Early Elise,what to look for
Discussion
Compared to the Elan, reliability will be Honda-like!
If you look underneath an Elise, you will just see a lot of flat aluminium panels. Any damage due to grounding will be very obvious, but other than that you won't be able to tell much. Look up into the wheelarches at the suspension mounting brackets - any damage or distortion around the mounting brackets indicates crash damage and you should walk away.
Corrosion isn't usually a problem, but check the suspension arms and rear subframe, just in case. The exception to this advice is that there is a known problem with the floors corroding internally, under the rubber mats. Lotus fixed this under warranty if asked, but check whether the seller is aware of the issue and whether the problem exists on the car you are looking at - only way to check if the car has its original rubber mats is to peel them up, which many owners may not be happy with!
K-series engine has a habit of blowing head gaskets and like all modern engines should have regular oil and cambelt changes, but other than that there are no big problems.
Check that the fan works on the radiator - they have a habit of seizing, because the horizontal position of the radiator means that water runs down onto them.
Suspension ball joints and bushes wear rapidly, as do the original red Koni dampers, so check the history and condition of these components. Normal checks for steering and geometry apply (tyre wear, tracking, play/notchiness in rack).
Interiors scuff up quite easily - expect to see damage to the driver's sill pad and the side shoulder of the driver's seat, in particular, but sill pads can be replaced fairly easily and seats can be re-upholstered if required (at a moderate price). Obviously, don't forget to check the condition of the hood, too.
Check that the windows wind up and down cleanly and that the glass isn't loose when you try to rock it gently from the top edge - the window lifter mechanism is a weakness.
Buyers guide and list of common problems, amongst other useful information, is given here and the technical forum at SELOC is invaluable (registration is free).
Out of interest, why are you thinking of making the move from a Griffith? I went from Elise to Griffith 500 and back to an Elise, so I know they are very different cars!
If you look underneath an Elise, you will just see a lot of flat aluminium panels. Any damage due to grounding will be very obvious, but other than that you won't be able to tell much. Look up into the wheelarches at the suspension mounting brackets - any damage or distortion around the mounting brackets indicates crash damage and you should walk away.
Corrosion isn't usually a problem, but check the suspension arms and rear subframe, just in case. The exception to this advice is that there is a known problem with the floors corroding internally, under the rubber mats. Lotus fixed this under warranty if asked, but check whether the seller is aware of the issue and whether the problem exists on the car you are looking at - only way to check if the car has its original rubber mats is to peel them up, which many owners may not be happy with!
K-series engine has a habit of blowing head gaskets and like all modern engines should have regular oil and cambelt changes, but other than that there are no big problems.
Check that the fan works on the radiator - they have a habit of seizing, because the horizontal position of the radiator means that water runs down onto them.
Suspension ball joints and bushes wear rapidly, as do the original red Koni dampers, so check the history and condition of these components. Normal checks for steering and geometry apply (tyre wear, tracking, play/notchiness in rack).
Interiors scuff up quite easily - expect to see damage to the driver's sill pad and the side shoulder of the driver's seat, in particular, but sill pads can be replaced fairly easily and seats can be re-upholstered if required (at a moderate price). Obviously, don't forget to check the condition of the hood, too.
Check that the windows wind up and down cleanly and that the glass isn't loose when you try to rock it gently from the top edge - the window lifter mechanism is a weakness.
Buyers guide and list of common problems, amongst other useful information, is given here and the technical forum at SELOC is invaluable (registration is free).
Out of interest, why are you thinking of making the move from a Griffith? I went from Elise to Griffith 500 and back to an Elise, so I know they are very different cars!
www.elise-faq.info/content/buying/index.php
www.elises.co.uk/problems/s1/index.html
Couple of pointers on the above...... happy hunting
www.elises.co.uk/problems/s1/index.html
Couple of pointers on the above...... happy hunting
Many thanks Sam and Lawrence for all your help its great to see the Lotus forum has got some knowledgeable helpfull chaps the same as the TVR forum ,in the time I had my Griffith the guys over there saved me time ,money and heart ache.Sam to answer your question why I am moving from a Griffith to an Elise well I have not decided for sure what I am going to buy next my wife loves the Grffith comfort but the Elise is still a serious consideration I sold my Griffith which to me was the ultimate car and was a great car to have but I had it four years and the advice I got when I was looking to buy a Griff was to buy the latest car you can afford so mine was a 2000 model and because of it being high value I had to keep the TVR service history up to protect the resale value which it did,I sold in a week but I have never put a car in for serviceing before and that got me down paying stupid prices for some thing I could do myself and I was not confident I was getting value for money,so I want a resonably priced car I will look after myself and not worry where I park it so much as I used to regards Steve.
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