[taylorcoleman]

Hi all.

I've been a fan of Lotus for quite some time. I had a 1997 Esprit that I adored.

I now have a 2006 Porsche Carrera C2S Cabriolet which I adore as well. It's mint, with only 3,100 miles. It's my toy car of course (C63 is my DD).

I stopped by a Lotus dealer yesterday just to see an Exige S in person. The Exige was in the showroom (2007, Red, with Touring Pack and Traction Control as options, 100 miles, never titled). The dealer saw my Porsche and offered me a 1 for 1 trade (we just swap titles, no tax implication).

I'm a little torn. I love my Porsche. It's fast, comfortable, sounds incredible--but just not flashy enough for me, and I do like more of the "race car" feel. I drove a 2008 supercharged Elise to compare (as again, the Exige was on the showroom and it would take too long to get it out). I loved the seating position, feel of the car, and the "exoticness". But I was not wow'd by it.

This is of course a very personal decision to make, but I'm curious what the group here would say: trade my Porsche for a 2007 Exige S?

 

[4380r]

Hi all.

I've been a fan of Lotus for quite some time. I had a 1997 Esprit that I adored.

I now have a 2006 Porsche Carrera C2S Cabriolet which I adore as well. It's mint, with only 3,100 miles. It's my toy car of course (C63 is my DD).

I stopped by a Lotus dealer yesterday just to see an Exige S in person. The Exige was in the showroom (2007, Red, with Touring Pack and Traction Control as options, 100 miles, never titled). The dealer saw my Porsche and offered me a 1 for 1 trade (we just swap titles, no tax implication).

I'm a little torn. I love my Porsche. It's fast, comfortable, sounds incredible--but just not flashy enough for me, and I do like more of the "race car" feel. I drove a 2008 supercharged Elise to compare (as again, the Exige was on the showroom and it would take too long to get it out). I loved the seating position, feel of the car, and the "exoticness". But I was not wow'd by it.

This is of course a very personal decision to make, but I'm curious what the group here would say: trade my Porsche for a 2007 Exige S?

No. If you were not 'wowed' by it, the compromises in ownership will soon make themselves known to you and you probably will not like the car enough to put up with them.

It IS flashy, but that can wear thin pretty quickly if the car isn't otherwise a 'wow' experience for you.

But like you said, it is a personal choice.

 

[Ian]

No. If you were not 'wowed' by it, the compromises in ownership will soon make themselves known to you and you probably will not like the car enough to put up with them.

Agree 100%

 

[EliseAtLeast]

Thats good advice. If you like your Porsche and not impressed by the Exige then why trade it. Enjoy your Porsche.

 

[Moto44]

Since you are still enjoying the Porsche so much, if I were you, I'd wait until I was truly looking for a new experience. The Lotus will still be available when that time comes.

 

[taylorcoleman]

All excellent points, thank you!

 

[aschen]

Flashy looks imho is not a good reason to get a lotus. These cars cater to people who value agility and "purity" above all else, even performance in most cases. The porsche is the better (and in many cases faster) overall car. The lotus is way more fun and rewarding to drive in my experience though.

If your familier with the porsche line up try this test: which porsche would you lust over more a gt3 or a turbo. If you answered gt3 a lotus may be right for you, but an exige is still way less practicle and comfortable than a gt3.

 

[Bavarian Motorist]

Were you not wowed by the acceleration? The Exige S will be a bit faster than the Elise SC if that helps, but either way it's not a ridiculously fast car.


Have you considered a 997 GT3? That may give you the 'exoticness' you desire and the speed you desire.

 

[Moto44]

Flashy looks imho is not a good reason to get a lotus. These cars cater to people who value agility and "purity" above all else, even performance in most cases.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to jump on this. In all fairness, he didn't say it was the only reason he's interested in the car.

And I must admit that half of the reason I am attracted to the car is its extreme, Hot Wheel-like looks.

 

[deddie]

I own both. For street driving, I would never trade my 997 for my Exige. In fact, I no longer drive the Exige on the street because it makes a horrible street car for daily driving purposes. However, it is a phenomenal track/canyon car and I love owning it for that reason. You will regret the trade within 24 hours.

 

[plastique999]

Hi all.

I've been a fan of Lotus for quite some time. I had a 1997 Esprit that I adored.

I'm a little torn. I love my Porsche. It's fast, comfortable, sounds incredible--but just not flashy enough for me, and I do like more of the "race car" feel. I drove a 2008 supercharged Elise to compare (as again, the Exige was on the showroom and it would take too long to get it out). I loved the seating position, feel of the car, and the "exoticness". But I was not wow'd by it.

This is of course a very personal decision to make, but I'm curious what the group here would say: trade my Porsche for a 2007 Exige S?

I think you described the Lotus pretty well...but on top of what you said, the Lotus is more about the pure "visceral" driving experience (from a street car). It also is a lot more flashy than the P-car. The Lotus is much more responsive than the P-car.
Wow were you not Wow'd by it?

If you like comfort, luxury and some sporty driving....keep the P-car.

If you love the thrill of driving....Lotus.

 

[Tpup]

I own both. For street driving, I would never trade my 997 for my Exige. In fact, I no longer drive the Exige on the street because it makes a horrible street car for daily driving purposes. However, it is a phenomenal track/canyon car and I love owning it for that reason. You will regret the trade within 24 hours.

This is spot on imo. I'd strongly suggest you do nothing until you take a long test drive including running some errands. I like my 240s but I don't take it to run errands etc. My Cab is for cruising in the summer, my 240s is for serious work...

 

[kaiynne]

I am pretty sure he said the Porsche was his toy car and based on that doubt he is planning to daily drive the lotus. My question would be how comfortable did you feel opening up the Elise? I know when i test drove the car i loved it but when i drove mine the first few times i was shocked by how much more i liked the car since i felt comfortable throwing it around a little, not to mention the awesomeness of driving it after break in.

So i would just say you may have only seen the tip of the iceberg, if you liked it but were not completely WOW'ed there might still be hope for you, at least more so than if you hated the car as i am sure some people do after driving it.

 

[taylorcoleman]

I am pretty sure he said the Porsche was his toy car and based on that doubt he is planning to daily drive the lotus. My question would be how comfortable did you feel opening up the Elise? I know when i test drove the car i loved it but when i drove mine the first few times i was shocked by how much more i liked the car since i felt comfortable throwing it around a little, not to mention the awesomeness of driving it after break in.

So i would just say you may have only seen the tip of the iceberg, if you liked it but were not completely WOW'ed there might still be hope for you, at least more so than if you hated the car as i am sure some people do after driving it.

All great posts, thank you.

Yes, I think there is still hope. It's indeed my toy car, so I consider that as anything driven <5,000 miles per year.

I think it's worth me driving the Exige and giving it another go. My test drive was rushed because I was between appointments and I only had 15 minutes in the car.

I'll be happy to update this thread when/if I do another test drive.

 

[U4IA187]

I am lucky enough to have a 2008 exige s240 and a 2009 porsche carrera s cabriolet. The two cars are completely different. Both do play on a visceral component, but in very different ways. The carrera is very tame on the street and even the track in comparison to the lotus. Two very different driving styles are required to keep them on line. The porsche is very posh for a sports car, while the lotus is very spartan. Porsches are certainly more commonplace than exiges, and you will definately get alot more attention for the lotus. There is better acceleration in and around the corners from the lotus with less oversteer, in fact sometimes i feel like i can bonzai into a sweeper where the porsche is a definate slow in fast out girl. The lotus will make your back hurt and cause you to go deaf. Its a track weapon of choice. The porsche does well onthe track but needds alot of tweeking to get the suspension tight. I love how resposive and refined the porsche is in terms of handling and throttle response; the lotus is all of that but served completely raw. Hope this helps.

 

[pla_time]

I have an '06 Elise and an '09 Targa 4 -- so not exactly equivalent comparisons. However, I think if you are going to put < 1,000 miles/year on the "toy" car, you will probably find the Porsche easier to deal with. Unless you put a battery tender on the Lotus, you're probably looking at a new battery every time you decide to take it out of the garage, given how infrequently you would drive it.
But, both are great cars. When the weather is nice, I most frequently take the Lotus. For bad weather, a long trip, for hauling more than a couple of bags of groceries, or for parking in an area that is more likely to result in dings, I take the Porsche.

 

[Trendy Exige]

If the joints in your body are aching all the time and your not in the best physical shape then you should definitely consider keeping the Porsche Carrera C2S Cabriolet handy. :no:

The original post said he owns a cabriolet. Its a soft top convertible, therefore its really not what you call an ideal track car or a weekend warrior.

I know several of you will probably disagree with me about this but contrary to popular belief, Carrera Cabriolet is just your typical run of the mill Porsche. It's not really a jaw dropper or a type of car that make people do a double take. It depends on the demographic I presume. :shrug:

Personally, I think a Porsche Carrera C2S Cabriolet is best used as a daily driver. By no means can you use a Lotus Exige S as a daily driver car if you plan on going everywhere you need to go without inconvenience yourself.
Luckily he have a Benz C63 as a daily driver so he's taken care of in that department. :up: