What should I go for at £25k

[Stevesierra]

Good morning all,
Once again I've started looking at Elise/exige as I've always fancied one.
I've had a supercharged seven and more recent a classic porsche but really fancy a weekend toy. The seven was extremely quick but I want doors and a roof now as well as fun.
What model would you recommend I look for as I don't know too much around the specs offered, I have about £25k.

[Munkeyfeet]

Steve,

Welcome and good choices!

For £25k you have a bunch of options.

S2 exiges seem to be holding their value very well so i would guess a non supercharged is in your budget if you want a nice clean example.

Lots of elises would fit your budget but as an exige owner i am not best placed to advise which are the better iterations of that model.

If you want new then lotus are doing 50/50 0% interest over 2 years.

For a few thousand more you could get into a 350 sport (circa £28/29k) or you could jump into an elise 250 cup which are £50k new so with a little deal maybe £23/24k down.

Best to go for a few test drives, all Lotus dealers seem to be very accommodating.

Let us know how you get on.

[gareth h]

I went through the same process last year, really wanted an Exige s2 but all the cars I drove felt a bit second hand, in the end bought a 2014 Elise S clubracer 4k miles for £30k, drives like new and a 2bular exhaust/geometry set up/ Exige rims with wider front tyres makes it much more focused / characterful.

[Stevesierra]

Thanks for the advise.
I do like the look of the s3 but think the 1.6 engine will not have the power I crave, especially coming from a couple of very quick cars.
I keep looking out for an s2 exige s but wonder what the real difference is between a s2 Elise s and is it worth the extra money.

[aww999]

I settled on an S2 Exige S (the supercharged variant). You may get a clean car in a private sale on your budget, but I went through a well-respected trader which obviously costs a little more. I tried the Elise 111R (same engine but no supercharger); it just felt too slow to me but obviously that depends what you've had before. (in my case I had a 350bhp/ton kitcar and my daily driver is a 300bhp turbo DSG hot hatch).

Key selling points for the Exige over the Elise were looks (again, obviously subjective but I love the hardtop and the roof scoop) and the extra midrange torque which means you can steer the car on the throttle more easily (although I'm sure a driver with more talent that I could have a standard Elise on the lockstops all day long!). I also thought it would be a safe bet in terms of retained value, I never keep cars more than two or three years so I always have that at the back of my mind.

[shirt]

Something at about 10% less so you have an upgrade fund. This is inevitable!

[Stevesierra]

Thank you.
It seems a supercharger is a must for power.
What are the main differences between Elise s and exige s

[sie10110]

The yellow Exige S3 Club Racer at Hexagon (see classifieds) would be interesting on 50:50 as a new car... circa 24K down with balance due in 24 months. Trade in value should be strong after the two years looking at similar 14/15 plate cars out there.

[gareth h]

Stevesierra said:

Thank you.
It seems a supercharger is a must for power.
What are the main differences between Elise s and exige s

I think the supercharged Exige uses the revvy toyota engine, the Elise S (well mine anyway) uses the less revvy / more torquey engine.
The earlier revvy engine is probably the more characterful.

[TheAlastair34]

If i were you i would buy a nice 111r and do the factory supercharger upgrade, you get the good high reving 2zz motor and the same power off the standard exige but with roof off an a little less weight, with the rest of the money fit some wider front wheels and maybe some suspension upgrade and have a more track/fast road geo put on the car and enjoy it, should cost a fair bit less than your 25k. and still have decent resale value

[lj04]

I bought a 2011 Elise S3 but is one off the last with a 2zz supercharged engine, for £25,500 last year. My third Elise and the best.

[Ikemi]

I'd probably go with some of the suggestions above, although personally I've always favoured the Elise for the ability to remove the roof. As you know, removing the roof completely transforms the drive and adds to a visceral experience.

For £25K, a left field choice would be a S1 Elise Sport 160, or a S1 Elise with Honda conversion. The latter boasts 220BHP and a supercharged version would be around 300BHP. Again, both specifications can be had for under £25K. Still, it's an older car. However prices are on the increase and there is only another 4-5 years before the Americans can begin importing the Series 1. As such, expect values to rise.

Also, the S1 benefits from no ABS, no servo-assisted brakes, no airbags or electric windows. The lightest production variant tipped the scales at 695Kgs. Mine is a little less than 730Kgs, but has 270BHP courtesy of Audi ...

[barchetta_boy]

Drive an Elise S1 before you decide. There is something about them.

I came to Lotus via a drive in a friend's Exige S 240bhp at Bedford, which I absolutely loved. Then I tried a standard 118bhp Elise and loved it, but wanted more power. Ended up with a Sport 160 with DVA engine on ITBs - about 180bhp.

I know of a Duratec-engined S1 Elise (210bhp) with ALL the bits being offered for £17.5k. Leaves plenty in the bank for maintenance and like I said, there is something about the S1....

[lj04]

S1 Duartec on seloc at £15500 . Great car with 118 hp

[LotusTim]

I would go for a Elise S2 SC 2008-11 the supercharged variant with 218bhp - with 2bular exhaust change. Power, removable roof, strong residuals and with the exhaust change great character