RE: Lotus Elise S: PH Carpool
Monday 17th July 2017
Name: Iain Turner
Car: Lotus Elise S 220
Owned since: March 2016
Previously owned: 2x Lotus S1 Elise, Ford Focus ST170, MG ZT260, MG ZS180, plus various other MG Rover products with different reliability levels
Why I bought it:
"I've always been one for handling accuracy and precision over raw power. Driving in a straight line is boring! Whenever I've changed to a more powerful car, it soon becomes something your brain considers 'normal', whereas feeling how minute inputs affect my Elise and how it behaves never fails to thrill. Two S1 111S' (not at the same time, that's just greedy...) ticked all those boxes and more but the shortcomings of the cars that I glossed over (poor heater, immense heat soak from the engine/coolant pipes in the sills, lack of ability to actually go somewhere in it) became more significant. The S3 with Air conditioning, cruise control (I know, I know, I'm a weak and worthless person) and more comfy seats but crucially retaining that Lotus DNA was the obvious step."
What I wish I'd known:
"That buying a brand new car would turn me from a mild car OCD sufferer into a borderline psychopath! On the flip side, it's lovely to have a car that I can mollycoddle from day one; it's a keeper so in ten years time hopefully, it'll be one of the best examples around. No, it doesn't get driven in the wet..."
Where I've been:
"It's been to the Nurburgring (a month and a half after purchase, needless to say, the laps were a nervous experience) and is going on a Euro tour soon. I try to keep the mileage down to 3,000 per annum so it only gets driven on special occasions or when the sun is shining and I fancy some Hethel based therapy. I'm fortunate to live close to the B660! The car makes me smile even just catching a glimpse of it waiting under its cover when popping into to the garage."
Lotus Elise S: PH Carpool
A couple of creature comforts make this Elise a perfect compromise for this PHer
Car: Lotus Elise S 220
Owned since: March 2016
Previously owned: 2x Lotus S1 Elise, Ford Focus ST170, MG ZT260, MG ZS180, plus various other MG Rover products with different reliability levels
"I've always been one for handling accuracy and precision over raw power. Driving in a straight line is boring! Whenever I've changed to a more powerful car, it soon becomes something your brain considers 'normal', whereas feeling how minute inputs affect my Elise and how it behaves never fails to thrill. Two S1 111S' (not at the same time, that's just greedy...) ticked all those boxes and more but the shortcomings of the cars that I glossed over (poor heater, immense heat soak from the engine/coolant pipes in the sills, lack of ability to actually go somewhere in it) became more significant. The S3 with Air conditioning, cruise control (I know, I know, I'm a weak and worthless person) and more comfy seats but crucially retaining that Lotus DNA was the obvious step."
"That buying a brand new car would turn me from a mild car OCD sufferer into a borderline psychopath! On the flip side, it's lovely to have a car that I can mollycoddle from day one; it's a keeper so in ten years time hopefully, it'll be one of the best examples around. No, it doesn't get driven in the wet..."
Things I hate:
"Apart from the above, it's minor stuff. The dealer's after sales experience has been pretty average (being diplomatic!) and the top engine cover has a weird fuzzy finish that clings onto micro fibre cloths. The availability of Lotus parts is also a disgrace - components for a brand new car being on back order over a year isn't uncommon. Jean-Marc Gales looks to be doing wonders for the company attracting new customers but he really needs to have a word about looking after Lotus' existing clients too."
"It's been to the Nurburgring (a month and a half after purchase, needless to say, the laps were a nervous experience) and is going on a Euro tour soon. I try to keep the mileage down to 3,000 per annum so it only gets driven on special occasions or when the sun is shining and I fancy some Hethel based therapy. I'm fortunate to live close to the B660! The car makes me smile even just catching a glimpse of it waiting under its cover when popping into to the garage."
What next?
"When it's out of warranty I wouldn't mind an engine ECU remap to make the most of the obvious potential of the standard car and the full 2Bular exhaust system I've fitted. Some UK track days are also planned. Apart from that-just polish, enjoy, love and drive it!"
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
Discussion
richthebike said:
Scottie - NW said:
Just drive the damn thing and don't worry about only doing 3k miles PA!!!
You've missed the point.Great car, lovely spec, OP has bought the car he wants for the reasons he has. Nice write up too.
richthebike said:
Scottie - NW said:
Just drive the damn thing and don't worry about only doing 3k miles PA!!!
You've missed the point.Great car, lovely spec, OP has bought the car he wants for the reasons he has. Nice write up too.
Lovely car though it is, it's not a rare exotic, and come 10 years old the price difference between 30k and say 50k miles will be, what £2 or 3k at most?
So I figure when you are old and at the end, you're never going to think about £2k, but you'd remember all those memories with fondness of the extra 20k miles
Scottie - NW said:
richthebike said:
Scottie - NW said:
Just drive the damn thing and don't worry about only doing 3k miles PA!!!
You've missed the point.Great car, lovely spec, OP has bought the car he wants for the reasons he has. Nice write up too.
Lovely car though it is, it's not a rare exotic, and come 10 years old the price difference between 30k and say 50k miles will be, what £2 or 3k at most?
So I figure when you are old and at the end, you're never going to think about £2k, but you'd remember all those memories with fondness of the extra 20k miles
Calm down Pistonheads-it does get driven. 
It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
I'm a believer in preserving cars for the future so they can be enjoyed for years to come. I may not do ridiculous mileage in it but pretty much every yard (apart from those driving to Bell & Colvill around the bloody M25) has been enjoyable-surely that's what matters? My inner magpie also gets all gooey over shiny stuff-much more difficult to achieve if I'm banging 10k per annum on it and using the car in all weathers. Finally, try getting a reasonable insurance deal on a daily driven Elise; they're out there, but it's much easier to insure one with limited mileage and no commuting use.
I used one of my S1's as a daily and to be honest it made the car feel less special when I went out on a Sunday morning-taking the S3 out feels pretty damn wonderful when the sun is rising, the birds are tweeting and the roads are empty. A traffic jam is not the habitat Uncle Colin saw his children living in!
It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
I'm a believer in preserving cars for the future so they can be enjoyed for years to come. I may not do ridiculous mileage in it but pretty much every yard (apart from those driving to Bell & Colvill around the bloody M25) has been enjoyable-surely that's what matters? My inner magpie also gets all gooey over shiny stuff-much more difficult to achieve if I'm banging 10k per annum on it and using the car in all weathers. Finally, try getting a reasonable insurance deal on a daily driven Elise; they're out there, but it's much easier to insure one with limited mileage and no commuting use.
I used one of my S1's as a daily and to be honest it made the car feel less special when I went out on a Sunday morning-taking the S3 out feels pretty damn wonderful when the sun is rising, the birds are tweeting and the roads are empty. A traffic jam is not the habitat Uncle Colin saw his children living in!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Elises really do tick the man maths box-I've somehow managed to justify keeping mine whilst buying a house, partially thanks to the reasonable running costs and glacial depreciation. It's not quite on the scale of actually making money like most S1's at the moment (stop smirking Mr Tickle!), but residuals are holding up well despite Lotus posting some pretty impressive sales figures.Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 17th July 20:06
itcaptainslow said:
Calm down Pistonheads-it does get driven.
It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
I'm a believer in preserving cars for the future so they can be enjoyed for years to come. I may not do ridiculous mileage in it but pretty much every yard (apart from those driving to Bell & Colvill around the bloody M25) has been enjoyable-surely that's what matters? My inner magpie also gets all gooey over shiny stuff-much more difficult to achieve if I'm banging 10k per annum on it and using the car in all weathers. Finally, try getting a reasonable insurance deal on a daily driven Elise; they're out there, but it's much easier to insure one with limited mileage and no commuting use.
I used one of my S1's as a daily and to be honest it made the car feel less special when I went out on a Sunday morning-taking the S3 out feels pretty damn wonderful when the sun is rising, the birds are tweeting and the roads are empty. A traffic jam is not the habitat Uncle Colin saw his children living in!
Spot on that. It would lose the magic if you drove it all the time especially as they aren't really cut out for boring commutes.It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
I'm a believer in preserving cars for the future so they can be enjoyed for years to come. I may not do ridiculous mileage in it but pretty much every yard (apart from those driving to Bell & Colvill around the bloody M25) has been enjoyable-surely that's what matters? My inner magpie also gets all gooey over shiny stuff-much more difficult to achieve if I'm banging 10k per annum on it and using the car in all weathers. Finally, try getting a reasonable insurance deal on a daily driven Elise; they're out there, but it's much easier to insure one with limited mileage and no commuting use.
I used one of my S1's as a daily and to be honest it made the car feel less special when I went out on a Sunday morning-taking the S3 out feels pretty damn wonderful when the sun is rising, the birds are tweeting and the roads are empty. A traffic jam is not the habitat Uncle Colin saw his children living in!
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Elises really do tick the man maths box-I've somehow managed to justify keeping mine whilst buying a house, partially thanks to the reasonable running costs and glacial depreciation. It's not quite on the scale of actually making money like most S1's at the moment (stop smirking Mr Tickle!), but residuals are holding up well despite Lotus posting some pretty impressive sales figures.Edited by itcaptainslow on Monday 17th July 20:06
hajaba123 said:
Leggy said:
Spot on that. It would lose the magic if you drove it all the time especially as they aren't really cut out for boring commutes.
Not so sure about that, I did 20kpa in mine for 2 years and loved every journey (even in the snow :-)hajaba123 said:
Leggy said:
Spot on that. It would lose the magic if you drove it all the time especially as they aren't really cut out for boring commutes.
Not so sure about that, I did 20kpa in mine for 2 years and loved every journey (even in the snow :-)itcaptainslow said:
Calm down Pistonheads-it does get driven.
It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
Christ, better not tell people on here that my S1 has done 2k in the last 4 years. It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
Was my daily driver for 3 years, and much prefer it as an occasional vehicle, but life means I don't get to use it as often as I'd like at the moment. I still prefer it as a car in my garage I can get in and drive occasionally than money in my bank account though.
Thorburn said:
itcaptainslow said:
Calm down Pistonheads-it does get driven.
It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
Christ, better not tell people on here that my S1 has done 2k in the last 4 years. It just doesn't get wasted on the boring, mundane trips like driving to work (do I really want to leave it in a station car park?) or the supermarket (the engine would pre-cook anything in the boot for you, anyway). That's what my shed is for.
Was my daily driver for 3 years, and much prefer it as an occasional vehicle, but life means I don't get to use it as often as I'd like at the moment. I still prefer it as a car in my garage I can get in and drive occasionally than money in my bank account though.
Thorburn said:
itcaptainslow said:
Appreciation on a S1 is probably twice the interest rate on a savings account at the moment, and you can't drive an ISA...
Doesn't really matter when you never plan to sell it. I will never say never as domestic emergencies, unforeseen circumstances and changes of car direction mean selling a car you once thought was a keeper. Even if you're certain you'll never sell your car/house/watch/12 inch double ended dildo, it's surely got to be a better place owning something that holds its value better than something else?
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