Striping kits/Colours Exige

[simpo555]

Can anyone suggest or have photos of striping kits applied to a Silver car. Possible colour combinations etc etc. I'm so close to buying an Exige. The only thing now preventing me from going ahead is the colour of the car. I think it must be silver. I don't know why but I find it less striking. I'm not even certain why and I don't really think it should be stumbling block but in the photos at least, it doesn't quite hit the nail on the head. Perhaps with a striping kit? I've seen lots of colour schemes that I really like but not on this colour.

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Edited by simpo555 on Tuesday 14th January 14:00

Edited by simpo555 on Tuesday 14th January 14:02

[The Bandit]

Just wait until the right colour comes along otherwise you'll be forever looking back at it thinking 'wish it was a bit less dull'.
Colour makes such a huge difference, I went from black to scandal green now chrome orange, makes such a difference imo.

[simpo555]

The Bandit said:

Just wait until the right colour comes along otherwise you'll be forever looking back at it thinking 'wish it was a bit less dull'.
Colour makes such a huge difference, I went from black to scandal green now chrome orange, makes such a difference imo.

Fully understand and I think I agree. However the price is right. Its at £23K FSH, 2008, 28000 miles Perf Pack (240), Air con. I'm nowhere near finding that in the UK at the moment on this spec car.

[240Cup]

If that is straight and historied I would get it bought in double quick time - unless I have lost track of where prices are at that is hugely cheap for a performance pack car no? It's got the lighter forged alloys as well which were an option.

Also an Exige in silver looks so much better in the flesh, photos never do it justice. I used to have a solar yellow one which I loved but have just bought a silver one. I had been put off by the colour in the photos until I actually went to view it.

If you really wanted to break it up a bit you could paint the rear air intakes/rear spoiler/front splitter black or maybe have them carbon wrapped or go further and have maybe a black stripe over the top of the car.

I definitely wouldn't be put off by that colour on a performance pack car for £23K...! Seems too cheap to me .... caution required.

Cheers,

240

Edited by 240Cup on Tuesday 14th January 17:57

[simpo555]

240Cup said:

If that is straight and historied I would get it bought in double quick time - unless I have lost track of where prices are at that is hugely cheap for a performance pack car no? It's got the lighter forged alloys as well which were an option.

Also an Exige in silver looks so much better in the flesh, photos never do it justice. I used to have a solar yellow one which I loved but have just bought a silver one. I had been put off by the colour in the photos until I actually went to view it.

If you really wanted to break it up a bit you could paint the rear air intakes/rear spoiler/front splitter black or maybe have them carbon wrapped or go further and have maybe a black stripe over the top of the car.

I definitely wouldn't be put off by that colour on a performance pack car for £23K...! Seems too cheap to me .... caution required.

Cheers,

240

Edited by 240Cup on Tuesday 14th January 17:57

Things to remember concerning the car. It'a RHD in a LHD market. Just like in the UK prices are recognised as being lower then their equivalent to take into account the lower demand. It will always remain a disadvantage at the time of resale. The difference in price at this level is around 10/12% which correponds to the price of a LHD conversion. I think the price reflects this. The price possibly reflects the colour aswell. Its not my chosen colour. As colours go its probably half way down my own ranking for an Exige. Sometimes it depends on how I feel. I've lost hours thinking about which colour I would like.

In the last three months I've gone from chrome orange to krypton green to light blue through to white and even black. More often than not its down to the quality of the photograph which sways my mind. I'm reassured that there are people out there that actually like the colour. Your going from yellow to silver even surprises me a little.

Nevertheless, sometimes you have to compromise. I could probably get a higher mileage or lesser powered model for my budget in one of my preferred colours. Needless to say, as soon as I put pen top paper, one will come on the market. Sods law. I'm 95% certain that I will take the plunge. Perhaps Thursday.

I would appreciate any comments on anything particular to look out for before committing. Have owned an Elise R for more than two years I think I have a reasonable idea. I've read lots of Forum debates. Nevertheless, perhaps owners of this version have one or two pointers. I've already been advised about the brake discs and the need to check the gearchange 3/4. Crash damage, paint anomalies, Im no expert but would hope to recognise the signs. its sold as never crashed and never tracked but I think most people say that. Out of interest its a Porsche specialist that is selling the car. It all seems correct.

What is blatanly obvious is that I'm happy to be returning to Lotus. Im excited. I'm thinking of nothing else at the moment. No other car has made me feel this way.

Anyway, just another 48 hours to wait-perhaps

[The Bandit]

If thats a genuine 08MY car at £23k i'd buy it and respray it!!

[mikeulster500]

Seems too cheap. I look on pistonheads everyday and I've never seen an exige with performance pack, forged wheels and the later dash for 23k, more like 27/28k.

Is is cat d or anything?

Can't imagine it would be any cheaper being in France and left hand drive as I know people on mainland Europe love lotuses and snap them up in the uk really quick

[twpbugger]

I think Silver is the best colour - My biased opinion of course owning a silver exige S on an 09 plate.

Many people say it is one of the boring colours, but in the flesh it looks absolutely fantastic! I also think in terms of re-sale it is a good colour to have as the car itself is flashy so doesnt always have to be a flashy colour too!

I have to say that does seem unbelievably cheap - I paid a god couple of grand more for my 09 plate and it does not have the performance pack - it has the touring pack option only! Get the car looked over and if all is well snap it up and fast!

You will love the colour in the flesh!!

[simpo555]

Im off to see it tomorrow . I'm assured its HPI clear. In excellent condition. FSH. Two rear tyres to replace shortly If all goes to plan, drive it home the same day. Only 550 miles which should take me about 3 hours Probably 7/8 hours in reality.

[240Cup]

Keep us posted - if that checks out I reckon it's the cheapest car of that spec in Europe and you will have had a right result..!

Good luck

240

[HiRez]

Why not wrap it in a color you do like? Especially at the price... a Scura look-alike perhaps ;-)
Silver is good for resale since not everyone likes loud colours.

[NightDriver]

Hope you get it! Looks a great car and for £23k its an absolute bargain!

As has been said, you could get it wrapped for around £1k and have your ideal car! Alternatively if your going to keep it long term then a respray isn't a huge deal on one of these.

[simpo555]

GUESS WHOS SMILING NOW After more than a year since the Elise went i'm back in a Lotus. My god it feels so good. No other car gives me so many Smiles per Mile. I'll give a full rundown soon.

550 mile return trip with my new car in atrocious conditions. mostly mtorways

Another 500 miles to do today

Two things of which I'm certain. Colour is a sensory thing. The car is sitting on my driveway and it looks the business. Its ...k.ng gorgeous. I'll no doubt see another colour that will make me think 'if only'. I think that applies to whatever colour you buy.

Secondly, I'm so damn pleased I've got air con. Wretched conditions with the car misting up through rain and cold. On with the air con and Bob's your uncle. It'll perhaps be the only two hours I use it, but for those two hours I was so so pleased.

Lotus is for passionate loony people like me. Porsches and other German engineered cars are accessories for image seeking people who like to show they've made it (most of the time)

Oh HAPPY DAYS!

[mikeulster500]

simpo555 said:

GUESS WHOS SMILING NOW After more than a year since the Elise went i'm back in a Lotus. My god it feels so good. No other car gives me so many Smiles per Mile. I'll give a full rundown soon.

550 mile return trip with my new car in atrocious conditions. mostly mtorways

Another 500 miles to do today

Two things of which I'm certain. Colour is a sensory thing. The car is sitting on my driveway and it looks the business. Its ...k.ng gorgeous. I'll no doubt see another colour that will make me think 'if only'. I think that applies to whatever colour you buy.

Secondly, I'm so damn pleased I've got air con. Wretched conditions with the car misting up through rain and cold. On with the air con and Bob's your uncle. It'll perhaps be the only two hours I use it, but for those two hours I was so so pleased.

Lotus is for passionate loony people like me. Porsches and other German engineered cars are accessories for image seeking people who like to show they've made it (most of the time)

Oh HAPPY DAYS!

Well done, congratulations

Looking forward to the pictures/write up

[twpbugger]

Excellent - Congratulations on your purchase and silver is a fantastic color in the flesh - Photos never give it true justice!!

We await some extra piccys and a good write up!!

[simpo555]

First impressions

I've just done 1250 miles in the car over two days. Attrocious weather. The heavens opened. Nearly 18 hours of travelling and only 1 hour when it wasn't raining. The car ran very well. Squeaky bum time for me nevertheless as the rear tyres are well worn.

The car is in truly wonderful condition, inside and out. Even I'm surprised. One or two minor faults. Its missing two plastic centres on the wheels. The front discs will need to be changed this year. Complete set of tyres needed aswell. However, I knew this in advance so no nasty surprises.

As for the wheels, they set the car off. Probably need some advice on how to clean them properly. I think its a toothbrush job, but for the time being at least, even with a high pressure wash I don't seem to get them looking quite as I would like them to be

The performance is awesome. Just need time to get used to it. I'll wait until I've changed the tyres before putting my foot down. Suffice to say I'll no doubt never have the necessary skills to push it to the limits. It gives me the sensations I was expecting and more. Haven't had time to look at the 'Launch control' yet. Need to work out how it works. I'll read the manual soon.

I find the handling slightly less reassuring than my Elise, although I'm more than convinced its down to the poor state and choice of tyres. The rears are worn (Toyos) and the front ones will (AO48's) need changing in around 2500 miles or less. I'm fairly convinced that they shouldn't be mixed which only exasperates the handling a little more. If changing the tyres doesn't restore the handling to what I imagine it should be then obviously I'll have to look at the suspension set up.

I'm equally surprised that I find the standard exhaust a little too quiet. Much to my surprise I'll consider an upgrade, but don't really want to modify the way the car looks. If there is an upgrade that keeps the car looking as original as possible then I'll probably be interested.

At low speeds (sub 30mph) I find the car makes a rather tinny sound. Not certai wheter this is normal. A bit like something vibrating against a cover. Above 30 mph and it sounds fine.

The history of the car is complete, carried out by JCT or Christopher Neil up until 22000 miles. The last 6000 miles has seen an oil change but no specialist intervention. I'll probably wait for my next visit to the UK to get it checked over. I haven't checked all the records yet.

Can somebody tell me why Lotus fits a rear view mirror to the car. Its totally useless. The upside is that compared to my Elise, night time driving is slightly better as I only suffer from reflected light through the wing mirrors.

I don't know why but I was surprised by the size of the boot. I had overlooked this as an issue thinking it would be the same as on my Elise. The Elise boot now seems huge in comparison.

The colour is just fine. I'll probably always have envious eyes for other colours but now its my car its pretty close to awesome as it is. What did surprise me is that its less silver in real life than the photos. It's actually the same colour as my Elise was without the stripes and yet from the photos I would have sworn blind that this was not the case.

I'm surprised to say, but the 2008 dashboard is actually nice. I like the extra storage. Can't get used to the Push Button start. Feel like a plonker every time I start the car because I keep turning the key. Also like the fact that the speed can be displayed digitally in KM per hour. Extremely useful over here.

I'm glad I chose the air con above choice of colour. With so much rain it became a must have. Even I was surprised. I think I've used it more than in the entire 2 years of Elise ownership but I was so happy to have it in the end.

As for the price, I think it was almost a bargain. Adding tyres and perhaps the discs takes it up to £24k. I'm more than happy to agree that at that price its still competitive.

For the time being at least I just need to decide what rubber I need to buy for the car. I don't want tyres for out and out handling. I need to compromise on wear rates. My first quotes over here in France had the AO48's cheaper than Toyos which surprised me a little.

Edited by simpo555 on Sunday 19th January 14:24

[mikeulster500]

Very nice! Bet you're glad to be back in a car with character!

I have the same wheels as you and therefore I'm guessing you've got the same Matt black finish. I have no idea why lotus decided to finish the wheels this way, as they are a pain to clean and never look clean, once cleaned! When I come to change my tyres I'll have them re sprayed in a nice smooth satin black.

Reference the tyres, if you are not really tracking the car it is silly to put a semi slick tyre on there. You can get Yokohama AD08's which will fit and they are very good. I mainly use my car on track and I run AD08's

Exhaust wise, if you are using it mainly on road, I would 100% get a larini and also fit the TRD box so you can really hear the supercharger. The larini is not droney at cruising speeds and sounds the best in my opinion out of other aftermarket exhausts when you give it some. I have a larini on my car at the minute, but will be changing to a 2bular only for the fact that I am supercharging my car and I want to get pass some of the stricter noise tests at some circuits

Edited by mikeulster500 on Sunday 19th January 16:56

[The Bandit]

As above, get a set of AD08s, a 2bular 8x24 and the annoying noise will be your rear diffuser rattling

[240Cup]

Congratulations! 100% a bargain, even allowing for tyres etc.

I do lots of track days so although I also have a spare stage 3 for my car, I am currently running the standard exhaust but last week had a TRD installed. This is a good upgrade and cheap (£170 fitted) as it gives the car lots more character on the throttle but allows for low noise test reading and at cruising speeds on the motorway the car is very tranquil. Give it some beans and the supercharger noise is fabulous.

I've done nearly 1,000 miles in mine over last 10 days - mainly motorways in some atrocious weather and am running the LTS A048s, albeit with lots of tread on. A sensible approach to speeds and standing water means you can just about use these in the wet if you have to, and they really do grip like sh@t to a blanket in the dry (where the car gets most of its use) so I wouldn't rule them out.

Have fun..!

Cheers,

240

[twpbugger]

Congrats - Looks superb in your photos too!! I knew it would having a silver exige myself!!

As for tyres, Avon ZZR are a good option too - A cheaper alternative to the A048s and have excellent reviews.

As for the exhaust - 2bular have high recommendations - I have just ordered mine and take delivery in early march!!