340R virgin seeks advice

[nationofzeros]

Hi all

Perhaps its that time of the year, but I am musing once again about possible 340R ownership

I am looking for an exotic lightweight that will work well on trackdays but also entertain on the road, on the right sort of day, in an uncompromised midengined styleey. It would be cosseted in a garage and pampered as necessary for such a highly strung beast. As a former Renault Spider owner I am well acquainted with the fine art of UK weather prediction / protection so thats no problem either

I guess my main concern is reliability - not the cost necessarily, but the buggeration factor. Having to take off the bodyshell to change the battery, VHPD engine temperamentals, that sort of thing - essentially I enjoy turning the key & going places rather than endlessly traipsing back & forth to the nearest competent garage - been there & done that with a succession of Alpine-Renault GTAs, and am now spoiled by the seamless ownership experience of a NA1 Honda NSX

I have followed Harry Metcalfe's 340R experiences in EVO magazine which tends to indicate that a succession of expensive and timeconsuming problems is par for the course

Are there any 340R / former 340R owners out there who could comment, and possibly give me a 'hit list' of issues to watch on purchase???

Thanks in hope,

Chris

[TIPPER]

Worth looking over on Seloc as there are a few active 340R owners on there. If the budget will stretch then how about a 2-11?

[Ultrasound]

Think the game has moved on a bit since the 340R unless you Honda it. Atom? R500? 2-11?

[noodleman]

Yep, it probably has.

Doesn't stop we manting a 340r though.

[MrG]

I owned a 340R for a couple of years (2002 - 2004). Here's my thoughts:

Generally they are just a highly strung Elise. I had a head gasket failure (warranty repair although it would have been about £800. In addition, I had electrical problems that kept the car off the road for about 10 weeks and saw me well and truly ripped off to the tune of £700.

When I was buying I was told to be careful of sub 4,000 miles cars as most of the problems happen early doors. I also swapped the tyres for a more alround Yokohama rather than the cut slicks it came with.

Overall, a special car to own and one that you'll get stared at in every time you go out. My best memories were the A and B roads to the West of Guildford and the midnight drives I used to enjoy, that and a run on the Fosse Way I had where the car felt unbelievable. Oh and the thunderstorm in Cromer at 2am that blew the shower cape off the car, set the alarm off and woke up everyone in the hotel....oops!

[clarencegi77]

TIPPER said:

Worth looking over on Seloc as there are a few active 340R owners on there. If the budget will stretch then how about a 2-11?

well, even if the budget dosen't stretch that much you can now get the normally-aspirated one! and bolt on the supercharger later when spare change is avaliable..
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Lo...

[Mr_C]

340R's will always be cool. I want one.

[nationofzeros]

OK thanks for the advice MrG. I guess the time-honoured phrase 'you only live once' might be applicable to this decision...

[byhff]

clarencegi77 said:

TIPPER said:

Worth looking over on Seloc as there are a few active 340R owners on there. If the budget will stretch then how about a 2-11?

well, even if the budget dosen't stretch that much you can now get the normally-aspirated one! and bolt on the supercharger later when spare change is avaliable..
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Lo...

That review is wrong, if you want a road legal 2-11 you are looking at £40k. The price Autocar quote is the base model for racing which doesn't have lights, indicators etc etc

[Gareth135R]

BUY MINE
Green one in classifieds!