Buying an exige - hopefully

[vw tt]

The e92 definitely needs to be on my list then, sounds like my kind of car. 

The GTR I have a real soft spot for I'll be honest. It's that whole Japanese tuner car thing which really appeals to me for some reason. But it's so expensive to own and modify, and on a test drive I found I just couldn't even start to open it up as it was bonkers fast and it didn't feel exciting at slower speeds. So day to day I think it could be frustrating. Amazing car though! 

Roll on monday and some sunny weather to see what the exige can do ! 

[Chrisc]

The E92 M3 is not particulary cheap though, well they are not bad to buy, but try and get one with BMW warranty if by a mad reason you do decide to go that route. Common things are throttle actuators (£800 each) and the earlier cars (2007-2010) have had some issues with bearings, so that can be very expensive. But ultimately a great engine!

Modding them is not cheap either! Exhaust can be 5k, decent suspension 4k, seats, wheels etc etc  oh and brakes! 

This is what made me get something lighter! £600 on pads (RS29) and last 4-5 track days, £1100 on tyres (cup 2) and again 4-6 track days! But a very reliable car. 

[swanny71]

I also tried a Cayman S, 997S and Evora before gettting an Exige. By far the best drivers car and the most special.

Had an e90 M3 for a while a few years ago and never really bonded with it - crushingly competatnt but  not special enough for a weekend toy and not practical enough as a daily. 

Fiesta ST + Exige S seems a good mix. Good luck and enjoy the process of finding the right car(s) for you.

 

[vw tt]

4 hours ago, Chrisc said:

The E92 M3 is not particulary cheap though, well they are not bad to buy, but try and get one with BMW warranty if by a mad reason you do decide to go that route. Common things are throttle actuators (£800 each) and the earlier cars (2007-2010) have had some issues with bearings, so that can be very expensive. But ultimately a great engine!

Modding them is not cheap either! Exhaust can be 5k, decent suspension 4k, seats, wheels etc etc  oh and brakes! 

This is what made me get something lighter! £600 on pads (RS29) and last 4-5 track days, £1100 on tyres (cup 2) and again 4-6 track days! But a very reliable car. 

Hmm good points there. It's difficult when researching cars as finding out how much it costs to buy is simple, but those hidden running costs are difficult to find out about. So thanks for the info it really helps. 

 

Certainly the the more I read and the more advice I'm getting the more I feel the exige might tick so many boxes for me. 

2 hours ago, swanny71 said:

I also tried a Cayman S, 997S and Evora before gettting an Exige. By far the best drivers car and the most special.

Had an e90 M3 for a while a few years ago and never really bonded with it - crushingly competatnt but  not special enough for a weekend toy and not practical enough as a daily. 

Fiesta ST + Exige S seems a good mix. Good luck and enjoy the process of finding the right car(s) for you.

 

Well it's all about the driving for me now. I agree the ST+exige might be perfect for me. Fingers crossed.  

[vw tt]

Haha I'm really building this car up in my mind now. I hope it's as good as i imagine! 

[Bibs]

It'll be better  

[edguy]

I was in a similar dilemma and having run many performance cars over the years, I was running a RS5 at the time, fantastic bit of kit however driving it to work and also using it at the weekend didn't excite and was costing an arm and leg in consumptions, not to bear in mind the depreciation with mileage.

I test drove a M4 and then a GTR and was about to put down a deposit on a 3 year old GTR but after extensively reviewing the running costs, warranty , servicing etc and taking a realistic analysis these costs were scary.

Decided at that point I'd try a Cayman S 981 and the Evora S, The Cayman S personally I felt was a better all-round vehicle than the Evora, however the exclusiveness of the Evora and the looks was winning me over, I then decided to take a test drive of the Exige S V6, owning a 135R Elise many years ago I kind of knew the impracticalities it would present.

After getting out of the Exige I knew instantly that I needed this car in my life, It's just how engaged it made me feel working the gears having to actually use two hands to steer and the handling ... wow!, It still scares and excites me and it ticked every box bar the practicality I needed, putting the 3.5 in this platform certainly spiced things up.

To cut the story short knowing there was no way I could justify the Exige as a daily, I ended up leasing an extremely comfortable and economically hybrid which I run as a daily to work - Yes it's dull and incredibly boring but it's relaxing, given most of my driving is in traffic it works well. The savings I make on fuel each month compared to the RS5 almost pay for the lease so. I then bought the Exige to use at the weekend.

So far it's the best car decision I've ever made, finding one car to give you best of both worlds can be incredibly difficult, something normally has to give.

Running 2 cars with every extreme opposite a yin a yang approach has works wonders for me!

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2016 by edguy

[vw tt]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one to go through these dilemmas.

dont know if I could do the hybrid thing but I can see why you did to free up the cash. 

[alias23]

Had a GTR for a year, spent way too much money on shiny bits (alloys, carbon, aero), performance upgrades (engine and suspension), servicing, and consumables (tyres and brakes). I can't express how much of a money pit it was... It would have genuinely been more cost effective to have bought a lambo!

Don't be fooled by the purchase price, its the ongoing prices that kill you.

To your point on day to day excitement, once you've got over the novelty of the speed and gut clenching acceleration, scared the sh*t out of your friends, work colleagues, and misses... You'll be sat in traffic one day and realise this is the most boring car i've ever owned.

[alias23]

Here she is.. 

[Chrisc]

Ooh is it picture time 

Looks lovely! Well for a 2 tonne fat bird  I do love them to be fair.

And my old 92 

[alias23]

I was stalking that colour E92 M3 for months before I decided on getting the Exige! Great colour!

[Chrisc]

Yes, Santorini blue. Just lovely, and such a bad mistake selling her to get the M4!!! 

 

[alias23]

I did look at the M4, nice daily car, but as I started to get hooked on track days felt it could have been in the realms of the GTR in terms of cost to run (consumables and upgrades required etc..) 

[Chrisc]

It is! Though not quite as bad as the GTR! 

Seen quite a few with the Alcon brake setup. And at 11 grand! I would not be parting with that. 

[vw tt]

1 hour ago, alias23 said:

Had a GTR for a year, spent way too much money on shiny bits (alloys, carbon, aero), performance upgrades (engine and suspension), servicing, and consumables (tyres and brakes). I can't express how much of a money pit it was... It would have genuinely been more cost effective to have bought a lambo!

Don't be fooled by the purchase price, its the ongoing prices that kill you.

To your point on day to day excitement, once you've got over the novelty of the speed and gut clenching acceleration, scared the sh*t out of your friends, work colleagues, and misses... You'll be sat in traffic one day and realise this is the most boring car i've ever owned.

Good GTR review and pretty much what worries me. Cost and more of a novelty. 

[Ccd]

Can't speak to the situation across the pond, but the TT RS can be had for a reasonable price here in the USA and is definitely trackable.  For relatively short money (at least compared to a normally aspirated car), the power and torque can be raised to around 540hp/500 lb ft of torque in a car that only weights 3300 lbs.  There are really an amazing number of mods available for this car given its production numbers

[Chrisc]

The TT RS is the only Audi i have owned and liked. However the one thing i could not get used to was the power delivery. It seems VAG turbo units that use the K04 just are so unresponsive. I know decat and various other mods help, but ultimately it was not what i wanted. Plus it understeered like mad on original geo settings.

Still a light car, and a brilliant 5 cyl engine though. If they can sort the response out, i would consider one. Though for the new RS they dont seem to have used a newer engine. As the 2litre supercharged and turbo unit is not too bad. Plus 4wd system was a bit strange, still felt like a FWD car to drive. Cant comment much, as only had it a few months.

[vw tt]

Yes the TTRS is a good shout and super tuneable, but I wasn't blown away by the stock TTRS I drove a year or two ago. It was good but not great. Maybe I'll have another look though. 

[Ccd]

I have a Stage 1 ecu upgrade which improves the power delivery.  Can't speak to the turbo upgrades as I have yet to drive a TT RS so equipped.  The new TT RS uses the same 5 cylinder engine but with an aluminum block to reduce weight.  The TT-RS is nose heavy so that should help.  The TT is a FWD platform and the RS can send about 30% of its power to the rear wheels (with mods, this can be increased to 50%).  A very good car and often over-looked.  If you keep the back seat down, the car is surprisingly practical as well..  My choice is between keeping my TT and modding the hell out of it or getting an Evora 400.  

[alias23]

Still 4WD though...

[Gashead1105]

54 minutes ago, vw tt said:

Yes the TTRS is a good shout and super tuneable, but I wasn't blown away by the stock TTRS I drove a year or two ago. It was good but not great. Maybe I'll have another look though. 

Oh, come on, is it really? It's still basically an understeery golf gti in drag. Nice, civilised, lovely cabin, well pit together. Zzzzzz. Nice - It's about the worst thing you can say about a sports car. Fine for the everyday,  but not what I want in a sportscar at all.

[stratosboy]

Mark I'm in Warrington (Burtonwood) and have a one year old Exige S - if you wanted to have a good look round it, quick spin and chat about ownership?

I love it, great driving experience. I'm niggled by silly quality things like the annoying rocking driving seat - all the elise platform cars have this.

Enjoy your test drive on Monday, I'm sure you will be impressed.

I drove a 911 Carrera 4 and Cayman S last year, but not as involving drive as in Exige.

 

 

[Fatsterjack]

11 hours ago, vw tt said:

Haha I'm really building this car up in my mind now. I hope it's as good as i imagine! 

Just to fan the flames.....

I sold my GT4.

I pick up my Exige LF1 on Friday.  

As a drivers car the Exige is a compelling proposition.  Some will love the convenience of a Cayman but from my experience I'm expecting more smiles and miles in my Exige.

Fiesta ST will make a great companion car.  I've got an Abarth 595 - drove it to Bristol and back over last couple of days. I must be mad!  

Track them both, I was out gunning 911's in my Abarth on track recently, you'll find it huge fun in both!  

Cheers

FJ

Footnote - I obviously can't comment on the quality of the 911 drivers but it was fun none the less!

 

[vw tt]

9 hours ago, Gashead1105 said:

Oh, come on, is it really? It's still basically an understeery golf gti in drag. Nice, civilised, lovely cabin, well pit together. Zzzzzz. Nice - It's about the worst thing you can say about a sports car. Fine for the everyday,  but not what I want in a sportscar at all.

Haha well ok fair enough, it's a different thing altogether than an exige. I imagine no where near the same experience. But a nice car still. 

9 hours ago, stratosboy said:

Mark I'm in Warrington (Burtonwood) and have a one year old Exige S - if you wanted to have a good look round it, quick spin and chat about ownership?

I love it, great driving experience. I'm niggled by silly quality things like the annoying rocking driving seat - all the elise platform cars have this.

Enjoy your test drive on Monday, I'm sure you will be impressed.

I drove a 911 Carrera 4 and Cayman S last year, but not as involving drive as in Exige.

 

 

Oh wow, thanks that's very good of you. I'll get the test drive done and I'll be in touch. Nothing like real feedback from an owner. Thanks very much.