Elise / Exige Questions?

I don't know if it's a new car you'll be buying or if you can get the new V6 Exige S in the US but if yes that's the car you want.

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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl1nLCZ46YM[/ame]

 

Except of course for the cabinari who do notice bright colors regardless of car, have no sense of humor and an enhanced revenue collection antena.

 

I daily drive my 156bhp Rover powered Elise (never sold in the US) and although more power would be nice (isn't it always) it isn't necessary for driving enjoyment

Not for sale in the US as a road car (track only). Can't wait to see one here though

 

Yup, I would probably go for something that doesn't scream "SPEED!!!" when parked.

 

I agree with pretty much everything said here. I bought my car in May of 09 with 6k miles. These are AWESOME cars and for the most part VERY reliable but there are a few things to look out for if you buy an early production car like mine.

Premature cam wear. Mine suffered from this and the cams were replaced with Piper stage 2 cams. The car now has a great lope to the idle and dynoed at 194 RWHP on a mustang dyno.

An exhaust is a must, the factory exhaust is way too quiet, I opted for the Jan Speed stage 2 and it sounds incredible with the cams. Very much like a big bore 4 Cyl. super bike with pops and burbles on up and down shifts. There are several very good after market exhausts available for these cars.

Depending on which package(s) you get, touring or sport pack, different things go at different times. my car has both packages and like clock work at 20k miles both the factory Bilsteins and suspension bushings needed to be replaced. (keep in mind I do instruct on track with the car several times a year) But they typically fail then in non-tracked cars as well.

Sport gives you LSS wheels (lightweight sport style wheels) Bilstein suspension, crank windows, no-leather and soft removable top. Touring will give you leather, power windows, hard top, soft top, one of the blaupunkt variants and star shield. Some cars do have both, try to find one of these if possible. (Trust me on this)

I put AST coil-overs in the car to take care of the shock issue. At the same time the steer rack started to develop play and I replaced that with the quick turn rack.

These cars do rattle a bit and there are little things here and there you can tighten or tweak to minimize the rattles but just know they are there.

Aside from that the car ALWAYS puts a smile on my face when I drive it and with 18k miles put on in 3 years, it has been an absolute blast to drive.

Let me know if you have any questions about a specific car and I will be glad to help you with your research.

Cheers!

 

My 348 and my Brother's Lotus.... peas and carrots.
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As far as GT40 Replicas, look what V8Archie is building w/ a supercharged V8...scroll down a ways in this thread to see parts of the build:


http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum3/HTML/000046-72.html

 

I have an 08 Exige 240S. Miles split about equally between the track and the street. Has some suspension mods, double adjustable coil overs, different seat, Borla exhaust.

The thing (for me) about this car is that when I first test drove them I was not super impressed. However, the more time I've spent in my car the more I appreciate the incredible feedback that is, in fact, better than any other car I've ever driven.

I'd be happy to answer any other specific questions as well (and FWIW, past and current cars include e36 M3, e46 M3, 360, 430, Cayman S, VW GTI, Maser spyder).

 

This is the closest I have...
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don't have much to add, I only had mine for six months and wish I hadn't sold it

very unique driving experience, but probably not too far off from a 308 (small, light, no power steering, etc) or an Esprit.

I didn't find the car too difficult to get into but getting out could be a real PITA.

if you can swing a supercharged car, do that...the n/a cars are pretty gutless below 6k rpms or so. however,even on the n/a cars once they're wound up they're not slow!

I didn't have any major issues with mine, the Toyota driveline is pretty stout. as with most British cars some curious build quality and electronic quirks, the stereo is awful, and the factory alarm/keyless entry is bizarre. windows tend to not completely insulate the vehicle so you'll get a bit wet on a rainy day (why the English can't get that right is beyond me).

be careful not to damage a clam, they're expensive (rear clams are $8k or so). that can easily total an n/a Elise as those are $20-25k cars now.

if you're going to track the car, I'd recommend doing the oil baffles/motor mounts/gearbox linkage strengthening. LotusTalk will be all over those issues, or check out sector111.com. to be honest you might want to do the shift linkage anyway, that's a real fault in the driving experience IMO (very sloppy Toyota Matrix linkage).

I think every car guy should have an Elise/Exige at some point, really great little cars. happy hunting!

 

I sold a 2010 ExigeS and bought a Scud.
They are both very raw, extremely fun cars. Obviously the Lotus is less expensive to buy and maintain. The 2010 and 2011 ExigeS 240 and 260 hp cars are the top of the line and still not expensive.
Have fun!

 

I think flash is the expert, having owned several for a while

 

Not a 308 but here's my pair. Loved the exige. Was a great track car, just underpowered. Handling was fantastic.

 

wow, damn, that's quite the 1-2 punch there!
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Getting out is an art. Much easier in either version with the top off (yes, the Exige top removes nicely, but it cannot be stored on board).

One point that I don't think has been made is that the Exige has no functional rear window/rear view mirror. If I were buying one a daily/city driver, I think this single fact would swing me in the direction of an Elise.

But the Exige power is addictive (I've driven both Elises and Exiges extensively on the track, and while the Elise is not slouch when driven hard, the Exige is much more "fun" around town).