RE: You Know You Want To: Lotus Elise S1

[Alfa numeric]

Captain Muppet said:

S2 Elises are much better, and later S2 Elises better still - anything with the "elephant ears" on the seal at the top front edge of the side window should be water tight with no bother at all.

Mine's the '07 with the elephant ears and despite living outside all the way through the recent "summer" it's never let so much as a drop in. It's also quicker to demist than my daily MINI.

[Corranga]

Love mine to bits. Had it 5 years and have no plans to shift it on either.

Sure, it's noisy, crashy, leaky, and not all that quick in a straight line, but who cares. Give me a decent twisty B road and I'll be having more fun than most I'd reckon!

Leak wise, mine is worse with the hardtop, but I got around that issue by having a garage, and buying an old sheddy Seat Leon Cupra

My g/f has a vx220 which leaks less, and I reckon would be water tight if I ever get around to retro-fitting the S2 Elise with cups type roof seal that we bought a couple of years back..!

[wy906]

Thanks everyone for the replies; looks like I still need to get a garage first.

I can live with lots of shortcomings in favor of driver pleasure (eg low gearing for motorway, noise etc) but not being watertight is something I don't think I can live with. Especially I live right by the sea!

[zebedee]

wy906 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies; looks like I still need to get a garage first.

I can live with lots of shortcomings in favor of driver pleasure (eg low gearing for motorway, noise etc) but not being watertight is something I don't think I can live with. Especially I live right by the sea!

You can buy an inexpensive shower cape to go over it that will keep water out when you aren't driving and takes 5 seconds to clip on. I use one and a car cover too if it is going to sit for longer than a few days. Rain only really comes in when it is absolutely hammering, and usually only at the very front of the side window at the top, so it drips onto the sill and some will splash your knee. But if it is raining that hard you will probably find the rain coming in is one of the least things in your mind! You won't get soaked though, it is just an oddity for a modern car, it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

[DanDC5]

I really do need one of these in my life.

[Captain Muppet]

zebedee said:

wy906 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies; looks like I still need to get a garage first.

I can live with lots of shortcomings in favor of driver pleasure (eg low gearing for motorway, noise etc) but not being watertight is something I don't think I can live with. Especially I live right by the sea!

You can buy an inexpensive shower cape to go over it that will keep water out when you aren't driving and takes 5 seconds to clip on. I use one and a car cover too if it is going to sit for longer than a few days. Rain only really comes in when it is absolutely hammering, and usually only at the very front of the side window at the top, so it drips onto the sill and some will splash your knee. But if it is raining that hard you will probably find the rain coming in is one of the least things in your mind! You won't get soaked though, it is just an oddity for a modern car, it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

I used a shower cape for a year of so until I got my roof sorted, it was fine, as long as I remembered to fit it.

I have a friend who has to keep bin bags over the seats of his mkIV Supra Aerotop, and I had to do the same with my T-Bar MR2, so it's not like all other cars are leak free.

[braddo]

Agreed - look into a shower cap and a decent Elise specialist should be able to get the windows aligned with roof well enough to be watertight in all but the heaviest of rain.

My S1 was watertight with both hardtop and softtop. It lived outside (under a cover) and was driven in all weathers.

[wy906]

zebedee said:

You can buy an inexpensive shower cape to go over it that will keep water out when you aren't driving and takes 5 seconds to clip on. I use one and a car cover too if it is going to sit for longer than a few days. Rain only really comes in when it is absolutely hammering, and usually only at the very front of the side window at the top, so it drips onto the sill and some will splash your knee. But if it is raining that hard you will probably find the rain coming in is one of the least things in your mind! You won't get soaked though, it is just an oddity for a modern car, it shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Shower cape would work if my car isn't parked on street. (No driveway / off-street parking)

[Captain Muppet]

wy906 said:

Shower cape would work if my car isn't parked on street. (No driveway / off-street parking)

Looks like you'll just have to fit the roof properly then.

[Alfa numeric]

wy906 said:

Shower cape would work if my car isn't parked on street. (No driveway / off-street parking)

Unless you need to show a permit* this looks good:



£120 from Elise Shop

*Even if you do you could always cut a patch out so you can see it

[chevronb37]

DanDC5 said:

I really do need one of these in my life.

Less chat, more splat, dude! Just go out and buy one...seriously. They're mega.

[DanDC5]

I know I know. It's one for next year/maybe over winter I think when work picks up again or I've got a new job at the moment.

[zebedee]

wy906 said:

Shower cape would work if my car isn't parked on street. (No driveway / off-street parking)

Mine is on the street too and no-one has ever been interested in taking the shower cape or the full car cover. In 6 years.

[Quintink]

kilarney said:

Had Elise s1 back in the day but couldnt live with it daily, much later I bought s2 135r then spoilt it by fitting honda s/c, now I just got back into a boggo s1 again as a toy. I paid far too much for a nice one but there is no doubt the price will go north eventually. I never liked the s2 even when it was stock and found it more rattly than the s1 especially the doors and dash.

I agree std is good start but the gear ratios remain woeful so gently modded is better. An s1 with decent dampers, cr box and 150ish bhp is as good as it gets imo. The s135 and 111s get nearest out the box but lack the torque a boggo s1 on plastic intake can deliver and the s160 is a miss in stock form. Like a few others Ive had the fezzas and porkers etc but as an occasional toy the s1 is as good as it gets.

The difference between a well set up elise and a mildly tired one is huge more than any car I have owned, 80% s1 I have driven are awfull and 20% sublime.

totally agree with you here, I bought a standard early S1 as a weekend fun car for much more than the average £8kers, it now has S2 suspension which removes the clonks, a decent air box and a Lotus sport exhaust and decat, and I love it, it has only done 12k miles from new and is still mint, if you want a pure driver that will hold its value get the best low miler you can find, it took me 2 years to find a genuine early Elise and that was going on PH every day!

Mine is also an early car like the orange one shown in Chris Harris' s post still has mmc brakes which are superb in the dry and never overheat, I watched a video about the Elise development on you tube - search 'Elise the inside story,' and it was interesting to hear the development team say specifically it was developed to be used as a second car, as a toy to have some fun, hence probably why s1's are great for a blast but not a great everyday car.

Edited by Quintink on Sunday 5th August 07:09

Edited by Quintink on Sunday 5th August 22:49

[otolith]

Quintink said:

Mine is also an early car like the orange one shown in Christ Harris' s post

He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy.

[Esprit]

Chris, when you're down in NZ for Targa this year, you're welcome to take my slag for a bit of a strop. See if it rekindles anything for ya

[zebedee]

Esprit said:

Chris, when you're down in NZ for Targa this year, you're welcome to take my slag for a bit of a strop. See if it rekindles anything for ya

That car is pornographic.

[swilding]

kambites said:

I'd have thought most people who'd want an Elise wouldn't want a 911 and vice versa.

Well I've got an S1 exige and a 911 and would thoroughly recommend it.

[chevronb37]

Esprit said:

Chris, when you're down in NZ for Targa this year, you're welcome to take my slag for a bit of a strop. See if it rekindles anything for ya

Am I right in thinking Chris had an S1 Exige which ended up having so many problems it went back to Hethel, permanently? I reckon yours must be such a sorted car that it'd be unrecognisable on that basis!

[Ian974]

After struggling to get mine through its MOT for several weeks (various emissions issues ), the garage got it sorted on wednesday and I'm getting it back tomorrow afternoon. I can't think about anything else. I shouldn't be this excited to get into a car I've used for the daily commute for 3 years!

Quite oddly, one of the questions I get asked the most about it is:
'why don't you sell it?'
I've wanted a yellow elise since I was 10 years old, and despite more than a few issues, it has turned out to fit my needs almost perfectly.
Why on earth would I sell it!?