111R condition
Discussion
Chaps,
I am currently starting to look for a 111R. I have now driven two - a '57 R and an '04 111R. Unfortunately my budget leaves me somewhere in the middle of the two.
The '04 I drove had a couple of patches where the paint was bubbling slightly. Is this a common problem? Looked like rust to me and that wasn't something I was aware of as a problem. The other issue I found was the brakes. There was about 3" of dead pedal travel before they would bite. Is this usual? Left me with precious little confidence approaching hazards.
I've also been told to check out the heater and make sure all three stages work. Does anyone else have any other suggestions for issues to look out for? Anyone know of any cars for sale which are worth looking at?
Many thanks,
Swifty
I am currently starting to look for a 111R. I have now driven two - a '57 R and an '04 111R. Unfortunately my budget leaves me somewhere in the middle of the two.
The '04 I drove had a couple of patches where the paint was bubbling slightly. Is this a common problem? Looked like rust to me and that wasn't something I was aware of as a problem. The other issue I found was the brakes. There was about 3" of dead pedal travel before they would bite. Is this usual? Left me with precious little confidence approaching hazards.
I've also been told to check out the heater and make sure all three stages work. Does anyone else have any other suggestions for issues to look out for? Anyone know of any cars for sale which are worth looking at?
Many thanks,
Swifty
Check the exhaust, the standard one on my old one was close to falling off with rust at only 2years old. Heater resistor pack, which causes the heater problem you mentioned, is prone to flooding in the rain and rusting. Think brake pedal can be fixed but not sure how much that costs.
Good luck
Dave
Good luck
Dave
kambites said:
Paint bubbling is a common problem. It's not rust (the body is GRP, not steel), the usual theory is that it's to do with how the paint was applied.
Cheers, guys. Yeah, I thought the body was GRP - I was surprised to see the bubbling for that reason. I will have a closer look at exhausts from now on as well. I am trying to acquire as much knowledge as I possibly can to ensure I don't buy a wallet-draining mess!The heater fans failing is a "feature" of a certain vintage of S2s. The resistor pack was repositioned in later cars; not sure exactly when the change over was. If it's the wrong age of car, the heater WILL fail at some point.
ETA: Oh and the brake pedal dead zone seems to be endemic to early servo assisted cars. I think they resolved the problem in later cars.
ETA: Oh and the brake pedal dead zone seems to be endemic to early servo assisted cars. I think they resolved the problem in later cars.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 11th January 17:32
kambites said:
The heater fans failing is a "feature" of a certain vintage of S2s. The resistor pack was repositioned in later cars; not sure exactly when the change over was. If it's the wrong age of car, the heater WILL fail at some point.
ETA: Oh and the brake pedal dead zone seems to be endemic to early servo assisted cars. I think they resolved the problem in later cars.
This is interesting, thank you. I believe there was quite a bit of change for the '06 model year, so I may need to do some more saving to get a slightly newer example. The '57 car I drove featured none of these problems and the brakes were great. I'll speak to someone at Lotus to get a bit more detail on the changes.ETA: Oh and the brake pedal dead zone seems to be endemic to early servo assisted cars. I think they resolved the problem in later cars.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 11th January 17:32
From your list I'd say the paint would be the biggest concern. Some have had complete resprays (at great cost out of warranty) and still had the problem come back. Brakes are simple, new fluid and decent pads solves 99% of problems. As already said look at the exhaust, but most change the stock item for something like a Larini or 2Buluar so it's a good excuse for an upgrade anyway. Heater resistor packs, rads., clutches and cracking in the paint are all things to be aware of. IME most mechnaical bits can be fixed pretty cheaply, it's the body and paint that are expensive.
Although the mileage on mine is minimal my '04 Exige is the most trouble free and cheapest car to maintain I've ever had despite two BIG insurance claims resulting in every body panel bar the sills being replaced or repainted!
Although the mileage on mine is minimal my '04 Exige is the most trouble free and cheapest car to maintain I've ever had despite two BIG insurance claims resulting in every body panel bar the sills being replaced or repainted!
Go for the later car. IIRC the earlier 04 engines were ones which were more likely to suffer from oil cavitation problems in low oil situations.
NO Elise should have 3 inches of dead travel, and I would personally avoid a car with bubbling. It's demonstrative that whichever component was painted, the grp wasn't left to cure properly, and it's caused (IIRC) by gas escaping from the grp and causing the paint bubbles. If it's doing it in one place, it'll only get worse, and may end up coming up in others too.
NO Elise should have 3 inches of dead travel, and I would personally avoid a car with bubbling. It's demonstrative that whichever component was painted, the grp wasn't left to cure properly, and it's caused (IIRC) by gas escaping from the grp and causing the paint bubbles. If it's doing it in one place, it'll only get worse, and may end up coming up in others too.
My '04 111r has probably half inch dead travel on the brake pedal. But a specialist said they can fix that at the next service if I wanted... apparently just a cable adjustment is needed.
Personally I would just get a '06 model because it has a few nice things/changes like the LED lights and the better pedal box that eradicates the brake pedal issue. But also a fly-by-wire throttle. It's these sort of tweaks that can make the car just "that" bit better in terms of an ownership experience.
Personally I would just get a '06 model because it has a few nice things/changes like the LED lights and the better pedal box that eradicates the brake pedal issue. But also a fly-by-wire throttle. It's these sort of tweaks that can make the car just "that" bit better in terms of an ownership experience.
Edited by NathanE on Sunday 11th January 22:16
kambites said:
Paint bubbling is a common problem. It's not rust (the body is GRP, not steel), the usual theory is that it's to do with how the paint was applied.
Is it? I've never seen it. My 2004 Elise didnt have it, my 2006 Exige didnt have it, and my late 2006 R doesnt have it.If a car has bubbling paint, walk.
I have dismissed the 04 car and will probably try and save a bit longer to go for an 06 car. I appreciate all this advice - it's great to get a testimony from some people who have owned the cars. The 57 R was just fantastic, I've never experienced such a deep feeling of connection with a car in such a short period of time. I've dreamed of owning one for 12 years so it is absolutely imperative to me that I get the correct car and walk in with my eyes wide open. I'd rather spend a bit more to get the correct vehicle.
Thanks, chaps and please keep the tips rolling in.
Swifty
Thanks, chaps and please keep the tips rolling in.
Swifty
eowen said:
kambites said:
Paint bubbling is a common problem. It's not rust (the body is GRP, not steel), the usual theory is that it's to do with how the paint was applied.
Is it? I've never seen it. My 2004 Elise didnt have it, my 2006 Exige didnt have it, and my late 2006 R doesnt have it.If a car has bubbling paint, walk.
Couple of other versions that might be worth a drive which might fall into your budget:
A late (2004+) 111S (K-series VVC) car. They have a rather different character to the Toyota engined vehicles both because of the engine and the various other mods that were made.
A Honda K20 engined car. Never an official version but many people believe it's the engine the Elise always should have had.
A late (2004+) 111S (K-series VVC) car. They have a rather different character to the Toyota engined vehicles both because of the engine and the various other mods that were made.
A Honda K20 engined car. Never an official version but many people believe it's the engine the Elise always should have had.
kambites said:
A Honda K20 engined car. Never an official version but many people believe it's the engine the Elise always should have had.
If only I could take the engine out of my existing Chavhatch and slot it into an Elise...Remember several years ago seeing a S1 Exige with the Honda conversion at Donington and thinking it was the greatest idea ever. Certainly the cam change is less severe in my Civic than in the Elise, but I like the challenge and the slight lack of torque means you can be nice and progressive on the throttle in normal use.Have you chaps come across bubbling under the window seals in the doors? How many people keep their cars outside?
kambites said:
A late (2004+) 111S (K-series VVC) car. They have a rather different character to the Toyota engined vehicles both because of the engine and the various other mods that were made.
What's the difference between 2004+ and a late 2003? I was aware of the difference over the late 2002's which had 'early' heater controls - but what else?Interested as - although I can't put my finger on it - I prefer my 2003 53 to the 05 111S I drove.
chevronb37 said:
Have you chaps come across bubbling under the window seals in the doors? How many people keep their cars outside?
I have seen one car bubble under the window seals but I have no idea what causes it. My car usually lives in a garage but has been outside for the last couple of months because the garage is full of bits of kitchen waiting to be turned into bits of garage storage.
griffter said:
kambites said:
A late (2004+) 111S (K-series VVC) car. They have a rather different character to the Toyota engined vehicles both because of the engine and the various other mods that were made.
What's the difference between 2004+ and a late 2003? I was aware of the difference over the late 2002's which had 'early' heater controls - but what else?Interested as - although I can't put my finger on it - I prefer my 2003 53 to the 05 111S I drove.
Lotus made so many small improvements to the car, that it's generally best to just get the latest car that you can afford, IMHO.
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