vx220 what they like in real life?

[stevalical]

I'm looking to satisfy an itch I think only the vvx220 can scratch but have been a little put off by tales of unreliable and fragile components, dodgy build quality, paintwork and the like. Can anyone offer an opinion whether or not they're worth the hassle and what they're like to live with? it will be kept in a garage and used as a second car.

[ED209]

Had a 2001 2.2 n/a as a toy for about 18 months.

The only problem i have had with it is the day it was going for its MOT it wouldnt start. This was odd since i have often left it 3 weeks or so and it has always started frst time, as it was fine after i only assume i had drained the battery by leaving something switched on. Other than that one occaision of not starting it has not given me one seconds trouble.

Its cheap to insure on a limited miles policy as a second car, does 30 plus mpg, servicing parts fairly cheap, front bridgestone tyres are expensive for what they are due to them being a funny size, however by varying the width/profile slightly abou £300 will see you with 4 brand new kumhos.

I love mine but its not really an everyday car (though plenty use them daily), Mine has a VSE exhaust which is quite loud too.

I am however considering selling mine because i dont use it enough and I could d with the garage space for mountain bikes etc etc etc.

[kambites]

Like all Elise variants, neither build quality nor the component quality is particularly good. Having said that, many of the build problems will have been sorted and dodgy components replaced by now since the cars are getting on a bit and have generally been owned by enthusiasts. However, it's never going to feel like a mass produced car.

They are mechanically pretty robust though - it's relatively unlikely to be major things that go wrong. How perfectionist are you and how willing are you with a spanner? It could be an expensive toy if you take it to the garage every time it develops a new rattle or squeak.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 17th January 08:49

[Ekona]

stevalical said:

I'm looking to satisfy an itch I think only the vvx220 can scratch but have been a little put off by tales of unreliable and fragile components, dodgy build quality, paintwork and the like.

It's a Vauxhall built by Lotus. You can work out how reliable it's going to be.


I jest, I had a VXR220 (no.20) for a couple of years, fabulous thing that only ever let me down the once when the starter relay threw a hissy fit. Ironically that's also the only part of the car I ever saw that had the word Lotus stamped on it! Other than that it was fine, both the NA and turbo lumps are strong, gearboxes the same, the roof will leak at times but you get used to it (mine would only leak if it was put on from right to left, never if I did it the other way). The heater isn't really a heater, more a blower of air, so you'll be freezing cold in the winter. It'll rattle and bang over everything other than the most perfect of roads, and you'll lose about £300 in change under the seats and never get it back.

And I'd still buy another one. Immense cars, and they get under your skin in the way that only something with Lotus DNA really can.

[Boydie88]

I do 60 miles a day in mine and love it.

I'm coming up to a year in VX ownership and have clocked over 15000 between the two VXs.
No issues with paint on my current or my older one.

VX#1 did meet an untimely death after the toe link bolt sheered on a roundabout sending me backwards into a lamp post. Although this is a problem, it is extremely rare off of track and they can be upgraded for ~£250.

Other than that I've had no issues with them. Its well worth spending a little extra to get one that's clearly been looked after. Build quality is good for a such a low production car but just with the odd rattle or squeak.

My only dislike is mornings like today - the heaters are not great, and mine has been modified to improve it but it still takes a very long time to warm up. But as a second car you won't have that issue.

With the roof off, you will be cruising with not a care in the world. It is such a fun car to drive as nothing is taken away by driver aids (hitting a pot hole however is not a fun experience).

VX220.org.uk is a great owners forum too.

[SWoll]

Boydie88 said:

VX#1 did meet an untimely death after the toe link bolt sheered on a roundabout sending me backwards into a lamp post. Although this is a problem, it is extremely rare off of track and they can be upgraded for ~£250.

So other than the fact that it tried to kill you it was fine then?

Fair enough...

[Boydie88]

SWoll said:

So other than the fact that it tried to kill you it was fine then?

Fair enough...

Haha, it did try to kill me, yes. But it was a freak mechanical fault that is extremely rare and shouldn't put people off.

I had VX#2 within 3 weeks of the crash and admittedly I am wary of the fault so try not to stress the rears - service coming up shortly so I think I'll go ahead with the upgrade for a little ease of mind.

[kambites]

Boydie88 said:

Haha, it did try to kill me, yes. But it was a freak mechanical fault that is extremely rare and shouldn't put people off.

It's actually quite a common mechanical fault (at least on Elises) although it's usually caused by people fitting stickier tyres without fitting uprated toe-links.

[Crusoe]

Boydie88 said:

Haha, it did try to kill me, yes. But it was a freak mechanical fault that is extremely rare and shouldn't put people off.

I had VX#2 within 3 weeks of the crash and admittedly I am wary of the fault so try not to stress the rears - service coming up shortly so I think I'll go ahead with the upgrade for a little ease of mind.

Bolt went on mine too (daily driver doing 20k a year till) overtaking on a bumpy back road, turn in to return to my side of the road and end up spinning down the middle of the road out of control with the car I went past now pushing me along. Also have issues with brake vacuum pipes, wheels that were not heat treated correctly, cracks in the body where people sit on the sills to get in or around the screen where they lean on it to get out, bubbles in the fiber glass as lots were not cured correctly, leaks etc. Some recalls but lots of things that should have been sorted but weren’t.

Loved driving it but you need to get a well sorted one and stay on top of all the diy jobs, not a reliable daily driver.

[Boydie88]

doogz said:

£250 for a stronger bolt? Ouch.

http://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/73/469/uniball-toe-link-kit/

[ad551]

It's good to scratch the itch. I did it a few years ago - it was my only car for a while. Would I do it again? No. Would I have another as a second car? Possibly.

It's a great car to drive, although if you're already worried about it being fragile it may not be the car for you. Like others above, mine only let me down once, and that was when it wouldn't start - turned out to be a loose starter relay. A small problem but not what you want in a campsite in the middle of the Dales. Nothing attracts a crowd quite like a bright red sports car with its bonnet open. In fact, it attracts a lot of attention, and when you're filling up with petrol (which you'll be doing a lot because of the tiny fuel tank) or just parking up, you'll constantly be getting people coming up to you to talk about the car. It's nice, normally, but it isn't a car to use if you don't enjoy talking to people.

I have a lot of respect for those who can use the car as a daily driver - that's what I tried and it ruined the car for me really. My main memory of it was the ridiculously uncomfortable seat. I'm sure it fits some people, but for me the seat was too wide so I was constantly bracing myself when going round corners. I could cope with the noise, the lowness, the fact people looked over the car and pulled out in front of you at roundabouts, but overall it was just too uncomfortable for me as a daily driver. Keep it for special occasions and it will be amazing.

[madmover]

Take a look on the VX220 forum, been looking at these for the summer for a while now in hope that the right one for me would crop up. Would use it as a daily with no major concerns, seem to be great cars! 2.2 is chain driven IIRC and the Turbo belt, clam shells are expensive but again can be found if you look hard enough and just dont crash!

[ikarl]

I had mine for a year and drove it daily (c.40 miles per day) and then made a point of going out and driving it at the weekend. I done 4 trackdays and other than pads, discs and fluids the only other thing was tyres....

I took my car for a service & MOT at the Scottish Elise specialist and said that I wanted to know about any issues, though that I would probably wanted them fixed as I was selling the car. About 6 hours later I got a call saying that the car was MOT'd and ready to be picked up, I asked what work needed and done and was very happily surprised when he said none....the car just ate up the (admittedly limited) abuse I gave it.

I was very happy with mine and I would have another in a heartbeat.

[Boydie88]

kambites said:

It's actually quite a common mechanical fault (at least on Elises) although it's usually caused by people fitting stickier tyres without fitting uprated toe-links.

Very rare to go on the road it seems - with road tyres too.

As for the bodywork when people get in and out, doesn't take long to point out where they can and can't put any body weight.

Check the recalls have been done for the heat treated wheels though.

Get on vx220.org.uk and I'm sure you'll find a local member happy to give you a passenger ride in one.

[Boosted LS1]

This member has had one for a while. He fixed it up really well and also did a supercharger conversion on it using parts from the american version of this engine. He make's his own carbon fibre parts to.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...

Might be worh sending him a pm for a brief appraisal. He's active on the VX forum to.

[stevalical]

ED209, you got mail.