Hmmm might not be getting a Lotus afterall........

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:26 pm

Mood has swung back in favour of a VX220Turbo

200bhp standard and 250bhp available (chip/remap/exhaust) for buttons, plus similar suspension and brake upgrades to the Elise, I just cant stop that sober barsteward Mr Sensible from taking over.

£16k for a 18 month old VXT with 10k on clock and plenty of warranty left versus £20k 3 year old Exige, nae warranty and 50k miles. What would you do?

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 10:29 pm

VX220T is meant to be a dog to drive!
Also the factor VX's are no longer being made would put me off.

Plus it looks like a shoe box......

ninja · Post by **ninja** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 11:08 pm

personally i would still go with the exige

there's a reason it's more money!!

you get what you pay for mate, IMHO in six months time you'll wish you'd bought the exige.

ninja

Baggy · Post by **Baggy** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:54 am

Mate of mine has a VX220 turbo & I've been pax a few times.

Pro's
Supposed to be quicker than any 16-17k Elise & ooodles of torque low down for pootling around town & lazy driving. On saying that, Ali Crozier beat a VX220T up the hill at Fintray earlier in the month in his standard S2 111s.
You can take the roof off where you can't with an exige (well not an S1 anyway.
cheaper insurance
cheaper to service (dealer)
I think they look ok........Have you seen the stripes on Gareth's car? heh, heh.
Quite a cool starter button.
Assisted brakes if you like that sort of thing.

Conns
IMHO, feels much more saloon car like than the elise (I don't know how exactly vauxhaul did this but it definitely feels slightly less involving.
Ride feels less compliant on the road and more crashy (& that's compared to my S1 on red konis

) I think maybe the bigger wheels have something to do with it.
Assisted brakes if you don't like that sort of thing.
Boggin plastic sill covers & ugly dash.

The above are comparisons between my S1 111s & a VXT but I've not been in an S2 so couldn't say.

Cheers

Baggy

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 8:28 am

Baggy , I would probably agree with a lot of your post

I have driven Ed's S2 Elise and Rag_It's NA VX, cant really decide which I preferred. Certainly agree on the crashy VX ride

Re. the brakes. Maybe the brakes on Ed's are just mince (sorry to diss yer brakes Ed)

but compared to the VX I would say I prefer the assisted. That said they weren't great either. A brake upgrade will be one of the first mods I think.

From reading a bit on the VX forum I have heard that the turbos can be pretty laggy and coming on boost mid corner can be interesting! Though some of the chips and remaps are said to smooth out the power increase.

Test drive time then

Post by **Shug** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:36 am

Re brakes.

Yeah - the first time you use the S1 setup, you tend to think there's fcuk all there. The minute you get used to them (with Padgids & decent discs, of course) you wonder how the hell you ever drove smoothly with a servo.

There's another level of feel and modulation available, simply because you have to press that bit harder, there is more feel through the pedal. I HATE the brakes on the VX (they mey feel okay for someone brought up on servoe'd brakes, but any hardcore VXer will tell you they are chocolate on track)

They've also got a dumbass 2 channel ABS system - cuts in too early and clumsily. At least the 111R & Exige2 ABS is four channel - pedal feel is still sh*t though!

Yes, before you ask, I've driven them all (apart from Exige2 - which is exactly the same braking system as 111R)

By all means test drive everything, as one man's kipper is another's smoked salmon, but please don't pick on the strength (?) of the VX brakes

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:54 pm

Shug wrote:By all means test drive everything, as one man's kipper is another's smoked salmon, but please don't pick on the strength (?) of the VX brakes

Of course not, I plan to take everything into consideration such as how many cup holders it has and how good it will look once its pimped with 20 inch rims

The bottom line is I know very well whcih car I would rather have but I cant afford it, the VXT seems to be a very good value for money alternative.

Where did I put me lottery numbers..................

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:23 pm

Well the more you hum and haw the less time you have of the summer driving.

You have hit it on the nail though. You can't afford the thing you want but the VX is a cheaper alternative although as someone has pointed out you may hate it in 6 months and wish you bought what you wanted.

Why not save for next year?

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:24 pm

Oh, have you not considered a S1 160 or even a £10K s1 and fit an Audi lump?

G

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:27 pm

The plan is to get it next year around March/April for the track day season restarting. I can afford it now if I take out finance (which I dont want to do) so waiting till next year was always the plan.

I'll change my mind a few times until then.

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:28 pm

Gareth wrote:Oh, have you not considered a S1 160 or even a £10K s1 and fit an Audi lump?

Yep, its an option, bit concerned about running costs to keep it on the road though and to be honest I would prefer the Honda conversion just to be able to keep that engine and gearbox.

Gareth · Post by **Gareth** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:34 pm

Yeah, great engine and gear box combo but with the Audi lump around £3K cheaper pumping out more power......

Post by ed » Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:37 pm

My brakes are indeed gash!!

They are long over due a change but i havent got the new wheel bolts from MMC yet, its been 3 weeks, back order from Lotus

. Once its all arrived ill be paying AMB Motorsport a visit and get it all sorted out at once.

As for the VX turb i tried one and liked the power alot. Only had it on the dual carriage way, no twisties. Have heard as standard the handle like a soggie blamonge!! but with Nitrons and the oz wheels sorts that out. 250 brake is very tempting

A £16k its allready taken the depreciation hit but i reckon itll have further to fall. Lotus seems to have far stronger residuals but i guess we dont buy these sorts of cars to worry about things like that

!

Not yet tried an exige! There was a 33k miler with 190 upgrade on ebay a while back at snip at £17.5.

Am looking forward to having a go of what ever you get!

so dont hang about too long

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:51 pm

Whatever I get you and Dave will get an extended text drive Ed

Post by ed » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:01 pm

Text drive!