Another Newbie Question

[Greg.g]

Let me introduce myself.

My names greg, and for my sins, i am a subaru owner

 

You must have read this a thousand times but here goes...

 

I have owned my scooby for just over two years and have pretty much loved every minute of it. Until recently it was my only car, so was used every day.

Due to a car jacking incident i now run back and forth to work in a KA

This has given me the chance to consider an elise

Ever since they were released i had a soft spot for them, but did not want to go down the two car route, so had always pushed the idea to the back of my mind.

 

But now i have got two cars

 

I have already popped down to Paul Mattys just out of curiosity you understand.

 

Has anyone on this forum gone from an impreza to an elise?

I enjoy going car meets with the scooby, some of which are weekend camping jobs. Is it practical to attempt camping weekends in an elise?

I have never been out in an elise, but from what i have read, it is one of the best drivers cars ever. The scooby is very forgiving but how does it feel to go from 4 wheel drive to rear wheel drive.

Do you get much unwanted attention in an elise ( I could do without any more hastle )

Are there any local meets planned where i could talk to owners to get a better insight.

It will be around next feb-march before i would be ready to make the step, but any help would be appreciated.

The amount i will be looking at spending will be around 14k.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read all this.

 

Greg

[malbon]

Dont do it. Its a bottomless pit.

[Greg.g]

Well thats one thing in common with subaru

[Chorlton]

Hello and welcome,

 

There was a camping weekend in August this year so it is highly feasable.. and proved to be one of the best weekends. I managed to get a 4 man tent in just for me.. reminds me I must buy a smaller tent.. hehe

 

Have only owned mine since May time, but it is fantastic fun and I havent regretted it..

[Chorlton]

Dont do it.  Its a bottomless pit.

lol.. yers so many things you can add.. and even possible for a mechanical numpty like me..

[Scott_Mac]

HI Greg

 

Not sure if anyone has gone from Scooby to Elise - i think some folk have, i know of people who own both though...

 

First tip, i'd haed a lilttle bit back up the road and go to Nick Whale rather than Paul Matty

 

We have a monthly meet, where we going driving around some nice scenic roads, we also have monthly pub meets, impromptu meets etc... we've even been camping You can certainly go camping in an Elise, obviously a bit more crowded than a Scooby, but i have been 3 times this year, once for a week....

 

Onto the driving, forgiving, hmm... probably not a great word to use with the Elise, what it is is involving and fuill of feedback (something IMO a Scooby is not) so whilst it isn't exactly forgiving, lightweight, RWD etc you do know an awful lot more about what the car is doing, so it gives you the chance to react to "situations" a lot sooner. Coming from 4WD to RWD will be a surprise, ultimately i am sure you will cover ground quicker in a Scooby, especially in the wet, but I am 99% sure you would have a bigger smile on your face in the Elise at the end of it.

 

Attention - not really, i've rarely had anything negative shouted at me, most of it is positive, nice looks, people pointing etc... Certainly less likely to be stolen etc than an Impreza (which i guess you know )

 

Next local (driving) meet is this Sunday in Lincs, pub meet is tomorrow in Notts. Check the events forum for all the details. Nick Whale are having their opening party this weekend, and loads of us are going on the saturday, so a good time to meet people, see cars and also talk to people about buying them! We are also having a karting meet sometime in November, so plenty of opportunities to meet us

 

14k may get you an early S2 by then - a more forgiving car, better for daily use... however the best variant is the S1, more driver focused, admittedly more compromised - harder to get in etc... but with your budget you would get a late model (X Plate) with reasonable mileage... or you may be able to get a special edition one... http://www.adrianblythe.co.uk have a T Plate S1 135 (which is IMO THE best version they made)... i'm sure it won't be there in March still, but it gives you an idea of what to look for

 

Hope that helped

[Scott_Mac]

Oh and where are you based... i'm sure someone local to you would introduce you to the car

[jez_s]

Hello Greg,

 

I reckon you should get yourself a test drive, try one of each!

The main thing you'll notice is the amount of feedback and the impression of speed you get being lower down.

 

The scooby is a good car but i've heard you've got to get up into 3 figure mph area to appreciate it not so in an Elise.

 

As for which model to get, take your pick there's chuffing loads to choose from

[Zebedee79]

Welcome,

 

Firstly, althought Scott is well meaning the 'best' variant is not the rattly old S1

 

I've been fortunate to own an S1 and now an S2, and have never regretted not buying a Civic Type-R instead of my first S1!

 

Drive both, in terms of pure driving - Elise ownership is completely different and better than most things out there for comparable money.

 

John

[Greg.g]

Thanks for all the advice so far.

As far as my scooby is concerned, i have spent a fair bit on it upgrading the brakes, engine managment etc. I tend to prefer the tighter b roads as you can have more fun at lower speeds. One of the things that appeals about the elise is the greater sence of speed, even at lower speeds. I am active with the subaru impreza drivers club and can be found on scoobynet as greg.g. I enjoy the club meets side of things.

I did stop at nick whale's last week for a quick look, but most of their stock seemed to be out of my price range. I had already read about their open weekend this weekend. I will try and visit on saturday. I would like to meet some owners for more feedback. You wont miss my car if you see it as its a red wagon (short stubby estate version). If anyone wants to be taken for a spin, they are more than welcome.

As far as models go, i had guessed that my price bracket would mean a s1. For a first time buyer, would it be worth looking for a s1 135?

Any more advice?

 

Keep an eye open for me on saturday

[malbon]

would it be worth looking for a s1 135?

 

LOL - Good luck ! Very rare model tho there are ones out there and are considered the best S1 derivative. 111s is the closest to it and IMHO is better - tho I would say that !

 

They go for between 12k and 14k these days. Std ones are between 10k and 13.5k. Modified Stds go for the same price so don't be put of by these.

 

The elise really is an enthusiasts car and people are right about trying it. I have had lots of people wanting to passenger in 'thier dream car' only to be disappointed because of the low budget interior, high noise levels and harsh suspension.

 

Its uncompromised and is purely a driving tool so it really is worth going out with an owner and spending a bit of time with it. Theres a run on sunday if your not a nervous passenger - sure someone will let you px with them

 

When I say its a bottomless pit, it is only down to upgrades. It costs me chips to run. It does 40 mpg, never goes wrong (touch wood), is reasonable to service and parts are cheap. Only thing is insurance but it wont worry u being a scooby owner.

 

Sundays run would be a good opener - especially with someone who can drive ! Its a real eye opener driving the car and thinking you can drive a rwd then going out with someone who can - certainly shocked me the first time someone took me out and gave me something to aspire to.

 

Gosh...I must be bored.

 

hope that helped and welcome to MLOC

[halfpenny]

Hello there.

 

I didn't go to my first Elise from a Scooby, but from a 911 Carrera 2. Main reason was running costs, but still wanting something different and sporty.

 

As Malbon says, they do 40mpg, servicing is quite light (providing you avoid main dealers) and even insurance is ok-ish.

 

I found the Elise (I had an S2 first) far more capable on a tight, twisty road than the 911, and just as quick up to about 60mph, then it ran out of steam.

I upgraded recently to a new Exige, which has a little more power up to 6k rpm, but then shed loads after to 8k !

 

Only real issues from my perspective are the creaks, squeaks and rattles from the trim. Plus the fact that you get wet every time you open the door after it's been raining !

 

But if thats all I've got to moan about......can't be bad I guess.

[GCCK]

As a Scooby owner, you won't find any of the Elise variants excessively expensive to insure and probably cheaper to run. As a low volume car, however, there are a few irritating things that go wrong/ wear out prematurely. There are loads of threads on here/ SELOC covering what these things are.

 

With Elises there's no substitute for quality and you've done the right thing by registering on here before taking the plunge - there are loads of folks here who will help you out. At £12-14K bracket, don't go the dealer route if you're car savvy and can get help. Dealers will load £2K onto an S1 and they're really only worth visiting for S2's now, as all S1's are 4 years + old. Don't be tempted by a cheap S2 - with a second car, you don't need the extra practicality (slightly easier access, more refined) but would surely appreciate the S1's sharper (some would say extreme) handling and lighter weight. Also, if you're ever tempted to uprate the engine, S1 is cheaper because it is subject to earlier emissions standard than the 2001-on S2's.

 

Elise is a seasonal car. Loads around at the moment, so some bargains to be had. Prices will firm up noticeably come Feb-March, so something to be said for jumping in now if you can.

 

I've got a well-kept '99T S1 for sale in next week or two but will keep it mothballed over the winter if a sensible price not offered and pick up the firmer prices in Spring rather than give it away now. But then I've got the garage & cashflow to sit on it if needs be - many don't. The £12K cars will be selling for £13K in the spring!

 

My other car (the one I'm not selling) is an uprated Sport 135 (now 177bhp). There were only 85 made in 98 & 99 so are quite rare and do attract a premium because it's a great combination. Have a look at:

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Sport135/

and

http://uk.geocities.com/sprok135s/

for more info on Sport 135, or even place a wanted ad?

 

Personally, I find the standard S1 quite fast enough for the road - you can get to 90+ on the twisties in no time and carry unfeasible speed through the corners. VVC engine in 111s pulls hard to 6500rpm & beyond whereas std 120bhp car goes hard to 5500, happy at 6000 but no point going above that (although red line at 7). I only upgraded as I intend to do some track days next year and you can never have enough power on track!

 

Graeme

 

 

 

P.S. Look at the Karting thread in Events. We're all getting together end of Nov in W Mids - good chance to mingle & look at cars.

[Steve J]

All this stuff about S1's being better

 

S1's are great, S2's are great, that's all you need to know!

 

If your budget is £10k - £15k then you can pick up a sorted S1. Absolute bargains at this price and insurance should be between £500 and £700.

 

Don't be afraid of cars that have been modded (sports exhaust, decat, induction, brakes, suspension etc). If you pick up one that's already had those things done it will save you buying them yourself. Believe me, you will want them

 

If you can make it, come on the run on Sunday. You'll meet a lot of friendly guys and girls with all sorts of Elises, Exiges etc. But be prepared to go home thinking of ways to raise the cash to buy one now

 

Good luck and welcome to MLOC

[PPPMAT]

Hello greg

 

Probably not really qualified to comment as my 111s doesn't arrive until March but I have done some good long drives in a mate's S2 and dealer demonstrators.

 

I owned a MY02 STI for 18 months and it is difficult to compare this to an elise. The main difference (for me) was the driving position and mood it puts you in. There is no escaping the fact that the impreza is a family saloon car and the elise most definately is not. You sit very low and so do get an increased sense of speed.

 

It makes you feel like you're on a mission..

 

Most elises will feel comparatively slow compared to a modded impreza but in reality in a straight line they are not far behind (under 90 ish)

 

Steering feel and grip are sensational in the elise - you can generate more lateral g with little body roll and it feels planted.

 

The scooby was always a compromise I felt - quick and great all weather ability but when REALLY pressing on - lots of understeer (in mine anyway) and snappy on the limit. I found the elise much easier to read the limits..

 

Matt