Cayman S or Lotus Exige
 

I looking into the idea of possibly getting a second car for the track under 40k. The 2 cars that stand out the most seem to be a 06-07 Cayman S or the 06 Exige SC . From looking at all the data I'm surprised at how well the Cayman competes and in some areas best the 900lb lighter Exige. I've heard the build quality of the Lotus is a problem as well at some transmission issues. Does anyone have any experience with either or have an opinions?

for a track car, maybe the exige is better.
i saw a video on youtube some time ago where the exige was racing against a whole bunch of porsches (911, cayman, etc) and it beat them all.

It kind of depends if you're looking to race in a specific class for SCCA...
I believe you can race the Cayman S under Super Stock, but not the Exige SC...

Both are good choices, the Lotus is more of a dedicated Track car.

One thing beware of the lotus's listed with "minor" or "cosmetic" damage. When I was looking at cheap lotus's myself I saw on a few other their message boards with people who bought these cars. As far as I read there is no easy way to repair these back to their original condition because of the single body aluminum frame. Lotus does not sell anything but a complete replacement so even a minor bend would mean a custom repair from an expert aluminum welder or a complete new frame. Either option is costly and I would not recommend cheeping out either with a fix, they are not safe to drive without the proper repair.

this is a hard question to answer but i have to ask, have you ever driven an exige? they are fantastic cars... BUT, they are incredibly hard to get in and out of. if you are young and very flexible, that might be ok, but i will say the cayman is 99% as good and is much more comfortable to drive. the cayman S is one of the best cars i've ever driven hard and even tho maint and parts aren't cheap for them, finding a mechanic to work on them is easier than a lotus. these are things to consider but honestly, you won't go wrong with either