Exige 350 S pricing help

[ant123456]

Looking at buying a Exige S 350.

I have recently stumbled across a car by accident, not been advertised.

3 owners from new, red, and immaculate throughout.

Front arms have been picked up for slight corrosion a few years ago but I’m told this is normal.

Only thing is putting me off is a patchy service history, it’s covered 16k from new and it’s not been done annually.

Aircon has issues too which again I have read is problematic.

Car has been offered to me for 36k.

Is this priced correctly in todays market?

[LostCockney]

What year & is it a manual ? Having a quick look on Pistonheads £36 k is at the low end ( advertised ) of the market for S3 Exige S, evan for a private sale. Assuming you have carried out as a many checks as possible on the car have you checked its MOT history ?
If you are still interested in the car have it checked ( someone like car vertical ) , which can check its history ( ie not been written off / outstanding finance ). Also there are Lotus dealers / specialists who will come and check the car over for you ( at a cost ) before you make a final decision. You can also post a note on various web sites to see if anyone has any history on the car . I suspect that most Lotus owners join one of the clubs so someone is bound to know some of its history.
Assuming that no "red" alerts come back and you do purchase the car then the first thing I would do is take it in for a full service , inc supercharger . Good luck

[Belle427]

Servicing is a tough one, i changed the oil and filter in my car when i brought it home last April and have carried out probably 1000 miles since then.
Do i change them again this year?
Most would say no probably as the oil has done no work really and wont have degraded.
Not much help but maybe some owners have taken that attitude.

[ant123456]

I think it’s more for resale value I’m concerned about. Car hasn’t done much if any track work and it’s had oil changes in between services with photos.

I think it’s more reselling in future I’m more concerned about.

I guess if I keep for a few years and have the big service done now with a reputable specialist the above can be negated.

Car checks out fine with Vcheck and I can spot accident damage/paint a mile off.

Edited by ant123456 on Saturday 9th March 20:15

[BertBert]

I think it only takes 1-2 years of use and servicing to dispel most of the buyer fear of patchy service history - 2 annual services basically. Maybe helped at bit by clean first time MoTs. I'd not get too worried about it

[Belle427]

I think if future value is a concern for you it may be better to look for something with a full history.
Most buyers of this car would want to see it i think, i may be wrong though.

[muckyman]

Here’s one with a full history, no air con problems (or any other issues) and MOT until next year - seems ideal for you!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/15874687

[mario328]

ant123456 said:

Aircon has issues too which again I have read is problematic.

Don't under estimate an aircon problem on a V6 Exige, mine went a few years ago, the pipes corrode in the RHS sill and my main dealer had to fix it by chopping them out and replacing them with flexible hoses, cost me circa £1k to fix and my car was off the road for 4 weeks. Aircons works fine now and I would say you need it with that lump sat behind you.

Edited by mario328 on Wednesday 13th March 16:23