S1 - high mileage? running costs?

[dank]

I am having the dilema of trying to find the right car, either VX220 na or Lotus Elise. I know this is the Lotus forum so I wont go on about the VX, what I do need to know is what sort of running costs would a 1998 S1 incur with over 50k on the clock. There seems to be a fair few around at good prices, 9k ish but is this a false economy? Will I end up spending a few grand on it for sure and so would it be worth getting a better, newer one in the first place? The worry I have is HGF, but what else would probably need replacing on a a S1 of this age/mileage? If I got the car fully inspected by a Lotus specialist I assume they could give me a break down of what would be needed to be done?

cheers

[alan.bennett]

with a $9K car there's less reason to be too worried about the full lotus service history, so if you're handy with a spanner, save a heap of cash! - the K series is not rocket science to service yourself, and the rest of the car is not peppered with the electronics which make home servicing most modern cars an absolute nightmare. - just a thought!

it's really light on fuel - my S2 gets about 40mpg on country roads - a bit less in town.

insurance sucks - but only to the tune of a few hundred a year more than a shopping trolley car.

tyres and brakes etc are a lot cheaper with places like eliseparts.com around - so not too bad there.

as far as brilliant drivers cars go - it's a pretty cheap bet, but beware!

once you start upgrading you'll never be able to stop, and that gets REALLY REALLY expensive!
and like any car - if you start tracking it you'll munch yourself throught tyres and brakes pretty fast.

go buy one!!

you'll never regret it!!!!

A