Taking The Plunge...

[Troisieme]

Hello all.

 

I've been lurking around here for about two months or so, having decided around Easter to finally invest all those hard-earnt savings into something worthwhile and fun. And so as of this Monday, when the June paycheque is cleared and my 25th birthday has passed knocking those insurance premiums down that extra little step, I'm on the shop for my first Elise!

 

Incidentally, if any of you know the guy who pulled up in a burgundy S2 in B&Q car park in Loughborough about two months ago, it's all his fault!

 

Now I've been doing a good bit of homework to try and make myself sound reasonably knowledgable when looking around, but with it being my first venture into the Lotus market and all (not to mention the first car I'll have bough for over £500, but that's another story!) I figure it's worth bouncing a few ideas of you guys first.

 

I've got about 17.5K to spend, including insurance. Done a bit of shopping on that front, Admiral seem to be doing about the best for me, at about £1300, but for my age and history I've got no complaints with that. So, that leaves me with a little bit over 16K to spend on the car.

 

Now for that money, it looks like I can get myseld either a rather rapid S1, or a more mundane early S2. I'm no racer, to be honest, and as much of the reason for getting the car will not be to drive it very very fast, but very very slowly, it looks like it's an S2 for me!

 

Given that preference, a Tourer would seem the most sensible package. Having said that, most of the less costly S2s around seem to be Racetechs. Question is, is it really worth qhile forking out a few hundred quid more for leather seats?

 

Now given my complete inexperience in the field, I'm quite tempted to buy through a dealer rather than private, although it would seem that a lot of people would recommend looking at the private cars, and getting a specialist to look over it for you. Any recommendations as to who to turn to for this in the Midlands? I'm based in Loughborough, by the way. And having said all of that, is it me, or are the private/trade prices on Autotrader pretty much identical at the moment?

 

Been a bit of a ramble so far, but here's probably the most important bit. Clearly, I'm a complete beginner and pretty clueless, but I'll be buggered if the dealer/seller is gonna find that out. So what I really, really need is a few questions that are gonna make me sound a)serious and b)like I know what I'm talking about.

 

Your help would be most appreciated. And with a bit of luck, give me a few weeks and I'll be able to post some pictures of my sparkly new machine!

[malbon]

you sound like an s2'er to be fair

 

no problem though. buying from dealers aint a problem. its all down to you really.

 

im in l'borough quite a lot if u need a bit of advice or a car looking at. im no technical expert but i havent done bad up to yet with my buying.

 

..best of luck !

[MattyB]

Its fate, it is! Meant to buy this, you are...

 

http://www.clublupo.co.uk/elise

 

But seriously, you might be better off having a sit/drive/look at them all and decide from there. Budget about £1000 ontop of the cost of the car and insurance to sort out any little niggles, get HPi checks, inspections etc.

 

Read all the FAQ's and info sites - http://www.elises.co.uk, http://www.elise-faq.info to get an idea of common faults, etc.

 

Edit - I have no idea why I've written the first bit like Yoda

[Steve J]

Hi, you should be able to get a better insurance quote than that. We got our S2 down to £470 with Adrian Flux.

 

You'll get a bit more in a Sports Tourer than just leather seats.

 

I wouldn't buy through a dealer again as you tend to pay way over the odds. There are always good cars available through the clubs (MLOC, SELOC, Pistonheads etc) where the history is usually known.

 

If you find one and you'd like someone else to come with you for a look, then just post up here and I'm sure one of us will be able to oblige.

 

Welcome to MLOC

[GCCK]

Steve & Jon have given you good advice.

 

Whatever you buy, hold some budget back for mods and/or repair - things wear out on Elises! Half the fun is in tailoring it to your own spec

 

There are loads of willing helpers on here, so if you want someone to come and look at a car with you, just ask. Also, with over 750 members on MLOC now, there's a good chance someone will be trying to sell an S2 - and both they & their car will be known to other members: surely better provenance than buying from a dealer?

 

There's a regular pub-meet in Nottingham and another in Hinckley, so go along and introduce yourself - have a look in the events and/or calendar sections for details.

[dobbo]

There's also a monthly Lotus Drivers' Club meet, so there's plenty of brains to pick out here !

 

Chris

[Elaine]

Hi Brett, we're not far from you - Whitwick.

 

Elaine&Reg.

[alvington89]

I'm confused...

You want a Lotus so that you can go very vry slowly?!!

[Scott_Mac]

No matter how fast you want to go now, that'll change when you get used to it... you'll always want more power!

 

Personally, i'm not an S2 fan (everyone will be surprised there ! ) the S1 feels more involving, more seat of the pants... its not as practical (though i still can't get out of an S2 easily )

 

My personal suggestion would be MattyB's car and that leaves you some pennies to fix the bits that inevitably go wrong. However £17.5k may well get you an early S2 from a dealer with a warranty.

 

Adrian Blythe - Only S1's but nice

 

Nick Whale have a Sports Tourer indicated at £17,950... could be a good buy, but good luck dealing with the sales staff