It's a gorgeous car but even then, local dealer can't give them away. There are 5 lingering on their lot right now.

 

Wonder how their 4c Spyder will do.. I didn't realize these were sitting on lots. SF dealer was demanding a 100% markup when the coupe came out, wouldn't even return calls. How things change...

 

You are too astute!

 

I have been considering a focus RS for daily duty. Seems pretty practical and is such a different approach than the GT4, that I am trying to justify it.

 

Totally agree. I had one for 4 months and drove it 400 miles. The other miles were driven by the dealer. It sat at the dealer for over 50 days straight. Horrible suspension banging that they couldn't fix. Extremely soft paint that made the front look speckled due to chips. Wind noise horrible. Turbo lag. Decided to start some days, others didn't. Cheap interior. Alfa bought it back.
Great idea and theory for a car, but not well made and execution of the plan was poor. Dealer knew nothing.

 

It's really too bad we can't get the Lotus Exige S here in North America, as it would be the next best thing to a GT4 in my book.

 

That's funny - I was just looking at this an hour ago. The 2015 has a vague GT4 look to it. No comparison, unfortunately, in reliability, resale or dealer network. Cool car, nonetheless, and definitely more raw - which is a good thing.

 

Personally, the reliability of the Exige S V6 would not worry me in the slightest. I did a lot of preventative modifications on my ten year old Elise to avoid known track issues (baffled oil pan and fuel tank, double shear toe links, upgraded shifter cables, oil line recall). Perhaps not a fair data point, but the car has been very reliable otherwise. Wouldn't have any hesitation buying a new Exige S and running it hard on the track, given Lotus would have addressed these issues. Toyota drive train after all. Little will go wrong with that. Lot of guys run these cars hard at Lotus cup as well.

It's a weekend car at best though. Have taken my Lotus on a road trip from LA to Monterrey for historics, but would much rather be in something like a GT4 nowadays. In the GT4, even if I go on a mountain drive in the morning, I'm ready to go on another one by afternoon.

 

problem with the exige v6

1. interior is the SAME as an elise, basically bare.
2. shifter is vague and still ****e
3. toyota v6 lump. really? Do you know how many camrys can be bought for an exige v6
4. steering is heavy and comes alive when used hard. i.e. it only has 1 mode.

i think 4 is actually rather lovely but the interior, shifter and engine combo is ****e. and the cup version costs as much as a gt4. very specialist crowd

i rather get an elise cup which, to my eyes looks better and hey at least it only costs 2 v6 camrys...............

 

Dealer here has 4 or 5 on their lot. So much potential. Too bad.

 

Owned an exige... Think of it as comparable to owning a ducati auperbike... Stiff and hot and rattly but simply amazing when you hit the twisties. Will beat you up but has the steering feel of a go-kart. You want pure, you got it. You want it for anything but a hardcore sun am stress release, look elsewhere. Pity those exige s cars on sale now are track only cup cars.. I think they are beautiful and the v6 must be perfect for this car.

 

For the OP, if he wants an Alfa for the mystique, looks of the car, CF chassis, cool-factor, then those are all valid.If the pureness of the driving experience is what is being sought, then an Elise (even over an Exige) might be a nice avenue to look into. Harder to big supercharged out of the Elise due to the engine bay, but in return the car feels far less cramped and less like a resonance box with the top off.

The ability to take the top down when the weather is nice, but not too hot, is a nice perk that Spyder owners enjoy over the GT4.

Really a question of what the OP wants in a third car...so many ways to go. Torque monsters out there. Some nice small cars available too.