Some questions from a newbie

[nick_grice]

Hi all

I currently have a Megane 250 cup but am looking at two seaters for my next car and am looking at second hand Exiges. I have a few questions:

At moment I can get 340miles out of a tank, what sort of range does the Exige have as an everyday car?

I am currently 27 and have had a quote for insurance of 1k but would need to be fitted with a tracker-are there any specialist insurers I should look at who may do it cheaper with out tracker?

What are tyre costs? As I using it as an everyday car I was thinking semi slicks for spring/summer then some winter tyres for autumn/winter is this the best way to go?

Any other advice while I am looking would be great.

Thanks

[John D.]

Try Competition Car Insurance for a quote. They do an Elise (and I presume Exige!) policy which is very reasonable IME.

[400SE Dave]

nick_grice said:

At moment I can get 340miles out of a tank, what sort of range does the Exige have as an everyday car?

I am currently 27 and have had a quote for insurance of 1k but would need to be fitted with a tracker-are there any specialist insurers I should look at who may do it cheaper with out tracker?

What are tyre costs? As I using it as an everyday car I was thinking semi slicks for spring/summer then some winter tyres for autumn/winter is this the best way to go?

Any other advice while I am looking would be great.

Thanks

Exiges have a smallish tank (40 odd litres) so if you said about 30mpg in normal use then around 270 miles/tank. If you drive it harder then less!

Full set around £800 for A048's. Rears wear out a lot quicker than fronts though, probably ratio of 3 sets of rears to 1 front. If you put more road bias tyres on then they wil last a bit longer

Plenty of specialist insurers, CCI, Henderson Taylor, REIS, AON, Footman James

HTH, David

[speed8]

Can't help too much as I'm new myself but I'm estimating about 240 miles to a tank (it's only 40 or so litres)

Tyres - I've just ordered some Pilot Sport 3's for daily use as I intend on doing about 6-8k miles a year in the car. Lots of people recommend Kumho's but I had Pilot Sport 2's on my previous car so thought I would give the 3's a go. I'll put my A048's on a spare set of rims for summer/track use.

Can't help with insurance as I was already with CCI and just switched cars on the policy.

[Arun_D]

I have made a similar move (from Focus RS MP350) to 2008 Exige S. Had R26.R previous to Focus.

I got 255miles out of the last tank, with some miles spare. That was mostly motorway though. Insurance for me is about a grand (25yo).

Tyres...I still run A048s. Got 6500miles from the last rear pair. Everyday usage, one Nurburgring trip and an evening track session. Around £200 each for the proper LTS ones. Not changed the fronts yet, in the 10,000miles I've had the car for.

[tertius]

speed8 said:

Can't help too much as I'm new myself but I'm estimating about 240 miles to a tank (it's only 40 or so litres)

Tyres - I've just ordered some Pilot Sport 3's for daily use as I intend on doing about 6-8k miles a year in the car. Lots of people recommend Kumho's but I had Pilot Sport 2's on my previous car so thought I would give the 3's a go. I'll put my A048's on a spare set of rims for summer/track use.

Can't help with insurance as I was already with CCI and just switched cars on the policy.

Just as an aside you do know the PS3 is not a replacement for the PS2?

Its totally bonkers naming but the PS3 (and the "1") before it are quite "everyday" tyres whereas the 2 was a very high performance, getting towards track day tyre. PS2s were amazing I thought whereas 3s (I have them on my E46) are merely good.

REIS also worth trying, i've been shopping around and they offered me a good quote - better than CCI.

[Cotty]

nick_grice said:

At moment I can get 340miles out of a tank, what sort of range does the Exige have as an everyday car?

You want to use an Exige as an everyday car

[speed8]

Cotty said:

nick_grice said:

At moment I can get 340miles out of a tank, what sort of range does the Exige have as an everyday car?

You want to use an Exige as an everyday car

Mine will be my daily driver although I do have access to her diesel estate if I need the extra space for some reason.

[Arun_D]

Mine is an everyday car (previous owner only put 8500miles in two years from new, so it's only right the car gets used!). No problem for me, my commute isn't a chore, but it's up to you whether it works with your circumstances.

[nick_grice]

Yes definitely something i would drive everyday. Obviously have access to other halves car I needed.

I was aware of the ps2/ps3 confusing as i had them on my Clio 182 and were standard on Megane 250.

Thanks for the replies seems fuel costs won't be much different just insurance and tyres depending on how the car is driven and is mainly the rear tyres. Managed 12500 out of my Meganes front tyres!!!

[Arun_D]

I think you'll find the fuel costs quite reasonable, I certainly do compared to the previous hatches.Remember the tank is 20 litres less that what you're used to in the 250. I can't really complain about 250 odd miles between fill ups if I'm broadly behaving.

I'm doing things the hard way by sticking to the standard A048s, but the choices are clear for you.

[John D.]

Cotty said:

nick_grice said:

At moment I can get 340miles out of a tank, what sort of range does the Exige have as an everyday car?

You want to use an Exige as an everyday car

Not that alarming. Perhaps not wise if doing big miles from a depreciation point of view. Hassle if service intervals are short too.

[speed8]

tertius said:

speed8 said:

Tyres - I've just ordered some Pilot Sport 3's for daily use as I intend on doing about 6-8k miles a year in the car. Lots of people recommend Kumho's but I had Pilot Sport 2's on my previous car so thought I would give the 3's a go. I'll put my A048's on a spare set of rims for summer/track use.

Just as an aside you do know the PS3 is not a replacement for the PS2?

Its totally bonkers naming but the PS3 (and the "1") before it are quite "everyday" tyres whereas the 2 was a very high performance, getting towards track day tyre. PS2s were amazing I thought whereas 3s (I have them on my E46) are merely good.

Yeah, the PSS are supposed to be a closer replacement to the PS2 apparently but all in huge sizes. The PS3 is supposed to be better than the PS2 in the wet which is mainly what I'm looking for. The PS2's were pretty much unstickable in the wet so if the 3's are anywhere near close I'll be happy. I've got A048's for summer use.

[Cotty]

John D. said:

Not that alarming. Perhaps not wise if doing big miles from a depreciation point of view. Hassle if service intervals are short too.

I was just thinking of getting out of it in a car parking bay. Its a bit of a tight squese getting of my Elise in a single garage.

[John D.]

Fair enough. Depends where you park I guess!

[Cotty]

John D. said:

Fair enough. Depends where you park I guess!

Busy supermarket? You don't get a lot of choice.

[John D.]

Cotty said:

John D. said:

Fair enough. Depends where you park I guess!

Busy supermarket? You don't get a lot of choice.

You do in mine; half the car park is always empty. This could go on forever

I see your point but IMHO with a little consideration slight issues like that can easily be worked around and need not be a barrier to using a car every day.

[nick_grice]

Have a private car park at work with reasonably generous spaces so that's not an issue.

As above park at back of car parks well out of the way of abandoned trolleys and parents with kids.

Think I'd be doing around 10k in it a year so should be ok with annual services etc. Although i don't know of any Lotus specialists in Hull think closest one is Leeds for sales/service. Does any one know of one any closer?

[John D.]

Nick I think one thing that must be factored in when running an Elise/Exige is wear on suspension parts. Yes they are great on fuel/tyres/brakes (the normal consumables) as they are so light, and the engine is relatively unstressed. But the suspension is of a similar light build and more delicate as consequence. Even if it doesn't wear out geometry is easily knocked out by too many potholes etc, and as handling is the essence of the car its worth staying on top of.

Just something to bear in mind and perhaps budget for.

[nick_grice]

Duely noted. Superb advice.

On the suspension how long would you expect it to last before it would need replacing. Also what sort of costs are involved and what sort of budget would you put in place to cover?

The roads arent too bad round here now for pot holes, the council have cleared up the majority of roads i use to a decent standard i might add but we will see how they perform over another harsh winter!!!