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Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 12:35 pm
by Dominic
:welcome

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:58 pm
by j2 lot
:welcome & another vote for the Evora as a great choice.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 8:07 am
by PM26
So after a bit of soul searching, and some sage advice from both Dave and Ali (who very kindly took me out in his car), a lot of test driving of alternative options, and also a visit to Leven Lotus, I have my heart set on an Evora S Sport Racer, manual.

Issue being, these are few and far between at the moment (couple of IPS cars and 2 manuals - one in matte black which isn’t for me, and a white one, but I’m not sure about the dealership it’s at!). Could be a bit of a wait to get the opportunity to buy something that fits the bill! If anyone knows or hears of anything though, then please do let me know ;)

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 3:57 pm
by campbell
Keep in touch with Ali on here. If his is 2+2...

My former 2+2 (2010, only NA though...plenty fast!!) is also still, owned on here by CJM, IIRC.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 6:53 pm
by j2 lot
I wouldn't rule out a NA if the right one comes up, they are as quick as you need for day to day use and only lacking the extra oomph if you're really on it.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:23 am
by Shug
Yep, agree an NA would be fine *as long as* it has a c/r gearbox. The 'long' box is what lets Elaine's down. Basically 3 usable gears when trying to press on, on Lotus-y roads. I appreciate others views differ here, but the longer I use that gearbox, the more I hate it.

But if you're after an S, there's probably more choice these days - albeit if you're after a genuine Sports Racer, not so much.

Great cars, worth a search.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:33 pm
by mik
Good choice. 8)

For info - sonething like 103 Sports Racers built. 53 of them were both manual-box and 'charged - the spec I was looking for. Took 5 months of waiting for one to appear in one of 3 colours I was prepared to look at.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 2:33 pm
by PM26
Thanks again folk for the good feedback. There is an S Sports Racer in white (copying you I think mik by the looks of your pic!) and manual down in Peterborough I’m currently enquiring about. Was due a 4 year service in Dec last year but has been missed, although only 7,000 miles covered since its last service which was at the point of previous sale at Bell and Covill. After speaking to them, they also replaced the clutch at 15,000 miles due to slippage which is handy to know. 4 owner car which isn’t ideal but nothing too exciting, think it was traded against a Ranger Rover hence where it is now!

Spoke to Craig Moncrieff, really helpful chap, who gave me some more confidence, and would be getting the car to service for its 4 & 5 year services on my way home with the car if possible.

Did the sports racer have the option of a long ratio box or were they all the sport ratio box? I guess I could possibly enquire with supplying dealer if there was the option of either from new!

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 2:53 pm
by mik
Sports racer were all close-ratio box.

CraigM is a genuine star.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:00 pm
by PM26
That’s handy!!

Aye Craig was great, told me what to look out for and to get on the phone to him if there was anything I was unsure of whilst I was there!

Only unknown quantity really is brake and tyre life, could be good or bad I guess depending on how the previous owners drove! Surely should be some reasonable life left at 22,000 miles unless it’s been tracked a lot, although no idea what a slipping clutch at 15k says about how it was driven before!

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:46 pm
by campbell
Found mine fairly easy on tyres and brakes. Even with some trackdays. All depends how you treat it of course.

Full set of Avon ZZ-5 was barely £400 IIRC and brake pads reasonable too.

Long box on NA is an interesting debate. Lovely for touring. 1-3 were plenty for the limited backroad stuff I did. I see Shug's point tho.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:52 am
by rawsco
Must admit that the 'box on the exige v6 suffers the same challenge on back roads... 3rd is all you need in all but the slowest corners. The power delivery in the v6 is as such that its properly rapid at basically any RPM above 2000 whereas the s2 didn't come on song till about 6k and needed work

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 12:58 pm
by PM26
When we were out in Ali's car I was asking him if he had the long box - third seemed really long in that so it must be a fair gear in the touring box!

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 4:28 pm
by Shug
PM26 wrote:
Tue Sep 18, 2018 3:00 pm
That’s handy!!

Aye Craig was great, told me what to look out for and to get on the phone to him if there was anything I was unsure of whilst I was there!

Only unknown quantity really is brake and tyre life, could be good or bad I guess depending on how the previous owners drove! Surely should be some reasonable life left at 22,000 miles unless it’s been tracked a lot, although no idea what a slipping clutch at 15k says about how it was driven before!
Clutch wear is a known issue with the Evora - I *think* tuned out in time, but lots of stories of sub 40K mile clutch changes.

Elaine's is over 50K miles on the original, but it's got a long pedal - always has though and hasn't changed in over 10K miles, so not sure how many are actual dead clutches and how many are an odd feel combined with the common "wisdom" that the clutches all go and just changing when the first hiccup occurs.

Re: Newbie - Indecisive!

Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 4:31 pm
by Shug
campbell wrote:
Tue Sep 18, 2018 5:46 pm
Long box on NA is an interesting debate. Lovely for touring. 1-3 were plenty for the limited backroad stuff I did. I see Shug's point tho.
100% a personal choice thing mate - totally agree. The long 6th is great that you can coax it well into the mid thirties on a long run. It's the fact that the ratios from 1-5 are just all over the bloody place. Wouldn't piss me off so much if 1-4 were evenly spaced and well-judged, but that 2-3 gap grates every time I'm driving it briskly! :lol: