Exige S3 vs S2 260 vs ???
Discussion
Evening folks!
I was kicking around at the weekend, half in the market for a new car half not. I suppose always on the lookout for something nice. I popped by the BMW dealership to chat about the M2, and was told 2019, I have a BMW now and had them for past few years M3's Z4MC's and really enjoy them. However I always had a major soft spot for a Lotus, first the Esprit, but now its the 21st century the Exige...so checked out the local Lotus place as I knew they had an S2 Exige and an S3 and would be could to have a quick chat about them and options etc.
Got talking and was looking at them both, I was offered a drive of the S3 which I took.... what a wicked car! great laugh.
Got back to the dealership, and talked numbers etc unfortunately we couldn't come to an agreement on a part exchange, I was literally about to sign on the dotted line on the spot, that was my feelings about the car. So much so I came home, still excited put my own car up for sale privately.
Now I have gone away and thought about it done some proper maths instead of man maths and I am thinking its quite expensive and thought about depreciation etc. I started looking at the S2 260.
Is it even worth looking at a 260 at around 30k, instead of the 45k S3? is it really 15k better car? is there anything else I should really consider. Noble? 4C? Cayman R?
Or is it one of those cars that I MUST get in my life and there is no real point in even looking at the cheaper alternatives?
What about reliability on the S2 vs the S3, is it a better made car? what about parts like brakes and servicing. I cant seem to find too much info on the parts and costs for an S3, I suppose since its fairly new and stockists are probably on the slim side.
Thanks in advance for the chat!
I was kicking around at the weekend, half in the market for a new car half not. I suppose always on the lookout for something nice. I popped by the BMW dealership to chat about the M2, and was told 2019, I have a BMW now and had them for past few years M3's Z4MC's and really enjoy them. However I always had a major soft spot for a Lotus, first the Esprit, but now its the 21st century the Exige...so checked out the local Lotus place as I knew they had an S2 Exige and an S3 and would be could to have a quick chat about them and options etc.
Got talking and was looking at them both, I was offered a drive of the S3 which I took.... what a wicked car! great laugh.
Got back to the dealership, and talked numbers etc unfortunately we couldn't come to an agreement on a part exchange, I was literally about to sign on the dotted line on the spot, that was my feelings about the car. So much so I came home, still excited put my own car up for sale privately.
Now I have gone away and thought about it done some proper maths instead of man maths and I am thinking its quite expensive and thought about depreciation etc. I started looking at the S2 260.
Is it even worth looking at a 260 at around 30k, instead of the 45k S3? is it really 15k better car? is there anything else I should really consider. Noble? 4C? Cayman R?
Or is it one of those cars that I MUST get in my life and there is no real point in even looking at the cheaper alternatives?
What about reliability on the S2 vs the S3, is it a better made car? what about parts like brakes and servicing. I cant seem to find too much info on the parts and costs for an S3, I suppose since its fairly new and stockists are probably on the slim side.
Thanks in advance for the chat!
I might be wrong but I cannot see a £45k Exige V6 depreciating a huge amount when you consider the best 4 pot cars are going for mid 30s or more occasionally. In truth they are slightly different cars, the S3 better on the road with more grunt, but still as capable on the track, whereas the 4 pot car is obviously lighter and marginally more nimble, but buzzier on the road, not that either of them are refined. I have now done 27k in my S3 and it has been pretty bomb proof apart from a couple of issues sorted under warranty. I get it serviced very reasonably, and if you can control yourself and potter along in the traffic, the fuel consumption is quite reasonable.
Difficult one to answer, as you are not telling much about how you are intending to use the car.
I suspect you'll be happy with any one of these. The S2 260 is probably more hardcore and exclusive and will depreciate very little if any,. The V6 is a more mature proposition and will cost you a bit more to run, especially if you are planning a few track days a year.
You probably need to drive the Exige 260 first to make your choice. It's also worth noticing that the S2 Exige's rear visibility is inexistant if that is a problem for you, and that the V6 feels slightly larger and faster on the road which can make it slightly less fun on a small narrow twisty road.
In term of reliability the Exige 260 is known for pushing the limit of the amount of power the Toyota gearbox can take, and a few people have had issues here. The V6 has not this problem, but a few cars had clutch problems from new which were not that easily sorted. But on a second hand V6 you should have got problems like this taken care by the previous owner.
As a daily runner or weekend car, I would get the V6 though. As a track day weapon I would get the Exige 260.
Join the www.seloc.org forums (South East Lotus Owner Club), you'll find plenty of informations there.
I suspect you'll be happy with any one of these. The S2 260 is probably more hardcore and exclusive and will depreciate very little if any,. The V6 is a more mature proposition and will cost you a bit more to run, especially if you are planning a few track days a year.
You probably need to drive the Exige 260 first to make your choice. It's also worth noticing that the S2 Exige's rear visibility is inexistant if that is a problem for you, and that the V6 feels slightly larger and faster on the road which can make it slightly less fun on a small narrow twisty road.
In term of reliability the Exige 260 is known for pushing the limit of the amount of power the Toyota gearbox can take, and a few people have had issues here. The V6 has not this problem, but a few cars had clutch problems from new which were not that easily sorted. But on a second hand V6 you should have got problems like this taken care by the previous owner.
As a daily runner or weekend car, I would get the V6 though. As a track day weapon I would get the Exige 260.
Join the www.seloc.org forums (South East Lotus Owner Club), you'll find plenty of informations there.
I have a 2006 S2 Exige S and it's surprisingly cheap to run. I fitted new discs and pads for about £400 last year which replaced the originals (car had done 25000 miles). I recently fitted 4x R888R tyres which were £550. I came from an M3 where two rear tyres cost the same as four for the Exige and £400 just buys some decent pads.
The S2 Exige will suffer little or no depreciation. Mine has actually increased in value since I bought it.
Servicing, being a Toyota engine, isn't expensive.
Touches wood... I've had no issues with it and it has never let me down.
The S2 Exige will suffer little or no depreciation. Mine has actually increased in value since I bought it.
Servicing, being a Toyota engine, isn't expensive.
Touches wood... I've had no issues with it and it has never let me down.
Edited by Mark83 on Friday 22 April 16:27
Update time.
Decided f
k it.... YOLO (the cool kids still say that don't they?) I bought the s3, I just picked it up today.
Ita bright orange, and have gone through a tank of fuel already. It's hilarious! Not as refined as my old m3 and z4m but a lot more fun. I need to adapt to drive it through.... guess that means I should take it for another run then.
I figured if I got the s2 or a Cayman I'd just always look at the s3 and lust after it. I might as well jump in and enjoy.
Decided f
k it.... YOLO (the cool kids still say that don't they?) I bought the s3, I just picked it up today. Ita bright orange, and have gone through a tank of fuel already. It's hilarious! Not as refined as my old m3 and z4m but a lot more fun. I need to adapt to drive it through.... guess that means I should take it for another run then.
I figured if I got the s2 or a Cayman I'd just always look at the s3 and lust after it. I might as well jump in and enjoy.
Well done! On longer journeys they can be tiring, but of the three cars I am lucky enough to hown, if I am really honest with myself, the Exige is the most fun. Its like and angry terrier trying to break from a leash. I have another car with considerably more performance and a real event to drive even normally, but day to day the Exige is still the most fun. If you can live with some of the practical compromises, there is very little to touch them. If you want some additonal grunt, you can always go down the Komotec route.
CTE said:
Well done! On longer journeys they can be tiring, but of the three cars I am lucky enough to hown, if I am really honest with myself, the Exige is the most fun. Its like and angry terrier trying to break from a leash. I have another car with considerably more performance and a real event to drive even normally, but day to day the Exige is still the most fun. If you can live with some of the practical compromises, there is very little to touch them. If you want some additonal grunt, you can always go down the Komotec route.
I took one to the Nurburgring and back and was surprised at how at home it felt on the journey. Engine was barely awake at 80-90mph, could hear the stereo, seats were comfortable, visability good etc. A lot more competent on motorways than I expected 
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