67,000 miles too high for an S1?
Discussion
Greetings all.
About ready to take the leap into Elise ownership. Got my eye on a one owner, FSH S1, but the milage is 67,000 on an 1998 car. As I intend to use it for an everyday day car doing 50 motorway miles per weekday (plenty of twisty miles at weekends
), is this too high to begin with? Should I be looking for a low mileage motor?
From what I've read a good serviced high miler is likely to be better than a weekend summer car that has barely been run in.
Should I expect the engine to pack up within the next couple of years (25-30,000 miles) or in your opinion should it be good with regular servicing.
What kind of mileage are you guys on? Or do you know of S1's lasting well over 100,000?
TIA.
Hugh
About ready to take the leap into Elise ownership. Got my eye on a one owner, FSH S1, but the milage is 67,000 on an 1998 car. As I intend to use it for an everyday day car doing 50 motorway miles per weekday (plenty of twisty miles at weekends
), is this too high to begin with? Should I be looking for a low mileage motor? From what I've read a good serviced high miler is likely to be better than a weekend summer car that has barely been run in.
Should I expect the engine to pack up within the next couple of years (25-30,000 miles) or in your opinion should it be good with regular servicing.
What kind of mileage are you guys on? Or do you know of S1's lasting well over 100,000?
TIA.
Hugh
Look at it this way. If you get a low mileage Elise ,it would end up with a high mileage pretty soon with the amount of miles you'll put in 
Anyway, the mileage shouldn't be a problem. As long as it has been serviced properly. And it doesn't have to be at a lotus specialist (in my opinion) . As long as it's done properly. You should be able to tell if it's in good condition or not, if not have someone ith you who knows about Elises
I have seen a couple of elises above 150k miles .As long as the engine has had it's headgasket replaced it should quite reliable.
>> Edited by cej on Thursday 9th February 12:33
Anyway, the mileage shouldn't be a problem. As long as it has been serviced properly. And it doesn't have to be at a lotus specialist (in my opinion) . As long as it's done properly. You should be able to tell if it's in good condition or not, if not have someone ith you who knows about Elises
I have seen a couple of elises above 150k miles .As long as the engine has had it's headgasket replaced it should quite reliable.
>> Edited by cej on Thursday 9th February 12:33
Hi
Mine has done 73k and is pretty tight. The only thing it needs is a new steering rack UJ which will be a pig of a job - so check for play in the steering.
It will be at an age where a few things will start going such as ball joints but they are cheap and easy to do. As has been said many times before, the Elise is a simple car and straightforwards to mainatain. Haggle on cost and buy a bargain!
Regards
Spunagain
Mine has done 73k and is pretty tight. The only thing it needs is a new steering rack UJ which will be a pig of a job - so check for play in the steering.
It will be at an age where a few things will start going such as ball joints but they are cheap and easy to do. As has been said many times before, the Elise is a simple car and straightforwards to mainatain. Haggle on cost and buy a bargain!
Regards
Spunagain
67K is nothing for a K series. A racer I spoke to said they don't loosen up 'till 60K anyway. I've and MGF VVC with 120K which is fine. Our old Rover 216 was still going strong at 260K.
I'd want to see evidence of regular oil changes and to make a judgment about whether the vendor has been thrashing it from cold.
I'd want to see evidence of regular oil changes and to make a judgment about whether the vendor has been thrashing it from cold.
I am at 97,000 in a 99v and hope it continues, bought it new. engines can be found from £400 to £1000. In short:
1) 1000 miles - Throttle Body & Rivet for the accelerator spring at 1000 miles (fixed under warranty)
2) Feb 2004 – After visiting www.lotuscars.co.uk Floor well rot (to be fixed under Warranty Oct 25)
3) Nov 2004 84,000 miles Gear selection is as if the gearbox is possessed reverse put into first let out the clutch, still in reverse! (Trying to find out if it is linkage, Clutch or the gearbox)
4) Feb 2005 87,246 HGF - Fixed with the help of AA parts & Labour insurance.
5) July 2005 91,000 Other clip fallen off only 2nd gear. Clip on with cable ties to secure
6) Oct 2005 94,000 went for a new Clutch walked out with Gearbox and slave cylinder.
7) Dec 2005 95,500 Bilstien shocks now on.
At the 60K mark I was doing 160 miles a day no hicups at all.
Brakes 3rd set of disks, 5th set of Pads, Tyres lost count. Keep it serviced on the dot with a garage who know what they are doing.
Buy what you are happy with.
Good Luck
Gary
>> Edited by garydvo on Thursday 9th February 19:42
1) 1000 miles - Throttle Body & Rivet for the accelerator spring at 1000 miles (fixed under warranty)
2) Feb 2004 – After visiting www.lotuscars.co.uk Floor well rot (to be fixed under Warranty Oct 25)
3) Nov 2004 84,000 miles Gear selection is as if the gearbox is possessed reverse put into first let out the clutch, still in reverse! (Trying to find out if it is linkage, Clutch or the gearbox)
4) Feb 2005 87,246 HGF - Fixed with the help of AA parts & Labour insurance.
5) July 2005 91,000 Other clip fallen off only 2nd gear. Clip on with cable ties to secure
6) Oct 2005 94,000 went for a new Clutch walked out with Gearbox and slave cylinder.
7) Dec 2005 95,500 Bilstien shocks now on.
At the 60K mark I was doing 160 miles a day no hicups at all.
Brakes 3rd set of disks, 5th set of Pads, Tyres lost count. Keep it serviced on the dot with a garage who know what they are doing.
Buy what you are happy with.
Good Luck
Gary
>> Edited by garydvo on Thursday 9th February 19:42
Mileage has never bothered me on a car, I've had a few high milers that have had just as many problems as the lower mile cars I've owned. Agree with the above sentiments about service history. Lots of proof of regular servicing is an absolute must. I've had a '99 golf GTI 20v turbo do 140k without problems from the engine or turbo. A 91 polo G40 that was mint when I sold it at 92k and currently own an alfa 2.0 T spark that again is superb with 92k on the clock. All had full and regular service history. The one car I had the most troubly with was a 306 D turbo, which are well known for being solid engines, but it had very sketchy history and oil like treacle. Had only done 60k miles but needed a new turbo and all sorts of other bits before I got fed up and sold it 8 months later.
One thing that does keep cropping up though is the value of higher milage cars. They will be harder to sell and command a significantly lower price than lower mileage cars. Make sure that you take this into account when you buy because it will certainly become a factor when you sell. Even if the higher mileage car is in good condition, the general public still has the perception that the lower mileage car is worth more money even when this isn't reflected in the condition of the car. I can't see that anything will change this as people in general simply don't know enough about cars to tell what is good and bad other than 'shinyness' and the numbers on the odo!
Whatever you decide, make sure you get it checked out by a specialist. AA and RAC do examinations with guarantees backing them up which for a couple hundred quid is well worth the money for peace of mind and gives you bargaining power if anything is found.
And good luck. When you find one that you like and take ownership I hope you get the happy giddy feeling that I'm currently getting as I'm picking mine up on sunday
This is the first time I think I have ever wanted the weekend to go faster!
One thing that does keep cropping up though is the value of higher milage cars. They will be harder to sell and command a significantly lower price than lower mileage cars. Make sure that you take this into account when you buy because it will certainly become a factor when you sell. Even if the higher mileage car is in good condition, the general public still has the perception that the lower mileage car is worth more money even when this isn't reflected in the condition of the car. I can't see that anything will change this as people in general simply don't know enough about cars to tell what is good and bad other than 'shinyness' and the numbers on the odo!
Whatever you decide, make sure you get it checked out by a specialist. AA and RAC do examinations with guarantees backing them up which for a couple hundred quid is well worth the money for peace of mind and gives you bargaining power if anything is found.
And good luck. When you find one that you like and take ownership I hope you get the happy giddy feeling that I'm currently getting as I'm picking mine up on sunday
This is the first time I think I have ever wanted the weekend to go faster!Getting it checked out by a specialist sounds great, but how do I find one that's willing to travel over a hundred miles to look at a car at the drop of a hat. I'd guess this would be pricey.
Apparently there's a forum recommended specialist near me (Horizon in Cradley Heath). Trouble is the car I have my eye on is in Salisbury. Was planning on taking a drive down there tomorrow, not sure now.
Should I trust the garage (No, don't laugh) as it appears to be a respectable Lotus place (Sportomotive, Harnham Garage). Would you take a specialist there, or Adrian Blyth, or Nick Whale or just expect them to be above and beyond a normal garage?
Reading the forums, the AA or RAC aren't recommended, but I guess they'd be better than nothing, eh?
Would you recommend taking a drive, with a definate 'No buy' and just see if it's worth going back in a couple of weeks with insurance and the AA man, and hope the car is still there?
Sorry about all the questions, but I'm new to this quality of car. Most of my previous cars have been sub £3000 runabouts (Current motor is a mk1 MR2 T-bar (hey, I said no laughing )), that were just quickly checked over for the obvious (gunk under the filler cap) and risked with the rest. Thought I'd push the boat out this time though.
TIA
Apparently there's a forum recommended specialist near me (Horizon in Cradley Heath). Trouble is the car I have my eye on is in Salisbury. Was planning on taking a drive down there tomorrow, not sure now.
Should I trust the garage (No, don't laugh) as it appears to be a respectable Lotus place (Sportomotive, Harnham Garage). Would you take a specialist there, or Adrian Blyth, or Nick Whale or just expect them to be above and beyond a normal garage?
Reading the forums, the AA or RAC aren't recommended, but I guess they'd be better than nothing, eh?
Would you recommend taking a drive, with a definate 'No buy' and just see if it's worth going back in a couple of weeks with insurance and the AA man, and hope the car is still there?
Sorry about all the questions, but I'm new to this quality of car. Most of my previous cars have been sub £3000 runabouts (Current motor is a mk1 MR2 T-bar (hey, I said no laughing
)), that were just quickly checked over for the obvious (gunk under the filler cap) and risked with the rest. Thought I'd push the boat out this time though. TIA
Have a read of this thread.
http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=70297
I had a car I'm looking at checked over by Sinclaire yesterday and the bloke who did it spent a good half hour on the phone to me that evening talking me through what they'd found, possible causes for the small problems and how much they'd cost to put right. Something you don't get with the AA/RAC in my opinion.
>> Edited by tomtom on Friday 10th February 12:04
http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=70297
I had a car I'm looking at checked over by Sinclaire yesterday and the bloke who did it spent a good half hour on the phone to me that evening talking me through what they'd found, possible causes for the small problems and how much they'd cost to put right. Something you don't get with the AA/RAC in my opinion.
>> Edited by tomtom on Friday 10th February 12:04
In Sailbury is Roger mr Sabre heads aka 'kiwirog' on Seloc. Roger knows a thing or two about engines.
Also the following are specailists in the area that may be able to help:
Maidehead www.swlotus.com/ - Steve is your man
Reading www.specialisedpaintwork.com/home.htm Karl is your man here
I would get yourself to www.seloc.org and u2u 'kiwirog'
//edit - update Just searched the members and 'kiwirog' is on here. Send him a message via the member services.
Gary
>> Edited by garydvo on Friday 10th February 12:07
Also the following are specailists in the area that may be able to help:
Maidehead www.swlotus.com/ - Steve is your man
Reading www.specialisedpaintwork.com/home.htm Karl is your man here
I would get yourself to www.seloc.org and u2u 'kiwirog'
//edit - update Just searched the members and 'kiwirog' is on here. Send him a message via the member services.
Gary
>> Edited by garydvo on Friday 10th February 12:07
tomtom said:
Have a read of this thread.
http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=70297
Hmmm, that thread recommends Sportomotive for inspections in Salisbury. But that's where it's for sale.
I guess that would mean It'd not need an inspection as they'd have checked it out before putting it up for sale then? That makes me happy.
BRGisnotBurgundy said:
Getting it checked out by a specialist sounds great, but how do I find one that's willing to travel over a hundred miles to look at a car at the drop of a hat. I'd guess this would be pricey.
Apparently there's a forum recommended specialist near me (Horizon in Cradley Heath). Trouble is the car I have my eye on is in Salisbury. Was planning on taking a drive down there tomorrow, not sure now.
Should I trust the garage (No, don't laugh) as it appears to be a respectable Lotus place (Sportomotive, Harnham Garage). Would you take a specialist there, or Adrian Blyth, or Nick Whale or just expect them to be above and beyond a normal garage?
Reading the forums, the AA or RAC aren't recommended, but I guess they'd be better than nothing, eh?
Would you recommend taking a drive, with a definate 'No buy' and just see if it's worth going back in a couple of weeks with insurance and the AA man, and hope the car is still there?
Sorry about all the questions, but I'm new to this quality of car. Most of my previous cars have been sub £3000 runabouts (Current motor is a mk1 MR2 T-bar (hey, I said no laughing
TIA
Fair points, sorry for some reason it didn't sink in that you were buying from a dealer.
Personally I would feel a lot safer buying from a dealer. I have bought cars before from a dealer and had it inspected on the forecourt before handing over the cash. If the dealer is confident in the quality of the car they should have no issue with this. You do have a lot more legal backing when buying from a dealer. Don't know the specifics about this though.
...and yes, definatley take a drive in it. The dealer will expect this and should offer it without any promise to buy.
BRGisnotBurgundy said:
Have a read of this thread.
http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=70297
Hmmm, that thread recommends Sportomotive for inspections in Salisbury. But that's where it's for sale.
I guess that would mean It'd not need an inspection as they'd have checked it out before putting it up for sale then? That makes me happy.
Indeed, it's well worth researching the dealer beforehand if possible.
This sounds like a good one.
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