Elise, Exige or Atom ?

ExigeKen · Post by **ExigeKen** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:48 am

Milkybar Kid wrote:
my fear is that if i drive an exige ill want one

I can confirm that is exactly what will happen - go on try it you know that you want to

GregR · Post by **GregR** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:06 am

eek, looks like you've not only got an Atom/Elise/Exige debate, but almost an Exige/Elise and S1/S2 debate!!

Whatever you do, don't rush into it. All of us that went out to a dealer with money to spend have come back sith at least some regrets - either having spent too much, or way too much! The thing with any of the cars you've mentioned is that they're so different to any other car, you're likely to be smitten as soon as you turn a wheel

I'd suggest you go to a dealer to get a test drive, and then take that experience with you to a private sale... there are some cracking deals on pistonheads at the moment on S2 Exiges (most under 25k) and S2 111Rs (sub £20k); I'd wager thats around a 3k saving from a dealer price.

Don't worry about warranties - you'll likely only get a 12 month deal from a dealer and unless you're spanking those toyota engines on track (i.e. going over the rev-limiter on downshifts) then the engines ought to be bomb-proof. If they're not completely bomb proof, I'd wager they'll not go pop in that first year anyway!

As for the engine to go for, that's a whole other can of worms! Some feel the toyota engine in the S, 111R and Exige is a bit gutless, most of its torque needing you to be on the 2nd cam at 6k rpm. The K-series engine has an odd reputation for head gasket failure so people are worried about its reliability. However, the K is an easily and cheaply tunable engine; plus, if it goes pop, you can buy another one for about £500

You can easily get your S2 K-Series car up to 160hp for about a grand... and it'll be a lot torquier at lower revs for everyday driving.

All in all, its a nice desicion to have to make - just take your time and make sure you see what's out there before lining Graeme's pockets too quickly

Mr Robertson's just too good a salesman

cla5h · Post by **cla5h** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:45 am

You can easily get your S2 K-Series car up to 160hp for about a grand

Or get a VVC (111) which has 156 to start with.

Post by **simon** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 11:20 am

GregR wrote:All of us that went out to a dealer with money to spend have come back sith at least some regrets

Speak for yourself but I have no regrets with mine. I wanted a new car and got the spec and colour at the price I was willing to pay.

As for warranty, the 2 year one from new is great and absolutely worth having, particularly if you don't have much mechanical knowledge or haven't got the time to do things yourself. You never know what will happen, I didn't have any engine problems in the warranty period but I had plenty other things to more than justify it (a £4k respray being one).

Decide what one you want first from a few test drives then decide how much you're willing to pay for it.

EliseR · Post by **EliseR** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 11:25 am

simon wrote:
GregR wrote:All of us that went out to a dealer with money to spend have come back sith at least some regrets
Speak for yourself but I have no regrets with mine. I wanted a new car and got the spec and colour at the price I was willing to pay.

As for warranty, the 2 year one from new is great and absolutely worth having, particularly if you don't have much mechanical knowledge or haven't got the time to do things yourself. You never know what will happen, I didn't have any engine problems in the warranty period but I had plenty other things to more than justify it (a £4k respray being one).

Decide what one you want first from a few test drives then decide how much you're willing to pay for it.

Ditto. I thought I got a 3yr warrenty, not sure though. Glad I bought brand new, my first car and I wanted no hassle. Also very fussy about colour and spec etc.

As for the S1 vs S2 thingy, I can't comment at all, but I can say as a new driver, I am more than happy of the perfromence of my 111R. It goes like a rocket, and when you get into second cam, it's insanely good fun.

G.
Edit: Also the S2 111R comes with close to 200BHP as standard I believe? Anyone know the exact figure?

Post by **simon** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 11:41 am

189bhp but in reality it's not much faster than a 160bhp K series car as they're a good bit heavier.

Don't think Lotus do a 3 year warranty, worth checking your handbook.

Post by ed » Fri Jul 13, 2007 11:55 am

Doubt theyd ever give 3, mine was 2 with unlimited mileage!

Milkybar Kid · Post by **Milkybar Kid** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:17 pm

definately going to take my time.

Have driven a few prestige cars recently so hopefully the "adrenaline rush buy" shouldnt happen (again

)

Dominic: cheers for sticking up the link

Milkybar Kid · Post by **Milkybar Kid** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:49 pm

been phoning about for insurance today.

s1 W reg, stock, £1800+
s2 05 reg, 111r, £2700+
s2 55 reg, exige cup 240, £3500+

On the positive side, i did meet Ken and his s2 exige and went a wee run in Nizzy's elise.

- are there no bigger grin smilies?

cheers guys

Milkybar Kid · Post by **Milkybar Kid** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:55 pm

dezzy · Post by **dezzy** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:34 pm

As Simon said, there ain't much between a 111R and a 160bhp K-series. The 0 - 60mph times are only 0.2 secs apart (4.9s vs. 5.1s) on paper, but I think any average driver would be hard-pushed to notice the difference.

But I guess as you're looking at a Lotus, it ain't straight line speed you're interested in . . . it's more what goes on in the corners!

While some people say the S2 suspension is a bit "soft", you'll find a lot of S1 owners actually upgrade to it. I've not driven an S1, but I've driven an S2 K-series, and S2 111R and an S2 Exige, and I'd say the handling of the Exige was definitely the best of the three. It just felt more precise, but could have been a lot to do with geo set-up I guess.

Greg's right in that some people don't like the Toyota-engined cars because they have to wait a few revs to get to the torque, but I highly recommend having a shot of a 111R (or 'R' as they're now called) just to see if you like it. I thought the K-series S2 I test drove was amazing, but when I experience second cam in a 111R, I was absolutely hooked and I don't think I'd want any other engine now.

Regarding the warranty, the max you will get is a 2 year from Lotus, but you can buy the extended warranty. I've got this (but wangled it for free due to some issues). It's Lotus-stamped, but technically through another company. It's a good haggling tool if it's important to you . . . you could try to get it thrown in for free if buying a new car.

Cheers,
D

ExigeKen · Post by **ExigeKen** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:39 pm

Milkybar Kid wrote:
On the positive side, i did meet Ken and his s2 exige and went a wee run in Nizzy's elise.

- are there no bigger grin smilies?

cheers guys

Good to meet you too Lewis I will get you out in the Exige next week.

I will give you a call when I know what I am up to next week.

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 10:10 am

I think they is a marked notice between the higher revving Toyota's and the VVC S2. But only when you are flogging them, on the road 90% of the time, there's nothing in it. Round track when you keep the car on second cam, it is quicker, but driver is obviously a key to this one. (as keeping it on cam is not always an easy task - although you can now get the ECu remapped for a lower cam change over point)

While the 0-60 time is close, its the overtaking ability of the R and Exige that are markedly faster, from my experience, and way quicker than the new S and standard Elises. I noticed this particularly when moving from my 111r to the S1 and then going down the A68 - you despatch car by car rather than streams of cars. Now in RLC spec though the S1 is back to streams of cars - isn't it Robin

Clearly you can make any of them quicker though - some of the S2's racing in the LOTRDC are going really well, and they are 111s's.

If this is your first car of this type, its key you consider what you actually want it for - road, track, both?

Personally, given the size of your insurance quotes, I'd head for a good, well set-up S1 and learn to drive hell out of it, before thinking about investing more heavily.

Milkybar Kid · Post by **Milkybar Kid** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:59 pm

dezzy wrote:But I guess as you're looking at a Lotus, it ain't straight line speed you're interested in . . . it's more what goes on in the corners!

good point mate, straight line speed is enough im sure

Andy G wrote:Personally, given the size of your insurance quotes, I'd head for a good, well set-up S1 and learn to drive hell out of it, before thinking about investing more heavily.

also a good point

ok, so if i was to narrow it to well maintained S1's, whats available to me (not individual car-wise, just specs)

cheers guys