Elise, Exige, vx220 daily?
Discussion
I need some help making a decision. I have 25k to splash on a new daily. I think it's time for that elise itch to be scratched, but unsure of where my money would go. The car would live outside and be driven in all weather's, along with trips across Europe and the occasional track day.
What's the difference between an Elise and an Exige? I know the latter is more hardcore, but in what way? How would this translate in terms of daily duty?
Is it wise to go for a s1 Elise/Exige as a daily?
In my experience of owning several 20 year old cars, when a car gets to this age, it tends to throw up all manner of problems. Everything needs replacing because it's worn out, and rust becomes apparent. Therefore I would like to own something as new as possible. I know the majority of these cars are well maintained, but does this rule of thumb still apply? I don't want another car that I'm forever working on in my spare time.
A 111r would be my choice, but I don't mind a vhpd k series. 200hp seems like the sweet spot in terms of power. It can be thrashed on the back roads and country lanes without having to hold back, whereas a high power car couldn't be enjoyed in the same manner for sake of being too fast. Would adding a supercharger make this the case?
The vx220 is a bit of an odd one. I have no issues with the car itself, but the engines dont sound anywhere near as good (judging from youtube) as a k series or 2zz. That to me is a dealbreaker.
I believe the newest car would be a 2006 model, whereas the s2 Elise/Exige ran until 2010, making the choice somewhat limited.
What's the difference between an Elise and an Exige? I know the latter is more hardcore, but in what way? How would this translate in terms of daily duty?
Is it wise to go for a s1 Elise/Exige as a daily?
In my experience of owning several 20 year old cars, when a car gets to this age, it tends to throw up all manner of problems. Everything needs replacing because it's worn out, and rust becomes apparent. Therefore I would like to own something as new as possible. I know the majority of these cars are well maintained, but does this rule of thumb still apply? I don't want another car that I'm forever working on in my spare time.
A 111r would be my choice, but I don't mind a vhpd k series. 200hp seems like the sweet spot in terms of power. It can be thrashed on the back roads and country lanes without having to hold back, whereas a high power car couldn't be enjoyed in the same manner for sake of being too fast. Would adding a supercharger make this the case?
The vx220 is a bit of an odd one. I have no issues with the car itself, but the engines dont sound anywhere near as good (judging from youtube) as a k series or 2zz. That to me is a dealbreaker.
I believe the newest car would be a 2006 model, whereas the s2 Elise/Exige ran until 2010, making the choice somewhat limited.
Edited by goldar on Monday 23 January 09:02
I'm in a similar position but my budget will only stretch to an Elise or VX.
The VX won't get much love here but if you can overlook the badge then you can pick up somewhat of a bargain.
The Turbo would be the one to go for really.
I fail to get excited by any 4 pot noise so I'm kind of forgetting about that and concentrating on the driving experience.
Ideally a S/C Lotus would be great, I've considered buying slightly cheaper and converting myself.
I wouldn't want to daily one personally, I think it would spoil the ownership experience.
The VX won't get much love here but if you can overlook the badge then you can pick up somewhat of a bargain.
The Turbo would be the one to go for really.
I fail to get excited by any 4 pot noise so I'm kind of forgetting about that and concentrating on the driving experience.
Ideally a S/C Lotus would be great, I've considered buying slightly cheaper and converting myself.
I wouldn't want to daily one personally, I think it would spoil the ownership experience.
goldar said:
What's the difference between an Elise and an Exige? I know the latter is more hardcore, but in what way? How would this translate in terms of daily duty?
for the s2, depends on spec. as to whether track pack suspension is fitted and [obviously] if na or sc. the exige has wider front wheels and less rear visibility. looks aside, that's about it. goldar said:
Is it wise to go for a s1 Elise/Exige as a daily?
In my experience of owning several 20 year old cars, when a car gets to this age, it tends to throw up all manner of problems. Everything needs replacing because it's worn out, and rust becomes apparent. Therefore I would like to own something as new as possible. I know the majority of these cars are well maintained, but does this rule of thumb still apply? I don't want another car that I'm forever working on in my spare time.
the s1 is noticably more raw and basic, and you won't get an s1 exige for your budget. In my experience of owning several 20 year old cars, when a car gets to this age, it tends to throw up all manner of problems. Everything needs replacing because it's worn out, and rust becomes apparent. Therefore I would like to own something as new as possible. I know the majority of these cars are well maintained, but does this rule of thumb still apply? I don't want another car that I'm forever working on in my spare time.
grp and aluminium doesn't rust. corrosion is mainly limited to suspension and brakes. full refurb of the corners is a common job and kits exist with all the stainless bolts, bushes, ball joints etc. blast and paint the wishbones and spend a day swapping it over, done. not a big or difficult job at all.
ime they work the vast majority of the time but when they don't its either a PITA to fix [e.g. fuel pump] or something really niggly. i gather electrics are a bit more delicate in uk weather.
i don't daily mine and don't think i could run it as an only car, YMMV. completely depends on your usage profile, the weather, how precious you are about road grime and chips etc. plenty do
I used to have an 2010 Exige S2 which I now wish I’d just tucked away.
Left it outside with no issues and it always started on the button. Used it as a staton car and for track days too so I found it very versatile.
Drove it back from a track day at Spa with no front brake pads so it was handbrake and down changing all the way !
Great cars and I’d have another in a heartbeat
Left it outside with no issues and it always started on the button. Used it as a staton car and for track days too so I found it very versatile.
Drove it back from a track day at Spa with no front brake pads so it was handbrake and down changing all the way !
Great cars and I’d have another in a heartbeat
I had a 111R daily a while ago, but soon opted for a 1k shed Volvo to take most of the daily duties.
Financially the Volvo probably paid for itself in keeping pointless miles off the Lotus. But more importantly it kept the Lotus feeling special, I personally found using it as a daily meant it wore thin and I then wasn’t desperate to squeeze myself past those sills to get in it for a weekend blast.
Also, the lotus is at its best at 10/10ths, at low speeds, in traffic I found it frustrating not being able to stretch its legs, like being on a sport bike in city traffic. Especially the toppy 2ZZ engine. It also gives you time to focus on all the squeaks and rattles which for me started to wear thin.
BUT, with a Toyota engined car especially - I see no reason why you couldn’t use it daily if it suits you.
I used mine for a couple of ring trips, it also lived outside - However it did suffer from paint/fibreglass blistering from this which I believe is from exposure to cold weather.
Financially the Volvo probably paid for itself in keeping pointless miles off the Lotus. But more importantly it kept the Lotus feeling special, I personally found using it as a daily meant it wore thin and I then wasn’t desperate to squeeze myself past those sills to get in it for a weekend blast.
Also, the lotus is at its best at 10/10ths, at low speeds, in traffic I found it frustrating not being able to stretch its legs, like being on a sport bike in city traffic. Especially the toppy 2ZZ engine. It also gives you time to focus on all the squeaks and rattles which for me started to wear thin.
BUT, with a Toyota engined car especially - I see no reason why you couldn’t use it daily if it suits you.
I used mine for a couple of ring trips, it also lived outside - However it did suffer from paint/fibreglass blistering from this which I believe is from exposure to cold weather.
Ryan_T said:
I had a 111R daily a while ago, but soon opted for a 1k shed Volvo to take most of the daily duties.
Financially the Volvo probably paid for itself in keeping pointless miles off the Lotus. But more importantly it kept the Lotus feeling special, I personally found using it as a daily meant it wore thin and I then wasn’t desperate to squeeze myself past those sills to get in it for a weekend blast.
Also, the lotus is at its best at 10/10ths, at low speeds, in traffic I found it frustrating not being able to stretch its legs, like being on a sport bike in city traffic. Especially the toppy 2ZZ engine. It also gives you time to focus on all the squeaks and rattles which for me started to wear thin.
BUT, with a Toyota engined car especially - I see no reason why you couldn’t use it daily if it suits you.
I used mine for a couple of ring trips, it also lived outside - However it did suffer from paint/fibreglass blistering from this which I believe is from exposure to cold weather.
Hi Ryan, Financially the Volvo probably paid for itself in keeping pointless miles off the Lotus. But more importantly it kept the Lotus feeling special, I personally found using it as a daily meant it wore thin and I then wasn’t desperate to squeeze myself past those sills to get in it for a weekend blast.
Also, the lotus is at its best at 10/10ths, at low speeds, in traffic I found it frustrating not being able to stretch its legs, like being on a sport bike in city traffic. Especially the toppy 2ZZ engine. It also gives you time to focus on all the squeaks and rattles which for me started to wear thin.
BUT, with a Toyota engined car especially - I see no reason why you couldn’t use it daily if it suits you.
I used mine for a couple of ring trips, it also lived outside - However it did suffer from paint/fibreglass blistering from this which I believe is from exposure to cold weather.
Have you ever had an Exige to compare against the 111R?
I’m looking again and wondering if the 10k difference in the 2 models is worth it .
My last Exige had 240HP
Tks
GT3Manthey said:
Hi Ryan,
Have you ever had an Exige to compare against the 111R?
I’m looking again and wondering if the 10k difference in the 2 models is worth it .
My last Exige had 240HP
Tks
Hi - No I’ve been in one, but haven’t owned one. Have you ever had an Exige to compare against the 111R?
I’m looking again and wondering if the 10k difference in the 2 models is worth it .
My last Exige had 240HP
Tks
I can make an argument both ways, on one hand the 111R is essentially an Exige in an Elise body so why pay more. But on the flip side, residuals are so good you’re likely to get most of the money you put in back out the other side so purchase price alone is less relevant.
I imagine the Exige has more topside to appreciate as a ‘the daddy’ long term if that helps the man-maths?
I imagine you might miss the extra grunt of the supercharged engine, especially in the mid-range when using it daily.
Ryan_T said:
Hi - No I’ve been in one, but haven’t owned one.
I can make an argument both ways, on one hand the 111R is essentially an Exige in an Elise body so why pay more. But on the flip side, residuals are so good you’re likely to get most of the money you put in back out the other side so purchase price alone is less relevant.
I imagine the Exige has more topside to appreciate as a ‘the daddy’ long term if that helps the man-maths?
I imagine you might miss the extra grunt of the supercharged engine, especially in the mid-range when using it daily.
All makes sense tks I can make an argument both ways, on one hand the 111R is essentially an Exige in an Elise body so why pay more. But on the flip side, residuals are so good you’re likely to get most of the money you put in back out the other side so purchase price alone is less relevant.
I imagine the Exige has more topside to appreciate as a ‘the daddy’ long term if that helps the man-maths?
I imagine you might miss the extra grunt of the supercharged engine, especially in the mid-range when using it daily.
No way.
To expand - you absolutely could have it as your only car. But do not buy one and plan to do long commutes, motorways, traffic etc, 5 days a week, all winter when its wet and dark or icy etc etc.
I've run all sorts of slightly unsuitable cars as a 'daily', with soft tops, rock hard suspension and noisy exhausts etc but theres no way I'd do it with my Elise. There are awful with the soft top up, the HVAC is poor, people dont see you, the slightest bump can damage the fibreglass, is cold, noisy, hard to get in and out of etc etc.
I LOVE my Elise, and in the Spring/Summer, when I'm commuting to the office down the back roads with the roof off, its bliss, its even really good on fuel. I look forward to home time so I can do it all again.
But right now? When im working at another location, its dark, i'm sat on the M62 in a jam, its 3deg C, I'm surrounded by lorry wheels and traffic cones, and I just want a heated seat and a podcast? No way.
For reference I have a 2002 S2 Elise and a huge comfy Mercedes E Class and they are comfortably worth less than your 25k!
To expand - you absolutely could have it as your only car. But do not buy one and plan to do long commutes, motorways, traffic etc, 5 days a week, all winter when its wet and dark or icy etc etc.
I've run all sorts of slightly unsuitable cars as a 'daily', with soft tops, rock hard suspension and noisy exhausts etc but theres no way I'd do it with my Elise. There are awful with the soft top up, the HVAC is poor, people dont see you, the slightest bump can damage the fibreglass, is cold, noisy, hard to get in and out of etc etc.
I LOVE my Elise, and in the Spring/Summer, when I'm commuting to the office down the back roads with the roof off, its bliss, its even really good on fuel. I look forward to home time so I can do it all again.
But right now? When im working at another location, its dark, i'm sat on the M62 in a jam, its 3deg C, I'm surrounded by lorry wheels and traffic cones, and I just want a heated seat and a podcast? No way.
For reference I have a 2002 S2 Elise and a huge comfy Mercedes E Class and they are comfortably worth less than your 25k!
Edited by snotrag on Wednesday 25th January 09:38
I wouldn't recommend a VHPD as a daily driver - it's not an engine that likes trundling along in traffic.
A lot of whether any Elise makes a good daily driver comes down to how and where you drive. My (S2 111S) is my only car, although I do have access to my wife's Octavia if I need something more practical, and it does the job admirably, but then my commute is 5 miles each way of suburban and then country roads, and the rest of my driving is pretty much all cross country - I probably do no more than 500 miles a year on the motorway and spend less than half an hour a month in top-start traffic.
Another important question is whether you have a garage. If you don't, I would strongly advise getting a car with air conditioning so you can actually dehumidify the cabin. A good S2 onward car shouldn't have any leaks, but with such a small cabin volume, if you get in with a wet coat on, the moisture WILL bring the cabin humidity over 100% as it evaporates and then will condense on the screen, soak into the carpets, etc.
In terms of running costs, the complete cost of mine is in my profile if you want to look. It's had no major issues but niggles are a way of life - right now I have two rattles inside the dashboard I haven't managed to track down and a distinct clonk from behind me somewhere when pulling away in reverse - I suspect either an engine mount or a drive shaft is on its way out. My paint work is also chipped to buggery (which I think is inevitable on such a low car) and the underside of my front clam is quite scuffed (it's not a particularly low car, but has quite a long front overhang and there's no protection if you do ground the front). I also have a broken door lock (I believe a fault in the wiring loom somewhere); the passenger side window is moving rather slowly (hopefully it just needs greasing); and the seal between the windscreen header rail and the roof has started to split (although it's still holding the water out). These sorts of niggles are par for the course running an old small-volume car and if you don't keep on top of them can quickly get rather out of hand!
Despite the niggles, in 16 years of daily use it's never actually broken down. Hopefully I'll have time this summer to get on top of the current list of niggles!
A lot of whether any Elise makes a good daily driver comes down to how and where you drive. My (S2 111S) is my only car, although I do have access to my wife's Octavia if I need something more practical, and it does the job admirably, but then my commute is 5 miles each way of suburban and then country roads, and the rest of my driving is pretty much all cross country - I probably do no more than 500 miles a year on the motorway and spend less than half an hour a month in top-start traffic.
Another important question is whether you have a garage. If you don't, I would strongly advise getting a car with air conditioning so you can actually dehumidify the cabin. A good S2 onward car shouldn't have any leaks, but with such a small cabin volume, if you get in with a wet coat on, the moisture WILL bring the cabin humidity over 100% as it evaporates and then will condense on the screen, soak into the carpets, etc.
In terms of running costs, the complete cost of mine is in my profile if you want to look. It's had no major issues but niggles are a way of life - right now I have two rattles inside the dashboard I haven't managed to track down and a distinct clonk from behind me somewhere when pulling away in reverse - I suspect either an engine mount or a drive shaft is on its way out. My paint work is also chipped to buggery (which I think is inevitable on such a low car) and the underside of my front clam is quite scuffed (it's not a particularly low car, but has quite a long front overhang and there's no protection if you do ground the front). I also have a broken door lock (I believe a fault in the wiring loom somewhere); the passenger side window is moving rather slowly (hopefully it just needs greasing); and the seal between the windscreen header rail and the roof has started to split (although it's still holding the water out). These sorts of niggles are par for the course running an old small-volume car and if you don't keep on top of them can quickly get rather out of hand!
Despite the niggles, in 16 years of daily use it's never actually broken down. Hopefully I'll have time this summer to get on top of the current list of niggles!
Edited by kambites on Wednesday 25th January 09:59
I'd definitely go Toyota engined Elise for a daily, as i expect it will be more robust, less leaky, likely to have AC. I ran a S1 Sport 160 as a daily for a few months. It lived outside so on a cold morning the inside of the screen would need defrosting. If the engine got wet it was sometimes reluctant to start, and once started on only 3 cylinders. Throttle position sensor had a mind of its own. Kept on breaking alternators too.
Fantastic car though and I much preferred it over the Toyota S I had for a few weeks on loan. Felt much more like a 'normal' car.
Fantastic car though and I much preferred it over the Toyota S I had for a few weeks on loan. Felt much more like a 'normal' car.
I've had my 111R for, erm, coming up for 14 years.
It's never been my only car, but for a long time it was my default car - we had various estate cars and my wife had an MX-5 or 350Z which she mostly drove, but the estate cars just got used for things we couldn't use a sports car for. I didn't need to commute in it, I always worked from home, but for day to day use if I could take the Lotus I did.
It had a full retrim in 2019 which perked the interior up, and replaced the head unit with one that supports Bluetooth and looks a bit less garish. I had it supercharged in late 2020 with the Lotus OEM kit, and last summer it had a full suspension refresh. It's always lived outside, albeit in a carcoon for the last couple of years. It's already had some paint microblistering fixed, and it has some more which needs doing. It's due a full respray, the old PPF is now brittle and takes the lacquer off with it. Had it booked in for that in September, but the guy doing it has injured his arm and it's got kicked into the long grass.
Overall;
You can daily them. It reminds me of driving a small car from the 80's in terms of equipment and NVH, though mine has louder exhaust and induction arrangements than would be ideal on that front. It's noisy on the motorway. Getting in and out is an acquired skill, easy once you have it. Slide the seat right back to exit. I find it very comfortable once in the seat. Elbow room is tight if you have a passenger. The unassisted steering is a little heavy at parking speeds, particularly if like mine you have the wider front tyres which come with Exige wheels, but perfectly acceptable. The ride quality is pretty good all considered - you don't tend to feel potholes but you do hear them and the noise is alarming.
It's a small car. You can get a decent amount of stuff in the boot, but the aperture is small and it gets warm in there. Rear visibility isn't great, but not bad considering it's mid engined and again being small is an advantage for parking. Getting out in a narrow parking space is the only issue. It has no bumpers, just fibreglass clams, so a parking nudge will do damage.
The tyres most people run them on are pretty dire in winter - I think there is a winter tyre spec in the manual - but the car has decent traction because of the weight distribution and the car's low speed behaviour on slippery surfaces is more benign than at higher speed on dry tarmac. Demisting and defrosting can be problematic in winter. The interior has a lot of exposed aluminium, so it's cold, and they sometimes leak, so it may also be damp, and the HVAC is only adequate.
The Toyota engine needs to be revved out to get the full performance, but because it's light the performance off the high lift cam is OK. You don't need to thrash it to keep up with traffic. For context, if you only use the first 6000rpm, it's a ~7 second car to 60. You can reflash it to lower the cam change point a little, which helps keep it on cam if you don't rev it all the way out, but also smooths out the cam change and removes a bit of drama. The supercharger gives it another 30bhp or so a the top end, but makes the greatest difference to the performance in the lower part of the rev range.
I think using it as a daily really depends on what your daily usage is. If it's a mixture of motorway and stop start traffic, I wouldn't bother. Being at HGV wheelnut height in bad weather isn't fun. If you've got a nice drive to work, that's a bit of fun every day.
It's never been my only car, but for a long time it was my default car - we had various estate cars and my wife had an MX-5 or 350Z which she mostly drove, but the estate cars just got used for things we couldn't use a sports car for. I didn't need to commute in it, I always worked from home, but for day to day use if I could take the Lotus I did.
It had a full retrim in 2019 which perked the interior up, and replaced the head unit with one that supports Bluetooth and looks a bit less garish. I had it supercharged in late 2020 with the Lotus OEM kit, and last summer it had a full suspension refresh. It's always lived outside, albeit in a carcoon for the last couple of years. It's already had some paint microblistering fixed, and it has some more which needs doing. It's due a full respray, the old PPF is now brittle and takes the lacquer off with it. Had it booked in for that in September, but the guy doing it has injured his arm and it's got kicked into the long grass.
Overall;
You can daily them. It reminds me of driving a small car from the 80's in terms of equipment and NVH, though mine has louder exhaust and induction arrangements than would be ideal on that front. It's noisy on the motorway. Getting in and out is an acquired skill, easy once you have it. Slide the seat right back to exit. I find it very comfortable once in the seat. Elbow room is tight if you have a passenger. The unassisted steering is a little heavy at parking speeds, particularly if like mine you have the wider front tyres which come with Exige wheels, but perfectly acceptable. The ride quality is pretty good all considered - you don't tend to feel potholes but you do hear them and the noise is alarming.
It's a small car. You can get a decent amount of stuff in the boot, but the aperture is small and it gets warm in there. Rear visibility isn't great, but not bad considering it's mid engined and again being small is an advantage for parking. Getting out in a narrow parking space is the only issue. It has no bumpers, just fibreglass clams, so a parking nudge will do damage.
The tyres most people run them on are pretty dire in winter - I think there is a winter tyre spec in the manual - but the car has decent traction because of the weight distribution and the car's low speed behaviour on slippery surfaces is more benign than at higher speed on dry tarmac. Demisting and defrosting can be problematic in winter. The interior has a lot of exposed aluminium, so it's cold, and they sometimes leak, so it may also be damp, and the HVAC is only adequate.
The Toyota engine needs to be revved out to get the full performance, but because it's light the performance off the high lift cam is OK. You don't need to thrash it to keep up with traffic. For context, if you only use the first 6000rpm, it's a ~7 second car to 60. You can reflash it to lower the cam change point a little, which helps keep it on cam if you don't rev it all the way out, but also smooths out the cam change and removes a bit of drama. The supercharger gives it another 30bhp or so a the top end, but makes the greatest difference to the performance in the lower part of the rev range.
I think using it as a daily really depends on what your daily usage is. If it's a mixture of motorway and stop start traffic, I wouldn't bother. Being at HGV wheelnut height in bad weather isn't fun. If you've got a nice drive to work, that's a bit of fun every day.
Most of this has been covered I think but just to chuck in my own thoughts.
My S1 was my daily. Enjoyed it at the time in my late 20's but probably wouldn't now. My car was garaged which helped other than trying to squeeze in and out of it in a single garage. Getting in and out of it generally is one of the challenges of using one daily in my opinion but depends where you have to park it. They can leak a little so a shower cap would be a good investment no matter which model you opt for and that includes the hard topped exige.
Nowadays in my 40's I have an S2 Exige as a toy only though ironically it would have been somewhat better than the S1 as a daily option. The Exige isn't much different to the Elise other than obvious addition of the roof. As standard, they had firmer suspension and stickier tyres as well as different bodywork. At this age, suspension and tyres on any of them is a fluid concept so not that relevant. For me, I loved the Exige looks from day 1 and that was the dream car. Rationally, I think the Elise offers more for less. You get rear visibility (a supercharged Exige has none at all) and the ability to remove the roof. Yes you can do that in an Exige but it looks odd as the roof scoop is on the rood panel.
Much as I have a major soft spot for the S1, if I was to daily one of these now, it would 100% be a toyota powered S2 for me. The drivetrain is pretty bomb proof in a way that my VVC k-series car definitely wasn't and I would run a mile from a VHPD as a daily. S2 cars generally addressed many of the niggly little lessons learned with the s1 as well, though they did unfortunately gain a few lbs in the process. Short roof is miles better for getting on and off than the S1 version. Central locking, electric windows and cup holder etc may or may not make your life easier too. Seats generally improved over the years too. I liked my S1 111S seats but the probax in the Exige are better again. Both of my Lotus's have had carpet which makes a massive difference to NVH and in turn will make a stereo usable rather than an ornament and probax seats in the Exige are very comfortable too.
My S1 was my daily. Enjoyed it at the time in my late 20's but probably wouldn't now. My car was garaged which helped other than trying to squeeze in and out of it in a single garage. Getting in and out of it generally is one of the challenges of using one daily in my opinion but depends where you have to park it. They can leak a little so a shower cap would be a good investment no matter which model you opt for and that includes the hard topped exige.
Nowadays in my 40's I have an S2 Exige as a toy only though ironically it would have been somewhat better than the S1 as a daily option. The Exige isn't much different to the Elise other than obvious addition of the roof. As standard, they had firmer suspension and stickier tyres as well as different bodywork. At this age, suspension and tyres on any of them is a fluid concept so not that relevant. For me, I loved the Exige looks from day 1 and that was the dream car. Rationally, I think the Elise offers more for less. You get rear visibility (a supercharged Exige has none at all) and the ability to remove the roof. Yes you can do that in an Exige but it looks odd as the roof scoop is on the rood panel.
Much as I have a major soft spot for the S1, if I was to daily one of these now, it would 100% be a toyota powered S2 for me. The drivetrain is pretty bomb proof in a way that my VVC k-series car definitely wasn't and I would run a mile from a VHPD as a daily. S2 cars generally addressed many of the niggly little lessons learned with the s1 as well, though they did unfortunately gain a few lbs in the process. Short roof is miles better for getting on and off than the S1 version. Central locking, electric windows and cup holder etc may or may not make your life easier too. Seats generally improved over the years too. I liked my S1 111S seats but the probax in the Exige are better again. Both of my Lotus's have had carpet which makes a massive difference to NVH and in turn will make a stereo usable rather than an ornament and probax seats in the Exige are very comfortable too.
I absolutely loved my VXT. With a Milltek exhaust it sounded fantastic so to OP don’t rule it out on noise factor. And with some other mods and a remap to 300bhp mine went like something that flies off a shovel. No way I would have run it as a daily though, it misses the point of the car. It’s for fun, for exhilarating moments. It coped fine with occasional dark wet cold journeys but they were the exception and they weren’t fun.
My Exige S3 is more robust, a bit more refined and much more powerful. It could handle daily use. But the same applies - why use something like this as a daily slogger when there are cheap and pretty reliable sheds available to run alongside it? Save the Exige/Elise/VX for the fun drives and savour them.
My Exige S3 is more robust, a bit more refined and much more powerful. It could handle daily use. But the same applies - why use something like this as a daily slogger when there are cheap and pretty reliable sheds available to run alongside it? Save the Exige/Elise/VX for the fun drives and savour them.
I echo a lot that has been said in this thread. I did daily a vx220t and 111R in my 20’s. I didn’t do many miles though. The getting in and out has never been a problem for me you get used to it.
In the summer on a b road commute I’d be happy to daily my Exige 410. But I have a boring motorway commute. Wagon wheel nut height is no fun in the chucking down rain on the m6. You can’t see much out of the back either.
Definitely more of a weekend toy as you get older. Special cars though.
In the summer on a b road commute I’d be happy to daily my Exige 410. But I have a boring motorway commute. Wagon wheel nut height is no fun in the chucking down rain on the m6. You can’t see much out of the back either.
Definitely more of a weekend toy as you get older. Special cars though.
Perhaps a Europa would be a more practical option?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
TR4man said:
Perhaps a Europa would be a more practical option?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Less practical because you can’t take the roof off! https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I ran a 2.2 VX220 as my only car for a couple of years, including a 50 mile a day commute.
It was epic.
It’s made out of bits of old Astra, so maintenance is cheap. I had to fill it up every few days. In winter it’s atrocious, but when you press the button and it fires up you couldn’t care less that the inside of the windscreen is solid ice, the heater doesn’t work and the headlights are powered by a watch battery as you know it will be summer soon.
It was epic.
It’s made out of bits of old Astra, so maintenance is cheap. I had to fill it up every few days. In winter it’s atrocious, but when you press the button and it fires up you couldn’t care less that the inside of the windscreen is solid ice, the heater doesn’t work and the headlights are powered by a watch battery as you know it will be summer soon.
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