Elise Decisions

[ColinMacC]

After bottling it last year and buying a c class, I am again in a position to look at an Elise. Which model would people recommend? I loved the purity of the 1.6, and the fact that it was enjoyable, but would I get frustrated with the relative lack of power. Bell and Colvill have the sprint tested by PH a few months back for sale, Not really sure what to look at or go for as I'm new to the sports car market!

[ColinMacC]

I'm not really sure, The 1.6 at Bell and Colvill is 4 months old, it was the sprint used by all of the motoring magazines (and PH). If I was going for a 220, it would probably be 2-3 years old, But I also have a soft spot for the 111r.

The big thing attracting me to the 1.6 model is the fact that it is a lot of fun at legal speeds

[ColinMacC]

kambites said:

If you want "fun at legal speeds" and aren't intending to use it daily, I'd argue you should be looking at S1s or possibly early (K-series) S2s. The Toyota cars with their extra weight, assisted brakes, etc. feel considerably more... grown-up.

How reliable is the K series? One thing I'd like to try is track days, So I can definately see the logic of the S1/S2 Elises, but looking at prices, the VX220 NA and Turbo seems like much more value for money. I know that this debte has came up before, but is the extra money for the Elise justifiable over the Vauxhall?

[ColinMacC]

CABC said:

VXs are fine cars, and don't necessarily assume turbo. many argue the delicate chassis is best enjoyed with NA, and the VX has enough power and good torque.

You need to try S1s to compare with the civility of the Toyo cars. Head gaskets aren't a problem - fix it if it happens for a few hundred £ and treat it right (warm up, cool down properly). K series is actually a classic engine imo.

the 1.6 is a fine car for momentum drivers. The S is a lot of power for the public road if you like driving a car at 9/10s+.
1.6 really benefits from a TRD airbox and sports exhaust (dealer fitted as Power Pack), more lively noise, more responsive and maybe few more ponies.

Thanks for this. I've been looking at a few cars. I want to use what ever I get as much as possible, and one thing that detracted from the 1.6 Elise, was that it felt significantly underpowered on the motorways. I've narrowed my list down to the following. There are 2 Elises, 1 VX....Opinions would be much appreciated!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[ColinMacC]

Thanks for those....I'm going to have a look at the VXT, and the blue S1.....the red s2 looks like a nice car, so am going to call te owner, who seems like a genuine guy and see what he will take for it. Also need to look at insurance, wondering if i can get a limited mileage policy

[ColinMacC]

Thanks Keo, In it on Pistonheads I went to see the S1 this evening. Beautiful car, needs a bit of tidying round the interior, but the S1 is something special. Going to sleep on it tonight.....How much is your 111R?

Edited by ColinMacC on Sunday 27th August 06:37

[ColinMacC]

I went to see the blue s1 yeaterday. It is stunning. Seats and sill padding need refurbished. Do you think its a good investestnent?

[ColinMacC]

smiles1 said:

The Blue S1 is owned by a friend of mine and is a very genuine and mecahnically good car. Rob the owner knows Elise's inside and out (you will have seen he owns two himself) and knows that Blue S1 inside and out and has made sure it is mechanically sound before selling.

Sill pads can be bought cheap enough from ebay and a seat retrim is par for the course on most Elise's as it usually wears every few years. With the way the S1 market is going I'd say it's a good investment with the miles and condition of the car and you get a good S1 to enjoy in the meantime

Hope that helps.

That's a lot of help. I loved the car,. To be honest, it exceeded my expectations. It's at the top end of my budget, and I was hoping to find an excuse to negotiate downwards, but I'm going to try to do a deal on it