Buyer's guide.
Discussion
Sir Jonny said:
That site needs to be treated with a lot of caution. Lots of people this side of the pond have had first hand experience of Joe's "great ideas". Check out Ian Wilson's tale on SELOC for one example of many or speak to Paul Golding at Lotus on Track.Have had two K-series Elises, both to 47K miles, and the only significant fault was a failed water pump on the S1 at about 40K. Had the n\a Exige for 40K miles and the only issue on that was a sticking throttle (very nostalgic that one).
Hi
Just want to get some info about Exige S2. Want to know what target price I should be going for in dealerships, what age and mileage and what extras ( like the touring pack or performance pack- which one or neither). And anything else I should look out for? Your expert opinion will be greatly appreciated!
Just want to get some info about Exige S2. Want to know what target price I should be going for in dealerships, what age and mileage and what extras ( like the touring pack or performance pack- which one or neither). And anything else I should look out for? Your expert opinion will be greatly appreciated!
mills81 said:
Hi
Just want to get some info about Exige S2. Want to know what target price I should be going for in dealerships, what age and mileage and what extras ( like the touring pack or performance pack- which one or neither). And anything else I should look out for? Your expert opinion will be greatly appreciated!
A tad ambiguous, what's your budget?Just want to get some info about Exige S2. Want to know what target price I should be going for in dealerships, what age and mileage and what extras ( like the touring pack or performance pack- which one or neither). And anything else I should look out for? Your expert opinion will be greatly appreciated!
daveknott5 said:
Would also be great to know what people's experiences are with the various engine configurations....are the toyota engined cars more reliable?
K series (6 years experience, 50k miles). No engine problems at all. slight oil use new. took 10k miles before it really started to fly. K&N air filter (using standard box) is worthwhile if you don't go for other induction changes. fair drop in performance as the standard filter gets choked.sport exhaust sounds good, but can be tiring if you choose one of the louder ones.
A few other issues experienced with other parts of the car..happy to post if requested.
Toyota. (3yrs, 20k miles in 2 cars). No engine problems at all. 111R (loan car for 4 weeks) had about 50k on the clock. was possible to get into reverse without lifting the collar..possibly a 1 off selector issue? Engine was strong... big step in power delivery after 6000rpm or so.
Have had no mechanical issues with 5speed 'S'... few minor niggles .. and a big repair . but otherwise sweet
just a few things i would check when buying an Elise. Could also get you a few quid off when it comes to price.
Tyres - Make sure there enough tread , If theres decent tyres on the elise you could be talking 100+ to replace one .
History - Nothing wrong with a self service , But make sure its had a C service atleast once in its life so you know how old the cambelt is
heaters - One thing many people dont do is check the heater . Check all fan speeds work .. On the K series the resistor pack is easy to replace and costs about £2 DIY .. On the toyota engine a garage can charge up to £800
Idle - Make sure the car idles fine , Even the K series should idle smooth and not lumpy
steering - first make sure the steering lock still works , a lot of people use the wheel to get out . A heavy person can brake the steering lock when getting out .
Exhaust - Check for smoke on startup , could be a sign of HGF on a K series
headertank - Check for brown deposits such as Oil
Oil - Check to make sure its at the correct level and that the colour reflects the service date ( also make sure theres no Mayo ! )
rear toe links - If possible get the rear diffuser off and give them a hard wiggle !
jacking Points - check under the car for people who have not jacked the car up properly . You may find holes or dents under the car if they have not used the jacking points.
Radiator - Check the radiator for Leaks , Run the car upto temp take the front panels off if need be and check for any type of leaks . broken rad = taking the front clam off .
Engine lights - I would suggest taking a OBD reader with you just incase . If a engine light is on you can check the code and for e.g. if its a new lambda sensor that is required you can use this to haggle the price .
Tyres - Make sure there enough tread , If theres decent tyres on the elise you could be talking 100+ to replace one .
History - Nothing wrong with a self service , But make sure its had a C service atleast once in its life so you know how old the cambelt is
heaters - One thing many people dont do is check the heater . Check all fan speeds work .. On the K series the resistor pack is easy to replace and costs about £2 DIY .. On the toyota engine a garage can charge up to £800
Idle - Make sure the car idles fine , Even the K series should idle smooth and not lumpy
steering - first make sure the steering lock still works , a lot of people use the wheel to get out . A heavy person can brake the steering lock when getting out .
Exhaust - Check for smoke on startup , could be a sign of HGF on a K series
headertank - Check for brown deposits such as Oil
Oil - Check to make sure its at the correct level and that the colour reflects the service date ( also make sure theres no Mayo ! )
rear toe links - If possible get the rear diffuser off and give them a hard wiggle !
jacking Points - check under the car for people who have not jacked the car up properly . You may find holes or dents under the car if they have not used the jacking points.
Radiator - Check the radiator for Leaks , Run the car upto temp take the front panels off if need be and check for any type of leaks . broken rad = taking the front clam off .
Engine lights - I would suggest taking a OBD reader with you just incase . If a engine light is on you can check the code and for e.g. if its a new lambda sensor that is required you can use this to haggle the price .
Worth adding this link to the thread (cba to check if its already been done but its was my buyers guide).
http://www.hazelnet.org/elise_faq/
http://www.hazelnet.org/elise_faq/
Hi All,
not sure what forum to ask this in so forgive me if this isn't correct or the info is available elsewhere....
I had a bit of a prang in my 111s elise which has resulted in a nearly £7k claim off the insurance company.
I'm trying to cover all bases and get valuations from Parkers guide and Motoring.co.uk which give me a range of prices between 12,500 and 15,600 for the car. Mine though has a hardtop and black 8 spoke alloys, so I wanted to know how much these options would add (if anything) to the value of the car, should it come to a fight with the insurance company.
Three weeks ago I paid about £15k for the car so I'm hoping they're going to be sensible about things, but it is an insurance company after all.... Any advice or pointers would be gratefully recieved.
8.
not sure what forum to ask this in so forgive me if this isn't correct or the info is available elsewhere....
I had a bit of a prang in my 111s elise which has resulted in a nearly £7k claim off the insurance company.
I'm trying to cover all bases and get valuations from Parkers guide and Motoring.co.uk which give me a range of prices between 12,500 and 15,600 for the car. Mine though has a hardtop and black 8 spoke alloys, so I wanted to know how much these options would add (if anything) to the value of the car, should it come to a fight with the insurance company.
Three weeks ago I paid about £15k for the car so I'm hoping they're going to be sensible about things, but it is an insurance company after all.... Any advice or pointers would be gratefully recieved.
8.
cre8toruk said:
Sorry also meant to ask other than parkers any other car valuation websites I should try ?
To be honest I'd stay away from Parkers as they don't really tend to reflect true prices of niche and specialist cars: they often seem to highlight depreciation that simply isn't there. I'd gather as many adverts from Pistonheads / Autotrader / owners clubs with cars of similar spec / mileage / age and find what the asking prices are there - it'll give you something a little stronger to argue.
If it's literally just a couple of cracked clams, and the car was a good 'un, I'd also seriously consider buying it back and getting it fixed yourself if the price they offer is low enough - you can usually get second hand clams for £300-£500, so even with a complete respray you could no doubt have it in pristine condition for £4k or so. Just another option. Good luck.
pthelazyjourno said:
To be honest I'd stay away from Parkers as they don't really tend to reflect true prices of niche and specialist cars: they often seem to highlight depreciation that simply isn't there.
I'd gather as many adverts from Pistonheads / Autotrader / owners clubs with cars of similar spec / mileage / age and find what the asking prices are there - it'll give you something a little stronger to argue.
If it's literally just a couple of cracked clams, and the car was a good 'un, I'd also seriously consider buying it back and getting it fixed yourself if the price they offer is low enough - you can usually get second hand clams for £300-£500, so even with a complete respray you could no doubt have it in pristine condition for £4k or so. Just another option. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice... Parkers valuations aren't too bad... Scott Walker has told me he'd sell it for £15,990 so I can use that too I guess.I'd gather as many adverts from Pistonheads / Autotrader / owners clubs with cars of similar spec / mileage / age and find what the asking prices are there - it'll give you something a little stronger to argue.
If it's literally just a couple of cracked clams, and the car was a good 'un, I'd also seriously consider buying it back and getting it fixed yourself if the price they offer is low enough - you can usually get second hand clams for £300-£500, so even with a complete respray you could no doubt have it in pristine condition for £4k or so. Just another option. Good luck.
Another thing I would check before buying an S2 is to see that the chassis had NOT been damaged (destroyed) by cutting out the structural integrity above the fuel pump as suggested by this site. http://www.boefabrication.com/index.php?/boe/artic...
That is also the fire wall in the S2 (separating the fuel from the passenger compartment) buy cutting out an opening to the passenger compartment eliminates a very important safety feature. This is just another indicator of how lazy the Americans are...they would rather destroy the chassis (buy cutting it) rather than drop the tank when upgrading the fuel pump and doing the job properly.
That is also the fire wall in the S2 (separating the fuel from the passenger compartment) buy cutting out an opening to the passenger compartment eliminates a very important safety feature. This is just another indicator of how lazy the Americans are...they would rather destroy the chassis (buy cutting it) rather than drop the tank when upgrading the fuel pump and doing the job properly.
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff