Thinking of buying this Exige

[Karls]

Can anyone shed any light on this car at Howards Lotus, Weston Super Mare:

https://www.howardsgroup.co.uk/used-cars/lotus-exige-3-5-sport-350-2dr-2-door-coupe-racing-green/ex16els

Looking at their fb page, I can see it’s been with them since at least Nov 2018. I called about it over a week ago and they apparently had 5 people interested. I called again this afternoon and it’s still available.

Very low mileage and price doesn’t look too bad. From what I can see it’s got no radio, no air-con, no carpets but none of that bothers me. Harnesses means it’s been used on track .

I’m possibly going tomorrow to have a look but something doesn’t quite sit right. If anyone knows the car or has any thoughts on what I should be looking out for I’d be really grateful. I’m coming from a Nissan GT-R (8 yrs ownership), drove a 350 Sport about a year ago and absolutely loved it. Will I miss the GT-R though?

[Ali tuck]

Same colour as mine,love it

[Neal H]

It does look very nice. It's stripped out nature and harnesses does suggest it's seen some track use , but that doesn't really matter given the nature of the car, it's designed to be used on track. Very low mileage as well.

No radio isn't an issue as the standard fit item is utterly rubbish and not worth having. I'd want mats adding but I'm sure they'd throw those in if you agreed a deal. No aircon would be a bigger issue for me. It may not bother you but it will bother many others which may be what has put others off, this will impact it's value. The aircon in the Exige works remarkably well.

[Tex]

Air con is a must , anything above 20c and your going to roast and even more so on a track. 

If you can do without then a large discount is worth negotiating 

[MrP_]

Depends what you are using it for, if it's a track car only or base for modifying  (air con aside), it seems great. If a weekend car, again don't see an issue. If it's an everyday car, the lack of comfort may well be an issue.

The fact it's a stripped out spec does not guarantee   it's seen heavy track use. Every Exige/Elise I've owned has had harnesses, only half did many track days, many were daily drivers. The first thing I did when I got home with a brand new car was fit the harnesses, with no plan to take on track. The Exige can lend itself to people trying to buy a hardcore car, and convincing themselves that they want a stripped out go cart, but in reality they wanted aircon, harnesses are a pain on the road when you aren't used to them and hearing every stone bounce of the floor when you drive down the road is not the best when trying to take your wife for a drive.

Even if it has been on track a lot, that's not an issue. Just make sure the servicing was done correctly, they can provide an engine diagnostic report and the warranty remains.

Have a look though, the spec is not bad at all. Forged wheels and 2 piece brakes are useful, as is the harnesses (with retained belts). You can add carpet back in, stereo the same (loom may already be there) and even NVH pack. Aircon is the only big miss, which will effect resale either private or to the dealer network

I think that car has been around far longer that 2 months, and it hasn't suddenly now got 5 people calling up about it. Every car I have ever called up about has a queue of about 1 gazzilion people that have called that very morning according to the dealer, but the cars still seem to sit there... If they are trying to get you into the 'limited time' rubbish already it shows they are up for a good deal

[Karls]

Thanks for all your replies so far guys, it’s appreciated and really helpful. I still have the GT-R, I store it from Nov through to March. I don’t know how much I would miss it but last year was the first year I was glad to take it off the road for Winter. It’s an expensive car to run; fuel, tyres, servicing and a 59 plate car is now going to start needing tlc in other areas, not that it has wanted for nothing. I agree that it is a fantastically engineered piece of kit but the draw of the Loti is strong. I am just worried that six months down the line I don’t want to end up regretting the switch.

[Guest]

Have you looked at Leven Lotus sale in Edinburgh. They are heavily discounting their Demo stock at present. FYI no affiliation with said dealership. I just got a cracking deal last September. 

[Karls]

Thanks Andy, I’ll take a look.

[alias23]

You’ll miss the GTR when doing long drives especially on the motorway. Also when popping down the shops you’ll find the lotus is just not as simple to jump in and out... I also had a GTR got rid as it was boring on track BUT I do miss the GTR for motorways and daily driving etc...

[RoflOnMyWaffle]

15 hours ago, alias23 said:

You’ll miss the GTR when doing long drives especially on the motorway. Also when popping down the shops you’ll find the lotus is just not as simple to jump in and out... I also had a GTR got rid as it was boring on track BUT I do miss the GTR for motorways and daily driving etc...

On the flip side, any journey is an event and fun
Only thing I dont like is the wind noise in my cabin, so consider hearing protection if its more than an hour! 

[duncx]

If I was looking at buying a 350 I would consider this....

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201901023580127?advertising-location=at_cars&price-to=65000&postcode=s322hq&model=EXIGE&page=1&price-from=15000&make=LOTUS&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used

It's my old car, lovely colour, all the options (forged alloys, 2 piece brakes, carpets, stereo, Aircon etc) and £5K cheaper. Still has around 6 months Lotus warranty from memory. At 6K miles (when I traded it in) it had never seen a track and was in immaculate condition. I've no connection to the seller, just seems like a good buy to me

[Karls]

Thanks duncx, it looks like a good spec’d car. Nice colour. I’ve emailed the seller.

[DAIR]

I test drove that very car a few weeks back.

From what i was told. The previous owner didnt have the opportunity to take the car on track. The tyres were in pretty good condition!

Apart from the colour (British Green) I loved everything about it. All the right options were checked .....or in the case of this car. Unchecked. Good price imo.

 

Anyway I'm now more likely to order one brand new.

[pete]

Car looked red on my phone

[stephenwhyte]

Looks orange on mine🤔

[Karls]

On 13/01/2019 at 14:48, duncx said:

If I was looking at buying a 350 I would consider this....

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201901023580127?advertising-location=at_cars&price-to=65000&postcode=s322hq&model=EXIGE&page=1&price-from=15000&make=LOTUS&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used

It's my old car, lovely colour, all the options (forged alloys, 2 piece brakes, carpets, stereo, Aircon etc) and £5K cheaper. Still has around 6 months Lotus warranty from memory. At 6K miles (when I traded it in) it had never seen a track and was in immaculate condition. I've no connection to the seller, just seems like a good buy to me

Going to look at this car at the weekend. Current owner bought it from B&C about 8 months ago. He’s put about 7K on it since then with a trip to Europe with his wife, 1 trackday at Silverstone and a couple of laps of Brands Indy. Cup 2 tyres all round with plenty of life left so I’m told. 4K since last service. 1 stonechip on front, 1 behind the dvr’s side intake. Reason for selling - work has gone mad and it’s not getting used. The seller likes to switch cars fairly regularly but says he’s happy to keep this if it doesn’t sell.

Thoughts welcome please

[duncx]

1 hour ago, Karls said:

Going to look at this car at the weekend. Current owner bought it from B&C about 8 months ago. He’s put about 7K on it since then with a trip to Europe with his wife, 1 trackday at Silverstone and a couple of laps of Brands Indy. Cup 2 tyres all round with plenty of life left so I’m told. 4K since last service. 1 stonechip on front, 1 behind the dvr’s side intake. Reason for selling - work has gone mad and it’s not getting used. The seller likes to switch cars fairly regularly but says he’s happy to keep this if it doesn’t sell.

Thoughts welcome please

I was the second owner (from 3 months old) so if the current owner bought it from B&C only 8 months ago then he must be the fourth owner - I traded the car in at Murrays in Edinburgh in early Feb 2018 and to my knowledge it sold within a few weeks. When I dropped it off it had about 6,800 miles on the clock. Clearly 6800 + 7K miles does not = the 11K miles advertised. Either the advert is wrong or the seller didn't manage the 7K miles, more like 4K at the most? 

Still a great car, it might be worth knowing that it had a ceramic coating from new so that will have helped keep the paintwork looking good. The colour is signature orange and it looks fabulous in the sun, almost takes on a subtle gold hue.

Good luck with the viewing.

[Karls]

Thanks Duncan.

[Karls]

22 hours ago, duncx said:

I was the second owner (from 3 months old) so if the current owner bought it from B&C only 8 months ago then he must be the fourth owner - I traded the car in at Murrays in Edinburgh in early Feb 2018 and to my knowledge it sold within a few weeks. When I dropped it off it had about 6,800 miles on the clock. Clearly 6800 + 7K miles does not = the 11K miles advertised. Either the advert is wrong or the seller didn't manage the 7K miles, more like 4K at the most? 

Still a great car, it might be worth knowing that it had a ceramic coating from new so that will have helped keep the paintwork looking good. The colour is signature orange and it looks fabulous in the sun, almost takes on a subtle gold hue.

Good luck with the viewing.

I stand corrected, the seller did indeed have the car shipped down from Edinburgh!

[Karls]

On 13/01/2019 at 14:48, duncx said:

If I was looking at buying a 350 I would consider this....

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201901023580127?advertising-location=at_cars&price-to=65000&postcode=s322hq&model=EXIGE&page=1&price-from=15000&make=LOTUS&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used

It's my old car, lovely colour, all the options (forged alloys, 2 piece brakes, carpets, stereo, Aircon etc) and £5K cheaper. Still has around 6 months Lotus warranty from memory. At 6K miles (when I traded it in) it had never seen a track and was in immaculate condition. I've no connection to the seller, just seems like a good buy to me

Duncan, what do you reckon on the asking price?

[duncx]

On 16/01/2019 at 16:36, Karls said:

Duncan, what do you reckon on the asking price?

Sorry, been away on holiday for the last week!

If you are still looking at this then I think the price is pretty good - you only have to look at what else is on offer from the trade sellers to see that you are saving a fair bit of cash. Of course you don't have the same consumer protection with a private sale/purchase but the car still has 6 or 7 months factory warranty which is better than any trade warranty anyway.

If the car hasn't already sold then it will sell easily when the market/weather picks up around March/April time.

[stephenwhyte]

@duncx 

 

[duncx]

Ahhh! Missed that, well done Karls, great car