Elise advice needed
Author
Discussion

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Morning all,

I'm a prospective Elise owner, but I have a few questions that I'm hoping you can help me with before I go and look "in anger". If they've been answered before feel free to point me in the right direction!

I'm looking at an '01/'02 S2 Elise, just the boggo standard model, perhaps with a filter and 'zorst. Looks like I should expect to pay £12-15k in that bracket.

I have an Alfa GTV at the moment, so I'm no stranger to running costs - without using a crystal ball, what do you reckon I should expect to spend on servicing on 6-7k miles a year - ballpark is fine, you can leave off the pence ;-) ?

Are there any decent aftermarket warranties out there, or am I better off with a "sink fund" to cover the odd breakdown?

And lastly (please don't flame me) can you squeeze in a set of golf clubs/cricket bag behind the rear seats, or is it a passenger seat only job? (I play a lot of cricket and golf in the new forest, hence the Elise would be a perfect form of transport for me!!)

Thanks for your time - I know how anoying noobie questions can be from the GTVV6.com board, so please be gentle!!

gfun

620 posts

280 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Bingoid said:
Morning all,

I'm a prospective Elise owner, but I have a few questions that I'm hoping you can help me with before I go and look "in anger". If they've been answered before feel free to point me in the right direction!

I'm looking at an '01/'02 S2 Elise, just the boggo standard model, perhaps with a filter and 'zorst. Looks like I should expect to pay £12-15k in that bracket.

I have an Alfa GTV at the moment, so I'm no stranger to running costs - without using a crystal ball, what do you reckon I should expect to spend on servicing on 6-7k miles a year - ballpark is fine, you can leave off the pence ;-) ?

Are there any decent aftermarket warranties out there, or am I better off with a "sink fund" to cover the odd breakdown?

And lastly (please don't flame me) can you squeeze in a set of golf clubs/cricket bag behind the rear seats, or is it a passenger seat only job? (I play a lot of cricket and golf in the new forest, hence the Elise would be a perfect form of transport for me!!)

Thanks for your time - I know how anoying noobie questions can be from the GTVV6.com board, so please be gentle!!


Lotus do a golf trailer that is a optional extra ask at most dealers.
Very snazzy, streamlined with a good security lock and a snip fully fited for £350.

G

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Dear god - a trailer on an elise - are you pulling my chain???

gfun

620 posts

280 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
yes :-)

enjybenjy

928 posts

284 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Hi
Welcome to the BB. Golf/cricket stuff won't go behind the seats or in the boot (apart from maybe the balls). Front seat job I'm afraid.
They're actually a pretty reliable car (well mine is anyway), so I budgeted for the odd problems plus servicing. If you use a quality indy specialist like Miles at Fibreglass Services rather than main stealers, it pretty sensible to run (A service is 90 quid plus VAT).
I've had mine since August and so far have spent 250 on a service plus new brakes. I've spent another 500 quid on mods (exhaust and intake).
Great car, more reliable and more practical than you think...go for it.

jcb156

106 posts

259 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
If you don't fancy gfun's trailer ....... I find that a bag of clubs fits OK (so long as the bag isn't too huge) and it helps to figure some clever seatbelt arrangement to keep them from sliding and rattling all over the place.

I jam a seven and PW down the side of the passenger seat if I fancy a bash on the driving range on the way home - easy.

Not sure about costs - only had mine for about five months.

J

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Thanks EnjyBenjy - less of a problem for golf, as I tend to drive myself anyway.

Looks like the cricket stuf can go in the Captain's Primera, and I'll take the long way round.

The GTV's cost well over a grand a year on servicing/fixing stuff (its a mighty 2 litre) - sounds like the Elise will be cheaper to run?

gfun

620 posts

280 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
But then you started it with the golf clubs.

I go with the sink fund as they are not that expensive for parts.

Servicing is a more difficult answer as at your milage you will be getting about one service a year which will be A B or C services A being a dust and oil change C being a new cam belt. and prices vary dependent on who you go to Main dealers tend to know how to charge and dont do a very good job (just my experince) Independents are a much better bet my advice would be to contact one of each in your area and ask how much for a A B OrC service they should be able to tell you immediatley.

If your in buying mode remember if its a C service next ask for a big discount!

G :-)

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
JCB - are you talking about in the front seat, or behind them - I'm only 5'9" so I wouldn't expect to have the seat right back?

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Gfun (apt name ;-) ), what's a C service likley to cost?

And are there any links to Local specialists in East Dorset/West Hants?

I'm not taking it to the bandits at Westover!

Golf may be a dull game, but at least I can have fun getting there!

jcb156

106 posts

259 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Everything goes in the front seat You'll fit a shoe bag and a jacket in the boot.

J

shnozz

30,673 posts

302 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
I play cricket and golf not far from the forest myself.

No way I could fit the cricket stuff in the Elise (albeit an S1) and I like mountain biking too so I run a daily hack which also covers those trips. It cost me peanuts to buy and run and it probably actually breaks even in cost when considering the running costs on my Lotus have been around £3k this year and thats with 28k on the clock and only 4k of them over that period....

gfun

620 posts

280 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Approx costs are

A Service £185.00
B Service £282.00
C Service £515.00

And at 5'9" you will just about be able to fit a newspaper behind the seat, so long as its only folded once.

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
So the message is - get a beater, borrow the girlfriends 206, or ditch my mates.....

No problem there then.

Gfun - are you talking broadsheet or tabloid?

shnozz

30,673 posts

302 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
if your missus has a 206 just swap cars over the weekend.

gfun

620 posts

280 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Bingoid said:
So the message is - get a beater, borrow the girlfriends 206, or ditch my mates.....

No problem there then.

Gfun - are you talking broadsheet or tabloid?


Tabloid, but not on a Sunday then it needs to go on the seat or in the boot.

enjybenjy

928 posts

284 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Bingoid
Where do you live - you can do better services rates than that, they seem almost dealer prices.

beachbum

2,610 posts

262 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Try Fibreglass Services. They quote £120 for an A service, including VAT. They do a better job than most main dealers and Miles is worth talking to just to get an un-PC opinion on the world.

enjybenjy

928 posts

284 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
Bingoid
They are just East of Chichester. I should think they are the cheapest about, which isn;t reflected in his workmanship, plus you get a proper Lotus stamp in yer book

Bingoid

Original Poster:

15,184 posts

250 months

Wednesday 1st February 2006
quotequote all
I'm a Bournemouthian - Westover are my local stealers, but I found a good Alfa specialist and would be keen on doing the same for the Lotus to be honest.

I'll try and have a look at the weekend to properly assess luggage "capacity" if that isn't an oxymoron!!

The three GTV services I've had on a 5 year old car have averaged out at 1k a pop, so servicing sounds cheap!