Purchase Advice on S1 with 90k Miles
Discussion
Just been looking at an S1 with 90k miles. Its got fsh and looks a pretty honest car, negotiated price 7k.
Normally i wouldnt consider this high mileage, knowing a little about the reliability of the K Series but considering my budget of 7k, i think its a reasonable purchase.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Normally i wouldnt consider this high mileage, knowing a little about the reliability of the K Series but considering my budget of 7k, i think its a reasonable purchase.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
My Elise is on 86k miles, near as 40k which I've done. I don't pootle in it and it is excellent. Last winter I did a suspension rebuild with new ball joints, bushes, wheel bearings, toe rod ends and springs/dampers.
The Elise ages well, as long as you have ears and listen to it, I am sure you will have a great car. Keep in mind, you will need to do things and refresh some parts to keep it good, but if you know one end of a spanner from the other there is nothing too much to go wrong. Sure, some will talk about Head Gasket, but mine is OK, I've done 4 track days and she just keeps coming back for more.
I bought mine 4 years ago with 50k miles, it is as good as a daily driver and great fun.
Go for it, just check the allyfloor/chassis from underneath to check for damage.
In summary, there is no reaosn why a £7k Elise won't be good, but if you're not handy with a spanner garage bills are likely to be high over the coming years as things naturally wear out.
If you can afford the £7k and do home mechanics, it will be great. If you're looking at using garages, then I would suggest you save a little and buy a car that has had some work done to refresh lots..
The Elise ages well, as long as you have ears and listen to it, I am sure you will have a great car. Keep in mind, you will need to do things and refresh some parts to keep it good, but if you know one end of a spanner from the other there is nothing too much to go wrong. Sure, some will talk about Head Gasket, but mine is OK, I've done 4 track days and she just keeps coming back for more.
I bought mine 4 years ago with 50k miles, it is as good as a daily driver and great fun.
Go for it, just check the allyfloor/chassis from underneath to check for damage.
In summary, there is no reaosn why a £7k Elise won't be good, but if you're not handy with a spanner garage bills are likely to be high over the coming years as things naturally wear out.
If you can afford the £7k and do home mechanics, it will be great. If you're looking at using garages, then I would suggest you save a little and buy a car that has had some work done to refresh lots..
well the engine could be ok for another 20-30K miles...no one can really tell, it depends on how its been treated.
Id be more concerned with the rest of the car - if the owner has replaced shocks, brakes, bushes tyres, recently and get the car checked out.
Usually you will see fully sorted, enthusiast owned cars, regardless of mileage, are priced accordingly.
If its been run by someone that really cant afford it, then its likely that you could go a few thousand mile and need new suspension, then a few more and need bushes, etc etc
You say your budget is £7K ...we suspension, bushes, discs, pads, tyres etc will be 1/2 that if they need doing in the next 6 months, so then you are into a £10K car ...which should of course get a you a really tidy S1 with everything sorted and upgraded....horses for courses really..most people are not daft and a car is usually priced accordingly to sell...only on the odd occasion does one truly get a bargain .....
Id be more concerned with the rest of the car - if the owner has replaced shocks, brakes, bushes tyres, recently and get the car checked out.
Usually you will see fully sorted, enthusiast owned cars, regardless of mileage, are priced accordingly.
If its been run by someone that really cant afford it, then its likely that you could go a few thousand mile and need new suspension, then a few more and need bushes, etc etc
You say your budget is £7K ...we suspension, bushes, discs, pads, tyres etc will be 1/2 that if they need doing in the next 6 months, so then you are into a £10K car ...which should of course get a you a really tidy S1 with everything sorted and upgraded....horses for courses really..most people are not daft and a car is usually priced accordingly to sell...only on the odd occasion does one truly get a bargain .....
If it helps I've just bought a '99 S1 with 55k miles, advertised on here at 8,800. Simultaneously she had it on ebay where it finished at 6,600 (no-one bidding had been to look at it so guessing all bids were from dealers). After the auction finished I offered 7,500 and that secured it for me, with 12 months tax + MOT, new tyres all round as well.
So I would guess unless yours is a shining example with recent full suspension refresh then it may be overpriced?? Don't buy the first one you see!!!
So I would guess unless yours is a shining example with recent full suspension refresh then it may be overpriced?? Don't buy the first one you see!!!
The cars got Full Service with lots of receipts, its had the S2 suspension upgrade, new alloy rad, 4 good tyres, good paint with minor marks, and pretty much i think its like someone described, an enthusiast car rather than a used runabout.
Im more than capable of maintaining the car and although it is the second car ive looked at think its an honest car.
Im more than capable of maintaining the car and although it is the second car ive looked at think its an honest car.
well if you can maintain it yourself, and its had that stuff done, then should be fine...I wouldnt worry about it
if you want a replacement engine, they usually go for £600 with like 30-50K miles on them, so even thats not an issue...not that there arnt loads out there with 100K + on them already
if you want a replacement engine, they usually go for £600 with like 30-50K miles on them, so even thats not an issue...not that there arnt loads out there with 100K + on them already
As the others have said really. I think bogie may be being a bit alarmist about the engine - I'm sure there's plenty of similiar engines in Freelanders knocking on the door of 200k (or more). In the Elise the same engine is lightly stressed so should be fine.
As said, its the suspension (not just the dampers) that can catch you out, especially if you have to pay a garage. Ball joints, bushes, steering rack etc are all to be regarded as consumable on the Elise if you want the car to feel as it should. As bogie said a decently sorted Elise is still £9/10k
Interiors can show a bit of wear but the Lotus trim shop can restore that as you want for reasonable cost.
At the end of the day, go in with your eyes open and don't expect to run it on a hot hatch budget and you'll have a lot of fun.
As said, its the suspension (not just the dampers) that can catch you out, especially if you have to pay a garage. Ball joints, bushes, steering rack etc are all to be regarded as consumable on the Elise if you want the car to feel as it should. As bogie said a decently sorted Elise is still £9/10k
Interiors can show a bit of wear but the Lotus trim shop can restore that as you want for reasonable cost.
At the end of the day, go in with your eyes open and don't expect to run it on a hot hatch budget and you'll have a lot of fun.
snellc said:
The cars got Full Service with lots of receipts, its had the S2 suspension upgrade, new alloy rad, 4 good tyres, good paint with minor marks, and pretty much i think its like someone described, an enthusiast car rather than a used runabout.
Im more than capable of maintaining the car and although it is the second car ive looked at think its an honest car.
Sounds good, go for it!Im more than capable of maintaining the car and although it is the second car ive looked at think its an honest car.
71k on mine and still feels fresh, that said its a bit of a trigger's broom in the suspension and brake department. If you're prepared to get your hands dirty I'd say go for it (although bear in mind prices will probably fall by about £1k by the end of September).
If you'll need to pay a garage to do work -as other's have said- its the suspension you need to be concentrating on. Check for play at all four corners and when you're driving check there is no virbation coming back through the wheel. You'll notice bangs on the suspension when you go through pot holes, they all do that, but check there are not knocks feeding back through the wheel on even surfaces. You'll need to have a good look at the suspension mounts for crash damage, you shouldn't see any crash damage on the tub itself as its more or less non-repairable, if you see any crash damage on the tub, run a mile.
Engine wise, you'll need to do the usual checks. Given the K-series hunger for head gaskets, look for excessive white smoke or water dripping from the exhaust when the car is warm (you'll probably see some from cold on most cars). Look for mayo on the inside of the oil cap and any signs of oil in the coolant (check this before the engine is on). See how the owner drives it. It shouldn't be thrashed until the the water temp is fully up and then left another 10 mins or so. Check while driving the car that temperature stays steady. Other than that, good luck. You'll not regret it if you buy carefully.
If you'll need to pay a garage to do work -as other's have said- its the suspension you need to be concentrating on. Check for play at all four corners and when you're driving check there is no virbation coming back through the wheel. You'll notice bangs on the suspension when you go through pot holes, they all do that, but check there are not knocks feeding back through the wheel on even surfaces. You'll need to have a good look at the suspension mounts for crash damage, you shouldn't see any crash damage on the tub itself as its more or less non-repairable, if you see any crash damage on the tub, run a mile.
Engine wise, you'll need to do the usual checks. Given the K-series hunger for head gaskets, look for excessive white smoke or water dripping from the exhaust when the car is warm (you'll probably see some from cold on most cars). Look for mayo on the inside of the oil cap and any signs of oil in the coolant (check this before the engine is on). See how the owner drives it. It shouldn't be thrashed until the the water temp is fully up and then left another 10 mins or so. Check while driving the car that temperature stays steady. Other than that, good luck. You'll not regret it if you buy carefully.
I can't believe how the prices of S1's are holding now. It's great.
I paid 9K for my 2000 S1 with 47K from a local main dealer (not Lotus) 2 years ago. Victory alloys, hardtop, alcantara 111s seats and mint condition.
By the looks of things, it's still probably worth the best part of that sold privately.
I've never bought a car before that didn't depreciate like buggery!
I paid 9K for my 2000 S1 with 47K from a local main dealer (not Lotus) 2 years ago. Victory alloys, hardtop, alcantara 111s seats and mint condition.
By the looks of things, it's still probably worth the best part of that sold privately.
I've never bought a car before that didn't depreciate like buggery!
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