Best buy-standard ot tuned

[DanCat]

I've got around about 10K maybe 11 to play with, i really like the S2 but i would still be happy with an S1. Ive looked at a couple of standard S1 car's and im thinking about travelling to go and see a tuned S1, it was origionaly a Bell and Colvelle 160 but it has since been tweaked further. Its also been for sale for a couple of months- which worries me.
Are tuned cars that much harder to sell?
Obviously it would be a smaller market.
Or should i just hold my nerve in the vain hope prices will drop in the autumn?
Cheers

[bogie]

harder to sell to younger owners who may have high enough insurance as it is.

at least its a recognised conversion

if I were buying again then Id get the most modded one I could (thats done properly) as it will save you ££££ later..theres no point in trying to find a std, original Elise if you dont intend to leave it that way

..a sports exhaust, cat, induction etc will cost you £1K fitted if you do it later, a 160 kit about another £2K etc so if you can insure it easy enough and its a straight car then go for it

also, you may find low mileage "original" Elises etc that have led a sheltered life and done very few miles...these can turn out to cost a lot in the first 6 months as the previous owner has only had the oil changed once a year and thats it...so the tyres, suspension, bushes etc all could have perished/gone off (theres £1500 straight off) ...whereas if you can find an enthusiast owned car with a few choice mods, thats done 6-10K a year, it should have been looked after and had everything replaced/upgraded by now

..you should be able to tell from the owner, and any receipts/history they have whether the car has been looked after or not

[DanCat]

Point taken, but i'm planning to go traveling next year so i need to think of resale.
Would i have to insure the car as a 160- i've just checked and its group 20. I had thought i caoul djust tell the insurance about the obvious mods- i suppose thats my next job

[cjm]

I'd be interested to know what sort of S2 can be bought for £10-11k if you go and see any.

I’ve noticed a few for sale around that price and I'll hopefully have saved up that sort of money by next year and will be looking for a S2 to use everyday.

[bogie]

if you are worried about resale ease/holding value/ease of insurance etc then Id probably go for a factory model - S1 111S were always popular, and make close to 160bhp with just exhaust/induction mods

[TIPPER]

Hi Dancat. If you're looking to sell the car again next year then get a well looked after S1 with the basic mods bogie suggests (Exhaust, indution). Anything else can make the car more difficult to sell as the market for tuned cars is smaller. Buyers can be wary of them (especially if new to the Elise) so a more or less standard car will have a bigger market to sell to.
If the car is a keeper then its worth looking out for sensible mods for the reasons bogie gives.

[Tin Hat]

Dancat, I have run a B&C 160 for 7 years and they seem to be very strong mechanically. It is difficult to advise people on power output, but for me an Elise that produces 170 bhp (as mine now does) this is about right for the chassis.Suspension mods such as Nitrons transform an S1 dramatically more than extra power.
Mods are costly and a carefully improved car could save you £ 1,000.00's!
That said, modifying the car is a great (but costly) hobby.