How pricey would a Lotus be to maintain? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Brokinarrow · 03-10-2010, 09:54 AM

A Lotus Exige has been on my dream car list for quite a while, and I was just wondering; If i ever managed to buy one of these puppies, would maintaining this machine eventually kill my bank account? I know with some higher end cars you have to replace things a lot more often, and those things usually cost a LOT more than your average car. Just wondering if the Lotus would be the same way or not.

MrIcky · 03-10-2010, 10:26 AM

No personal experience, I'd guess it would be mixed though. It's a pretty reliable Toyota engine (ya whatever, you KNOW it's a reliable engine) so it'd be easy to get parts for and service, but things like brakepads and other miscellaneous crap would likely be expensive.

Zeus · 03-10-2010, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brokinarrow

A Lotus Exige has been on my dream car list for quite a while, and I was just wondering; If i ever managed to buy one of these puppies, would maintaining this machine eventually kill my bank account? I know with some higher end cars you have to replace things a lot more often, and those things usually cost a LOT more than your average car. Just wondering if the Lotus would be the same way or not.

Cheap to maintain, expensive to fix.

I'd get one. But if your worried about costs, just get an Elise.

TaylorRyanSS · 03-10-2010, 12:06 PM

I was looking at them also, you can get a 06 exige for like under 37k but idk about how much it costs to maintain

Apex Motorsports · 03-10-2010, 12:32 PM

Lotus makes some of the funnest to drive cars out there. They aren't service whores like say, a Ferrari (a freaking nightmare), but they're not cheap either. Going to a dealer for an oil change is going to run in the $150-200 range because you have to remove the under tray and such. The parts are cheap and easy to find (Toyota) so you can do it yourself as long as you have a lift (which is actually pretty tricky on these cars) or ramps and a little mechanical ability. As long as you document the oil changes and let the dealer handle the more in depth stuff you should be ok. The current generation of Lotus models have been on the streets for almost 15 years now so they are pretty well sorted out. There are some good Lotus forums, I suggest hitting them up.

Brokinarrow · 03-10-2010, 02:37 PM

Cool, thanks for the insight here. Also, good point on the Elise, I'd probably end up going for one of those instead. Lil less expensive, still going to be a blast to drive I'm sure. And yeah, I'd imagine the engine would be pretty reliable (after all, its the electronics, not the engine causing the latest issues.... even if Toyota doesn't want to admit it

). But again, this is just kind of a 'what if' situation, like WHAT IF I win $200,000 in the lottery or something

03-10-2010, 09:54 AM	#1
Brokinarrow Drives: 2012 Honda NC700x Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Indianola, IA Posts: 5,317 View My Garage	How pricey would a Lotus be to maintain? A Lotus Exige has been on my dream car list for quite a while, and I was just wondering; If i ever managed to buy one of these puppies, would maintaining this machine eventually kill my bank account? I know with some higher end cars you have to replace things a lot more often, and those things usually cost a LOT more than your average car. Just wondering if the Lotus would be the same way or not. __________________

03-10-2010, 12:06 PM	#4
TaylorRyanSS COTW: 12/13/10 Drives: 1969 Camaro Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 7,880	I was looking at them also, you can get a 06 exige for like under 37k but idk about how much it costs to maintain __________________ "Are you one of those boys who prefer cars to women? - I'm one of those boys that appreciates a fine body, regardless of the make." 1969 CAMARO JOURNAL: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=341239 \| FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/taylor.ryan.apt \| GRAPHIC DESIGN: www.aptdesigns.net

03-10-2010, 02:37 PM	#6
Brokinarrow Drives: 2012 Honda NC700x Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Indianola, IA Posts: 5,317 View My Garage	Cool, thanks for the insight here. Also, good point on the Elise, I'd probably end up going for one of those instead. Lil less expensive, still going to be a blast to drive I'm sure. And yeah, I'd imagine the engine would be pretty reliable (after all, its the electronics, not the engine causing the latest issues.... even if Toyota doesn't want to admit it ). But again, this is just kind of a 'what if' situation, like WHAT IF I win $200,000 in the lottery or something __________________

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03-10-2010, 10:26 AM	#2
MrIcky Drives: Dodge Ram Megacab & Cobalt SS Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Boise Posts: 1,536	No personal experience, I'd guess it would be mixed though. It's a pretty reliable Toyota engine (ya whatever, you KNOW it's a reliable engine) so it'd be easy to get parts for and service, but things like brakepads and other miscellaneous crap would likely be expensive.

03-10-2010, 12:32 PM	#5
Apex Motorsports Drives: 2000 Camaro SS Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Louisville, Ky. Posts: 25,179	Lotus makes some of the funnest to drive cars out there. They aren't service whores like say, a Ferrari (a freaking nightmare), but they're not cheap either. Going to a dealer for an oil change is going to run in the $150-200 range because you have to remove the under tray and such. The parts are cheap and easy to find (Toyota) so you can do it yourself as long as you have a lift (which is actually pretty tricky on these cars) or ramps and a little mechanical ability. As long as you document the oil changes and let the dealer handle the more in depth stuff you should be ok. The current generation of Lotus models have been on the streets for almost 15 years now so they are pretty well sorted out. There are some good Lotus forums, I suggest hitting them up.