S1 Elise as a daily?

[ctid]

Hey

I'm thinking of getting an S1 Elise as a daily driver. I'm halfway though my degree and am on a years industrial placement at the moment. By the end of my placement, I should have enough money for an Elise and insurance.

I got a quote of £1700 fully comp (21 years old, 1 year ncb), parked on a driveway in Manchester.

Are the S1 Elises reliable enough to be used as a daily? I'll only be going to uni and back, and football on the weekends. I reckon I'll be doing approx 13k a year. How expensive are they to run?

My car history so far has been:

1.2 Fiat Bravo 80SX
1.8 Vauxhall Vectra SRi 120
1.4 16v (100bhp) Volkswagen Polo

I just think that I should get something a bit more driver focused as my next car, and I don't particularly need anything practical

Thanks

Edited by ctid on Saturday 25th April 22:22

[crofty1984]

Watch out for HGF. I'm not jumping on the K series bandwagon. Just a reminder to say keep the coolant at a decent level to avoid any chance of it overheating.

[nottyash]

ctid said:

Hey

I'm thinking of getting an S1 Elise as a daily driver. I'm halfway though my degree and am on a years industrial placement at the moment. By the end of my placement, I should have enough money for an Elise and insurance.

I got a quote of £1700 fully comp (21 years old, 1 year ncb), parked on a driveway in Manchester.

Are the S1 Elises reliable enough to be used as a daily? I'll only be going to uni and back, and football on the weekends. I reckon I'll be doing approx 13k a year. How expensive are they to run?

Thanks

They are supposed to be pretty economical as they are light and have a 1.8 Rover engine.
Not very comfy though.
I looked into it, but the engine put me off. i am not a Rover fan and that enngine is prone to cylinder head gasket failures.

[sday12]

Used mine as a daily driver.

Long journeys are painfull
Easy in traffic
Difficult getting in/out

Hell, do it.

[yellowgriff]

nottyash said:

ctid said:

Hey

I'm thinking of getting an S1 Elise as a daily driver. I'm halfway though my degree and am on a years industrial placement at the moment. By the end of my placement, I should have enough money for an Elise and insurance.

I got a quote of £1700 fully comp (21 years old, 1 year ncb), parked on a driveway in Manchester.

Are the S1 Elises reliable enough to be used as a daily? I'll only be going to uni and back, and football on the weekends. I reckon I'll be doing approx 13k a year. How expensive are they to run?

Thanks

They are supposed to be pretty economical as they are light and have a 1.8 Rover engine.
Not very comfy though.
I looked into it, but the engine put me off. i am not a Rover fan and that enngine is prone to cylinder head gasket failures.

Bad engine. If & when i does overheat when taking the head off if pulls up the cylinder liners & cost a fortune to fix,, If the car has had a front end damage It would needed to have gone on a Car jig as they are like cardboard when hit in front.. I own a garage be warned,, Theres more reliable cars for the same sort of money,, MX5 Not that i like them But jap built,, Reliable if looked after rust free,, If you find a early import there called unos they have PAS electric windows & air con standard,,, Leave rover standing all round,, Biggest selling car of all time 6 million springs to mind

[skoff]

They aren't 'cheap' cars to run if you want to look after them properly. However as long as nothing major goes wrong, they don't cost the earth either. It's all relative really. I had a few big bills during my ownership of an S1 and used it daily for 30 odd miles each way commuting. Consumables like tyres and brakes are not cheap - DON'T skimp on tyres as they really do make the difference between the car being a precision instrument and wanting to kill you at the first sign of a cloud in the sky.

They are actually surprisingly practical and comfortable (considering what they are)though be prepared for a wet leg when it rains.

Expect your OH to hate it, kids to love it, and jealous people want to vandalise it (happened to me twice).

Lotus dealers vary from great and expensive, to truly awful and expensive. A good indy is worth their weight in gold (but will probably be only slightly less expensive than a dealer).

I didn't have a problem with HGF, but I did break a cam belt, so make sure this has been done before you buy. The HGF thing is probably blown a bit out of proportion, but as has already been said, keep the coolant topped up to minimise the risks...

They are great cars, but they aren't really that fast, you will probably find yourself wanting more power within a year, but despite that, it really is fun to defy the laws of physics on a dry day.

[VxDuncan]

I owned a VX220 (Elise chassis based, though closer to the s2 than s1, with the s2 hood...) as my sole car for four years. Yes it is possible, and not too much of a hardship. Will help significantly if you have access to a bigger car for those moments when you want to nip to the shops to buy a new TV / take a (small) suitcase to the airport.

Having a garage helps significantly - they really struggle to demist the front screen, let alone the de-ice it. (crappy fiat cinqecento blender unit on at the front with nasty alumininum tube ducting the air to the screen). Likewise the roof saturates after a few days of rain no matter how you waterproof it, so it will leak. Parking nose up helps though!

Yes they are cheap to run, fuel wise. Light weight and low frontal area. Also light on brakes and tyres. If petrol gets really silly I'm tempted to get an elise, swap in a 1.4k series out of a metro and swap the rear wheels for a spare set of wheels and tyres from the front!

Your mileage is a concern though, 13k/year is a lot in a year. Really, they tend to be past their prime after maybe 40k miles or so. They are very sensitive to dampers, bushes, geometry, tyres etc. Any wear will show, usually in the form of snap oversteer in the wet! Your 13k/year means a set of rear tyres and front pads as a minimum, so budget an extra £250-300 for these alone. If you're buying a car with 40ish on it, be prepared to replace the suspension bushes etc to freshen it up.

If I were you I would leave it till you can afford to run two cars or have a garage to store in in. This will also reduce the mileage. A bit more driving experience will help as well, as they can be twitchy little things (esp. in the snow!), and are so low as to seriously limit your visibility. Go for a nice mk2 MX-5, then swap to an elise at a later date. 90% of the fun with 10% of the hastle....

Edited by VxDuncan on Saturday 25th April 23:22

[offshorematt2]

yellowgriff said:

Bad engine.

Hardly. Some 1800cc K-Series suffer HGF failure and it's unarguabley a weak spot, but the occurance is totally exaggerated by the usual internet bull (i.e. the same bull that says all 996 Porsche's suffer RMS failure or all TVR are unreliable). There's over three million K Series engines out there in various sizes.

yellowgriff said:

If the car has had a front end damage It would needed to have gone on a Car jig as they are like cardboard when hit in front.. I own a garage be warned

These cars are actually excellent in an accident - any deformation is generally damage to the GRP and crash protection. That said, if the aluminium tub does get damaged in an impact, it can't be repaired and needs replaced - on an old S1 this will generally write off the car. This is pretty rare in most cases of course and a second hand front clamshell (front bodywork is one piece) can be bought off Ebay for a few hundred quid if the damage is just cosmetic.

I've run K- Series'd S1 Elises/Exiges as daily drivers for the last four years and it's perfectly achievable. Less comfortable than some cars but that's a price you pay. I'd suggest asking in the Elise forum on here or alternatively take a look at some of the dedicated Lotus forums - load of folks on there with real experience of the cars.

Edited by offshorematt2 on Saturday 25th April 23:35

[ctid]

Thanks for the input guys. I've got a few months to decide yet before I've got the cash to buy, but I'll keep it in mind. I'll take a look at a few MX-5's as well. I'm looking to spend 6/7k and want something fun to drive.

I suppose it says alot when my Polo is the best car I've had. Reasonably nippy (at approx 110bhp at the moment), and decent handling (FK suspension, Toyo T1-R tyres). I don't want to be going in over my head, but I've always liked the Elise, and see it as a stepping stone towards a Tiv

Edited by ctid on Saturday 25th April 23:35

[Pwig]

I ran a Dax rush every day for 6 months.

An Elise is a piece of piss

[tomtom]

I commuted in mine for 6 months or so during the autumn and winter, although I did have access to another car when it snowed. I had a ~20 mile commute so it warmed up properly and it was good fun having the roof off to and from work. The worst part is demisting on wet mornings (it clears quickly with the roof off but with no air-con and a lot of moisture around it's not much fun). Never had a problem with traction or loose back ends on winter roads.

Mine was my second car at age 20, if you're sensible and do some training days it's not a problem making the jump from FWD hatchbacks.

I was working at a fairly dead-end job though and it did garner some ill feeling from colleagues despite being a <£10k car.

edit: To stick up for it, the K-series is a great engine for the standard Elise. The Toyota in my new Exige is incredibly similar, save for the second cam, and on a B road they're virtually identical in behaviour save for the 70bhp difference. Yes, mine had HGF but it's cheap to sort out and I still believe these little plastic cars represent the best fun:£ ratio currently without resorting to £1500 MX5s (I seriously looked at Caymans and 355s before deciding to buy another Lotus).

Edited by tomtom on Sunday 26th April 00:18

[mikey P 500]

I just sold my S1 Elise after having it as my only car and daily driver for about a year. Yes it can be done, but does depend on your tolerance of a lack of modern day creature comforts. Main ones are, having to water proof the roof or put up with occasional leaks, the seats not being great on long journeys (although added vx220 spec seats to improve this). The brakes not having servo assistance takes a little getting used to especially when you get back in a normal car. The biggest nuisance is getting in and out in tight car parking spaces. And also the regular tinkering that’s often required at weekends, as many of the smaller parts don’t seem to be as well executed as they are on more mass produced cars. On the plus side they are very cheap to run for their performance, brakes, tyres etc need replacing regularly but are very cheap. And they do over 35mpg under normal use. Insurance on the basic S1 is also good for its performance much cheaper than anything with similar performance.

[VxDuncan]

mikey P 500 said:

I just sold my S1 Elise after having it as my only car and daily driver for about a year. Yes it can be done, but does depend on your tolerance of a lack of modern day creature comforts. Main ones are, having to water proof the roof or put up with occasional leaks, the seats not being great on long journeys (although added vx220 spec seats to improve this). The brakes not having servo assistance takes a little getting used to especially when you get back in a normal car. The biggest nuisance is getting in and out in tight car parking spaces. And also the regular tinkering that’s often required at weekends, as many of the smaller parts don’t seem to be as well executed as they are on more mass produced cars. On the plus side they are very cheap to run for their performance, brakes, tyres etc need replacing regularly but are very cheap. And they do over 35mpg under normal use. Insurance on the basic S1 is also good for its performance much cheaper than anything with similar performance.

Waterproof the hood OR leaks? Surely less leaks...

Good points about being spanner-handy. Little things like sorting loose bits of trim, replacing coolant bottles, door pins etc can help a lot.

I know I'm biased, but have you considered a Vx220 instead? Very little difference in cost to the S1, but you get a FAR better hood (than the S1 tent, was adopted by lotus on the S2), chassis that's easier to get in and out of (again adopted for the s2), ABS (ish), more boot space, airbag, cheaper insurance, cheaper servicing (same as an astra!), and none of the dreaded K-series HGF issues. Obviously it won't have the badge, and is slightly heavier, but a far better proposition day to day. Build quality was also much improved on the new line Vauxhall had built at Hethel. Downsides? Handling isn't quite as sharp, but is probably safer for a road car. You can always transfer the Elise/Exige settings to emulate the lotus anyway. Larger front wheels are a bit of a comprimise over the elises 16"ers but you can swap then out for a pair of 16's. The biggie is the badge, personally I don't care, but you will have to deal with Vauxhall dealers, who are worse than useless.

[smele]

Pwig said:

I ran a Dax rush every day for 6 months.

An Elise is a piece of piss

Seconded. Anything that has a roof, heater and does not leak (well to much) is an easy daily driver.

As the S1 being uncomfortable, I have to dis agree, I found it to be one of the most comfortable cars I have owned. Good positioning, easy controls and so on. If I really tried (ie resisted blasting it) 40MPG was realistic.

Running costs are very reasonable. If you drive it hard every day you are going to be looking parts every 6k-12k miles, ie suspension brakes tyres. If you drive more like a normal person, costs should be no different from any other Mondeo type car.

I would go for it. So much fun to drive you will not regret.

[HereBeMonsters]

I'd also thought about doing this, but after reading a few topics in the Lotus section of this board, I've decided an Elan would be more livable...

[NDA]

21 years old driving an Elise? It's got to be done.... Youngsters (compared to me) driving sporty cars is a good look. Most decent sports cars are driven by old farts like me.

But, if you're tall, it's a painful car to get in and out of. Will it be safe from the jealous types where you park it? Water leakage can be a problem. Tricky being so low in big traffic every day. Poor weather driving can be tiresome in something like an Elise too - spray, fog, heavy rain etc.

If you're going into this with your eyes wide open, then go for it. Terrific handling and great looking.

[S Works]

ctid said:

Thanks for the input guys. I've got a few months to decide yet before I've got the cash to buy, but I'll keep it in mind. I'll take a look at a few MX-5's as well. I'm looking to spend 6/7k and want something fun to drive.

I suppose it says alot when my Polo is the best car I've had. Reasonably nippy (at approx 110bhp at the moment), and decent handling (FK suspension, Toyo T1-R tyres). I don't want to be going in over my head, but I've always liked the Elise, and see it as a stepping stone towards a Tiv

For the money you've got, the use you want, and the level of experience you've had, a nice MX5 (see if you can get a decent Mk1 Eunos 1.8 with some sensible mods!) will be brilliant fun. It'll improve your driving no-end, will be cheaper to insure, run, mod and track at your age, and will be a tad more practical than a Series 1 Elise. If you get on with that, and once you're over 25, then I'd consider looking out a Series 2 Elise if you want an everyday car.

At the money you've got at the moment you'll be gambling on the cheapest of the cheap, and will likely as not have a lot of big bills in 13k. Wait until you can have one as a toy and you'll enjoy it so much more.

As for "stepping stone to a Tiv"... why would you want to go backwards? Seriously, as a driving tool, the Elise is a precision scalpel compared to any Tiv. Totally different ballgame.

[noodleman]

yellowgriff said:

Bad engine. If & when i does overheat when taking the head off if pulls up the cylinder liners & cost a fortune to fix,, If the car has had a front end damage It would needed to have gone on a Car jig as they are like cardboard when hit in front.. I own a garage be warned,, Theres more reliable cars for the same sort of money,, MX5 Not that i like them But jap built,, Reliable if looked after rust free,, If you find a early import there called unos they have PAS electric windows & air con standard,,, Leave rover standing all round,, Biggest selling car of all time 6 million springs to mind

What tosh. Please remind me not to visit your garage.

Whilst I quite like MX5's, they're hardly an Elise equivalent. In what way does it leave an Elise standing??? Time to put roof up/down maybe.

BTW, it's Eunos, not unos. That's a Fiat.

To the OP. You may find it difficult to get the nice reliable, looked after car you want for 6-7k. I'd say 8K is the entry point for a nice one.

Save more. You'll love it. I literally cannot think of a car for less than £25K that I'd rather have.

Edited by noodleman on Sunday 26th April 19:08

[TIPPER]

yellowgriff said:

nottyash said:

ctid said:

Hey

I'm thinking of getting an S1 Elise as a daily driver. I'm halfway though my degree and am on a years industrial placement at the moment. By the end of my placement, I should have enough money for an Elise and insurance.

I got a quote of £1700 fully comp (21 years old, 1 year ncb), parked on a driveway in Manchester.

Are the S1 Elises reliable enough to be used as a daily? I'll only be going to uni and back, and football on the weekends. I reckon I'll be doing approx 13k a year. How expensive are they to run?

Thanks

They are supposed to be pretty economical as they are light and have a 1.8 Rover engine.
Not very comfy though.
I looked into it, but the engine put me off. i am not a Rover fan and that enngine is prone to cylinder head gasket failures.

Bad engine. If & when i does overheat when taking the head off if pulls up the cylinder liners & cost a fortune to fix,, If the car has had a front end damage It would needed to have gone on a Car jig as they are like cardboard when hit in front.. I own a garage be warned,, Theres more reliable cars for the same sort of money,, MX5 Not that i like them But jap built,, Reliable if looked after rust free,, If you find a early import there called unos they have PAS electric windows & air con standard,,, Leave rover standing all round,, Biggest selling car of all time 6 million springs to mind

You may own a garage but you don't seem to know much about the K series.
One of problems causing HGF is liners dropping (they should be proud of the block). There are exceptions to every rule but if you regularly find you're ripping the liners out as you lift heads on K series engines one has to question your work.
There are plenty out there who do understand the K and if/when hgf rears its head if sorted properly it shouldn't happen again. Its also advisable to have the head hardness tested if the gasket goes as some K series head castings suffered from porosity which leads to failure.
Generally look after the car properly and it will look after you, the K won't tolerate being abused from cold so give it a good 20 minutes for the oil to get to temperature before asking it to do some real work and you'll help it a lot and help prevent the liners dropping.
There is also a relatively cheap kit (PRT kit) to help relieve the engine of some of the thermal shock which the original cooling circuit can cause.
Finally its hardly the end of the world if it does happen: fixable for less than £1k.
With regards the car's ability to survive frontal impacts: the crash structure is sacrificial, designed to absorb frontal impact. The glass clams also serve some of the same purpose as glass fibre mouldings are pretty good at impact absobtion/dispertion. The wishbones are another sacrificial part of the car although if their mounting points are damaged then the car is almost certainly a write off. I'd expect the tub to be put on a jig after any significant impact: Lotus recommend it and if its out of true then even fairly recent cars are written off. Cardboard? Rubbish, the Elise is as tough as old boots and generally looks after its occupants very well in the event of a crash.

Edited by TIPPER on Sunday 26th April 21:06

[bogie]

LOL at some of the silly comments about cardboard like Elises with expensive engines

its a £500 Rover K series out of a mini metro - head gasket failure fixed done properly, costs about £500 to fix, any more wrong with it than that, get a recon one and swap the lot

anyone considering spending £9K upwards on a sportscar which is essentially a luxury toy car, that cant cope with a £500 bill, cant afford it full stop, and should stick to something 3 years old and Japanese then

/sure glad im not a customer of that garage ..I will stick to a Lotus specialist/bodyshop that knows what they are talking about