Some advice on buying a Lotus
Discussion
Hi All,
I currently own a 4.5ltr Chimaera, which I love, but the huge amount of torque just doesn't fit with what I want from a fun car. Also, I have a comfortable mortorway cruiser, so I want to exit the world of GT cars and get into some very focused sports cars. So, I am thining of selling it come next spring and getting a Lotus. It didn't help that Mark-l took me in his S2 Exige (b
d, I blame you! 
)
Anyway, I like to do extensive research before I actually buy anything, so I have some questions on which model range would suit me best. Initial budget is in the range of £20K, I am looking at S2 (I love the S1, a friend took me in his a few months ago in Wales and my god did it handle. I am a bit of a poser and the looks of the S2 have won me over)
1) What is the reliability like on the S2 111s engines vs the 111R engines? Are there significant improvements in build quality between the 111s and 111r? Do the rover engines frequently die of head gasket failure like the TVR engines?
2) What is the difference between the 111R and the Exige NA? I loved Marks Exige, what am I looking at £££ wise to upgrade the wheels / tyres / syspension on the 111R to make it go around corners like an Exige?
3) Is there a significant difference between the Exige S and the aftermarket Katana kits for the Exige NA?
4) Is there a buyers guide and where can I download it?
Obviously I will get out and drive them closer the time, but for now I need to learn what I am looking at.
Many thanks,
Shabs
I currently own a 4.5ltr Chimaera, which I love, but the huge amount of torque just doesn't fit with what I want from a fun car. Also, I have a comfortable mortorway cruiser, so I want to exit the world of GT cars and get into some very focused sports cars. So, I am thining of selling it come next spring and getting a Lotus. It didn't help that Mark-l took me in his S2 Exige (b
d, I blame you! )Anyway, I like to do extensive research before I actually buy anything, so I have some questions on which model range would suit me best. Initial budget is in the range of £20K, I am looking at S2 (I love the S1, a friend took me in his a few months ago in Wales and my god did it handle. I am a bit of a poser and the looks of the S2 have won me over)
1) What is the reliability like on the S2 111s engines vs the 111R engines? Are there significant improvements in build quality between the 111s and 111r? Do the rover engines frequently die of head gasket failure like the TVR engines?
2) What is the difference between the 111R and the Exige NA? I loved Marks Exige, what am I looking at £££ wise to upgrade the wheels / tyres / syspension on the 111R to make it go around corners like an Exige?
3) Is there a significant difference between the Exige S and the aftermarket Katana kits for the Exige NA?
4) Is there a buyers guide and where can I download it?
Obviously I will get out and drive them closer the time, but for now I need to learn what I am looking at.
Many thanks,
Shabs
Shabs said:
2) What is the difference between the 111R and the Exige NA? I loved Marks Exige, what am I looking at £££ wise to upgrade the wheels / tyres / syspension on the 111R to make it go around corners like an Exige?
Difference include stiffer suspension springs (Either Bilstien or Ohlin Dampers), wider front wheels (195 Vs 175) and AD048 Semi Slicks,
Your find a 111R with sports packs / super sports pack or the Sports racer will have the same sort of set up as the Exige N/A (Except front spliter & rear wing)
However the way forward is to get the Ohlin setup's available on some exige's / Elise (Not sure which ones off hand) about a 2K aftermarket option.
Then your need a set of wheeels if you would like to run the same semi slicks as the Exige (A048s, personally I use the AD07's on normal Elise wheels and they really good as an all round tyre.
3) Is there a significant difference between the Exige S and the aftermarket Katana kits for the Exige NA?
Katana offers 250 thereabouts, and seems to be favoured by some people, couple of threads recently about this.
Difference include stiffer suspension springs (Either Bilstien or Ohlin Dampers), wider front wheels (195 Vs 175) and AD048 Semi Slicks,
Your find a 111R with sports packs / super sports pack or the Sports racer will have the same sort of set up as the Exige N/A (Except front spliter & rear wing)
However the way forward is to get the Ohlin setup's available on some exige's / Elise (Not sure which ones off hand) about a 2K aftermarket option.
Then your need a set of wheeels if you would like to run the same semi slicks as the Exige (A048s, personally I use the AD07's on normal Elise wheels and they really good as an all round tyre.
3) Is there a significant difference between the Exige S and the aftermarket Katana kits for the Exige NA?
Katana offers 250 thereabouts, and seems to be favoured by some people, couple of threads recently about this.
The 111S suffers from the well publicised K-series head gasket problems, especially if it's not looked after properly, but otherwise is fairly reliable. The Toyota lump in the 111R is pretty good on the road, although I understand that it can (rarely) have oil starvation issues on sticky rubber on the track.
K-series head gasket failure costs you about 500 quid to fix at an indi, which you will save every year on fuel and tax costs compared to the 111R if you drive it much. If fixed properly (which might be a bit more expensive if the liner heights need correcting) it shouldn't go a second time if you don't abuse the engine.
There is no difference in build quality between a 111S and a 111R of the same age, but with each model year, Lotus seems to have built the cars better. The 111R has a brake servo and ABS which the 111S doesn't which might be a good thin or a bad thing depending on your preferences.
The K-series powered cars are quite a lot lighter than the Toyota ones so the performance difference isn't as big as you'd expect, although the Toyota feels quite a bit faster because of the shape of the torque curve.
I'd recommend that you register on SELOC and have a poke around the techwiki and forums.
K-series head gasket failure costs you about 500 quid to fix at an indi, which you will save every year on fuel and tax costs compared to the 111R if you drive it much. If fixed properly (which might be a bit more expensive if the liner heights need correcting) it shouldn't go a second time if you don't abuse the engine.
There is no difference in build quality between a 111S and a 111R of the same age, but with each model year, Lotus seems to have built the cars better. The 111R has a brake servo and ABS which the 111S doesn't which might be a good thin or a bad thing depending on your preferences.
The K-series powered cars are quite a lot lighter than the Toyota ones so the performance difference isn't as big as you'd expect, although the Toyota feels quite a bit faster because of the shape of the torque curve.
I'd recommend that you register on SELOC and have a poke around the techwiki and forums.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 8th September 16:05
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