S1 Elise Values
Discussion
I’d like to sell my very low miles Boxster S and my M235. Both great examples full history in great shape. No one has been to see either. I appreciate the lockdown rules aren’t helping but no end of emails on the Boxster. Armchair buyers who perhaps like to know what they think they “could” buy. My point is, market is glacial for the buying of sports cars and will continue to be so for some time to come.
There are some sweet spots in the 4 year history of the S1. Early cars have delicious MMC brakes and are very light. The 135 and 111S have more power as does the 160. For me the least desirable S1 has to be a standard post 99 car. Heavier discs and none of the extra fizz.
There are some sweet spots in the 4 year history of the S1. Early cars have delicious MMC brakes and are very light. The 135 and 111S have more power as does the 160. For me the least desirable S1 has to be a standard post 99 car. Heavier discs and none of the extra fizz.
You’re talking about such small real-world differences it’s kind of irrelevant really. To balance things the later cars had a lot of detail improvements missing from earlier cars, even down to changing the angle of the rear screen to reduce reflections in the mirror.
Fundamentally though, they all drive like an Elise and nothing like anything else - and that DNA remains true all the way to the S3.
Fundamentally though, they all drive like an Elise and nothing like anything else - and that DNA remains true all the way to the S3.
BREMBOV6 said:
Thanks for all comments. I went to view the Lotus this morning. Keeping distance etc!
Have to admit I am a fan. It looks very clean indeed considering its a 2000 plate car, on just over 60k. Only has a few stamps in the small Lotus book, recall up to around 16/20k does have an invoice in 2017 for full belts/head etc at a cost of c£1200. Would liked a bit more history if I'm honest but the one from 2017 I guess is a biggy and a bit more reassuring. Rear shocks recently replaced too.
Car itself is clean very little marks on the front and it all looks original, red sealant around the car which I think is normal? 2 keys has an after market exhaust, looks to have been on for some time. Only negatives I could see where the inside of the headlight was slightly rusty. Its had 9 owners which I guess for a car like this is expected or I assume so. No alarm or immobiliser....sure the insurance company will love this :/
What would you expect to pay for a car like this roughly? Its being sold by a garage. I didn't get to drive but have been assured it drives spot on. Will be driven prior to purchase if I do buy.
Will be very much weighing it up, if I can own for it a year or so and not loose much I will be happy! appreciate I will never know how this work out but its a lovely and very iconic looking car these days.
Guess that's the car up in Scotland? Looks a fair price to be honest. Have to admit I am a fan. It looks very clean indeed considering its a 2000 plate car, on just over 60k. Only has a few stamps in the small Lotus book, recall up to around 16/20k does have an invoice in 2017 for full belts/head etc at a cost of c£1200. Would liked a bit more history if I'm honest but the one from 2017 I guess is a biggy and a bit more reassuring. Rear shocks recently replaced too.
Car itself is clean very little marks on the front and it all looks original, red sealant around the car which I think is normal? 2 keys has an after market exhaust, looks to have been on for some time. Only negatives I could see where the inside of the headlight was slightly rusty. Its had 9 owners which I guess for a car like this is expected or I assume so. No alarm or immobiliser....sure the insurance company will love this :/
What would you expect to pay for a car like this roughly? Its being sold by a garage. I didn't get to drive but have been assured it drives spot on. Will be driven prior to purchase if I do buy.
Will be very much weighing it up, if I can own for it a year or so and not loose much I will be happy! appreciate I will never know how this work out but its a lovely and very iconic looking car these days.
None of us no where the market is headed for sure but I would expect the Elise S1 market to be a stable as any and chances are you wouldn't lose much after a year or so.
I had an S1 as an only car but that was 12 years ago now. Much prefer using mine sparingly now in good weather which keeps it feeling special. Plenty still daily them though and I love the idea but have too many 350 miles days with work to consider it.
My Elise's have been pretty much the cheapest cars I have owned and certainly the most enjoyable.
Only reading the advert it's a bit difficult to put a price on but looks quite good!
Maybe to give a bit of a contrast, I paid £14k privately for a 99 S1 with 67k miles on in September.
Only difference is that it's more modified with nitrons, compomotive wheels, exhaust, 4-2-1 manifold and bigger throttle body s all in 13k for that one looks a decent deal!
In terms or driving it every day I can't offer too much of an opinion since mine's a second car (800-1000 miles weeks for work), but I do drive it year round with a spare set of wheels with more rain/Scotland suited tyres !
Maybe to give a bit of a contrast, I paid £14k privately for a 99 S1 with 67k miles on in September.
Only difference is that it's more modified with nitrons, compomotive wheels, exhaust, 4-2-1 manifold and bigger throttle body s all in 13k for that one looks a decent deal!
In terms or driving it every day I can't offer too much of an opinion since mine's a second car (800-1000 miles weeks for work), but I do drive it year round with a spare set of wheels with more rain/Scotland suited tyres !
Appreciate all comments some room for thought and very helpful.
I recall the passenger window when aligned with the roof had a small gap, maybe pinky finger sized so would allow water in. Is this normal? can it be realigned correctly? is a fix in place to amend this or some sort of cover? as I say it will more than likely be outside so just need to consider this.
Also is servicing yourself difficult? I assume not? would just look to do the minor stuff, oil change and filters etc.
I recall the passenger window when aligned with the roof had a small gap, maybe pinky finger sized so would allow water in. Is this normal? can it be realigned correctly? is a fix in place to amend this or some sort of cover? as I say it will more than likely be outside so just need to consider this.
Also is servicing yourself difficult? I assume not? would just look to do the minor stuff, oil change and filters etc.
I used to think hand built meant a higher degree of quality and craftsmanship than something produced en mass by automation. In my experience with cars, this is not the case. Don’t enter into S1 ownership thinking it’s like owning a conventional modern car. Then you won’t be disappointed
BREMBOV6 said:
Appreciate all comments some room for thought and very helpful.
I recall the passenger window when aligned with the roof had a small gap, maybe pinky finger sized so would allow water in. Is this normal? can it be realigned correctly? is a fix in place to amend this or some sort of cover? as I say it will more than likely be outside so just need to consider this.
Also is servicing yourself difficult? I assume not? would just look to do the minor stuff, oil change and filters etc.
Having watched my car get serviced, I wouldn't want to do it myself without ramps. Access to underneath is tight with them only being few inches off the ground. Imagine there is a detailed service plan on SELOC, from what I observed there were a lot of points to check, grease etc. I recall the passenger window when aligned with the roof had a small gap, maybe pinky finger sized so would allow water in. Is this normal? can it be realigned correctly? is a fix in place to amend this or some sort of cover? as I say it will more than likely be outside so just need to consider this.
Also is servicing yourself difficult? I assume not? would just look to do the minor stuff, oil change and filters etc.
Regarding the gap, you can buy a shower cape that fits over the roof and window tops.
BREMBOV6 said:
Thanks for all comments. I went to view the Lotus this morning. Keeping distance etc!
Have to admit I am a fan. It looks very clean indeed considering its a 2000 plate car, on just over 60k. Only has a few stamps in the small Lotus book, recall up to around 16/20k does have an invoice in 2017 for full belts/head etc at a cost of c£1200. Would liked a bit more history if I'm honest but the one from 2017 I guess is a biggy and a bit more reassuring. Rear shocks recently replaced too.
Car itself is clean very little marks on the front and it all looks original, red sealant around the car which I think is normal? 2 keys has an after market exhaust, looks to have been on for some time. Only negatives I could see where the inside of the headlight was slightly rusty. Its had 9 owners which I guess for a car like this is expected or I assume so. No alarm or immobiliser....sure the insurance company will love this :/
What would you expect to pay for a car like this roughly? Its being sold by a garage. I didn't get to drive but have been assured it drives spot on. Will be driven prior to purchase if I do buy.
Will be very much weighing it up, if I can own for it a year or so and not loose much I will be happy! appreciate I will never know how this work out but its a lovely and very iconic looking car these days.
The one thing you need to check is the suspension pick up points, ideally get it on a ramp. They all need to be straight and true and it's also worth checking them for corrosion. Have to admit I am a fan. It looks very clean indeed considering its a 2000 plate car, on just over 60k. Only has a few stamps in the small Lotus book, recall up to around 16/20k does have an invoice in 2017 for full belts/head etc at a cost of c£1200. Would liked a bit more history if I'm honest but the one from 2017 I guess is a biggy and a bit more reassuring. Rear shocks recently replaced too.
Car itself is clean very little marks on the front and it all looks original, red sealant around the car which I think is normal? 2 keys has an after market exhaust, looks to have been on for some time. Only negatives I could see where the inside of the headlight was slightly rusty. Its had 9 owners which I guess for a car like this is expected or I assume so. No alarm or immobiliser....sure the insurance company will love this :/
What would you expect to pay for a car like this roughly? Its being sold by a garage. I didn't get to drive but have been assured it drives spot on. Will be driven prior to purchase if I do buy.
Will be very much weighing it up, if I can own for it a year or so and not loose much I will be happy! appreciate I will never know how this work out but its a lovely and very iconic looking car these days.
antiok said:
The one thing you need to check is the suspension pick up points, ideally get it on a ramp. They all need to be straight and true and it's also worth checking them for corrosion.
Thanks, would this be an obvious issue on a test drive?I'm I also right in saying the front headlights are hard to get hold of?
BREMBOV6 said:
I'm I also right in saying the front headlights are hard to get hold of?
Not sure if they are made/reproduced anymore. I remember something about them being Renault 4 items. PNM make/sell LED units, not 100% sure on the legality of the beam pattern. I would rather have the LED lights though than the tea lights originally installed!The S1 FB community is good if you want info for buying or during ownership.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EliseS1group/?ref=...
Hi, sorry to butt into this thread.
I almost purchased an Elise S1 back in December but life got in the way. I have noticed that a lot of the same cars are sitting unsold still? I know the market is slow in general now but is there a reason why? I don’t want to buy one an find it impossible to move on as I have a habit of changing cars regularly (too many cars and too little time).
I almost purchased an Elise S1 back in December but life got in the way. I have noticed that a lot of the same cars are sitting unsold still? I know the market is slow in general now but is there a reason why? I don’t want to buy one an find it impossible to move on as I have a habit of changing cars regularly (too many cars and too little time).
We live in a Covid world. Lots of talk on other PH threads about how the economy will crash and cars will lose significantly value.
We don’t know yet how the post Covid world will look.
An Elise drives like little else, other than an Elise. A fantastic car if you want to feel involved in the act of driving. You can buy many much faster cars for less.
For many it’s seems the idea of an old car that is impractical with only two seats, little storage and no streaming, climate or Bluetooth, is palpably NOT what they want.
Boxsters are more liveable and cheaper. Im sure you can get a new MX5 on a cheap lease.
There are some who value that Elise idea, but most already have one. Whilst some will tell you depreciation is low, which it is compared to other similar aged sports cars, they aren’t easy to sell. I paid loads for my S1 111S last year and I’ve spend loads on it since. I imagine I’d struggle to get back more than £20k on it now- if that was achievable.
They are a great drive though.
We don’t know yet how the post Covid world will look.
An Elise drives like little else, other than an Elise. A fantastic car if you want to feel involved in the act of driving. You can buy many much faster cars for less.
For many it’s seems the idea of an old car that is impractical with only two seats, little storage and no streaming, climate or Bluetooth, is palpably NOT what they want.
Boxsters are more liveable and cheaper. Im sure you can get a new MX5 on a cheap lease.
There are some who value that Elise idea, but most already have one. Whilst some will tell you depreciation is low, which it is compared to other similar aged sports cars, they aren’t easy to sell. I paid loads for my S1 111S last year and I’ve spend loads on it since. I imagine I’d struggle to get back more than £20k on it now- if that was achievable.
They are a great drive though.
highway said:
We live in a Covid world. Lots of talk on other PH threads about how the economy will crash and cars will lose significantly value.
We don’t know yet how the post Covid world will look.
An Elise drives like little else, other than an Elise. A fantastic car if you want to feel involved in the act of driving. You can buy many much faster cars for less.
For many it’s seems the idea of an old car that is impractical with only two seats, little storage and no streaming, climate or Bluetooth, is palpably NOT what they want.
Boxsters are more liveable and cheaper. Im sure you can get a new MX5 on a cheap lease.
There are some who value that Elise idea, but most already have one. Whilst some will tell you depreciation is low, which it is compared to other similar aged sports cars, they aren’t easy to sell. I paid loads for my S1 111S last year and I’ve spend loads on it since. I imagine I’d struggle to get back more than £20k on it now- if that was achievable.
They are a great drive though.
Thanks for that, it’s pretty much as I thought. I just can imagine them being hard to move on if I didn’t get along with it.. I imagine that the specialists would buy though if needs be?We don’t know yet how the post Covid world will look.
An Elise drives like little else, other than an Elise. A fantastic car if you want to feel involved in the act of driving. You can buy many much faster cars for less.
For many it’s seems the idea of an old car that is impractical with only two seats, little storage and no streaming, climate or Bluetooth, is palpably NOT what they want.
Boxsters are more liveable and cheaper. Im sure you can get a new MX5 on a cheap lease.
There are some who value that Elise idea, but most already have one. Whilst some will tell you depreciation is low, which it is compared to other similar aged sports cars, they aren’t easy to sell. I paid loads for my S1 111S last year and I’ve spend loads on it since. I imagine I’d struggle to get back more than £20k on it now- if that was achievable.
They are a great drive though.
For context, I think selling any sport cars currently is going to be challenging. The economy is likely wobbly and people don’t ‘need’ sports cars. There are fewer S1 around each year and they were only made in low numbers for the 3 and a bit years they were on sale.
I don’t think they will ever be sub £10k again for something not crash damaged.
I don’t think they will ever be sub £10k again for something not crash damaged.
highway said:
For context, I think selling any sport cars currently is going to be challenging. The economy is likely wobbly and people don’t ‘need’ sports cars. There are fewer S1 around each year and they were only made in low numbers for the 3 and a bit years they were on sale.
I don’t think they will ever be sub £10k again for something not crash damaged.
Very true, I need to have a go in an Elise once all this blows over as I have ever been in one before, although I know that they possess traits that i like.I don’t think they will ever be sub £10k again for something not crash damaged.
highway said:
A low owner genuine 160 with 78k was up at £17495 on seloc last week. Sold within a week. Cheap car for someone.
I sold my pukka S160 in 2009 for £6k - quite tatty, in fact very tatty with 65k miles, gravel rash, iffy bodywork, and on its second motor - but many (hundreds) joyous track days here in the U.K. and Europe. I recall it cost me £30k brand new a decade earlier and whilst I have very fond memories it wasn’t cheap to run nor reliable or practical. And, aside from track days, it was comprehensively outgunned by more palatial and refined transport. I was quite glad to be rid.
Still miss it. Sometimes look at Exige S3s.
On paper the S160 would be the pick of the S1s for me, even for the idle alone. The 111S appealed for its slight hike in power and relative rarity vs standard.
I ended up going for a standard S1 though (in August last year) on the grounds that S160s and indeed 111Ss just didn't seem worth the often £10k premium over a standard car. Realistically priced, mine had been up less than a week when I bought and had apparently attracted a lot of interest from the UK and abroad. Cars of a similar mileage that were £2-3k more just weren't selling.
A couple of the 160s/111Ss that were for sale when I was looking (really from spring 2019) are still on sale just now. I wonder when sellers start considering that they might be asking too much.
I ended up going for a standard S1 though (in August last year) on the grounds that S160s and indeed 111Ss just didn't seem worth the often £10k premium over a standard car. Realistically priced, mine had been up less than a week when I bought and had apparently attracted a lot of interest from the UK and abroad. Cars of a similar mileage that were £2-3k more just weren't selling.
A couple of the 160s/111Ss that were for sale when I was looking (really from spring 2019) are still on sale just now. I wonder when sellers start considering that they might be asking too much.
If you want an Elise then you want an Elise. I regularly sway between wanting to tweak mine for a bit more power vs keeping it standard vs selling for a post 17 220.
For UK roads there is some pleasure in being able to rev the car out, without hitting bonkers speed like you would be in the modern legion of hum drum 300 bhp cars
For UK roads there is some pleasure in being able to rev the car out, without hitting bonkers speed like you would be in the modern legion of hum drum 300 bhp cars
blueovercream said:
On paper the S160 would be the pick of the S1s for me, even for the idle alone. The 111S appealed for its slight hike in power and relative rarity vs standard.
I ended up going for a standard S1 though (in August last year) on the grounds that S160s and indeed 111Ss just didn't seem worth the often £10k premium over a standard car. Realistically priced, mine had been up less than a week when I bought and had apparently attracted a lot of interest from the UK and abroad. Cars of a similar mileage that were £2-3k more just weren't selling.
A couple of the 160s/111Ss that were for sale when I was looking (really from spring 2019) are still on sale just now. I wonder when sellers start considering that they might be asking too much.
There's a lot to be said for "originality", or "correctness of spec" at least when it comes to the 160 buyer. It's a bit like the Cayman R market where "the wrong seats" is a common terminology, even though they were an option without fixed carbon buckets.I ended up going for a standard S1 though (in August last year) on the grounds that S160s and indeed 111Ss just didn't seem worth the often £10k premium over a standard car. Realistically priced, mine had been up less than a week when I bought and had apparently attracted a lot of interest from the UK and abroad. Cars of a similar mileage that were £2-3k more just weren't selling.
A couple of the 160s/111Ss that were for sale when I was looking (really from spring 2019) are still on sale just now. I wonder when sellers start considering that they might be asking too much.
When I was looking I didn't consider any 160 which didn't have the right seats for instance. Bit daft when I could've saved maybe £3k and bought a set of the right seats for £1.5k but there you go... it does make a difference.
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