Daveb99

Agreed Dunc, and it’s also part of the reason I sold my V6. That and the fact the Elise is so much more nimble on a B road. You really feel the difference.

Always makes me chuckle a little when someone is spending £40,000 ish, but the extra £250 (or whatever) a year in tax is a deal breaker. It’s £20 a month. I had a V6 once, decided to cut back on takeaways and the weight saving makes the car go faster too !!

Crikey yes I think I’d be looking at private V6 Exiges at that kind of money - they do pop up now and again under £40k…. Dean makes a fair point. The car I had with old tyres was rarely driven. If you’re going to be driving it regularly and spiritedly then I’d definitely want new tyres on it.

It really depends on how much grip / fun you want to have. Older tyres, providing they are OK in terms of tread, cracks etc, can be a bit more fun as you can slide it around a little bit sometimes. I had an Elise a few years ago with 2007 tyres on it. Didn’t worry me one bit if I’m honest. For track days clearly you’d want better tyres, but if it’s a road car, you could drive it for a few weeks and then decide?

Thanks Shaun, just replied.

Hi Shaun, I’ve sent you a message..

Yes, I believe it’s the same.

I think this sums up the whole “ooh, it has a full stamped service history” nonsense quite well. I’ve lost count of the number of things I’ve found on numerous Elises with a full service history that have been utterly shocking. Full stamped history but no cam belt change for 11 years, loads of other things skipped etc etc. Several specialists, who will remain unnamed, clearly bodging things, bolts not torqued up (suspension wishbones being a good example), oil leaks despite it being serviced a couple of months before, coolant seeping from the pipes at the rear etc. I’ll say it again - a stamped history is absolutely no guarantee that it’s a well sorted car. I just don’t really trust anyone any more…..so I’ve taught myself how to do it all properly.

This echoes my approach exactly - and you get to improve the car as you go along. And I’ve used the tools many, many times so not only have they paid for themselves, but I’m using them to maintain and fix the other cars in our fleet as well …..👍🏻

All very fair points well made Dean, can’t argue with that….

Whilst I appreciate where you’re coming from I disagree when it comes to the older K series cars. Continuing the FSH is no guarantee that it’s a good car - so many S1’s for example need a whole heap of stuff doing to be really tip top, and most of that falls outside regular servicing. If I were to get everything done at a garage that I typically do to my Elises it would run into tens of thousands……! The last few of my Elises (and two Evoras for that matter) have sold, sometimes without being advertised, for the same if not a chunk more than the ‘retail’ price, because people want cars that have been properly sorted too to bottom by someone who is very attentive to detail.

I used to use the specialists, but now do everything myself. It sometimes takes me a while but I know it’s done right, and I frequently restore / refinish / upgrade other bits along the way, this is not something a garage will do during a service of course. Always keep the receipts, take loads of photos etc. Resale wise, when I had my V6 Exige / Evoras I would take them to Gav to preserve the stamps. But I’ve found that with S1’s, most are worth under £20k and a proper resto is often needed to really sort the car out, and from experience it’s then worth more (if done to a high standard and fully documented!) than one that’s just had routine servicing with stamps. Having the time, space and tools is essential of course.

I think I’d use brush-on caliper paint if I had that issue. Loads on eBay, cheap as chips.

This sounds like the alternator is on the way out. I’ve had a similar thing on a previous S1 that I owned, and it causes all sorts of weird electrical issues sometimes. The failure is often caused by overheating due to the location of it - the regulator fails prematurely. If you’re replacing it, it’s a good idea to make sure it has a good cold air feed from the side intake, and a heat shield between it and the exhaust manifold.

“Dodgy K series engine”. Really. Meh. Let’s put it this way - If Colin Chapman was alive and was choosing his car for a Sunday blast, would he pick a 725kg NA S1, or a 930kg SC S2/S3 ? Lightness is everything with these cars. It’s inevitable that they became more lardy over time, but for me the Toyota powered cars, great as they are, detract from the original Elise philosophy a little too much - they simply don’t deliver the same driving purity. It’s just my opinion of course, based on driving around 25-30 Elises in my time. The K series is a great light engine for the Elise, and if it has been well looked after as has been said, they are reliable and very characterful. I’ve had 10 of them now over 24 years and never had a single engine issue. Out of the box, with just 118bhp, they are fantastic things. With some sensible, inexpensive modifications they can easily be taken up to 135-140bhp. And if the owner desires, going a bit further to 160-170bhp ish (for example a DVA’d 111S) makes them a very special thing indeed - especially with close ratio box and ideally a 4-2-1 manifold, which can easily be added later. But, as I’ve said, the standard S1 is a joy to behold - it’s one of those cars that is “just so”. Head gasket failures are rare nowadays - because almost all cars bar those ridiculously overpriced super low mileage museum pieces with lethal ditchfinder tyres will have had the gasket changed for an upgraded one, and they are no longer an issue. Jack - if you rule out the S1 then you’re missing out on the original and best Elise of all…..! Buy well, from a proper enthusiast, and you’re getting into something very special that will most likely well and truly get under your skin for many, many years.