|
I bought this a few weeks ago: I got a text from a buddy in February with a shoddy Craigslist ad showing a white 2006 Exige with 8K miles. I tried to play it cool and pretended like I wasn’t interested. After my kid had woken me up for the third time that night I starting thinking how it would actually work. Gotta convince the wife, find time to go out there, is this really a good time, etc. etc.     Of course the answer was yes to everything so I call the guy up and get the story on this car. His dad owned it but passed away about 7 years ago. In those 7 years he put ~400 miles on the car. Sounded like registration and insurance were too expensive to justify keeping around longer. I told him my story about having an Elise back in 2009, how I tracked it for 3+ years, and did most of the modifications myself (well, really Aeka 2.0). I think that helped my case as he didn’t want it to go to someone that was going to flip it. I couldn’t get a PPI on short notice so I had a friend come out with me to do a self-inspection. He was crazier than I was with his Exige S240 back in the day (custom turbo setup on the 2ZZ making 500whp) so between the two of us we could take a reasonable pass at it. Everything looked good and we made the drive back from San Diego back to Phoenix (even had to deal with snow/slush at one point along Hwy 8). Snow!  My first car with a wing  The rear clam has a crack in it with paint damage so that probably scared some people off. There are a couple decent paint chips in the passenger door, the star shield has completely yellowed, and the front splitter is cracked. I actually don't mind any of that; they're things I can get fixed in the future and it doesn't affect how the car drives so who cares. The tires were original A048s with a manufacture date of December 2005. The OEM steering wheel was put in a display case and they clipped the loving airbag wires to put in an aftermarket wheel so that will be an adventure to fix.  None of that matters though. It’s a loving Exige with 8K miles, I got a crazy deal on it, and it’s just fantastic. Everything on the road looks like an SUV or truck and I forgot how much I missed that. Of all the cars I’ve owned since the Elise, this one feels like home.  I would also like to note the seller tried to raise the price after we found an expensive intake and exhaust on the car that he didn’t know about. That was a fun moment.
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2019 05:29
|
|
Zoom Zoom, motherfuckers
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 09:37 |
|
|
Gorgeous car. Can't understand the ghetto steering wheel install or the original tires juxtaposed with an expensive intake/exhaust upgrade.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2019 05:37
|
|
|
Awwwwwww yeah. So the clamshell on these is basically insurance write-off level stuff isn't it? I assume it can be repaired somehow in TYOOL 2019....
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2019 10:35
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:Gorgeous car. Can't understand the ghetto steering wheel install or the original tires juxtaposed with an expensive intake/exhaust upgrade. I'm told the original owner was a bigger guy and needed to remove the wheel for ingress/egress. The car was bought in 2006 and most of the mods were from that time period. I actually like the steering wheel but I'm not down with getting brained in an accident. Regarding the tires, I think the guy drove it less as he had health issues and the guy I bought it from certainly wasn't changing them. Olympic Mathlete posted:Awwwwwww yeah. So the clamshell on these is basically insurance write-off level stuff isn't it? I assume it can be repaired somehow in TYOOL 2019.... Definitely for Elises but I don't know about Exiges since they're worth a little more. Regardless, you replace it with aftermarket clams anyway. I think decent rear clams can be had for $3-4K + primer and paint. Any shop that does Corvette body repairs should be able to take a swing at a repair though.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 05:27
|
|
|
I've done a couple minor tweaks to the car since I got it. First up was replacing two interior pieces I saved from my old Elise, Reverie shift knob and A/C surround: Before  After  I also have the tool bag and plastic battery cover from the Elise that I swapped over. The next project was replacing the tragic stock key fob:  I had the original Blackwatch Unikey but wanted to try one of the new ones on the market. Most are north of $200 so I set about finding all of the old parts to my Unikey. I was somehow able to find the pieces in various boxes that survived several moves but the one piece I was missing were the three M2-0.4 x 6mm screws. No one sells screws that small so I took the 10mm ones I had and got out the dremel. Just need a touch of paint on the screws but I'm otherwise happy with the outcome:  Finally, I replaced the OEM A048s with RE-71Rs. The shop was cool with me roasting the old tires in their parking lot and all the techs stopped what they were doing to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWAJDBPfApM I think this threw the alignment out of whack but I don't care, I'd do it again. Next up I have some rear window shrouds from an Elise on order that will allow me to install my old soft top (not a factory option on Exiges but 100% compatible). I couldn't bring myself to throw out all of these Elise parts and now I'm really glad I didn't.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 05:48
|
|
|
Beautiful. Quality pastry right there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 07:55
|
|
EVERYWHERE 
|
That is some proper aged-out tire disposal right there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 08:37
|
|
|
Hrrrrngh. You're reminding me how much I'm in lust with those things.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 12:24
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:Beautiful. Quality pastry right there.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 19:06
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:Beautiful. Quality pastry right there. Terrible Robot posted:That is some proper aged-out tire disposal right there. mekilljoydammit posted:Hrrrrngh. You're reminding me how much I'm in lust with those things. 5'd.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 19:36
|
|
|
I mean, that video begs for placement in the post your ride thread.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 20:45
|
|
|
❤️
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 20:47
|
|
|
Pr0kjayhawk posted:we made the drive back from San Diego back to Phoenix (even had to deal with snow/slush at one point along Hwy 8). drat, how easy or hard was that?
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 22:11
|
|
|
kimbo305 posted:drat, how easy or hard was that? Actually not that bad. And drat if those A048s didn’t feel like they still had a ton of stick. They still felt incredible at low speed corners, the mechanical grip was impressive. Once we sustained highway speeds for a while and it didn’t seem like the tires were going to pop it was smooth sailing. Got 28mpg too, a good 10mpg better than my daily.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 23:15
|
|
|
Did I just hear you say that an Exige makes a practical daily? 
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2019 23:19
|
|
|
BlackMK4 posted:Did I just hear you say that an Exige makes a practical daily? It has four wheels, a roof to keep you dry and a nice, efficient four-cylinder engine. It's the perfect commuter car!
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 00:25
|
|
|
I fully support that notion. Hell for the first year I owned my Elise it was my only car.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 00:27
|
|
|
A lotus is the perfect car for New England Winters. It'll never rust!
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 01:31
|
|
|
Pibur posted:A lotus is the perfect car for New England Winters. It'll never rust! Is this a joke about them never starting?  (I kid)Mind sharing how much you paid?
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 01:55
|
|
|
Pibur posted:A lotus is the perfect car for New England Winters. It'll never rust! Subframe is steel hope that helps Residency Evil posted:Is this a joke about them never starting? Not much more than a 2019 Miata club with the brembo/seats package and tax.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 03:49
|
|
|
meatpimp posted:Beautiful. Quality pastry right there. These are happy posts. We need more of these.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 04:31
|
|
|
I am wholeheartedly ok with this. That era of lotus is sick as heck.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 04:32
|
|
|
Pr0kjayhawk posted:Subframe is steel hope that helps gently caress. Shut it down. The Brits are bad again.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2019 04:56
|
|
|
hahahaha what the gently caress is that dick shape keyfob? Awesome car, this rules.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2019 20:26
|
|
|
Gorgeous car. I am jealous. You are awesome.
|
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2019 07:00
|
|
|
I am all about this. Rock on.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2019 16:51
|
|
|
Good poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2019 17:18
|
|
|
Good buy, those things are a ton of fun and for the price of a Miata I need to find a tire shop that'll let me kill my old tires in their lot.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2019 18:40
|
|
|
You could probably get Ballenger Motorsports or even our own kastein to ID that connector so you can just get new pins for the housing to crimp onto the harness.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2019 03:25
|
|
|
God drat. A proper send-off for old tires on an awesome car.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2019 00:57
|
|
|
Turns out those burnouts may have hosed something in the front end of the car (no ragerts). After the tires were swapped, the steering now feels super light at highway speeds. Just feels floaty as hell now. I was hoping it was tire pressure, no dice. The lugs are at factory specs. I even had the car aligned. It was mildly better after the alignment but it still feels jacked. I’ll post the before/after specs when I get home tomorrow. I drove my friend’s Exige with the exact same tires (but different suspension and alignment) and it was better; good enough that it wouldn’t bother me. Still nothing like the car with A048s. The sensation is strange. On-center steering is vague at highway speeds. Feels like it has a lot of float. Turns feel much better. That’s why I was hoping the alignment would fix it. I did a visual inspection for things like bent arms, broken sway bar, or anything else that looked obviously wrong. The alignment tech did the same. Everything appears fine. Any ideas?
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2019 14:09
|
|
|
Here are the alignment specs. If anyone can correlate these numbers to my issue I'd really appreciate it. 
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2019 17:57
|
|
|
Those alignment numbers all look pretty good. They’re in the range of allowable, at least. The cross caster is at the limit, but that will just cause it to pull, not be light like you’re seeing. Are the tires mounted the right way round? Ie not rotating backwards to the way they’re supposed to. Are there any clunks or knocking noises that would indicate something loose in the suspension? I’d associate lightness like you’re seeing with too much air in the tires, have you checked the contact patch to make sure the pressure you’re running is appropriate? Have you checked the pressure with a different gauge? I’d recommend finding a friend to swap wheels with briefly to see if the issue is still there, help narrow your problem search. Failing all that, you should sell me the car lol
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2019 18:37
|
|
|
See if the alignment shop is putting a weight in the seat before the alignment?
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2019 23:55
|
|
|
Steering rack bushes? Could be coincidence that they gave up at the same time but still worth checking. Only thing I can think of. Also congrats on buying the best possible British golf cart there is.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2019 09:41
|
|
|
charliemonster42 posted:Those alignment numbers all look pretty good. They’re in the range of allowable, at least. The cross caster is at the limit, but that will just cause it to pull, not be light like you’re seeing. Looking at the alignment numbers again, is the front toe a problem? The left is within range and the right is way out of spec - negative toe reduces straight line stability, yes? Great suggestion on the tire direction. Unfortunately they were installed correctly. Air pressure was the first thing I checked - they were high from the tire shop but not that high. I was expecting/hoping they were 45 psi but they were only 5-6 psi high. Tried an older gauge and it showed lower by two psi, I definitely trust my main one as it's a higher quality unit. I also checked wheel lug torque. I'll suggest the idea of swapping wheels... it's a lot to ask of someone but definitely a good troubleshooting idea. angryrobots posted:See if the alignment shop is putting a weight in the seat before the alignment? I didn't know that was a thing for alignments? Thought that was only for corner balancing. Either way, the shop did not put a weight on there. When I had my friend drive it, I was in the car and he said it felt fine (though he could tell what I was talking about). I probably should have tried driving with him in the car to even me out and also let him drive without me in the car. Jomo posted:Steering rack bushes? Could be coincidence that they gave up at the same time but still worth checking. Only thing I can think of. Also congrats on buying the best possible British golf cart there is. Thanks! I had not gone down that path but it's looking more and more like I'll need to remove the front clam and check everything. That really chaps my rear end. The front clam is the one thing I never tackled on my Elise and it's full of "while you're in there" stuff like the oil line recall, radiator, A/C relay, fluids, SS brake lines and flush... yikes.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2019 06:16
|
|
|
Pr0kjayhawk posted:Looking at the alignment numbers again, is the front toe a problem? The left is within range and the right is way out of spec - negative toe reduces straight line stability, yes? I’d assumed those were your before numbers. If you look at the second image, they seem to match the before column fairly closely. If those are in fact the as-left numbers, then yeah, it’s no wonder it drives weird. Putting weight in the drivers seat is definitely a thing for alignments, and probably absolutely necessary for an Elise given that even a skinny guy is 15% of the cars curb weight. See what the guys on lotustalk say. Pr0kjayhawk posted:Thanks! I had not gone down that path but it's looking more and more like I'll need to remove the front clam and check everything. That really chaps my rear end. The front clam is the one thing I never tackled on my Elise and it's full of "while you're in there" stuff like the oil line recall, radiator, A/C relay, fluids, SS brake lines and flush... yikes. On second thought; sounds like the car is more trouble than it’s worth. Best thing to do would be to sell it to me to save you from future heartache
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2019 06:26
|
|
|
charliemonster42 posted:I’d assumed those were your before numbers. If you look at the second image, they seem to match the before column fairly closely. If those are in fact the as-left numbers, then yeah, it’s no wonder it drives weird. Putting weight in the drivers seat is definitely a thing for alignments, and probably absolutely necessary for an Elise given that even a skinny guy is 15% of the cars curb weight. See what the guys on lotustalk say. You’re right, the after numbers are good. drat. I really hate the idea of taking the front clam off looking for *things*. That’s one thing I managed to avoid doing on my Elise. I’ll ask the nerds on LT about the weight. I’m inclined to think it’s not a huge deal since this guy has done a lot of Elises/Exiges in the past but we’ll see. quote:On second thought; sounds like the car is more trouble than it’s worth. Best thing to do would be to sell it to me to save you from future heartache Everybody has a price...
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2019 13:03
|
|
|
I don't think most shops ballast when aligning unless you ask or are that rear end in a top hat guy in a miata that autocrosses and insist on sitting in the car while they do it. Every shop has that guy . On a light car like that it might make a slight difference but I don't think it'll cause the problems you're having.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2019 13:13
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 26, 2024 09:37 |
|
|
Outside of the front end issue that I’ll probably be chasing down forever, I’m working on a list of things to do while avoiding any big-dollar upgrades. I kept the soft top from my Elise so I got a “kit” to install it on the Exige. It’s really just two grommets that will be installed in the rear upper interior fiberglass to allow the two composite soft top rods/braces to be installed. Looking forward to having a convertible again. I went out a couple weeks ago with the hard top off and it was a blast. Also got a wall mount kit for the garage to store the hard top when I'm not using it.  I ordered fluids for engine, transmission, and brake. The engine oil is at least 2 years old and transmission and brake are probably 8-10 years old. The front splitter has chips and chunks taken out. I’m not quite ready to replace it because I’m cheap so I’ll take a crack at filling it in and repainting. The shift mechanism needs some help - reinforcement, new cables, and stiffened engine/transaxle mounts. I thought my old Elise was stock but it most certainly was not - it was miles better than this car. Down the road I’d like to do a lightweight battery and Penske shocks and springs but that’s a ways off.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2019 14:16
|
|