duncx

You don't' have to teel me about that, it's been a 10 year inner battle for me and still won't go away - Elise or Exige? -Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? -Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? -Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? -Elise or Exige? - Elise or Exige? ..... you get the idea! You know that I bloody LOVE the Exige V6, it's a proper event to drive on faster roads and has fabulous supercar looks, but for Peak District back roads the Elise is just more playful, more fun

To be fair it's not just the tax though Dave, general running costs for the V6 are also higher than for an Elise, tyres, brakes, fuel, servicing..... it all adds up. Regarding the tyres, use them as a bargaining point but then take the car without them and see how it feels. If the wheels/tyres have been stored indoors in a cool place for long periods of time (maybe even wrapped in cling film, who knows?) then they could well be ok. Regardless, they will almost certainly be ok for dry/summer use

Oh, so I guess you wouldn't be interested in my Cup 250 then?

Hi Jack, I don't know if Guido has told you this but his 1ZZ Elise is listed for sale on eBay. He is booked on the run this Sunday so will probably be at Hassop with the car. Just saying...

Doesn't matter all that much whether he offers a warranty or not, he's a trader so you have very powerful protection through the Consumer Rights Act 2015, particularly for the first 6 months of your ownership. Having said that (and more importantly), he has a hard earned reputation to protect.

You can make and fit your own carpets cheaply and easily, driving lights are wobbly things that just make dipped beam seem even more dangerous, the Aircon would break anyway and you would be hauling round 15kg for nothing, there are standard prices on the Allon White website for various retrim options - about £1500 for the seats + doorcards IIRC? IMHO it's far more important that the mechanicals and body are good

It will definitely fit but be prepared to pay around £750 upwards for a decent second hand one - they are very much in demand and will sell quickly at this time of year. I would watch Ebay and the SELOC classifieds like a hawk for your best chance of finding one. I guess there's also a number of Facebook groups that might be useful but I know nowt about that sort of stuff 😀

I do all of my own servicing on my cheaper cars, but on my Lotus (Cup 250) I got the first three years done at a Lotus Main Dealer and since then at Unit 4. It's not because I can't do it myself, I absolutely can, but for a younger car home servicing is likely to hit the value of a younger car as much as the cost of servicing at a garage. People just LOVE those stamps and receipts. I guess that the older a car gets then the less difference it makes, but when you consider that even a 20 year old Elise is fetching a minimum of around £15K it's not surprising that people want to see the stamps! Personally I would happily buy a car that's been owner-serviced but I would expect to pay a bit less, for the reasons above!

I'm going to second Dean's proposal Gav is a great guy, perfect for the job if you can work out a way to get the car (and parts) to his workshop.

Oh that's really sad Jason, Badger was such a nice little fella. Hope you are ok, it's never easy when we lose our furry friends

Get yourself to Hassop Station Cafe (near Bakewell) this Sunday (3rd March) for about 8.45am - there should be approx 15-20 Lotus arriving just before 9am. A great chance to look around several types of Elise and chat to some friendly owners

Welcome Jack Although the K-series is a characterful engine and less problematic than folklore suggests (and can be easily tuned), I'm still going to vote for the Yota engines. No HGF to worry about (they still can fail on the K), no cambelt to change, and I think that the gearboxes have a nicer (more slick) change. The 134bhp 'S' is the same 1.8 engine and 5-speed box as the pre-facelift MR2, both are bulletproof in the Elise, problems are extremely rare. I reckon that this Elise is perhaps the most underrated of them all, it's perfect for road use. The 189bhp 111R is the same 1.8 engine and 6-speed box as the Celica 190. Engine is brilliant, the cam change at 6250rpm (can be lowered to 5500rpm with a ECU reflash) is addictive and the car feels FAST. The gearbox is nice to use but the syncro in 3rd gear is a bit weak - it can feel a bit notchy when the car is cold. Still, very few actual failures on standard 189bhp cars. Depending on budget (i.e. more money!) there's also the younger (2010 - 2016 I think?) 1.6 Toyota engine in the S3 bodyshape. I love the clean lines of the S3 and the cars in general are less rattly/squeeky and a bit nicer inside. This engine is unbelievably frugal and although it's not very torquey it's still fast enough if it's driven hard. A couple of generic points; the roof on an S2 or an S3 is much quicker and easier to operate than on the S1 (and the early 'longtail' S2), although none of them are anything like as easy as on your MR2 😄 , and, the sills on an S2 (and S3) are a bit lower than on an S1, making it just that little bit easier to get in/out. They are all great cars, a few little points to watch out for and don't think too much about age/mileage - buy on condition. Finally, if you're going for as spin in Dean's car don't forget to wear brown trousers 👍 Cheers.

Possible Throttle Position Sensor? There is an interesting thread here with some ideas.. https://www.midlandslotus.co.uk/forum/topic/66645-lotus-elise-s-toyota-1zz-startup-issue-need-help-or-advice/