Elise S1 - Talk me into it
Discussion
All being well, 2012 should see me changing cars.
The S1 Elise is on the shortlist, with the criteria being something that's going to do a few thousand miles a year (fun miles, no commuting). Car needs to be a soft top / convertible and needs to be fun, interesting and different.
So far, the S1 tops the list in terms of the boring items such as insurance, road tax and depreciation (planning to keep the car a fair while). It's also way ahead in the rarity stakes and pure driving thrills stakes.
BUT... Im worried! Worried that all those things will be offset by big bills and troublesome times. I know the best way is to "buy a good one" but that is easier said than done. Have seen a few around the £8-9k mark which is my budget.
Please, tell me I need a lotus in my life and inundate me with stories of joy and happiness about Elise ownership! I'm well set to buy something in the next month or so, all ready to have for the spring sunshine and trips to oulton park
The S1 Elise is on the shortlist, with the criteria being something that's going to do a few thousand miles a year (fun miles, no commuting). Car needs to be a soft top / convertible and needs to be fun, interesting and different.
So far, the S1 tops the list in terms of the boring items such as insurance, road tax and depreciation (planning to keep the car a fair while). It's also way ahead in the rarity stakes and pure driving thrills stakes.
BUT... Im worried! Worried that all those things will be offset by big bills and troublesome times. I know the best way is to "buy a good one" but that is easier said than done. Have seen a few around the £8-9k mark which is my budget.
Please, tell me I need a lotus in my life and inundate me with stories of joy and happiness about Elise ownership! I'm well set to buy something in the next month or so, all ready to have for the spring sunshine and trips to oulton park
At the price level you are quoting, you will be buying at the bottom end of the market which does usually have implications for reliability. There is the K series engine and its well publicised cylinder head problems but from what everyone says this is not a really expensive issue. As for the rest of the car, well its a very small volume kit car which has been assembled in a factory soi you can expect to have to spend some time doing jobs on it. Thats no real issue unless you are a complete mechanical numptie, dont know a crankshaft from a conrod, and have the garage do everything for you. If so, it will be expensive.
As for the fun side, drive one and see what you think. But be realistic. You are buying an old and well used small volume production car - you are not buying a new Honda and you should not expect new Honda standard of trouble free motoring. You might have good luck and get it, but it will be luck.
As for the fun side, drive one and see what you think. But be realistic. You are buying an old and well used small volume production car - you are not buying a new Honda and you should not expect new Honda standard of trouble free motoring. You might have good luck and get it, but it will be luck.
Edited by bordseye on Monday 16th January 17:23
I have had my Elise S1 for about 9 years and have loved (almost) every minute of it. My car is a standard early model (reg Sept '96)which is used just for fun. It is completely standard except for alloy window winders, and as such is the slowest and possibly least capable variant - but It is also probably the Elise in it's purest form.I can't think of anything I would rather have for the money. It is still plenty fast enough for the road without having to risk your license every time you drive it. Like any car of that age you can get problems with it - but most things are usually cheap to put right if you are prepared to have a go at things yourself,the biggest part of most of your bills would be made up of labour costs. Don't be put off by stories of expensive failures - these early cars are analogue cars and as such are more "mechanical" than most modern cars. I have an Audi TT which has cost me far more money (due to electronic problems)than my Elise while delivery none of the driving thrills. I say go for it while you can. It is still one of the worlds truly great cars. I am convinced you will not regret it!
Nice one guys 
one 'pull' factor is that it will be a second car so if something DID go wrong then it would be a frustration rather than a problem for me.
I have planned for a contingency fund - a few quid being tucked away each month - for peace of mind.
I drove an exige last summer and was mesmerized by the way it handled. I think if I didn't get an Elise I'd end up thinking "what could have been"
I see Pure Lotus have a few. Anybody have any recent experience of them? I have read some old posts and some on the Lotus forums and the general consensus is good, with a couple of exceptions
one 'pull' factor is that it will be a second car so if something DID go wrong then it would be a frustration rather than a problem for me.I have planned for a contingency fund - a few quid being tucked away each month - for peace of mind.
I drove an exige last summer and was mesmerized by the way it handled. I think if I didn't get an Elise I'd end up thinking "what could have been"
I see Pure Lotus have a few. Anybody have any recent experience of them? I have read some old posts and some on the Lotus forums and the general consensus is good, with a couple of exceptions
For your budget you might also want to consider the VX220. Prices seem a little lower than Elises at the moment for a newer car and I get the impression the 2.2l engine is pretty solid.
Looking at the PistonHeads Classifieds, £9000 seems top money for a n/a VX220, were as S1 Elise prices are starting at £8,500.
Looking at the PistonHeads Classifieds, £9000 seems top money for a n/a VX220, were as S1 Elise prices are starting at £8,500.
Have you driven a good one yet- it'll make the Exige feel lardy!
Fantastic little cars and mine didn't fail me in five years and 35k+ miles (I'd thrash it around a track all day and then drive home 300+ miles).(BTW is had 75ishk miles on the clock when I sold it).
It might be worth trying to rent a garage for it as its a simple car to maintain and if you know one end of a spanner from the other then, with the help of a workshop manual and the Seloc techwiki, you should be able to manage most jobs.
Don't worry about alleged K series frailties - HGF isn't too expensive to fix properly (generally less than £1k) and if done properly shouldn't pop again. Replacement engines are cheap too.
Be more worried about suspension. At about 50-60k the whole suspension really could do with a refresh - thats new bushes etc, etc, etc. If on original dampers these will also be shot. Allow £1 - £1.5k for parts but DIY as labour will be expensive (time consuming job). As the Elise is all about handling and balance then its vital to keep on top of suspension maintenance - night and day difference on my car after a full refresh.
Talk you into it?? Nah,....just drive an S1 - the car will talk you into it (mine winked at me as I drove past a showroom and then kept whispering to me. She lived up to every promise and then some!)
Fantastic little cars and mine didn't fail me in five years and 35k+ miles (I'd thrash it around a track all day and then drive home 300+ miles).(BTW is had 75ishk miles on the clock when I sold it).
It might be worth trying to rent a garage for it as its a simple car to maintain and if you know one end of a spanner from the other then, with the help of a workshop manual and the Seloc techwiki, you should be able to manage most jobs.
Don't worry about alleged K series frailties - HGF isn't too expensive to fix properly (generally less than £1k) and if done properly shouldn't pop again. Replacement engines are cheap too.
Be more worried about suspension. At about 50-60k the whole suspension really could do with a refresh - thats new bushes etc, etc, etc. If on original dampers these will also be shot. Allow £1 - £1.5k for parts but DIY as labour will be expensive (time consuming job). As the Elise is all about handling and balance then its vital to keep on top of suspension maintenance - night and day difference on my car after a full refresh.
Talk you into it?? Nah,....just drive an S1 - the car will talk you into it (mine winked at me as I drove past a showroom and then kept whispering to me. She lived up to every promise and then some!)
So people
Talk me into a S1 160 ..
What do I need to look out for ? I currently drive a 320bhp+ Forester and want some fun for "other days". I'm used to silly acceleration (around the low 5s or maybe less) and just want some fun. Anthing other than the 160 probably does not do it for me so please tell me you woes !
Cheers (and sorry to hijack)
Arf
Talk me into a S1 160 ..
What do I need to look out for ? I currently drive a 320bhp+ Forester and want some fun for "other days". I'm used to silly acceleration (around the low 5s or maybe less) and just want some fun. Anthing other than the 160 probably does not do it for me so please tell me you woes !
Cheers (and sorry to hijack)
Arf
Biggest problem you'll have is finding a 160 arfur.
Any Elise will feel far faster than your Forester (lower, more connected etc, etc). A 160 is great but you could buy a boggo car and visit one of a couple of very well respected K tuners and 160-170bhp is available for relatively modest cost. A 111S with bolt on mods can achieve similiar power outputs too.
To be honest pretty well all Elise/Exige varients feel much the same up to about 70-80mph - its only above those speeds that acceleration differences become noticable.
Just bear in mind that the Elise has never been about straight line speed but it's handling, biddability and pure chuckability. It takes a while to learn its ways but, seriously, Lotus created a masterpiece with the Elise - I think it was Gordon Murray that said 'the more you drive it the more it teaches you'. I thought I could drive and then bought my Elise and realised what an incompetant, lead-footed oaf I was behind the wheel.
As I said to the OP, just drive one (I did after putting a deposit on a VX 220 Turbo - I cancelled the order and bought the 'slower' car). Well documented improvements to brakes and suspension (and the driver!) meant it could outpace supposedly faster cars on track.
Remember: Brakes; Suspension; and then Power. (If you're not thinking like that £25k you could have a car that slays giants in those area....but that's not why you'd buy an Elise...is it??).
Any Elise will feel far faster than your Forester (lower, more connected etc, etc). A 160 is great but you could buy a boggo car and visit one of a couple of very well respected K tuners and 160-170bhp is available for relatively modest cost. A 111S with bolt on mods can achieve similiar power outputs too.
To be honest pretty well all Elise/Exige varients feel much the same up to about 70-80mph - its only above those speeds that acceleration differences become noticable.
Just bear in mind that the Elise has never been about straight line speed but it's handling, biddability and pure chuckability. It takes a while to learn its ways but, seriously, Lotus created a masterpiece with the Elise - I think it was Gordon Murray that said 'the more you drive it the more it teaches you'. I thought I could drive and then bought my Elise and realised what an incompetant, lead-footed oaf I was behind the wheel.
As I said to the OP, just drive one (I did after putting a deposit on a VX 220 Turbo - I cancelled the order and bought the 'slower' car). Well documented improvements to brakes and suspension (and the driver!) meant it could outpace supposedly faster cars on track.
Remember: Brakes; Suspension; and then Power. (If you're not thinking like that £25k you could have a car that slays giants in those area....but that's not why you'd buy an Elise...is it??).
TIPPER said:
Have you driven a good one yet- it'll make the Exige feel lardy!
Fantastic little cars and mine didn't fail me in five years and 35k+ miles (I'd thrash it around a track all day and then drive home 300+ miles).(BTW is had 75ishk miles on the clock when I sold it).
It might be worth trying to rent a garage for it as its a simple car to maintain and if you know one end of a spanner from the other then, with the help of a workshop manual and the Seloc techwiki, you should be able to manage most jobs.
Don't worry about alleged K series frailties - HGF isn't too expensive to fix properly (generally less than £1k) and if done properly shouldn't pop again. Replacement engines are cheap too.
Be more worried about suspension. At about 50-60k the whole suspension really could do with a refresh - thats new bushes etc, etc, etc. If on original dampers these will also be shot. Allow £1 - £1.5k for parts but DIY as labour will be expensive (time consuming job). As the Elise is all about handling and balance then its vital to keep on top of suspension maintenance - night and day difference on my car after a full refresh.
Talk you into it?? Nah,....just drive an S1 - the car will talk you into it (mine winked at me as I drove past a showroom and then kept whispering to me. She lived up to every promise and then some!)
I am not sure I agree with the "make the Exige feel lardy" comments (working on the assumption it was an S2 Exige the OP drove and not an S1 Exige).Fantastic little cars and mine didn't fail me in five years and 35k+ miles (I'd thrash it around a track all day and then drive home 300+ miles).(BTW is had 75ishk miles on the clock when I sold it).
It might be worth trying to rent a garage for it as its a simple car to maintain and if you know one end of a spanner from the other then, with the help of a workshop manual and the Seloc techwiki, you should be able to manage most jobs.
Don't worry about alleged K series frailties - HGF isn't too expensive to fix properly (generally less than £1k) and if done properly shouldn't pop again. Replacement engines are cheap too.
Be more worried about suspension. At about 50-60k the whole suspension really could do with a refresh - thats new bushes etc, etc, etc. If on original dampers these will also be shot. Allow £1 - £1.5k for parts but DIY as labour will be expensive (time consuming job). As the Elise is all about handling and balance then its vital to keep on top of suspension maintenance - night and day difference on my car after a full refresh.
Talk you into it?? Nah,....just drive an S1 - the car will talk you into it (mine winked at me as I drove past a showroom and then kept whispering to me. She lived up to every promise and then some!)
I have owned S1 and S2 Elises and Exiges. For all intents and purposes they feel as nimble as each other, even when I have tracked them. Perhaps I am simply not a good enough driver to notice the difference but personally I think there is a gnats chuff between the models. To be fair, my S1 was originally on Konis which I swapped to S2 Bilsteins, my S2 was on Nitrons and my Exige runs 2 way Ohlins. Whether that impacts on things to a large extent I don't know. What I do know is that my 'lardy' 900kg S/C Exige feels as sharp as my S1 Elise, only with a bit more power.
I think it depends on your attitude to your cars...
If you're the kind of person who has to keep their car perfect, I suspect it'd drive you mad because making or keeping an Elise perfect takes a LOT of effort and/or money. Too many niggling things go wrong - bubbling paintwork, squeaks and rattles from the interior, hood leaks, stone chips, etc.
If you're willing to put up with it being slightly ropey and only spend money where necessary to keep it driving right, I suspect you'd find it quite a rewarding car to own.
If you're the kind of person who has to keep their car perfect, I suspect it'd drive you mad because making or keeping an Elise perfect takes a LOT of effort and/or money. Too many niggling things go wrong - bubbling paintwork, squeaks and rattles from the interior, hood leaks, stone chips, etc.
If you're willing to put up with it being slightly ropey and only spend money where necessary to keep it driving right, I suspect you'd find it quite a rewarding car to own.
They're pretty simple. You can do a lot of work yourself.
Alternatively if you know a good independant garage run by an enthusiast (as many are) the Rover based mechanics will be well within their ability. Only really suspension setup would need specialists after the main spannering's been done. Some of the indies round here are keen racers and quite capable of doing all the suspension properly too.
The head gasket would probably need a specialist to make sure it's done properly. You hear of MGs that seem to have repeated failure and that's mostly due it work not being carried out or the cause of the failure not being fixed.
Also easy 40mpg on roads.
The most important thing though is there are few cars that drive as well. The only thing I've ever driven that beats it for steering is an Austin Mini 1.0 City on narrow Pirelli tyres. Telepathic.
Alternatively if you know a good independant garage run by an enthusiast (as many are) the Rover based mechanics will be well within their ability. Only really suspension setup would need specialists after the main spannering's been done. Some of the indies round here are keen racers and quite capable of doing all the suspension properly too.
The head gasket would probably need a specialist to make sure it's done properly. You hear of MGs that seem to have repeated failure and that's mostly due it work not being carried out or the cause of the failure not being fixed.
Also easy 40mpg on roads.
The most important thing though is there are few cars that drive as well. The only thing I've ever driven that beats it for steering is an Austin Mini 1.0 City on narrow Pirelli tyres. Telepathic.
Shnozz said:
I am not sure I agree with the "make the Exige feel lardy" comments (working on the assumption it was an S2 Exige the OP drove and not an S1 Exige).
I have owned S1 and S2 Elises and Exiges. For all intents and purposes they feel as nimble as each other, even when I have tracked them. Perhaps I am simply not a good enough driver to notice the difference but personally I think there is a gnats chuff between the models. To be fair, my S1 was originally on Konis which I swapped to S2 Bilsteins, my S2 was on Nitrons and my Exige runs 2 way Ohlins. Whether that impacts on things to a large extent I don't know. What I do know is that my 'lardy' 900kg S/C Exige feels as sharp as my S1 Elise, only with a bit more power.
Suspension may have made a difference. Not sure?I have owned S1 and S2 Elises and Exiges. For all intents and purposes they feel as nimble as each other, even when I have tracked them. Perhaps I am simply not a good enough driver to notice the difference but personally I think there is a gnats chuff between the models. To be fair, my S1 was originally on Konis which I swapped to S2 Bilsteins, my S2 was on Nitrons and my Exige runs 2 way Ohlins. Whether that impacts on things to a large extent I don't know. What I do know is that my 'lardy' 900kg S/C Exige feels as sharp as my S1 Elise, only with a bit more power.
My comments are based on my experience of driving a 240bhp Exige on track during a track day with my S1. My S1 ran single way Nitrons, the Exige was a factory demonstrator (so I'd expect it to be tip-top). The Exige just didn't feel as light on its feet as my car (which felt very 'planted'). I told the factory driver I thought it felt 'heavy' in comparison - the result was a couple of showboating laps to 'prove' that the new car could do anything a S1 could do. I reckon my laptimes were better in my 120bhp S1 and I caught the Lotus factory drivers doing demo laps a few times (maybe they normally reign it in a bit?and I know showboating will cost a bit of time).
In fairness the Lotus guys had probably never seen the track before and I'd done a good few hundred laps around it. The track was Llandow and it has a slowish/technical end which is critical to getting a quick lap time: A nimble, biddable car should have the edge.
My S1 has long gone now and hanker after another but a 190bhp Exige with some nice Essex Motorsports mods appeals too - getting old!
Overwhelming response - thanks.
To answer a few of the points raised... The car would be purely for recreational purposes. It may get some track time, but no more than once or twice a year. I wouldn't say im a natural with the spanners, but thats perhaps more due to never really having to be; I have only ever had one car so, if something was wrong with it, it would be taken to the garage as I need it for work. A second car would not have this urgency in terms of its useage so, certainly, I would be able to do some stuff should the need arise.
The car I drove was an S2 Exige - the toyota supercharged one - and it was the handling which blew me away. The engine was a bit meh but the way it cornered was awesome. If the S1 feels anywhere near the same then, perfect. Ideally after something that doesn't show its cards straight away in the handling stakes so something mid-engined would be ideal (a new configuration to me).
The VX220 is also on the list of possible cars - have been a passenger in both variants and they were impressive. Getting out in an S1 is quite a difficult task really as most are either miles away, or for sale privately.
To answer a few of the points raised... The car would be purely for recreational purposes. It may get some track time, but no more than once or twice a year. I wouldn't say im a natural with the spanners, but thats perhaps more due to never really having to be; I have only ever had one car so, if something was wrong with it, it would be taken to the garage as I need it for work. A second car would not have this urgency in terms of its useage so, certainly, I would be able to do some stuff should the need arise.
The car I drove was an S2 Exige - the toyota supercharged one - and it was the handling which blew me away. The engine was a bit meh but the way it cornered was awesome. If the S1 feels anywhere near the same then, perfect. Ideally after something that doesn't show its cards straight away in the handling stakes so something mid-engined would be ideal (a new configuration to me).
The VX220 is also on the list of possible cars - have been a passenger in both variants and they were impressive. Getting out in an S1 is quite a difficult task really as most are either miles away, or for sale privately.
snorkel sucker said:
Overwhelming response - thanks.
To answer a few of the points raised... The car would be purely for recreational purposes. It may get some track time, but no more than once or twice a year. I wouldn't say im a natural with the spanners, but thats perhaps more due to never really having to be; I have only ever had one car so, if something was wrong with it, it would be taken to the garage as I need it for work. A second car would not have this urgency in terms of its useage so, certainly, I would be able to do some stuff should the need arise.
The car I drove was an S2 Exige - the toyota supercharged one - and it was the handling which blew me away. The engine was a bit meh but the way it cornered was awesome. If the S1 feels anywhere near the same then, perfect. Ideally after something that doesn't show its cards straight away in the handling stakes so something mid-engined would be ideal (a new configuration to me).
The VX220 is also on the list of possible cars - have been a passenger in both variants and they were impressive. Getting out in an S1 is quite a difficult task really as most are either miles away, or for sale privately.
How far is Anglesey from you? I am sure if you posted in the trackday section you would find a few S1 owners willing to take you for some laps there so you can get a feel from the passenger seat at least.To answer a few of the points raised... The car would be purely for recreational purposes. It may get some track time, but no more than once or twice a year. I wouldn't say im a natural with the spanners, but thats perhaps more due to never really having to be; I have only ever had one car so, if something was wrong with it, it would be taken to the garage as I need it for work. A second car would not have this urgency in terms of its useage so, certainly, I would be able to do some stuff should the need arise.
The car I drove was an S2 Exige - the toyota supercharged one - and it was the handling which blew me away. The engine was a bit meh but the way it cornered was awesome. If the S1 feels anywhere near the same then, perfect. Ideally after something that doesn't show its cards straight away in the handling stakes so something mid-engined would be ideal (a new configuration to me).
The VX220 is also on the list of possible cars - have been a passenger in both variants and they were impressive. Getting out in an S1 is quite a difficult task really as most are either miles away, or for sale privately.
In what way did you find the S/C Yota a bit meh incidentally? Not being precious about my own car as I can see its flaws and can be critical of my own stuff, just interested? Having owned Rover and Yota engined cars the only criticism I would have if of the non supercharged Yota which is a bit hard work keeping above the cam-change, particularly in contrast to the 111S I had with the Rover VVC engine.
And if you value your wallet, don't pax in a Honda or Audi engined Elise; you'll want one
TIPPER said:
Suspension may have made a difference. Not sure?
My comments are based on my experience of driving a 240bhp Exige on track during a track day with my S1. My S1 ran single way Nitrons, the Exige was a factory demonstrator (so I'd expect it to be tip-top). The Exige just didn't feel as light on its feet as my car (which felt very 'planted'). I told the factory driver I thought it felt 'heavy' in comparison - the result was a couple of showboating laps to 'prove' that the new car could do anything a S1 could do. I reckon my laptimes were better in my 120bhp S1 and I caught the Lotus factory drivers doing demo laps a few times (maybe they normally reign it in a bit?and I know showboating will cost a bit of time).
In fairness the Lotus guys had probably never seen the track before and I'd done a good few hundred laps around it. The track was Llandow and it has a slowish/technical end which is critical to getting a quick lap time: A nimble, biddable car should have the edge.
My S1 has long gone now and hanker after another but a 190bhp Exige with some nice Essex Motorsports mods appeals too - getting old!
Interesting. Not driven Llandow but it looks a bit kart-like from Walshy's DVD so can see that power is unnecessary there. Suspension aside (and my very average driving ability), perhaps its on the very tight stuff that the difference can be noticed. As I say, each of mine have felt very, very similar in terms of handling but I have driven them in sequence rather than back to back. Either way, I think we can agree the difference is relatively negligible, particularly when contrasting any Elise variant against anything else on the road. My comments are based on my experience of driving a 240bhp Exige on track during a track day with my S1. My S1 ran single way Nitrons, the Exige was a factory demonstrator (so I'd expect it to be tip-top). The Exige just didn't feel as light on its feet as my car (which felt very 'planted'). I told the factory driver I thought it felt 'heavy' in comparison - the result was a couple of showboating laps to 'prove' that the new car could do anything a S1 could do. I reckon my laptimes were better in my 120bhp S1 and I caught the Lotus factory drivers doing demo laps a few times (maybe they normally reign it in a bit?and I know showboating will cost a bit of time).
In fairness the Lotus guys had probably never seen the track before and I'd done a good few hundred laps around it. The track was Llandow and it has a slowish/technical end which is critical to getting a quick lap time: A nimble, biddable car should have the edge.
My S1 has long gone now and hanker after another but a 190bhp Exige with some nice Essex Motorsports mods appeals too - getting old!
Shnozz said:
How far is Anglesey from you? I am sure if you posted in the trackday section you would find a few S1 owners willing to take you for some laps there so you can get a feel from the passenger seat at least.
In what way did you find the S/C Yota a bit meh incidentally? Not being precious about my own car as I can see its flaws and can be critical of my own stuff, just interested? Having owned Rover and Yota engined cars the only criticism I would have if of the non supercharged Yota which is a bit hard work keeping above the cam-change, particularly in contrast to the 111S I had with the Rover VVC engine.
And if you value your wallet, don't pax in a Honda or Audi engined Elise; you'll want one
Im not a million miles away from Anglessey, but closer to Oulton Park - 30mins drive ish. Very handy In what way did you find the S/C Yota a bit meh incidentally? Not being precious about my own car as I can see its flaws and can be critical of my own stuff, just interested? Having owned Rover and Yota engined cars the only criticism I would have if of the non supercharged Yota which is a bit hard work keeping above the cam-change, particularly in contrast to the 111S I had with the Rover VVC engine.
And if you value your wallet, don't pax in a Honda or Audi engined Elise; you'll want one
Should have expanded on my "meh" comment really; apologies. There was nothing wrong with it - absolutely nothing. In fact it was faultless. The power delivery was very linear and the throttle consistent, which is just what you want in such a car. The noise was just that though; nothing special, just, well, noise really.
BUT - please don't get me wrong, it was great, but it just didn't blow me away. Then again, I wasn't expecting it to. My daily driver is a 130i so its not short of grunt, and my previous cars haven't been short of power either, so driving something with about 240bhp/ton isn't such a big step up.
I didn't choose to drive the Exige for the power though (I drove it at Silverstone on one of those experience days). I could have chosen a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston, but I felt I would get more out of the Exige than any of them. And I did. While everyone else was tip-toeing around the sodden track, I was full throttle, every gear - brilliant.
What I guess I am trying to say is that I would rather drive a car that involves me in the process of driving, rather than something that is point and squirt. That a perfectly capable engine can be "meh" in the Exige just goes to show how good the rest of the car is!
And, no, a Honda Elise is a big no no - I've had 3 v-tec engined Hondas so know how awesome those engines are. In an Elise.... :bliss:
snorkel sucker said:
Im not a million miles away from Anglessey, but closer to Oulton Park - 30mins drive ish. Very handy
Should have expanded on my "meh" comment really; apologies. There was nothing wrong with it - absolutely nothing. In fact it was faultless. The power delivery was very linear and the throttle consistent, which is just what you want in such a car. The noise was just that though; nothing special, just, well, noise really.
BUT - please don't get me wrong, it was great, but it just didn't blow me away. Then again, I wasn't expecting it to. My daily driver is a 130i so its not short of grunt, and my previous cars haven't been short of power either, so driving something with about 240bhp/ton isn't such a big step up.
I didn't choose to drive the Exige for the power though (I drove it at Silverstone on one of those experience days). I could have chosen a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston, but I felt I would get more out of the Exige than any of them. And I did. While everyone else was tip-toeing around the sodden track, I was full throttle, every gear - brilliant.
What I guess I am trying to say is that I would rather drive a car that involves me in the process of driving, rather than something that is point and squirt. That a perfectly capable engine can be "meh" in the Exige just goes to show how good the rest of the car is!
And, no, a Honda Elise is a big no no - I've had 3 v-tec engined Hondas so know how awesome those engines are. In an Elise.... :bliss:
Then post up on the trackdays forum to see who is off to Oulton soon. You usually find half a dozen Elises at any T/D in various stages of tune. Should have expanded on my "meh" comment really; apologies. There was nothing wrong with it - absolutely nothing. In fact it was faultless. The power delivery was very linear and the throttle consistent, which is just what you want in such a car. The noise was just that though; nothing special, just, well, noise really.
BUT - please don't get me wrong, it was great, but it just didn't blow me away. Then again, I wasn't expecting it to. My daily driver is a 130i so its not short of grunt, and my previous cars haven't been short of power either, so driving something with about 240bhp/ton isn't such a big step up.
I didn't choose to drive the Exige for the power though (I drove it at Silverstone on one of those experience days). I could have chosen a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston, but I felt I would get more out of the Exige than any of them. And I did. While everyone else was tip-toeing around the sodden track, I was full throttle, every gear - brilliant.
What I guess I am trying to say is that I would rather drive a car that involves me in the process of driving, rather than something that is point and squirt. That a perfectly capable engine can be "meh" in the Exige just goes to show how good the rest of the car is!
And, no, a Honda Elise is a big no no - I've had 3 v-tec engined Hondas so know how awesome those engines are. In an Elise.... :bliss:
The standard exhaust on both Rover and Yota cars is a bit sewing machine. Unfortunately a 4 pot sewing machine in the back will always be limiting, as are trackday noise restrictions. There are a huge number of options for aftermarket though and I am yet to run any of mine with a standard pipe as they sound like a wet fart.
I have driven Ferraris, Astons etc and, as gorgeous as they are, much prefer the drive of the Lotus. Another PHer pushed me hard in the Ferrari direction before I bought my Exige and thinks I am a total muppet for going the way I did, but the way it drives is very hard to fulfil elsewhere (although the most fun I have ever had was Donington in a Caterham still..).
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