Although I havent owned the Exige I have had an Elise and it is just about as different to a Zed as you can get . Its secret lies in weight not just power . If you are using it on the road only even the basic car is too quick to expoit the handling as they corner like nothing else on earth. HOWEVER even for a weekend car do not undersestimate the practicality issue. I am 54 and overweight , so I should knowbetter but beleive me even young fit gutys struggle getting in and out of an exige. If you put your car in a garage make sure you can open the doors properly as you need to sit on the sill to get out, and you can only do this with the doors open . Easy at a racetrack - a pig on a day to daty basis . The car is fragile too, gearchanges get sloppy etc - you have to look after them and drive them with mechanical sympathy . Having said that if you want a true enthusiasts car that drives like a racer there is nothing much to touch them . Unless of course you get a well sorted Caterhatm or Westfield ( and most are not well sorted) . Having owned 4 Westfileds the last one weighing 450kg and 200 bhp there is little else that is so enjoyable on 4 wheels.
Lotus will always hold it price because it can be used for motorsport and they do use a lot less Petrol when driven hard than a Zed.
