Anyone come from an Elise, VX or similar?

I had the S1 sport 135, S2 111S, S1 Exige, S1 Exige with Honda all fantastic cars but to me the S2 was far to refined and not RAW enough. The Z is a complete different car. As the OP said as soon as you step in the Lotus it feels special the drive is fantastic. The Z for me is more of a daily drive than a fun car although in saying that I do love my coupe. I am looking for a new to me S1 Exige as a toy.

Cheers
C
 
Jonnymito said:
The more time I spend with the car though I'm finding myself thinking that it is just a bit too refined and much as I hate to say this... A bit boring? :o
Click to expand...

I felt exactly the same after just over a year in the Z4. I've now got a 350Z 300 GT which is alot more raw and fun to drive but thats also going soon as i really really want a S2 Elise.
 
I haven't owned an Elise/VX but i have driven a couple and spent time as a passenger in numerous, S1 135, S2 111S, S2 111R and a VX220 Turbo.

Theres no doubt about it these cars are more fun. If i had the money then i would have one for the weekend. But for a car to drive 7 days a week then the Z wins hands down. ALL cars are a compromise but i think the Z is a near perfect compromise. It has all the refinement of a normal car but is still a proper 6 cylinder sports car to take for a blast.

VX Turbo's and TVR Chimaera's were both on my shortlist before i bought the Z. I certainly wont kid myself that they aren't more exciting - on a sunday blast they are the ones to have. But as an only car i think they are too compromised in other areas. Bought the Z and each day i'm further satisfied i made the right choice. :thumbsup:
 
For me the Z has to be a second car as I sometimes need 4 seats so I'm priced out of the coupe unfortunately. I used to run a 330ci m sport and loved it but have been looking for a lighter fun rear wheel drive car for (nearly) everyday and Wales / track runs - a 3.0 Z being 140kg lighter than the 330 and lighter than a Nissan 350Z seems to fit the bill ? Tried an S2000 and hated it passionately, RX8's use too much oil and fuel ! MX5's are too slow and VX - well been there and still recovering in a big engined Audi !!!
The 3.0 Z4 doesn't seem to have many direct rivals ! I think I'm convincing myself into a purchase here ! I'd expect the coupe offers a more dynamic experience (without the noise / wind in the hair stuff) but i'm sure that argument has raged long before I noticed the Z ! And I can't afford one so it's fly catching and shouting at the girlfriend for me only.
That reminds me I presume there's less wind buffeting than in a VX ?!
 
Yep, had a tricked out 2.2 VX220 for 2 yaers before the Z... Loved it to bits but was a little to hardcore for my tastes now!

The Z is a fair bit less exhilarating to drive yes, but it certainly gives you a big grin when you're out and about with the Z4Forum lot :D

One thing that took me a while to get used to is the seating position with respect to the steering wheels. Being sat so far back with the power steering is very unusual at first!

Hope you enjoy it...But you shoulda got a roadster :wink:
 
I got into my zed after owning a Honda S2000 for about 12 months. I LOVE my zed more than any car I have ever owned (i ahve owned well over 15 cars of all shapes and sizes!) but I will admit that the S2000 was more ferocious and arguably better on a track. The BMW is the fantastic all-rounder though imho. Not thinking of replacing it but I think that when I do come to replacing it I will have to go for something VERY special.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys it's certainly made me feel better about my choice of car. :thumbsup:

There's alot more people than I would have thought have tried one of the more raw vehicles and if I'm honest, almost everyone has ended up with their Z for the same reason I originally wanted to change.

Bradders75: Unfortunatley I have other plans that weekend that strangely enough mean I will be on Skye so might see the troops! :thumbsup:

I've also bitten the bullet and started my plans for a few tweeks to the car :wink:

I think I'd better get some pics up of it stock before I start making the changes! :lol:

Thanks again for all the replies.
 
Hi Johnny Mito,
I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes I feel my Z4 coupe could be a little more 'raw'.
I owned a Z3 MR for 6 months and then a Z3MC for 2 years before I bought my Z4 coupe.

3 years ago when I was looking to buy a new car, I looked at a Lotus Exige (which was even cheaper than my Z4 coupe) but just couldn’t get myself to buy it as it was a little too raw to be used as an everyday car. In the end I bought the Z4 Coupe because I simply loved the way it looks. And I still (3 yrs later) think it looks amazing.

However, compared to my old Z3MC, it did lack a little 'drama' which I think a few extras can help with. On my coupe, I put a OEM Carbon Fibre spoiler which people often comment on. And then I put a OEM CF diffuser which helps the looks even more. These are two definite must haves for any coupe owners!!

I also have some custom made splitters which I have yet to fit. But once I do I will put some pics up on a thread.

In the end, I often ask myself if I regretted not buying the Exige? But the reality is if I had bought it I doubt I would still own it 3 years later.... 8)
 
I have a S1 Exige and a 3.0 Z4 and I couldn't sell the Exige as it is a pure road legal tarck car...there wont' be any car like this anymore !

I love the Z for the comfort, the engine and it's really easy as a daily car compare to a Lotus.
 
As others have said, the Z has the comfort and the engine. The Lotus has the handling and is more raw.

For a sunday morning blast when you just want to have fun, the Exige will always be the car for me. But when I've just spent 12 hours with a client and have 200 miles to get home, I much prefer to see the Z waiting for me rather than the Exige.

I adore both cars, but they are just different. I moved to the Z so I could run my fun car daily, and in that sense it's perfect.

The biggest thing that affects my perception of the cars was how and when I drove them. The zed is driven everyday, with lots of motorway miles, lots of time with cruise on - so anything will feel duller then. Then it also has the days where it's driven properly, so I get the mixed view. The exige on the other hand was only driven for fun - driving for the sake of driving, going to fun places, at the crack of dawn on winding roads etc. So looking back I associate the Exige with fun times, not slogging along the M6.

Both great cars, just approached from a different angle.
 
I had a Lotus Elan S2 before the Z4.

All i can say is thank god for German Engineering..... lol I love the Lotus Brand and really wanted a new S2 Elise but it needs to be a love affair with tinkering which i had enough of.

Also Lotus Main dealers, are not nice to deal with........

It just seems like Lotus wack it in production and worry about the post design lark later like TVR!

Cheers

PaulN
 
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