Exige s2 vs s3

[hughcam]

I currently own a lovely chrome orange s2 (N/A) with all the usual upgrades but have been watching the price of Exige 350’s plummet to low/mid £40’s...

A couple of questions:

- where do we think Exige 350’s will bottom out?

- has anyone made the jump from a normally aspirated s2 Exige to a v6 and can recommend/not recommend the change?

Car is used on track days and sunny days so a fun car

[Leggy]

I went from an Elise SC to V6 Exige, and that was a big difference. So going from the NA will be even more noticeable. Not as nimble, but tons of torque and brute force. Night and day difference, and you can see out the back!

[Viperzs]

I can't see the S3 dropping much further when you see some of the MY10 S2 Exiges getting into the high 30s at the moment.

[PWeston]

I'm watching the prices of 350s with interest. I saw one of the original press cars (Metallic Green on 7k miles) up for £42k which was the cheapest one I'd seen and, consequently, it didn't hang around!

I think once 3-4 years old these will be a superb buy with very little depreciation and reasonable running costs for the potency on offer! The 350 is definitely the sweet spot - plenty power and nicer looks than the 380/380 Cup IMO.

[AyBee]

There's a thread on Seloc about prices of S3s which is probably worth a read. I'd be very tempted by a S3 though at £40k. There are a lot of cars which have been for sale for a while (I've been following the market since summer last year when I sold my S2 Elise) so there must be a bargain to be had.

[V5Ade]

What are the servicing costs and big bills on the S3 Exige? How long do clutches last? I know they are expensive to replace.

[mario328]

V5Ade said:

What are the servicing costs and big bills on the S3 Exige? How long do clutches last? I know they are expensive to replace.

My clutch is still like new, car’s just clicked over 13k miles on a 4 & a half year old car. As for servicing, mines at a main dealer for its annual every year and it works out as an average of £612/year which includes its MOT and all parts but not the 2 new rear tyres I had fitted last year. I’ve also replaced the wiper blade £12+?
Things like brake pads just last but this is a road car and not tracked.
Hoping to keep mine forever..

Edited by mario328 on Sunday 25th February 10:24

[CTE]

So a small number of people have had some clutch issues (Evora/Exige) and it is an issue? I have had 4 of these cars of different ages and guises, and not one issue with the clutch and about 100k miles in all. My 2014 Exige had 46k miles...it had some glitches from new, but were sorted under warranty and similar running costs to above, although I did go through a set of pads and discs and mine was a road car...with largely motorway miles, although it was enthusiastically driven whenever the opportunity arose...normally overseas of course... It is known that some of the early cars had issues which would most likely have been sorted under warranty.

[V5Ade]

CTE said:

So a small number of people have had some clutch issues (Evora/Exige) and it is an issue? I have had 4 of these cars of different ages and guises, and not one issue with the clutch and about 100k miles in all. My 2014 Exige had 46k miles...it had some glitches from new, but were sorted under warranty and similar running costs to above, although I did go through a set of pads and discs and mine was a road car...with largely motorway miles, although it was enthusiastically driven whenever the opportunity arose...normally overseas of course... It is known that some of the early cars had issues which would most likely have been sorted under warranty.

I didn't say it was an issue, I've just seen a few gearbox\clutch issues mentioned on another forum. In my hands Lotus have been more reliable than any other car I have owned.
I've since looked into it and I've been informed it's about £3k for a clutch if it needs replacing. I'm probably not going to buy a new V6, however I may have a used 350 at some point, and you never know how the previous driver has treated the car (inc clutch).

[MellowshipSlinky]

My first V6 (roadster) had a new clutch under warranty at around 6k miles.
As said above, around £3k if you’re paying.

As for 350 values - I paid £51k for a 4 month old 350 with 2k miles on it. (List price was £62k)
Kept it 10 months and sold it for £48500 with 6k miles.

It’s now up for sale again for £52k with 9k miles and 4 owners.

Great cars, more grown up than the S2 240 I had, but a fair chunk heavier.
If the transmission / clutch noises ever get sorted I’ll have another one.