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2011 Lotus Exige S260 Final Edition |
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VIN : SCCLHHAC7BHA12388
Page 1
October 31, 2011
As I was searching the internet I found a nice looking second hand 2010 Exige S260 in Sarasota, Florida. It was not at a Lotus dealership. I contacted the dealer and tried to get some info on the car. The car was last serviced on 8/25/2010 which made me a bit worried but they assured me that the car was in a very good condition. It had only 6K. The pictures looked very nice. The only issues that was brought to my attention was the two small scuff marks on the front star shield. After negotiating the price and securing the car I decided to fly down and test drive the car. I arrived at the airport on 11/7/2011 and the sales rep picked me up. Before my flight, I had emailed them and mentioned that I would like to check the underbody when I arrive.
Once we arrived at the dealership, we went into the shop/garage area and I saw the car on the lift. The car looked very nice and clean at first. The underbody was very clean with minor scratches under the front lip carbon fiber spoiler. There was an issue with the paint near the front left next to the side indicator. The paint was peeling off. I was not sure why. The inside looked great and the body color was Arctic Silver. It looked like a winner. It was time to test drive it. I was excited.
They started the car and took it off the lift. It sounded fine. I got behind the wheel and drove it out of the garage. I told the sales rep that I needed to get onto some open road so I could properly test drive it. As we came out of the dealership we made a right and then he told me to make a left U-turn so we could head east towards the highway. There was a car in front of me and so we came to a dead stop. I also noticed a car behind not too far. I had the car in neutral. The car in front me started to make the U-turn so I shifted into first and start letting go of the clutch slowly and pressing the gas. All of the sudden I noticed that the car was going backwards. I thought it was me, so I quickly put it back neutral, pumped the clutch and made sure the stick was in neutral. I tried it again and the car started to go backward again. I tried this five times until it engaged into first gear and the car started to go forward. I told the sales rep that there is something wrong with the transmission and this is not supposed to go into reverse without me pulling the safety upwards. He replied that he was surprised and they never had this issue.
From that point onwards anytime I had to stop the car I would make sure the car was in fist before it would come to a full stop. The clutch was very soft. Also the car did not feel right and it was lacking power. My old 2010 Elise SC 220 felt much faster and stronger. Something was holding back the car and it was not me :-) . At about 55-65 MPH the front end of the car started to shake.
Later I noticed that the passenger side airbag cover (DASH) was not flush with the rest of the dash. I was very disappointed and told the dealer that there is no way I was going to purchase this car and then drive it 1,000miles home. I told them that if they take the car to Lotus in Tampa and have them check it, and then certify it, then we would have a deal. The car had a two year warranty left, but I was not sure if the work was going to be under warranty. The previous owner might have used the launch control incorrectly creating the issues.
I went back home without a car :-( and started my search again. About a week later the GM of the dealership emailed me and stated that the car was going to be taken to Lotus. I was happy thinking that they will take care of it all. Later they came back to me and stated that Lotus of Tampa told them to make some adjustment to the transmission and that was all.....they did not address the engine power issue, front end shaking, airbag, etc.
November 9, 2011
I called my contact at the Lotus corporate office in Georgia. He mentioned that Washington DC's dealership will open soon, but not until January 1st. He also mentioned that they may not have but one or two Exige, but a new dealership in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania has many nice selections. I called them and the sales rep directed me to their Facebook page to look at some of their inventory. They had an Arctic Silver and a few other silver colors that I was interested in.
November 12, 2011
My son and I decided to drive to Pittsburg and check out the cars. It was a nice sunny day. We arrived at the dealership at about 1pm and we were impressed to see so many Exige S260s. It was like a candy store. I tested one and right out the bat noticed the difference between it and the one in Sarasota, Florida. The thrust was amazing. It was nonstop. I had to hold myself as the car kept on going and there was no letting go. My son took it for a spin and he was all smiles when he came back. I liked the Arctic Silver, but the Quartz Silver and the Orange looked great too. I was not able to choose. The Arctic Silver did not have the number plate and certificate. It was being shipped by Lotus. We decided to drive back and think about the colors. Also, I wanted to negotiate on the price.
November 14, 2011
After the long drive home I decided that the Orange and Quartz Silver were not for me and I made an offer on the Arctic Silver. The sales rep called me back and stated that they would not go below MSRP since these are the final edition. I mentioned that I have other options and they may want to reconsider.
November 15, 2011
I found another S260 Arctic Silver final edition in Orlando, Florida. It was the last of them. I called the dealership and spoke with Nick Zaizar their Lotus specialist. He was great. He knew these cars in and out. He was able to provide me with all kinds of info. Later I found out that he is also a Lotus owner and spends time on the track. He emailed me a picture of his car and it looked great. That made me feel much better. The owner of the dealership was also a bit more flexible and we were able to come to terms. I began making arrangements to fly down to Orlando.
I found a new PDF file for Elise & Exige service parts list that was updated May 1st, 2014. Also found a copy of the torque values for front and rear suspension.
service parts suspension
November 21, 2011
I took an early flight to Orlando and landed at about 11:30 am. Nick was kind enough to pick me up from the airport. While driving I mentioned to him that if all goes well I would drive the car back home that day. We arrived at the dealership and he took me to the car.
It looked great. Everything was perfect inside and out. We took it out for a test drive. I asked Nick to drive the car and show me what he could do with it :-).... To make it short--his driving is really good. I was happy with the car so we went back and did the paperwork. I really wanted to drive the car back home but it started to rain there and when I checked the weather report, It was going to rain all the way home for the next three days. The dealership had to do some extra work on the car (work that I had asked) and it was part of the deal. I decided to have the car shipped instead of driving it almost 1K miles back home in the rain and possibly get it damaged. It was really hard to let go of the new toy.
November 22, 2011
Ordered F-103 Regular Valve http://www.quickoildrainvalve.com
November 22, 2011
From Sector 111 ordered Red Folding Front Tow Hook and Boomerang Tow Hook.
November 25, 2011
Nick emailed me to let me know he was waiting for Lotus to confirm the parts.
November 29, 2011
Nick emailed me again and told me he got the order confirmation from Lotus and the parts should arrive tomorrow or December 1st. This is killing me, but just a few more days :-)
December 3, 2011
Nick called me today to let me know that the parts arrived :-) . Installations are due to be done Monday and then they will ship the car. I may just fly there and pickup the car.
December 6, 2011
Bow sockets were installed for convertible conversion. The black soft top form the Elise will be a perfect match.
Installed the gas tank protector.
December 7, 2011
The car is being shipped from Orlando today and it should arrive here on Friday. I hope it arrives early enough so I can take it for inspection and emission test and then do the title and registration. Otherwise it will be torture until next Monday.
December 9, 2011
I called the shipper and it seems the car will not arrive until Sunday or Monday. This is killing me.....
December 11, 2011
It eventually arrived. The car arrived on Sunday, but I was not able to drive it since it was not registered and did not have any temporary tags. I had little time since I was going to meet up with my wife and daughter for lunch. I parked the car in the garage and changed the floor mats. Then I tried to start the engine, but I was not able to insert the key into the ignition - it seemed that the key tumbler had seized. I tried to disarm and re-engage the alarm, but nothing seemed to work. I did not have anymore time to spend on it, so I just locked the car and left for lunch at the the mall and a sporting event. We did not get back until late. My son and I went to the garage to further check out the ignition issue. He started to play with the key and alarm, and it started to work. He was not sure what he had done. We tested it a few more times and it seemed fine.
Installed the Rubbertite Floor Mats Floor Mats and the Carpet Buttons from Sector 111.
December 12, 2011
Emission/Inspection - I took the car for an emission/inspection test so I would be able to register the car. They opened at 8am so I made sure to be there early and I was first in line at about 7:50am. I sat in the car checking emails. I noticed one of the mechanics and he was about 6’ 3” and stocky. I said to myself, I hope he is not the inspector, because there is no way he will fit in the car. It was about 8:05am and I was wondering if the inspector had arrived. I switched off the car and took the key out, so I could go in to check. Right before I was getting out, I decided to reinsert the key to test the ignition tumbler. The key would not go in. I was saying to myself that it was going to look ridiculous if I could not insert the key. The car was attracting spectators and I noticed that there was another car behind me. I tried everything and nothing worked. It was 8:15am and I was getting concerned. I started to call the mechanic in Orlando and he said he had never heard of the problem before. While talking to him, I noticed the inspector – he was not the 6’3” mechanic I had seen before. He was getting his equipment ready and I was hoping that he would not finish until I had the key inserted. Mind you, the entire idea about getting there early was to get out early, so I could get to work. The mechanic in Orlando said that I should call the Washington DC dealer since they are closer. He found their telephone number and gave it to me. It was now about 8:25am and it seemed the inspector was almost ready. I called the DC dealer (they are not really officially open not until Jan. 1, 2012) and the receptionist answered the phone. I asked for a Lotus mechanic and she seemed all confused, as if she had never heard the name Lotus. She wanted to connect me to a service representative and was asking me who my rep was. I said to her, “I have never been to your dealership; I am not trying to make an appointment. May I please talk with a Lotus specialist?” While I was talking with her, I noticed the inspector was walking towards my car. For a split second, in the back of my mind, I thought - wouldn’t it be funny if I insert the key now, and it worked. It was then that I saw the inspector again and said embarrassment is upon you. I opened the door, since the window would not go down (couldn’t get key in), and as I was doing that, I said let me try it again and what do you know - it worked! This was classic. So the inspector looks at me and asks what do you need? I replied - emission and inspection. I asked him if he wanted me to drive the car into the bay or whether he wanted to do it, and he replied that he had to drive it in. I said to him do whatever you want, but please don’t take the key out of the ignition.
Title, License and Registration - I took the car back to the garage and went to a meeting. After the meeting, I went to the DMV to take care of the title, license and registration. The line was surprisingly very short and after about 10 minutes, I was called to a window. I had already printed and completed the required forms.
DMV Lady: How can I help you?
ME: Hello, I am here to get my title, license and
registration for a new car that I purchased.
DMV Lady: Let me see your paperwork.
ME: I gave her the application, Certificate of Origin
from Lotus, and FL Title reassignment docs. I asked her if she wanted to
see the emission and inspection docs and she said no.
DMV Lady: What is this? What kind of car?
ME: It is a Lotus.
DMV Lady: What is that?
ME: It is a car. It is a British car.
DMV Lady: What model - E X I G E.
She spelled it out.
This reminded me of this video
ME: It is Exige.
DMV Lady: Hmmm. Do you have the title for it?
ME: Yes, I just gave you the documents.
DMV Lady: Do you have a lien on it?
ME: No
DMV Lady: Are you sure? You have no payments?
ME: Yes, I am sure.
DMV Lady: You do not make any payments? You don’t owe the bank?
ME: I have given you the title and documentations. If I had a lien on it
then they would hold title as collateral.
DMV Lady: I ask questions and you answer. OK.
ME. Yes ma’am.
DMV Lady: You have lien?
ME: No ma’am. I said to myself, hopefully we are over this hurdle.
DMV Lady: You have bill of sale.
ME: Yes. I handed it to her.
DMV Lady: Why you pay no processing fee?
ME: That is the way I made the deal. She had to calculate the sales tax.
I told her the bottom line is what I paid.
DMV Lady: You want a license place?
ME: Yes, please, otherwise I will not be able to drive it.
DMV Lady: You want a regular license plate?
ME: Yes, I would like the regular blue with personalized characters.
DMV Lady: What you want?
ME: I have it in the application - “17 OF 30”
DMV Lady: What’s that?
ME. That is what I want to have on the plate please. I was not going to
get into why and how….
DMV Lady: Hmmm. She typed 17OF30
ME: Ma’am, I would like the spacing please.
DMV Lady: Not possible. I am not sure if they can make that.
ME: I know it can be done. I have done this before. Please add the
spacing.
DMV Lady: OK
She started to type the rest to process the paperwork.
DMV Lady: Where is the inspection and emission?
ME: I thought you said you did not need them? I handed them to her.
DMV Lady: What is the weight? 3250.
ME: Ma’am, where did you get that? That is not correct.
DMV Lady: The inspection paper says that.
ME: That is wrong. Please see the Certificate of Origin, it has the
shipping weight. It says 2000. The inspector must have entered it
incorrectly.
DMV Lady: OK. I put that.
She processed everything and collected the tax and handed me the new
documents, registration, etc.
ME: I would like to have the original bill of sale back.
DMV Lady: What for? I must have that.
ME: Ma’am I think I would need it for my records to show that I
purchased this car.
DMV Lady: I give you copy.
ME: No ma’am, I need the original – Wouldn’t you think so?
DMV Lady: OK. I make copy and give you original.
ME: OK THX.
Boy … That was like negotiating a new car deal. I was ready to
race out of there...
December 14, 2011
Took the car for its first drive. It feels nice and it sure has more power than the Elise SC 220. Purchased a silver SYLVANIA Dot-It Silver LED Battery for the trunk and installed it.
December 16, 2011
Ordered carbon fiber license plate frame from 5ivefifty
December 18, 2011
Installed the red folding front tow hook and boomerang tow hook from Sector 111.
January 28, 2012
I was driving through Crystal City, Arlington, VA with my wife after having lunch and we were stopped at a red light. I have stopped at this light many times before (not with a Lotus) and I have noticed that many times, people with signs approach cars in the left lane and ask for money. I am not sure about their circumstances and if it is true or not. This particular time while driving, I also ended up in the left lane with my window half way down. Just as I was coming to a full stop I noticed a man with a sign in his hand. He set his sign down and approached my window and asked, “Sir, may I have your permission to take a picture?” I was surprised and had to restrain myself from laughing when he pulled out the latest iPhone 4S to take a few pictures. The man continued to compliment my car by saying that “it is out of this world – this is insane!” After taking a few pictures, he thanked us and put his phone away, then he picked up his sign and did not come back to us to ask for money.
I must say, I have never had an experience like this…driving this Lotus brings something new and different every day.
January 31, 2012
I went on JAVELIN ART and ordered a Lotus and a Mercedes Benz logo signs. The artist is Thor Zollinger.
