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CooperS

Original Poster:

4,580 posts

250 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
I thought I would come on here and announce my intentions to buying a MY07 Elise very soon. biggrin

To say i'm excited is an understatement but at the same time im very nervous of going ahead with this for some reason?

I'm looking at getting a new (one previous owner) Silver Lotus Elise S with the touring pack (red leather etc) and hardtop i've tried doing searches on here and on Seloc but tbh there's not much info out there?

Its going to be my main car but my girlfriend will have the 'normal/average/boring' car to do the shopping trips in etc so not to much of a worry.

But to set my mind at ease i would like to ask some very simple questions.

First off is the colour; silver wasn't my first choice but is something which does appeal to me but i'm not a big fan of the standard S wheels and would preferably like to source some R wheels in matt black etc.. Where would be best to search for these is there any good online stores? I know of Hanger 111 but they dont have prices on the R wheels?

Second what is the real world mpg of a new S doing 15 miles motor way a day?

Third and probably most important question; would i be making a huge mistake in getting one of these over the R? The one im looking at is to my mind going for a good price (under 20k) and has about 5000 miles on her already. Is that a good price for this time of year? My px price was also good, considering age and condition but i don't want to be shafted in 2 years when i go to sell. (no that you buy these to make money i know)

Im not too worried about the power or delivery of it, actually i'm quite glad for the lack of it and extra lower grunt but what i am worried about is other things i maybe missing out on due to a lack of understanding of options?

Cheers in advance for any advice given.

Tom

P.s. Im off to a party now (being New Years Eve) so i wont be around to reply till tomorrow but Happy New year to anyone who's got this far down the post. beerpartybiggrin and for those reading tomorrow headache hope it passes soon i know how your feel.

21TonyK

13,381 posts

240 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
Well, as I'm not off to a party (frown) I'll reply...

Silver... not a "bad" colour as such IMHO. Stays, or at least looks, clean whereas black is a nightmare at best. Resale won't be an issue over more unique lifestyle colours such as krypton green or chrome orange. Also silver with red leather looks rather nice.

Look on the classified for wheels and sell the ones you don't want. No need for two sets on an Elise as you can get AD07's which will see you through all year for road driving.

Not sure on MPG but the "S" I had as a loan car was very good compared to my Exige. On motorway I'd guess mid to high 30's.

S vs. R... mistake? Don't think so. Unless you want the hooligan "B" road drive of an R an S is very competent and probably quite well suited to motorway driving.

As for resale value, think of what you'd like and halve it because this is what you'll be offered irrespective of what you buy. The new supercharged Elises and Exiges will screw dealer resale and trade-ins in 2-3 years time. Private sale will be the way to go.

Whatever you buy it sounds like you'll be happy with it. Having another car makes all the difference as you don't get frustrated by practical limitations of the car. All you see are the good points, of which there are many.

beer Happy New Year!

boobles

15,251 posts

246 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
Glad im not the only one staying in then.... rolleyes

Not bothered though as we have just returned from 5 days of partying in N Ireland. drink

CooperS

Original Poster:

4,580 posts

250 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
21TonyK said:
Well, as I'm not off to a party (frown) I'll reply...

Silver... not a "bad" colour as such IMHO. Stays, or at least looks, clean whereas black is a nightmare at best. Resale won't be an issue over more unique lifestyle colours such as krypton green or chrome orange. Also silver with red leather looks rather nice.

Look on the classified for wheels and sell the ones you don't want. No need for two sets on an Elise as you can get AD07's which will see you through all year for road driving.

Not sure on MPG but the "S" I had as a loan car was very good compared to my Exige. On motorway I'd guess mid to high 30's.

S vs. R... mistake? Don't think so. Unless you want the hooligan "B" road drive of an R an S is very competent and probably quite well suited to motorway driving.

As for resale value, think of what you'd like and halve it because this is what you'll be offered irrespective of what you buy. The new supercharged Elises and Exiges will screw dealer resale and trade-ins in 2-3 years time. Private sale will be the way to go.

Whatever you buy it sounds like you'll be happy with it. Having another car makes all the difference as you don't get frustrated by practical limitations of the car. All you see are the good points, of which there are many.

beer Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too. beer haven't left (waiting for the misses) :sigh:

Thats the kind of responses i want from all of you guys too ok so take note of above! lol wink

No scare stories, but tbh if anyone has valuable advise like where to look other than the sticky at the top of the forum that would be very welcome.

I'm already thinking of noise mods biggrin i think the first will be a larni exhaust or something similar and possibly induction. evil

Also has anyone got a link for driving days with an instructor, although i wont be pushing on the road i wouldn't mind having some tuition so i hit tracks jogging rather than crawling.

Cheers Again


Edited by CooperS on Monday 31st December 19:39

21TonyK

13,381 posts

240 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
Walshy day... www.carlimits.com is almost a prerequisite for newbies

Larini's not a bad choice. The S I "borrowed" has a Larini on it and it did sound nice (Well nice enough to buy one for my Exige).

miro

419 posts

231 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
I have an elise S 56 plate so possibly a MY07 car touring pack and love it to bits wink colour wise Ithink lively outside - conservative inside or vice versa Silver + red is a nice combo. Chrome Orange and Black are better though wink i can get mid to high 30s on a motorway (if i can stop playing) but you wont get that on the more exciting roads. I bet you will get more out of the S than you would the R unless you're used to bombing everywhere at high revs. I did the obligatory www.Carlimits.com training day £190 well spent. Pluses of the lighter/brighter cars is that the stone chips arent as easy to see smile I think the 111R wheels are £1200 for a set. personaly it might be worth getting your standard ones blasted and sprayed black i think they look alright. Im jsut happy i can pot AD07s on they were fine on the driving day and are pretty shorefooted in the wet.

riwiho

3,805 posts

246 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
I was in the market for an S for a long time ago and finally settled on an R.

All I would say is drive them both and ask yourself what you want from the motor. They are both very capable cars and will supply you with big smiles no matter what you choice.

Personally I went for the R as the B and A road thrills the second cam provides was something i wanted in my life and i have no regrets. Fuel wise my R has been great but economy varies dependent upon the situation I am in.

Get a test drive, go and see as many as you can and no matter what you end up getting you will be happy.

My advice would be to get a great R with 15,000 on the clock from a dealership. Comes with a warranty (1 year) and has taken the initial depreciation knock. You can now pick these up for around 19k but this figure will move depending upon time of year. Its the middle of winter now so the ball is well in the buyers court.

Happy new year

Edited by riwiho on Monday 31st December 20:25

TIPPER

2,955 posts

250 months

Monday 31st December 2007
quotequote all
wavey Have another trawl through Seloc. There's been some very recent threads on both induction and exhausts on the Elise S.
Which car? See if you can get extended tests on both models (say 24hrs) and then decide.

Hollywood Wheels

3,689 posts

261 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
1) Silver is a very good colour........will be popular come resale time, and doesn't show dirt.

2) No idea. MPG shouldn't even enter your train of thought when buying an Elise.....wink I had the same engine in my MR2 Roadster, and MPG was excellent, so in something as light as the Elise it should be even better.....high 30's?

3) No problem getting an S rather than an R. I've never driven an 'S', but EVO rate them, and 137bhp (is that right?) is more than enough. It's the driver that counts, not the BHP of the car. Easy for me to say this owning a car that beats an R 0-60, but seriously, the S must be a great car...

Welcome aboard. If you have the car by Jan 18th come along to North Weald for the Castle Sportscars activity day, details are on Seloc under the Essex Regions forum. It'll be a nice easy day at your own pace, and you'll learn loads....

CooperS

Original Poster:

4,580 posts

250 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
Good Afternoon all, hope everyone had a good night.

Hollywood Wheels said:
Welcome aboard. If you have the car by Jan 18th come along to North Weald for the Castle Sportscars activity day, details are on Seloc under the Essex Regions forum. It'll be a nice easy day at your own pace, and you'll learn loads....
Well I should have it by then, so i'll go check it out. Thanks. biggrin

Im off to B&C near Guildford to see if they've got anything which might take my fancy.

I think the one hanging point off of all this is the non desrcript colour? I think in my head i saw myself buying a black or darker shade of Elise then going on to get a mental later on buying a bright orange Exige... But the offer to get something new at the price that its at is too good to pass by but im not sure thou that this the best thing to do? ( in know not a question anyone can answer but myself) I think its that if i go into posing mode silver doesn't turn heads etc... i know its vain but i need to get it right first time.

On that note anyone got good pics of their S2 in Silver?

Cheers

hueandcry71

1,389 posts

233 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
CooperS said:
Good Afternoon all, hope everyone had a good night.

Hollywood Wheels said:
Welcome aboard. If you have the car by Jan 18th come along to North Weald for the Castle Sportscars activity day, details are on Seloc under the Essex Regions forum. It'll be a nice easy day at your own pace, and you'll learn loads....
Well I should have it by then, so i'll go check it out. Thanks. biggrin

Im off to B&C near Guildford to see if they've got anything which might take my fancy.

I think the one hanging point off of all this is the non desrcript colour? I think in my head i saw myself buying a black or darker shade of Elise then going on to get a mental later on buying a bright orange Exige... But the offer to get something new at the price that its at is too good to pass by but im not sure thou that this the best thing to do? ( in know not a question anyone can answer but myself) I think its that if i go into posing mode silver doesn't turn heads etc... i know its vain but i need to get it right first time.

On that note anyone got good pics of their S2 in Silver?

Cheers
This is mine in the showroom before i had it delivered. It is Arctic Silver and has the black wheels that you like. It is the 111R though.

There is also a pic of it after i had it.











Edited by hueandcry71 on Tuesday 1st January 13:48

CooperS

Original Poster:

4,580 posts

250 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
hueandcry71 said:
CooperS said:
Good Afternoon all, hope everyone had a good night.

Hollywood Wheels said:
Welcome aboard. If you have the car by Jan 18th come along to North Weald for the Castle Sportscars activity day, details are on Seloc under the Essex Regions forum. It'll be a nice easy day at your own pace, and you'll learn loads....
Well I should have it by then, so i'll go check it out. Thanks. biggrin

Im off to B&C near Guildford to see if they've got anything which might take my fancy.

I think the one hanging point off of all this is the non desrcript colour? I think in my head i saw myself buying a black or darker shade of Elise then going on to get a mental later on buying a bright orange Exige... But the offer to get something new at the price that its at is too good to pass by but im not sure thou that this the best thing to do? ( in know not a question anyone can answer but myself) I think its that if i go into posing mode silver doesn't turn heads etc... i know its vain but i need to get it right first time.

On that note anyone got good pics of their S2 in Silver?

Cheers
This is mine in the showroom before i had it delivered. It is Arctic Silver and has the black wheels that you like. It is the 111R though.

There is also a pic of it after i had it.



Edited by hueandcry71 on Tuesday 1st January 13:48
Wow that looks really nice!

There might be a carbon copy of that very soon biggrin

Also im glad that i've got the hardtop too makes the lines flow much nicer.

Has anyone put s2 exige wheels on an elise? would the offset mean that they wouldn't sit right, or would it make the elise 'over wheeled'?

i really cant wait and have already started thinking of roads to hit when i get it biggrin

Russ H

252 posts

239 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
Not a silver fan but that one above looks a nice shade and the wheels make all the difference.

Im sure there was a set of 111S/R wheels in the parts section on the PH classifieds.


Russ.

21TonyK

13,381 posts

240 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
CooperS said:
Also im glad that i've got the hardtop too makes the lines flow much nicer.

Has anyone put s2 exige wheels on an elise? would the offset mean that they wouldn't sit right, or would it make the elise 'over wheeled'?

i really cant wait and have already started thinking of roads to hit when i get it biggrin
You are starting to think dangerously. I did exactly the same. Saw a nice "S" then wanted the hard top, then the wheels, then drove an "R". Next this you know you've bought an Exige.

Just a warning wink

CooperS

Original Poster:

4,580 posts

250 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
21TonyK said:
CooperS said:
Also im glad that i've got the hardtop too makes the lines flow much nicer.

Has anyone put s2 exige wheels on an elise? would the offset mean that they wouldn't sit right, or would it make the elise 'over wheeled'?

i really cant wait and have already started thinking of roads to hit when i get it biggrin
You are starting to think dangerously. I did exactly the same. Saw a nice "S" then wanted the hard top, then the wheels, then drove an "R". Next this you know you've bought an Exige.

Just a warning wink
LOL..

My plan all along was to save for 8 months taking me to my 24th Birthday and buy a 25/26k Exige but tbh i cant justify the extra cost (completely wink). However I think what i am in danger of doing is being blinded by the deal (which is very good in all honesty) and compromising on colour. Then spending extra on wheels etc to make up for the silver paint work?

purdy84

2,191 posts

240 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
My hunt for a grey N/A Exige or 111R, maximum stretched budget of 25K restulted in walking away with a 37K Orange Exige S.....

No amount of warnings will help, its inevitable....





Edited by purdy84 on Tuesday 1st January 18:05

hueandcry71

1,389 posts

233 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
purdy84 said:
My hunt for a grey N/A Exige or 111R, maximum stretched budget of 25K restulted in walking away with a 37K Orange Exige S.....

No amount of warnings will help, its inevitable....





Edited by purdy84 on Tuesday 1st January 18:05
Cracking pics,I love that colour. Aspen White used to be my fav Exige colour but Chrome Orange has overtaken it.

S Works

10,166 posts

281 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
CooperS said:
My plan all along was to save for 8 months taking me to my 24th Birthday and buy a 25/26k Exige but tbh i cant justify the extra cost (completely wink). However I think what i am in danger of doing is being blinded by the deal (which is very good in all honesty) and compromising on colour. Then spending extra on wheels etc to make up for the silver paint work?
Hi, and welcome to the forum.

For what it's worth, I'd stick to plan A, or try and get a deal on the car you want, in the colour you want. I believe there are going to be some good deals via the dealer network via Lotus finance, so best to check out all options. Easy to fall in love with the first you see, but it's a buyers market if you're prepared to wait a little and get the one you REALLY want.

hueandcry71

1,389 posts

233 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
Have a look at the London Lotus website, they have a few new 111S for sale there. I got my car from them and found them brilliant to deal with.I did a deal without even visiting the showroom and they arranged delivery.

miro

419 posts

231 months

Tuesday 1st January 2008
quotequote all
Im glad I went for the colour I wanted smile

dont compromise on the little things they will only bug you later. Black wheels included wink