RE: Lotus Elise Sprint: Review

[kambites]

Cold said:

Autocar recently ran an article stating how the residuals of modern Elises are the best in their sector. So the whole-life costs of ownership aren't going to be as bad as the initial up front purchase price might suggest.

That's certainly my experience; I bought mine at three years old over ten years ago and it's currently worth pretty much exactly what I paid for it which is well over half of its new price.

[suffolk009]

DPSFleet said:

Trouble is they get "old" very quickly, put 20k miles on mine over 5 years despite regular specialist servicing and it was then just full of clunks and rattles. Go for a boxster.

Got a Boxster S. It's boring.

[kambites]

DPSFleet said:

Trouble is they get "old" very quickly, put 20k miles on mine over 5 years despite regular specialist servicing and it was then just full of clunks and rattles. Go for a boxster.

If you're the sort of person who is bothered by clunks and rattles this is very true. The paintwork is just as bad, the things pick up stone-chips at an astonishing rate.

They're surprisingly hard on their suspension components for such alight car too, it's rare for bushes to last more than about 50k miles and dampers can be past their best in half that.

[CABC]

kambites said:

it's rare for bushes to last more than about 50k miles and dampers can be past their best in half that.

otherwise referred to as an upgrade opportunity

[CABC]

DPSFleet said:

Trouble is they get "old" very quickly, put 20k miles on mine over 5 years despite regular specialist servicing and it was then just full of clunks and rattles. Go for a boxster.

you tease. I see the Boxster as a powerful MX5 competitor though. I say that from a driving perspective, not driveway cred. Don't get me wrong, i love Boxsters, MX5s and Elises.

Nice garage past and present btw.

[Porsche911R]

Vroom101 said:

I'll have the 1.6 in Sky Blue, thanks.

As it stands, nobody offers what Lotus do with the Elise. Rivals have had twenty years to bring out an alternative but none have managed to nail the thrill/comfort/usability/value in one package like Lotus have.

what like a £20k mx5 :-) which sell like hot cakes. which in fact offer thrill/comfort/usability/value lol just sayin

My top end Elise S2 with all the bits was £27.5k I remember it well, I don't mind the options adding a few bits , it's the £44.3k starting price is the sticking point !

esp when you can buy a 2016 cup with 2k miles on for 35k and people then say Lotus hold the best values !!!

I want to buy a Elise this summer but not a £47k one, I'll wait and get one in 12 months for about £32k and as I stated get a 2nd hand CUP this time round, I hope people buy them though as we need 2nd hand stock ;-)

[Matty3]

Great spec - nice to see Lotus staying niche rather than selling out to the masses

[limpsfield]

suffolk009 said:

DPSFleet said:

Trouble is they get "old" very quickly, put 20k miles on mine over 5 years despite regular specialist servicing and it was then just full of clunks and rattles. Go for a boxster.

Got a Boxster S. It's boring.

I changed my 2005 111R Elise for a Boxster S. Very different cars - no clunks and rattles for me in 2012 when I sold it - and have regretted it since.

[Kolbenkopp]

Nice review and what a pretty car. As noted the residual values are really good so the price isn't thaaaat bad, but still not the giant slayer it was 20 years ago. Doesn't make the driving experience worse tho, just more difficult to market the car.

Small correction regarding the claim of lightest homologated car in EU: looks like e.g. a Suzuki Ignis is lighter, 786 kg if one uses the same definition as Lotus (885 kg EU weight - 75 kg driver - 24 kg fuel). Totally academic point, but if they make such claims... But at least the new boss is leading them in the right direction.

[Leggy]

Anybody still unsure should go secondhand. My SC was rapid, and brilliant handling.

[Mr E]

I have just driven home in my S2 111S.

14 years old.
Rattles like an old metro.
Paint is stone chipped everywhere.
Blaring k-series exhaust note.

It's still a brilliant, brilliant car, probably weighs about as much as the new 1.6, has more power. Is probably worth pretty much what I paid for it.

[DPSFleet]

limpsfield said:

I changed my 2005 111R Elise for a Boxster S. Very different cars - no clunks and rattles for me in 2012 when I sold it - and have regretted it since.

I didn't say I didn't miss it though. It's a lot for a "kit car" though.

[DPSFleet]

I have owned Lotuses on and off for 45 years! The common denominators are still there, driver's car above all else, , " iffy" build quality and expensive when new. The car scene would be poorer without Lotus but why can't they go back to basics a bit more without it costing more? A base Elise should be £25k.......

[limpsfield]

DPSFleet said:

The car scene would be poorer without Lotus but why can't they go back to basics a bit more without it costing more? A base Elise should be £25k.......

Agree with all that.

[s2000db]

DPSFleet said:

limpsfield said:

I changed my 2005 111R Elise for a Boxster S. Very different cars - no clunks and rattles for me in 2012 when I sold it - and have regretted it since.

I didn't say I didn't miss it though. It's a lot for a "kit car" though.

So's a McLaren.... lol..

[Cold]

limpsfield said:

DPSFleet said:

The car scene would be poorer without Lotus but why can't they go back to basics a bit more without it costing more? A base Elise should be £25k.......

Agree with all that.

Are they not allowed to make a profit? £25k is a laughable suggestion. That's the RRP from almost twenty years ago.

[CABC]

limpsfield said:

DPSFleet said:

The car scene would be poorer without Lotus but why can't they go back to basics a bit more without it costing more? A base Elise should be £25k.......

Agree with all that.

legislation has changed. big manufacturers share platforms and costs. whilst, for example, the Golf R is a great car outright and incredible for the price, it is no Lotus. It'll be a sad world when all performance cars come from mainstream manufacturers platforms.

[CTE]

The retail price is relatively unimportant, it is the total cost of ownership which is relevant. Depreciation (the biggest cost normally) over the ownership period plus running costs, plus interest if on some sort of finance package...

They are low volume hand assembled cars, with high component costs due to the low volumes...there is no way they can shell them out for £25k, and if they were able to do so there would be loads more around, so loads more choice on the second hand market and they would suffer greater depreciation, so the ownership cost would be higher!

[kambites]

Cold said:

limpsfield said:

DPSFleet said:

The car scene would be poorer without Lotus but why can't they go back to basics a bit more without it costing more? A base Elise should be £25k.......

Agree with all that.

Are they not allowed to make a profit? £25k is a laughable suggestion. That's the RRP from almost twenty years ago.

Not quite 20 years, but my 2004 111S's list price, adjusted for inflation, would be pretty much bang on £40k today; so the same as the supercharged Sprint.

Lotus's problem is that just about every other car on the market has got considerably cheaper in real terms as mainstream production techniques have got more efficient so the penalty for largely hand-building cars has grown.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 27th April 19:36

[suffolk009]

CABC said:

limpsfield said:

DPSFleet said:

The car scene would be poorer without Lotus but why can't they go back to basics a bit more without it costing more? A base Elise should be £25k.......

Agree with all that.

legislation has changed. big manufacturers share platforms and costs. whilst, for example, the Golf R is a great car outright and incredible for the price, it is no Lotus. It'll be a sad world when all performance cars come from mainstream manufacturers platforms.

Whatever happens, there will always be Morgan.