though on the occasions that additional work was required, the costs rose quickly.
When I decided to buy the Trophy I asked my brother if a basic S1 Elise was comparable, with regards to running costs. Quite simply, no. The annual servicing rates on the surface may be similar but it's the consumables that soon crank the price up. Especially if you drive it the way it was intended
My brother didn't have a garage, so it stayed out all winter, which had no consequences at all with regards to the engine. Mileage-wise the Toyota engine is extremely efficient. Though if you spend most of your time on the second cam, (kicks in after around 5500rpm), much like the Trophy, the MPG will take a tumble.
It's difficult to explain how amazing these cars are and having been lucky enough to drive my brother's, my plan/dream is to move up to a 111R or Exige one day, though keeping the Trophy and running the Lotus as a second car.
Exiges hold their value much better than 111Rs, so the 111 is worth considering. The Elise is certainly more useable day-to-day aswell, primarily due to the wet-weather grip; standing water in the Exige is a tricky to say the least...
Though if you only intend to use it as a second car, then this shouldn't be a problem.
- Thread starter
- #7
BenG said:
i think the scooby is out the window, the p1 is a rare car but imprezas are very common where i live and the evo v1 tm is approtching 10 years old. i dont want to pay for engine rebuilds and massive service bills. my mum even gave me advice and said go for a 111r because it looks more sensible and you can take the roof off and you see whats behind you when revearsing. ( only because she wants to be insured on it). i would get the full fat larina race exhaust if its the exige. best bet is for me to wait til im 25 then i can go round and test them all and really think about it but the lotus sounds too good to turn down
Renaultsport
ClioTrophy Moderator
My dad has an Elise 135R which we're currently selling. I've used it for a few days as a daily driver and can imagine that it would get on your nerves a bit as its a bit extreme for a daily driver. We've always had either a Caterham or Elise so know bits about them.
I've seen a lot of Elise's/Exiges that are used as daily drivers and they look very used and tiered as the water and salt just eats them. Great as a toy but they are best used as a dry weather toy.
I've also found with the 135R that you'll have to push it quite hard to get a sense of fun on the road as its basically a track car whereas the Clio you can still have fun on the roads and track and its also fine as a daily commuter.
I would love an Exige S but i wouldn't use it as a daily drive as it would rot in the rain and salt. It would be an awesome track weapon!
I've seen a lot of Elise's/Exiges that are used as daily drivers and they look very used and tiered as the water and salt just eats them. Great as a toy but they are best used as a dry weather toy.
I've also found with the 135R that you'll have to push it quite hard to get a sense of fun on the road as its basically a track car whereas the Clio you can still have fun on the roads and track and its also fine as a daily commuter.
I would love an Exige S but i wouldn't use it as a daily drive as it would rot in the rain and salt. It would be an awesome track weapon!
i know 2 people in my area with exiges and 1 of them is kept on a very narrow busy street :shock: i wouldnt even park my trophy there but it seems to be fine i guess its the size of a matchbox after all :lol:
Was looking at S2 Exiges (NA & S) before buying the Civic, Stratstone Leicester near you had some good deals on. But I don't have space where I live for a 2nd car and while I reckon in the past year an Exige woulda been fine for 90% of the miles I drove, it does make a for a bit limited of a daily driver proposition.
Was tempted to keep the Trophy and buy a 111S Elise, but it wouldn't be fair to the Trophy to make it the daily driver shed in that relationship [-X
Was tempted to keep the Trophy and buy a 111S Elise, but it wouldn't be fair to the Trophy to make it the daily driver shed in that relationship [-X
- Thread starter
- #11
ive been on the exige forums and alot of them recommened a full cover to go over the car as heavy rain can get to the fans and radiators and stuff and the bills to repair these can be expensive. they think its not the best as a only car and would suggest it as a second or weekend car. and the funny bit is that on a busy road it wouldnt be fun to revearse as you cant see anything from the back because of the engine cover.