Hello All, New Boy Question!

[hecmac]

Hello all,

 

I am new to the forum and the reason I am here is I am trying to get abit clued up on the Lotus Elise s1. I love the look of the car and I am seriously thinking about buying one.

 

The reason I am writing as I have a few concerns/Questions. Here they are:-

 

1, are the series one really all rattle and poor comfort, a brief search is pulling up

Some real reliability problems?

 

2, How practical is the car going to be for a day to day car.

 

3, I currently own a 406 Coupe (2.0l) which has pretty good luggage space, is

there a rack available for the lotus for longer journeys?

 

4, I am 6 foot 4 will that present a problem?

 

5, Whats the servicing cost like for the basic (1.8 Rover engine )version.

 

6) Am I going to get a decent car for £9K?

 

Any advice or help would be appreciated,

 

reagrds

Hec

[malbon]

dont buy one. they're rattly shit boxes

 

hth

 

jon

[jez_s]

...oh you were serious!

[GreyKnight]

Don't worry hecmac, they're not being altogether serious There are plenty of very happy S1 owners on here.

 

Hello all,

 

I am new to the forum and the reason I am here is I am trying to get abit clued up on the Lotus Elise s1. I love the look of the car and I am seriously thinking about buying one.

 

The reason I am writing as I have a few concerns/Questions. Here they are:-

 

1, are the series one really all rattle and poor comfort, a brief search is pulling up 

  Some real reliability problems?

 

Real reliability problems are only likely if you buy a crap abused example.  They pretty much do all rattle to a greater or lesser degree.  Comfort is what you make of it.  I have a seat to sit in, a heater and a good stereo (upgraded).  That's all I need.  Any Elise will always give a very firm ride though.

 

2, How practical is the car going to be for a day to day car.

 

It will be fine so long as you don't need lots of luggage space or passenger space.

 

3, I currently own a 406 Coupe (2.0l) which has pretty good luggage space, is   

    there a rack available for the lotus for longer journeys?

 

Yes, but it makes the car look sh*t

 

4, I am 6 foot 4 will that present a problem?

 

Yes, quite possibly, but the roof comes off...

 

5, Whats the servicing cost like for the basic  (1.8 Rover engine )version.

 

Bugger all really, unless you suffer a head gasket failure (HGF), but that's not really "servicing".

 

6) Am I going to get a decent car for £9K?

 

You'll get a better one for £10k to £12k

 

Any advice or help would be appreciated,

 

reagrds

Hec

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[malbon]

sorry, was pissed !!!

 

 

1, are the series one really all rattle and poor comfort, a brief search is pulling up

Some real reliability problems?

 

some cars are about 7 or 8 years old now so you have to expect niggles. there are some well sorted cars out there if you spend time looking. dont buy the first one you see !

 

2, How practical is the car going to be for a day to day car.

 

they are fine. bit of a pain in the winter as they can sometimes leak. the heaters are crap and they dont hold the road well in the wet !

 

3, I currently own a 406 Coupe (2.0l) which has pretty good luggage space, is

there a rack available for the lotus for longer journeys?

 

there is a rack which goes over the engine cover at the back. luggage space isnt great

 

4, I am 6 foot 4 will that present a problem?

 

no

 

5, Whats the servicing cost like for the basic (1.8 Rover engine )version.

 

£200 approx.

 

6) Am I going to get a decent car for £9K?

 

not really. spend 11 and get a decent s1

[malbon]

oops didnt see your reply graham.

 

is there an echo in here ?

[malbon]

have u considered an s2000 ? u might find this a better compromise after your 406

[GreyKnight]

oops didnt see your reply graham.

 

is there an echo in here ? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

[Cowboy]

as above really- they will all rattle and bump

 

enjoy- pay more than 9k for a decent one.

[Black Swan]

Hecmac, as someone just about to leave the jolly world of the Elise can I make the following comments:

 

They are all small noisey cars but you will only notice it after the first 100 miles on a motorway, the rest of the time you will be having too much fun to notice

 

I have had my S1 for just over 3 years and for the first 2 it was my everyday car for a 50 - 60 mile round trip every working day of the year plus runs and trips, 70 - 80% of the time roof off. I can only remember about 5 times I stopped on a journey to put the roof on.

 

You have seen the answers about the rack.

 

I am 6'2", but tall sitting down, top of the head will get wet if it rains and hailstones can hurt.

 

You have seen replies on servicing, I have just had an A sercice locally at £110, there are plenty of good people around, check the archives for comments.

 

9k will not get you a good car unless you are very lucky, but £10850 will, see Black Swan in the for sale section and give me a call. Happy about chatting on the Elise as an every day car, lots of wimps on here who only bring theirs out when the sun shines. Sorry guys, but the truth hurts

 

 

Peter

[GCCK]

As I've said before, a £9K Elise is a £12K Elise with £3K work awaiting it.

 

These are low volume cars, and as the Series 1, it had those v1.0 bugs in it that don't appear in the v1.2 or moreso the S2.

 

If you appreciate your creature comforts that much, save up for an S2. A S1 has greater capacity to thrill, with more uncompromising suspension & tyres set up and lighter weight.

 

But I meant it about the £3K. It's all you need to turn a tired car into something absolutely brilliant. For the £9K "downpayment" you should get a wonderful car but you MUST budget the extra, to be spent over a 2 year period, over & above basic servicing.

[Mr_Belowski]

I recently bought an S1 111s with a similar set of doubts, so here's my experiences which may or may not be boll0cks as I'm no expert

 

Reliability...

No problems in 2000 miles for me, but as said above, old cars can sometimes go wrong. The Elise's issues are very well documented and pretty much any S1 owner will have a good idea of what to look for when inspecting a car - always take a second opinion with you initially and before buying have it professionally inspected. Owners club peeps are always really helpful and I'm sure someone local will be happy to join you when you look at a car.

 

Head gasket failure is the biggest Elise problem, as I'm sure you've already read. Other issues tend to be your average old-car worn-out-bits troubles. Provided the car's in good shape and any work that's been done has been done right, it'll be no more or less reliable than any 7 year old car.

 

Servicing is more than a normal car, but not crazy money. A full "c" service (once every few years) is usually the wrong side of £500, depending on any extras that need doing (this includes a cam belt). Servicing costs don't vary much across the range, but reliability can. The 135 and 160 have a reputation for being less reliable than the standard and 111s but I think it's fair to say that most properly cared for 135s and 160s will have had their weaknesses sorted long ago.

 

Comfort... The standard seats aren't great, so I'm told. The more expensive models (111s, 135, 160) have slightly more comfy seats, but you'll sit a little higher in the car so it's a trade-off for the lanky . I find my car really comfy, but when standing in heavy rain it leaks - you'll need to budget another £90 for a rain cover cos a lot of S1 rooves don't seal perfectly when the car's not moving.

 

Rattles and noises are something you either live with, or you drive something else. Because they're inevitable given the minimalist construction of the car they bother me much less than they would in a normal car. They're 'supposed' to be there, rather than an irritating sign of something going wrong. The road / engine noise is loud - especially on the motorway but again, it doesn't bother me.

 

Mines my only car and I drive it to work most days. Not because I have to - it's only a 40 minute walk / 30 minute tram ride. I just love driving it . 60 mile trips are no problem, but it can get tiring after that (mainly due to the noise - I usually slow down to 60 for a few minutes to give the ears a break). The one thing it's crap at is shopping. I'm way too precious to take it to the supermarket, and the boot's very small anyway. Never tried the rack, but managed to squeeze stuff for a week's walking holiday for two into it.

 

 

For 9k, hmmm... The market is definitely slowing down and prices are falling, especially now winter's closer. 2 months ago, 9k would have got an unloved Elise needing lots of work. Now I'm not too sure, I think there *are* good ones for 9k that have been properly looked after. At that price they might be due a service, new tyres tho and maybe new dampers, so bear that in mind.

 

 

On the plus side, they're flipping brilliant cars and you won't use one in quite the same way as the Peugot. Walking to the supermarket isn't much fun, but driving home from work via the Peak district more than makes up for it. Kids shout "nice car mate" all the time, and adults roll their eyes in jealous disgust as you drive past. It corners like it's on rails (but only in the dry...) and accelerates like someone detonated an atomic bomb behind it.

 

Just buy one

 

 

[edit] Don't bother insisting on a Lotus dealer service history. Specialist independents are every bit as capable, cheaper, and tend to do a better job

[GCCK]

After buying a £9K Elise:

 

Replace spring/damper units (all S1's should be on at least their 2nd set by now) £550 + fitting (£200) + geo (£100).

Has it had a cambelt change? £400

ball joints, bushes £500 incl geo

toe links £300 incl geo

recon steering rack £250? + geo (£100)

front end respray £600 (incl sills & mirrors)

seat retrim £200

braided brake & clutch hoses £250 incl fitting

Miscellaneous irritations £??

 

some of these may not be required (yet) but factor in the need for brakes, servicing, battery, tyres (£425 for 4) and you see where the money can go.

[hecmac]

Guys,

 

Thank you all for the advice. Mmm truth be told I really want one and I am the kind of person that enjoys spending 4 hours a week tightning bolts and adressing little niggles. I have a old 106 1.4 diesel I will use for the winter.

 

Woo I getting all excited now. Might hang on a couple of months see if I can get a series 2 for 10K.

 

Thanks again for your dvice what a friendly bunch!

[Martin R]

An S2