Elise or V8 tvrs
Discussion
I,m currently looking to spend about £12,000 on a car for fun use only,i have narrowed it down between a elise and a tvr V8s,have driven both but still can not make my mind up which one.
Can anybody on your forum tip the balance in my mind on which to choose.
By the way i will be posting this on the tvr forum,
Many thanks.
Can anybody on your forum tip the balance in my mind on which to choose.
By the way i will be posting this on the tvr forum,
Many thanks.
Both good, Elise is better in my opinion, I have just bought one and pick it up on Wednesday!
Anyway... V8 will give you more grunt and noise. Elise will give you much more finesse and handling delicacy! Looks wise the Elise is way out ahead! The V8s is OK but a bit dated, the S1 Elise is a classic and the more I see S2 Elises the more I am convinced the S1 is the nicer design...
The Elise would be cheaper to run day to day, if that is an issue, insurance I am not sure about. When I was checking between a Chimera and an Elise the costs were the same but the Elise needed a tracker the chimp did not... Bizare!
In the end it is down to preference. I have always wanted an Elise so the TVR was never going to win! Test a couple back to back and go from there!
Anyway... V8 will give you more grunt and noise. Elise will give you much more finesse and handling delicacy! Looks wise the Elise is way out ahead! The V8s is OK but a bit dated, the S1 Elise is a classic and the more I see S2 Elises the more I am convinced the S1 is the nicer design...
The Elise would be cheaper to run day to day, if that is an issue, insurance I am not sure about. When I was checking between a Chimera and an Elise the costs were the same but the Elise needed a tracker the chimp did not... Bizare!
In the end it is down to preference. I have always wanted an Elise so the TVR was never going to win! Test a couple back to back and go from there!
Beyond the dynamics etc, I suspect the Elise will be a lot cheaper to run (until you get the tuning bug). If it were me, and given that I don't plan to keep cars forever, I'd probably get the Elise as it some ways its the best at what it does. There are however better sources of V8 grunt than a tvrs (including other tvrs!).
Just a thought! Anyway try to experience it all
I run a TVR Griff (not too dissimilar to a V8S) and am considering changing to an Elise. Here's my thoughts, for what they're worth: I test drove an Elise the other day and the handling was delightful. The cabin is more spartan, not necessarily a bad thing. I think you could have fun with an Elise at street-legal speeds.
After the Elise test drive, the Griff felt very heavy. It's actually only about 250 kg heavier, but most of that is probably engine, sitting very close to the front anxle, so I guess this is why the steering - and handling - feels heavy. My Griff does not have power steering.
The Elise brakes did not inspire confidence, but probably just because they are not servo-assisted. I daresay that I would have become used to them. My unmodified Griff brakes (servo assisted) are great.
I would not have felt confident overtaking in the Elise without a very big gap, and would be afraid of being blown away by Jap cars and GTis. In the Griff, you only have to worry about supercars, and overtaking ordinary stuff is done in the blink of an eye.
Engine notes - no contest really.
The Griff is very plush - lots of leather, walnut and wilton carpet. The Elise is all bear metal. Both are nice, the Griff is more 'classic' the Elise is more 'racer'
Running costs - I understand this is big differentiator. Insurance is a bit cheaper for the Lotus, but I would need a tracker (not needed for TVR). Servicing the TVR is every 6000 miles or 12 months, average cost around 500 notes. Elise intervals are longer and the costs lower. V8's are thirsty and mine does about 150-180 miles on a tankful of Optimax, say 38 quid a pop. Not sure what this is in mpg terms, but it aint a lot. I do tend to give it some welly though and you can almost see the needle go down. Elises can do 35-40 mpg I am told.
Reliability - Griff has never let me down badly(except it sometimes refuses to start if the engine is very hot until it has cooled a little, this can be embarassing at filling stations...) Other than that, no problems.
Looks - Griff wins this one, I am sometimes envious of the people who see me drive by, all I do is see the view from the inside... The Elise is a good looking car too, but more girl-next-door than supermodel.
Depreciation - I bought my Griff three years ago and could sell it for almost what I paid. Negligible depreciation. I am not sure about Elise depreciation, but I suspect it is more expensive.
It's a tough call..
Cheers
GB
After the Elise test drive, the Griff felt very heavy. It's actually only about 250 kg heavier, but most of that is probably engine, sitting very close to the front anxle, so I guess this is why the steering - and handling - feels heavy. My Griff does not have power steering.
The Elise brakes did not inspire confidence, but probably just because they are not servo-assisted. I daresay that I would have become used to them. My unmodified Griff brakes (servo assisted) are great.
I would not have felt confident overtaking in the Elise without a very big gap, and would be afraid of being blown away by Jap cars and GTis. In the Griff, you only have to worry about supercars, and overtaking ordinary stuff is done in the blink of an eye.
Engine notes - no contest really.
The Griff is very plush - lots of leather, walnut and wilton carpet. The Elise is all bear metal. Both are nice, the Griff is more 'classic' the Elise is more 'racer'
Running costs - I understand this is big differentiator. Insurance is a bit cheaper for the Lotus, but I would need a tracker (not needed for TVR). Servicing the TVR is every 6000 miles or 12 months, average cost around 500 notes. Elise intervals are longer and the costs lower. V8's are thirsty and mine does about 150-180 miles on a tankful of Optimax, say 38 quid a pop. Not sure what this is in mpg terms, but it aint a lot. I do tend to give it some welly though and you can almost see the needle go down. Elises can do 35-40 mpg I am told.
Reliability - Griff has never let me down badly(except it sometimes refuses to start if the engine is very hot until it has cooled a little, this can be embarassing at filling stations...) Other than that, no problems.
Looks - Griff wins this one, I am sometimes envious of the people who see me drive by, all I do is see the view from the inside... The Elise is a good looking car too, but more girl-next-door than supermodel.
Depreciation - I bought my Griff three years ago and could sell it for almost what I paid. Negligible depreciation. I am not sure about Elise depreciation, but I suspect it is more expensive.
It's a tough call..
Cheers
GB
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