I would like to buy an S2 Exige

[simsith]

Hi, I'm after friendly advice and just general chat about S2 exige's. I currently run a Golf R dsg and will be keeping this, but I am after an S2 Exige, ideally supercharged as I am used to 300ps currently. Previously I have had 2 S1 Elise, standard cars, so I have an idea on lotus ownership. I would be interested to know which models you think are nice to have but also best for keeping value, colour advice is also welcome. On aside note there is an exige on the for sale page with wind up windows and no AC, that won't fuss me, but I wondered if it was an issue fore re-sale.

[moles]

I’d say get one with sports pack and aircon. That’s what I’d look for anyway. My old one had sports, touring and aircon. Main thing is the exige seats. After that colour the bright greens and orange ones seem most sought after.

[simsith]

Hi, thanks for the that, Aircon makes sense, I know it can get quite warm inside. I love the orange, but trying to find one is hard. When you say Exige seats, are on these the alcantara style ones?

[Jodele]

Probax for the seats.

[moles]

Yes the sports pack seats. They have the harness hole cutouts above each shoulder in the seat. Covering could be leather or Alcantara.

[peter2704]

what is the difference between the packs????

[Mike.]

I’m fairly sure the seats without the harness holes are still Probax seats with the sculpting. The Sport pack just gives you them with harness holes so you can run harnesses correctly.

RE Packs, I think on the later S2 Exige (Post 2008) they consist of:

Sport Pack - Adjustable Front ARB, Harness Bar and Harness’s cutout seats

Touring Pack - Fancy interior coverings and more sound insulation

Performance Pack - AP Racing 4 Pot front brakes, variable traction control with launch control and 240 or 260 bhp

I think when it comes to choosing one it’s down to your budget and patience for colour choice.

I will say as much as your Golf R has 300ps it’s a heavier car so needs it... try a non S/C Exige as well as it might be enough for your desired use and still have bags more character than the Golf

[simsith]

Ok, great advice thank you, you are right, the powe figure does not need to match the R as you say it's heavy in comparison, coulour is not the be all and end all, I'm. It a huge fan of black or white but I like the yellow, grey and silvers still, I think the black wheels look nice too. Driving wise do you have any advice, I don't have friends who own these and I don't want to waste someone's time on their car for sale, dealers would be ideal but they don't seem to have the S2 so much any more?

[framerateuk]

Sorry to piggy back on this thread, but I have a similar situation and don't really want to make a whole new thread.

I've currently got a 140bhp Caterham. Small wheels, LSD, AP brakes, aeroscreen.

It's hilarious to drive, but I'm looking for something that'll be easier to drive to trackdays (a trailer isn't really an option for me, I don't have the space), and can be a little easier to live with on longer trips.

So the obvious choice is an Elise/Exige. I always wanted an Exige and I've been playing the game and looking at the prices.

I'm absolutely looking for an SC car as I'd like to have similar or greater performance to my 7.

Prices seem to be:
Elise SC S2: ~25k
Exige SC : ~35k

I'm not expecting this to be my 'ultimate' Lotus. I'm perfectly happy to buy a decent Elise now, get to know the car (and the differences to the 7) and then maybe buy something more serious in a few years time.

What would you do?

The Exiges are quite pricey and the better ones push frighteningly close to the cost of a new S3 Elise (or a used S3 Exige for that matter!).

[Composite Guru]

framerateuk said:

The Exiges are quite pricey and the better ones push frighteningly close to the cost of a new S3 Elise (or a used S3 Exige for that matter!).

I wanted an S2 Exige to start off with but ended up looking at £33k examples.
Ended up spending £37k on a 2016 Elise 220 Cup 2 years ago. Best decision I ever made. Great car.

[framerateuk]

Composite Guru said:

I wanted an S2 Exige to start off with but ended up looking at £33k examples.
Ended up spending £37k on a 2016 Elise 220 Cup 2 years ago. Best decision I ever made. Great car.

Now that's certainly another option.

The S3 does seem to be a big improvement in terms of finish and the Cup versions look fantastic. I also like having the option of a removable roof rather than the fixed one on the Exige (I know, it is possible to add a soft top with some effort).

[Composite Guru]

framerateuk said:

Composite Guru said:

I wanted an S2 Exige to start off with but ended up looking at £33k examples.
Ended up spending £37k on a 2016 Elise 220 Cup 2 years ago. Best decision I ever made. Great car.

Now that's certainly another option.

The S3 does seem to be a big improvement in terms of finish and the Cup versions look fantastic. I also like having the option of a removable roof rather than the fixed one on the Exige (I know, it is possible to add a soft top with some effort).

Like I said, I was like you. 2 years ago and I just did the man maths and worked out I could get a lot newer car for not much more.
The problem with the Exige is that they are getting quite old now and the ones that have very low mileage and ask a high value could give you problems in the future. Cars need to be used.
I do lock mine up over the winter but make up for it in the summer.
If you are interested in the Cup then make your way over to the Elise Cup Owners Group on Facebook. I found my car on there. Was good because it’s quite a nice little group and a lot of the cars are well known.

[SidewaysSi]

Yep I don't see Exige S2s as good value at all alongside a newer Elise TBH.

If coming from a Caterham, I do fear you would find a standard Elise/Exige quite dull. I know I did.

Hence I went more hardcore with an Elise S1 Sport 160 then threw around £7-10k at it. Only now can it match the Seven for thrills..

[framerateuk]

Composite Guru said:

Like I said, I was like you. 2 years ago and I just did the man maths and worked out I could get a lot newer car for not much more.
The problem with the Exige is that they are getting quite old now and the ones that have very low mileage and ask a high value could give you problems in the future. Cars need to be used.
I do lock mine up over the winter but make up for it in the summer.
If you are interested in the Cup then make your way over to the Elise Cup Owners Group on Facebook. I found my car on there. Was good because it’s quite a nice little group and a lot of the cars are well known.

Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice on that group, I joined it last night.

SidewaysSi said:

Yep I don't see Exige S2s as good value at all alongside a newer Elise TBH.

If coming from a Caterham, I do fear you would find a standard Elise/Exige quite dull. I know I did.

Hence I went more hardcore with an Elise S1 Sport 160 then threw around £7-10k at it. Only now can it match the Seven for thrills..

Yeah that's a concern too. My 7 doesn't have an awful lot of straight line grunt, but it's huge fun to throw around.

I now need to pluck up the courage to sell my 7....

[SidewaysSi]

framerateuk said:

Composite Guru said:

Like I said, I was like you. 2 years ago and I just did the man maths and worked out I could get a lot newer car for not much more.
The problem with the Exige is that they are getting quite old now and the ones that have very low mileage and ask a high value could give you problems in the future. Cars need to be used.
I do lock mine up over the winter but make up for it in the summer.
If you are interested in the Cup then make your way over to the Elise Cup Owners Group on Facebook. I found my car on there. Was good because it’s quite a nice little group and a lot of the cars are well known.

Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the advice on that group, I joined it last night.

SidewaysSi said:

Yep I don't see Exige S2s as good value at all alongside a newer Elise TBH.

If coming from a Caterham, I do fear you would find a standard Elise/Exige quite dull. I know I did.

Hence I went more hardcore with an Elise S1 Sport 160 then threw around £7-10k at it. Only now can it match the Seven for thrills..

Yeah that's a concern too. My 7 doesn't have an awful lot of straight line grunt, but it's huge fun to throw around.

I now need to pluck up the courage to sell my 7....

My Seven is a similar power to yours but no standard Exige S2 will match the Seven for thrills IME. You may find yourself very disappointed so tread carefully!

It's why I have both as I could my part with the Caterham. Spent a lot on the Elise but now it is a stunning thing and would wipe the floor with an Exige for interaction and pure fun.

[framerateuk]

SidewaysSi said:

My Seven is a similar power to yours but no standard Exige S2 will match the Seven for thrills IME. You may find yourself very disappointed so tread carefully!

It's why I have both as I could my part with the Caterham. Spent a lot on the Elise but now it is a stunning thing and would wipe the floor with an Exige for interaction and pure fun.

I think it's more that I've had the Caterham for nearly 7 years and I'm ready for a change now.

It's been hilarious fun, but I'm looking for something a little softer that can actually get me to trackdays further away, I live near Cardiff and most tracks are quite a drive away and the 7 isn't the best car to drive there with. I'd also like something with a little more space and comfort for longer trips and weekends away. At the same time though, I don't want *actual* comfort, just not to get my legs cooked by the engine and exhaust on every drive .

I did try an Exige years ago at Thruxton before buying my 7. The chap who runs the garage I get my 7 serviced at drives the Lotuses at the supercar experience days in Llandow too, so he suggested I go along to that and get a feel for the cars there (They have an Elise and an Exige V6). I did pop down last weekend but the combination of bank holiday and good weather made it insanely busy!

[likesachange]

I have a golf R as a daily and an Exige as a "toy"

Only bought exige in November so early days really, especially as it was in the garage for the remainder of the winter getting "tweaked"

I came from a Zenos E10R, again was a great and very lively car but as I also live miles away from any tracks it wasn't the best at getting to any if weather was anything but lovely!

Now my Exige is extensively modified it is such an event to drive am not sure what I would replace it with for the value and theatre!

Had my first track day in it at Anglesey (450 mile round trip) and performed perfectly and was so much easier to drive than the Zenos. Got Croft in July but am needing to fit a quieter exhaust unfortunately!

[Bruggy]

I run a Golf Clubsport ED40 as my daily driver but have an S2 Exige 240 BHP supercharged, performance pack, touring pack ...etc as my hobby car. The Lotus makes the Golf feel like a wallowing tank.

[simsith]

Do you find it is allot quicker, I have not driven an Exige yet but have been passenger in a couple and they just didn't feel that quick, but that may be that the drivers were being careful.

[Bruggy]

The Exige S2 is quite frantic compared to the GTi and that supercharger whine behind you is addictive as you go through the gears and hit the 3 shift lights on the dash. Yes it's quicker off the mark but MK7 R's or a GTi Clubsport are no slouch and with real world driving on public roads I bet it would be hard to differentiate. I ride motorbikes too & the S2 is the nearest thing to a bike on 4 wheels.