Advise on buying an Elise ?
Discussion
Okay, so after some considerable faffing I have finally decided to award myself a proper car 
So I'm thinking Lotus Elise s2 R circa 2005/6, on basis that it's great looking car, goes like stink, it has a reliable motor,
I won't have a massive bill to keep it on the road and there aren't too many inherent issues with reliability.
It won't be my main drive, I have a battle scared and old e39 for that job
So dealer or private ( I know this is an old cherry but with an Elise is there a different arguement ) ?
Would I save money if I ended up getting Santa to deliver it in December ?
Is there anything to avoid, apart from the obvious, not a full service history etc ?
Am I right in thinking I'll get some reliable driving done rather than trips to the garage ! ?
BTW Before you ask, no I haven't driven one yet.... So my purchase is based on some extreme couch surfing so far, but I will rectify this oversight shortly, currently working on the basis if I drive one there will be an immediate purchase rather than Santa price saver
So I'm thinking Lotus Elise s2 R circa 2005/6, on basis that it's great looking car, goes like stink, it has a reliable motor,
I won't have a massive bill to keep it on the road and there aren't too many inherent issues with reliability.
It won't be my main drive, I have a battle scared and old e39 for that job
So dealer or private ( I know this is an old cherry but with an Elise is there a different arguement ) ?
Would I save money if I ended up getting Santa to deliver it in December ?
Is there anything to avoid, apart from the obvious, not a full service history etc ?
Am I right in thinking I'll get some reliable driving done rather than trips to the garage ! ?
BTW Before you ask, no I haven't driven one yet.... So my purchase is based on some extreme couch surfing so far, but I will rectify this oversight shortly, currently working on the basis if I drive one there will be an immediate purchase rather than Santa price saver
Thanks MT
Being a bloke, I thought Max Power = Best
Clearly not and I had moved on from that theory, especially as this was my 1st purchase
of a proper car, I have to be realistic about my driving skills and how much I would
get out of an R. i.e. wasn't thinking of popping down to Oulton Park any day soon :-)
Being a bloke, I thought Max Power = Best
Clearly not and I had moved on from that theory, especially as this was my 1st purchase
of a proper car, I have to be realistic about my driving skills and how much I would
get out of an R. i.e. wasn't thinking of popping down to Oulton Park any day soon :-)
Quick update....
Had a little trip to Christopher Neil, wanted to tick off some concerns and get off the IPad theory !
So...
Yes I can get in and out of an Elise, even though I'm a bit battered from Saturdays Rugby :-)
I've actually been out in the demonstrator Elise, to be honest I would have been a scared to
take a brand new motor out, so happy to have been a passenger, for now.
Did I like the Elise ? Jesus Christ ! YES It's a fantastic piece of kit, the road holding was pretty outstanding
braking was super impressive and I was surprised how comfortable the cabin was.
Bottom line, got to have one :-)
Going to book myself a test drive for 2 cars next w/e ( although I have to say the Exige in the
showroom is very very temptying, looks like you refill it with red meat not unleaded )
Had a little trip to Christopher Neil, wanted to tick off some concerns and get off the IPad theory !
So...
Yes I can get in and out of an Elise, even though I'm a bit battered from Saturdays Rugby :-)
I've actually been out in the demonstrator Elise, to be honest I would have been a scared to
take a brand new motor out, so happy to have been a passenger, for now.
Did I like the Elise ? Jesus Christ ! YES It's a fantastic piece of kit, the road holding was pretty outstanding
braking was super impressive and I was surprised how comfortable the cabin was.
Bottom line, got to have one :-)
Going to book myself a test drive for 2 cars next w/e ( although I have to say the Exige in the
showroom is very very temptying, looks like you refill it with red meat not unleaded )
Thanks....
I think is going to be slow burn to scratch this itch, need to get a few ducks in line first :-)
New electric garage door fitted on Saturday, it goes up, and it goes down, what more can a man want !
The garage is full of - rubbish, other people's stuff and stuff that should in the shed, need to complete
the boarding out of the loft !
Also the run in to the garage is not finished, hangover from the Builders leaving 5 years ago.
Apart from these minor issues of garage access, it's all systems go, I want one, I need to drive a few,
then pull the trigger on the right Elise.
For completeness I think I need to drive both the 111s and the 111r, rather than just jump to an
unsupported decision of just going for a 111R
Almost forgot, need to put one of my Kids on EBay to pay for the Elise, I pretty sure the small ginger one will fetch a premium ;-)
I think is going to be slow burn to scratch this itch, need to get a few ducks in line first :-)
New electric garage door fitted on Saturday, it goes up, and it goes down, what more can a man want !
The garage is full of - rubbish, other people's stuff and stuff that should in the shed, need to complete
the boarding out of the loft !
Also the run in to the garage is not finished, hangover from the Builders leaving 5 years ago.
Apart from these minor issues of garage access, it's all systems go, I want one, I need to drive a few,
then pull the trigger on the right Elise.
For completeness I think I need to drive both the 111s and the 111r, rather than just jump to an
unsupported decision of just going for a 111R
Almost forgot, need to put one of my Kids on EBay to pay for the Elise, I pretty sure the small ginger one will fetch a premium ;-)
Edited by Los Endos on Tuesday 25th September 18:48
un1eash said:
I'd also like to know your thoughs on a S vs R after you've driven both as i'm also in the same position. I'm hoping to test drive both this weekend if we have some nice weather. I'm leaning towards the R as its going to be an everyday commuter for me and the R seems to be less hassle, but i may be wrong. The cheaper running costs of the S look attractive but in the grand scheme of things i dont think it makes much difference.
Yep no problem lets share notes :-)Looks like the weather is finally picking up in the NorthWest, so I need to make a plan ;-)
I may integrate my test drives into WFH !
Hoddo said:
Los Endos said:
What about the Toyota powered S with the lower power ?
May be able to help here.Previously ran a 111R and now run a Toyota powered S (lower powered one). My car is exclusivly used on the road and I had a similar experience to you, found I was constantly chasing the second CAM in the R. The S feels very similar up to 6k rpm where the cam would have kicked in. In the S it carries on for a bit more, nice lineiar delivery which suited my style of driving.
Don't ignore a good exhaust note. This really changes the whole experience and the standard exhaust on the Elise is not known for its volume. Introducing a good sound makes any Elise plenty more exciting.
For me I will enjoy this S and then when I want/need more power I'll get a supercharged on. Nice 2008 SC.
As has been said drive as many as you can, they're all good and only you will know which suits you and your needs. I live a couple of miles from CN and you'd be welcome to have a passenger ride if you're ever down in the area again (weather has been impressively wet recently though).
If you're in the NW the. Signed up to NORLOG and come over for a meet.
FYI To confuse matters Lotus recently launched a new S which is actually supercharged. Not the best naming conventions if you ask me.
I'll sign up to Norlog now, since I'm very much NW based -)
Ermmm... Not sure if I supposed to say this but here goes...
Obviously cash comes into this calculation :-
Rover is cheaper by about 3k, same age / mileage 'ish
CN seems to be £1k over the odds when I've poured over the classified, everything is negotiable ?
Hopefully I just didn't break any rules here :-(
Obviously cash comes into this calculation :-
Rover is cheaper by about 3k, same age / mileage 'ish
CN seems to be £1k over the odds when I've poured over the classified, everything is negotiable ?
Hopefully I just didn't break any rules here :-(
So... Finally it stopped raining and the sun shone... :-)
So nipped up to CN for test drive of the 111s and 111r, bearing in mind all the comments and advice
I have been fortunate to receive via this thread, I tried to keep my mind open to both forms of this
great motor.
1st off was the 111s ( which I must admit I was sorting to lean to ), really enjoyed my first drive of an Elise, although the
pedal arrangement gave me a bit if a scare when I went to brake, as did the lack of power from the stop pedal.
The K engine I found very tractable and responsive, infact I was pleasantly surprised by the whole set-up, the sum total is way beyond my driving skills, but it feels very 'chuck able' and like its on rails :-))))
A bit noisy in the cabin with the odd rattle and click here and there, but not a deal breaker by any means !
Next came the 111r, this time with a roof on ( super impressed with the fabric roof ), this motor also had a sports exhaust
just to let you know your having a good time ;-)
I had in my head it would be a bit flat on delivery but was pleasantly surprised on performance below the magic 6k,
then I had a go at releasing the screaming banshees ( loud pedal after 6k ), errr yes, yes, and a bt more yes.
By this time I was getting a little confident to push a bit harder, by my standards, and it felt a lot sharper than the
111s but this is probably Elise A versus Elise B, can't really describe the overall difference but I found the 111r
a better connected drive, perhaps i mean taught, plus almost no rattle !
So did I buy the 111r, sadly no, it's a lovely car but the wrong colour for me and realised if this is fun toy so it has to be right
in all areas, I know I'm being a bit of girl here ;-(
However CN do having something another Elise that floats my boat in terms of spec, condition and colour, so I'm goingto sleep on it and maybe book myself another test drive when the sun shines again.
Thoughts and ideas most welcome ?
So nipped up to CN for test drive of the 111s and 111r, bearing in mind all the comments and advice
I have been fortunate to receive via this thread, I tried to keep my mind open to both forms of this
great motor.
1st off was the 111s ( which I must admit I was sorting to lean to ), really enjoyed my first drive of an Elise, although the
pedal arrangement gave me a bit if a scare when I went to brake, as did the lack of power from the stop pedal.
The K engine I found very tractable and responsive, infact I was pleasantly surprised by the whole set-up, the sum total is way beyond my driving skills, but it feels very 'chuck able' and like its on rails :-))))
A bit noisy in the cabin with the odd rattle and click here and there, but not a deal breaker by any means !
Next came the 111r, this time with a roof on ( super impressed with the fabric roof ), this motor also had a sports exhaust
just to let you know your having a good time ;-)
I had in my head it would be a bit flat on delivery but was pleasantly surprised on performance below the magic 6k,
then I had a go at releasing the screaming banshees ( loud pedal after 6k ), errr yes, yes, and a bt more yes.
By this time I was getting a little confident to push a bit harder, by my standards, and it felt a lot sharper than the
111s but this is probably Elise A versus Elise B, can't really describe the overall difference but I found the 111r
a better connected drive, perhaps i mean taught, plus almost no rattle !
So did I buy the 111r, sadly no, it's a lovely car but the wrong colour for me and realised if this is fun toy so it has to be right
in all areas, I know I'm being a bit of girl here ;-(
However CN do having something another Elise that floats my boat in terms of spec, condition and colour, so I'm goingto sleep on it and maybe book myself another test drive when the sun shines again.
Thoughts and ideas most welcome ?
Platinum said:
Los Endos said:
although the pedal arrangement gave me a bit if a scare when I went to brake, as did the lack of power from the stop pedal.
The pedals are very close together - so much so I haven't tried driving in trainers - but you get used to it.Yes, the brakes are weird after coming from a servoed setup and it probably didn't help if they were cold. I can remember my first drive in an Elise and the feeling through the brake pedal was like metal on metal with no friction! Again now I'm used to them, they are so nice and progressive to use that I actually enjoy braking - i.e. it's not a chore to complete after accelerating and before going round a corner (If that makes sense!)
As I drove a little more, the pedal positioning made a lot more sense too, remember I'm used to driving a 5 Series Auto, therefore some adjustment is needed, also I was wearing running shoes, not great :-(
Edited by Los Endos on Saturday 6th October 20:56
kambites said:
The difference in handling was down to individual cars - tiny differences in suspension geometry can make a massive difference to how the Elise feels. The 111S should feel slightly more nimble (it's quite a lot lighter) but there isn't much in it really.
Absolute stopping power should be similar; it's just a question of personal preference as to whether you want a servo or not. The unassisted brakes were one of the biggest draws to the K-series powered cars for me. I also, after driving several of both, decided that the K-series handled better, but there's not really much between them.
By far the biggest difference should be the engines, which again is just personal preference. I didn't get on with the delivery of the Toyota power plant but I can see why it would appeal to someone else.
How much it rattles tends to just come down to the age of the car and luck. They did get gradually better screwed together (and heavier) as the years went by, but I've never noticed a difference between cars of the same age with the different engines.
As I said think the difference I could feel and detect was more about Elise A versus Elise B, I have to say both felt great, just the 111r just appeared to be a lot taughter through my amatuer hands ;-)Absolute stopping power should be similar; it's just a question of personal preference as to whether you want a servo or not. The unassisted brakes were one of the biggest draws to the K-series powered cars for me. I also, after driving several of both, decided that the K-series handled better, but there's not really much between them.
By far the biggest difference should be the engines, which again is just personal preference. I didn't get on with the delivery of the Toyota power plant but I can see why it would appeal to someone else.
How much it rattles tends to just come down to the age of the car and luck. They did get gradually better screwed together (and heavier) as the years went by, but I've never noticed a difference between cars of the same age with the different engines.
Edited by kambites on Saturday 6th October 19:48
A few more test drives before I press I button.
BTW Really appreciate this feedback and info from the people who know ! :-)
kambites said:
I don't know what mileages these cars were on, but Elises seem to often need suspension refreshes at somewhere around the 50k mark.
Funny you should mention that....The 111r need a new shock at the back ( and therefore a pair ), have to say I didnt notice I was told by CN but I only felt it
after I had it pointed out to me !
All part if my learning.....
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