Every day Elise
Discussion
Hi my lovely woman is very tempted to sell her sensible, fun car & get herself an Elise as an every day car; it's been her dream car for 5 years now. We popped into Adrian Blythe yesterday & test drove an S2 with vv timing.. was great fun; easy; fast. He recommended an S2 above S1 for every day use.
Any views on here? Would an S2 make a suitable everyday car? Highs.. Lows?
Ed
Any views on here? Would an S2 make a suitable everyday car? Highs.. Lows?
Ed
S1 is Ok on every day and can be done, but its all down to preference. S1's are much more "raw", S2's more civilised, but no less fun. It depends........I would say, even though I run an S1 every day, that the S2 would be the way to go for every day.....hopefully, when circumstances change for me, I would go for an S2 next............but it would have to be fast!!! 111R here I come!
Im glad you managed to get a test drive at Adrian Blythe because i had arranged one & made the 70 mile trip only to be told that they couldnt let me take one out. I even had the cash in the bank so they lost out on a 16k deal & i went private in the end. The elise is a cracking car which you will enjoy every moment of driving without a doubt.
Edited by boobles on Tuesday 27th February 12:02
Edt said:
one further question.. can the pedals be adjusted making them a little nearer? We gather there is no readily available way; perhaps replacement?
If you (or she) need to sit a bit closer, you can the seat further forward by turning the seat runners round (or you could on the S1 anyway).
In ABs defense, I know quite a few people who have been very well treated by them.
Ed.
Good to see you've got back into the TVR fold. I've just started the process of leaving it
as we're buying a house and my wife is pregnant. How's the Griff?
Anyway back to topic. The S2 is much better as an everyday prospect. It's a lot more refined and a bit easier to get in and out of. I've had an Elise "S" as a company car since August last year and it has been the most fun everyday car since the 350i. It is a superb thing to drive. If you want to come over and have a look at the diffence between the earlier S2's and the new range give me a buzz or e-mail.
Good luck choosing.
Gavin
www.merritts.co.uk
gavin.richardson@merritts.co.uk
Good to see you've got back into the TVR fold. I've just started the process of leaving it
as we're buying a house and my wife is pregnant. How's the Griff? Anyway back to topic. The S2 is much better as an everyday prospect. It's a lot more refined and a bit easier to get in and out of. I've had an Elise "S" as a company car since August last year and it has been the most fun everyday car since the 350i. It is a superb thing to drive. If you want to come over and have a look at the diffence between the earlier S2's and the new range give me a buzz or e-mail.
Good luck choosing.
Gavin
www.merritts.co.uk
gavin.richardson@merritts.co.uk
We've been trying to use one as en everyday for the last 3 months now (going through the winter!) and whilst it is pretty practical here's a couple of things that have frustrated me:
- I play sport getting out of the car is easy most of the time but after a journey back from a tough rugby match or squash game can become a little embarrassing when you realise you legs won't bend enough
- Can be uncomfortable on longish journeys. Drove to Wales at NY and lost most of the feeling in my bum.
- Obvious luggage space issues (although it is a bit of a tardis in there!)
- I spend my life cleaning it at the minute due to the weather and using in all conditions. I thought buying a cover would save some of this but unless you clean on every run the cover gets dirty too and you have one more thing to clean!
We actually ended up keeping an old corsa we were going to sell and it's nice to have the option (for all the above reasons) of another car.
- I play sport getting out of the car is easy most of the time but after a journey back from a tough rugby match or squash game can become a little embarrassing when you realise you legs won't bend enough
- Can be uncomfortable on longish journeys. Drove to Wales at NY and lost most of the feeling in my bum.
- Obvious luggage space issues (although it is a bit of a tardis in there!)
- I spend my life cleaning it at the minute due to the weather and using in all conditions. I thought buying a cover would save some of this but unless you clean on every run the cover gets dirty too and you have one more thing to clean!
We actually ended up keeping an old corsa we were going to sell and it's nice to have the option (for all the above reasons) of another car.
Ive used my S2 daily since june last year, No problems at all. I find it actually helps me get up in the morning!
I would recommend a shower cap as on days like today when its pouring it stops the niggly drips. I would also recommend getting a smaller front number plate as I kept grounding the larger one.
The boot is surprisingly good and as a testament I can fit 11 footballs in it!
HTH
ps just get one you know it makes sense
I would recommend a shower cap as on days like today when its pouring it stops the niggly drips. I would also recommend getting a smaller front number plate as I kept grounding the larger one.
The boot is surprisingly good and as a testament I can fit 11 footballs in it!
HTH
ps just get one you know it makes sense
tentative said:
We've been trying to use one as en everyday for the last 3 months now (going through the winter!) and whilst it is pretty practical here's a couple of things that have frustrated me:
- I play sport getting out of the car is easy most of the time but after a journey back from a tough rugby match or squash game can become a little embarrassing when you realise you legs won't bend enough
- Can be uncomfortable on longish journeys. Drove to Wales at NY and lost most of the feeling in my bum.
- Obvious luggage space issues (although it is a bit of a tardis in there!)
- I spend my life cleaning it at the minute due to the weather and using in all conditions. I thought buying a cover would save some of this but unless you clean on every run the cover gets dirty too and you have one more thing to clean!
We actually ended up keeping an old corsa we were going to sell and it's nice to have the option (for all the above reasons) of another car.
- I play sport getting out of the car is easy most of the time but after a journey back from a tough rugby match or squash game can become a little embarrassing when you realise you legs won't bend enough
- Can be uncomfortable on longish journeys. Drove to Wales at NY and lost most of the feeling in my bum.
- Obvious luggage space issues (although it is a bit of a tardis in there!)
- I spend my life cleaning it at the minute due to the weather and using in all conditions. I thought buying a cover would save some of this but unless you clean on every run the cover gets dirty too and you have one more thing to clean!
We actually ended up keeping an old corsa we were going to sell and it's nice to have the option (for all the above reasons) of another car.
ding to all that. My 54 111S has been great so far (apart from the variator
) The boot is bigger than you think, as long as you start with the expectation that you can get only 2 crumpler bags in, and then you'll be happily suprised when you fit 4 in
My grips however are;
- Heater: Useless untill you've warmed the engine up! sure once its warm its great, but for the first 5 mins it steamyer than a wetsuit in the desert.
- Radio: not great range on stations, and a whingy noise from something mechanical that interfers with the signal.... that said its the first car I've owned where it took me 2 months to read up on the radio as I was having too much fun driving.
- Visability: Reasonably poor view of what's behind you, and a pretty big blind spot when you're all the way back in the seat (i'm 6'1"
- Speed: If you have it as a daily driver and are living in an area with about 1000 speed cameras per sq foot, you need to watch you speed. The great thing about the 111S is the torque acceleration, but if you have it in 2nd at 27mph, you sneeze and its 37mph. I drove Ms Mahju's rover 214 on the weekend, and you forget what a 'normal' car is like, you really have to put your foot down to speed... the 111S does it with out trying (but I wouldn't miss the instant push in the lower back when you 'sneeze' for all the cameras in the world).
In summary - GO BUY ONE NOW!!!!
I used my 111r every day for 2 years. Awesome car, but make sure you have a camera detector in it, very very easy to be a bit to pacy without trying.
Also found that it was very reliable, and didn't let me down at all.
You can actually get quite a lot of kit in it too, if you are willing to spend a few minutes packing it.
Good luck with it
Also found that it was very reliable, and didn't let me down at all.
You can actually get quite a lot of kit in it too, if you are willing to spend a few minutes packing it.
Good luck with it
Used mine every day for a year or so - got on fine with it. My S1 roof is a bit leaky so I try to remember to keep a tea-towel in the car (otherwise I turn up at customers with wet trousers - ahem!)
It's a bit noisy for everyday ... I did a month in Cardiff at the end of last year and drove the car there are back each week (a 400 mile round trip) we did fall out a few times when the traffic was heavy. But then I only seem to need to leave it alone for a day or so and it finds its way back into my affections
The rubbish radio is a pain, I have a CD changer and an MP3 player to plug in to it ... thinking of trying a plug in DAB radio too .. see how that gets on. I can actually tune in the radio on my sony phone and plug that in through a headphone jack and its better reception than the radio!
Luggage-wise I used to put a laptop case in the boot and a holdall on the passager seat, stuff a 7-iron alongside that and to be honest I could go away all week no problems.
I have to say that AB were good too me ... the deal ws a bit steep but they chucked in 12 months warrenty and I had no problems claiming when I needed a new rad and heater exchanger.
Great car - just get one
J
It's a bit noisy for everyday ... I did a month in Cardiff at the end of last year and drove the car there are back each week (a 400 mile round trip) we did fall out a few times when the traffic was heavy. But then I only seem to need to leave it alone for a day or so and it finds its way back into my affections
The rubbish radio is a pain, I have a CD changer and an MP3 player to plug in to it ... thinking of trying a plug in DAB radio too .. see how that gets on. I can actually tune in the radio on my sony phone and plug that in through a headphone jack and its better reception than the radio!
Luggage-wise I used to put a laptop case in the boot and a holdall on the passager seat, stuff a 7-iron alongside that and to be honest I could go away all week no problems.
I have to say that AB were good too me ... the deal ws a bit steep but they chucked in 12 months warrenty and I had no problems claiming when I needed a new rad and heater exchanger.
Great car - just get one
J
I use my S1 everyday with no problems. It is raw and at 6'2" a pain (literally) to get out of (falling in is easy!), but I love it. I'm sure as others have confirmed the S2 is slightly more confortable. I just can't wait for the weather to get better now!
If you want an Elise i'm sure you'll be able to cope with it day to day. Get one!
If you want an Elise i'm sure you'll be able to cope with it day to day. Get one!
Edt said:
one further question.. can the pedals be adjusted making them a little nearer? We gather there is no readily available way; perhaps replacement?
I don't know about the S2, but our car was converted by the original owner (a lady of 5'2"
. I'm five foot and there's no way I'd be able to drive an S1 for any time (and certainly at speed) without it having been done. Having said that, I still use a back bolster www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/LotusShop/Details.asp?Id=A111V0706J because I like to sit a bit more upright than the shape of the S1 seat allows. Is your wife very short????? When I sat in the S2, the seat position was perfect and a lot more refined than the S1 (in my opinion).
Another point, I went on a run at the weekend with some other Loti. There was a woman driving an S2 and she was wearing a skirt!! She managed to keep her dignity when she got out of the car, which is nigh on impossible in an S1.
I used my S1 almost daily last year for 16k miles. No problems with it at all. I love the rawness of the thing - it turns every drive into an event. It can get a bit tiresome on long motorway trips (best I've managed is 700 miles in a day) but I fitted a decent stereo which drowns out most of the noise (turning the lights on also helps radio reception). The S1 can be leaky but if you get the windows adjusted well and fit the roof properly very little water will get in (I only have a problem with drips off the roof when I iopen the door). When I bought the car I also bought a MG ZT as my daily driver - I've just put that on the market! Says it all really!
Tina K said:
Mine is a daily driver and it's fine. You can get a lot in it...
Only thing is, as a girlie she will get a lot of attention in it. Are you sure you want that?
Only thing is, as a girlie she will get a lot of attention in it. Are you sure you want that?
Especially with a tree in the passenger seat. That should be enough to put off most unwanted suitors I'd have thought...
S2 is a fantastic sports car - it isn't a luggage hauler or a B&Q van or a 4 seater but as long as your daily use doesn't go too far out of the two seater sports car envelope, (which it probably doesn't judging from your interest), then I'd say go for this and you won't be disappointed - any small niggles will exist on any car but the driving experience more than makes up for that, whilst on most cars it doesn't.
Can't honestly comment on an S1 experience, but happily rec'd the S2 to anyone with enough commonsense not to expect things that obviously aren't there. If you see what I mean. (drunk-ish again hic)
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