Gav1

Im considering selling the scoob and getting a Lotus Elise series 1, around the £10-12,000 price range.
I've weighed up the pros and cons and am still undecided....can anybody shed a little more light and help me come to a decision!!
Any Lotus owners or ex Lotus owners opinions greatly appreciated.
The practicality issue isnt really a bother as my missus has a decent family car for when its needed.

Thanx in advance.

Gav.

SPEN555

I saw one tonight and thought I would not like to have a back problem and trying to get into that.

Being much lighter than a scoob it will lead to cheaper fuel economy and replacement parts such as brakes, tyres etc will last so much longer due to being lighter.

It is just the big 'if' you can put up with the car veing so small and impractical, if you can, I think it makes sense as it is a road going track car.

They say LOTUS stands for 'Loads Of Trouble Usually Serious'. I have no experience on the elise and so can't comment but I don't recall hearing any horror stories as opposed to say an espirit.

HTH, but I have never been in an Elise but did consider it as a potential buy but backed off due ti impracticality.

Damian.

Gav1

Thanks for your reply Damian....as you say the "road going track car" thing is a real temptation...i have heard a lot of horror stories about the Esprit but not so many about the Elise or Elige (not that i can afford the elige!!).

Anybody else got an opinion on this??

Gav.

corradoboy

The only real downside to the older Elises is the Rover K series engine. They are infamous for head gasket problems. I'd try to up the budget and aim for an early VX220. The Vauxhaul engine is better and you benefit from the widespread dealer support, plus they are a bit more user friendly for day to day use. Oh, and it's EXIGE

Gav1

Head Gasket problems eh!! I didnt know about that..thanx for the info.
Cant stretch to the VX220, i already considered that option and my budget wont allow.
Thanx for the spelling lesson.

Gav.

SPEN555

Hey Dave,

I bet an Elise/Exige would do well round Rallydrive?

Damian.

corradoboy

Was just gonna PM you to see if you'll be joining us on the next one.

CLICKY

SPEN555

Dave,

Stop it, your twisting my arm! lol! I saw there was a track day coming up.

I am changing the oil on the car tomoz, if I survive that without blowing it up I will seriously consider it as it seems to be the only time I get to meet up with the WYIOC! Too much work and not enough fun.

oh, and,

btt for ya,

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthrea...66#post4290666

Damian.

lukey1

currently have 1999 T lotus elise s1 which is for sale and right in your price bracket, excellent car good fun no probs at all pm me for details if interested








cheers luke

cheeky_chops

you should be able to get a vx220 2.2 for less than 12k now - try www.vx220.org.uk

Also try www.soloc.org for lotus info - Head gasket failure is a big issue on the k series - also insurance, dealer servicing and parts are more expensive than the vx. You should get 34+mpg out of either commuting

Either way, get one now as prices are starting to go up!

carl

I think you mean www.seloc.org

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

TBH VX220 is a much better car in terms of running costs.

The problem with the Elise really stems from it being built on a seriously small budget. The k-series can run hot in traffic (which doesn't help the famous head gaskets).

Also owners of many thrashed examples seem to think they are worth silly money and are seriously overpriced

Then there is the other problem that most are used to thrash about on weekends on track days. Which is the hardest form of abuse the car could ever get. but admittedly, they do seem to cope well with this type of usage.

Some handy info here: http://www.elises.co.uk/problems/index.html

LG John

My mate got one a few months ago and loves it Its pretty slow in a straight line but corners well and its loads of fun. It is however very small and very impractical which leads me to think if you are going to go as far as to get an elise why not go the whole hog and get a westy/caterham, etc. The roof is also a total joke on the early ones, takes bloody ages to take on and off and leaks anyway.

If I was personally getting an elise I'd go for one with big power so that it truely is brutally fast. For the £10k you'd spend on a MK1 elise I'd be tempted to buy a scooby instead.

CTR

What do you want? Fun, if so buy one.

Try to get one thats had its head gasket done, Ive been told once done properly, they are unlikely to fail again. Also try to get one without a red clutch hose, as this gets hot and leaves you without a clutch.

If you buy one take it to trackdays, youll never get anywhere near the enjoyment from it on the road as you can on trackdays. Plus they are light on tyres, brakes.

And has been said, petrol consumptuion is good, I get at worst 25mpg on the road. Which you may not think is very good, I used to get 13mpg from my Scoob on the road.

I dont think the roof leaks that bad either, in heavy rain with the car not moving little puddles form on the sills, its not like you get soaked driving down the motorway in the rain.

GTTurbo

The series 1 elise is a kit car with a lotus badge on it.

It has no brakes - you will find yourself using the steering wheel to pull yourself towards the brake pedal for extra force, to minimal effect. This takes away any confidence you have, you will find yourself breaking so much earlier than a normal car let alone a performance car for a bend. (I have driven several before you lotus followers tell me it was a one off)

The standard suspension is a bit floaty over fast country roads. (the dampers rebound setting doesn't seam quite up to the job)

Most leak even with the hard top fitted. (especially when washing)

Driving them at night is a not great as the head lights are not particularly strong.

The standard fit pirellis do not work in the wet, make sure you purchase a car with yokohamas fitted or fit them stright away. People say, "oh I will only use it in the dry", come on this is England!

The lack of a limited slip diff can be fustrating. (inside wheel spins up when pushing on, real power slides a no no)

Traveling along a bumpy road could be compaired with a sitting in a washing machine such are all the knocking and crashing noises. (hit a pot hole and your immediate reaction will be to look in the rear view mirror to see if you left the wheels behind.

40mpg a reality, annoyingly cheap to run! (subaru 18mpg for same usage)

Engine note a dissapointment, even with a de-cat, stainless steel exhaust and carbon fibre induction kit. Dull in line 4cyl (looks like a sports car, sounds like a Chav's Rover 25)


118bhp will feel limp soon after purchase.

Head Gasket, a concern but if it fails it is not the end of the world (£200 to skim and refit with new gasket/coolant)

Car will not dent like a subaru, just chip instead.

Series 2 Toyota fixes many of the above complaints but is heavier so defeats the Lotus ethos.


For the money they are ok, but even with the saving in petrol and looks considered I know which I prefer.

You will find yourself wanting all the above problems to be fixed, but at near £30k for a Toyota, the price defeats the initial attraction.

CTR

The brakes work just fine, you just have to press hard, there is no servo assistance. Once you get used to it you will hate servo assisted brakes.

Agree about the Pirellis, you either want Yokohama Advan Neovas, or Toyos, but the toyos melt on track.

Although sometimes I wish it had a LSD, I can power slide it wet or dry without problem.

If you want better suspension, £250 should pick you up secondhand LSS. Even better try to get one with LSS or S2 suspension fitted. The way to tell the standard suspension is, it is red. LSS is yellow, dunno what S2 suspension looks like.

Sub69

I considered getting an early Elise instead of my MY00 Turbo. All things considered in the end I decided the Subaru suited my needs better.

Now I've got my Turbo, I don't think I'd want an Elise. The things I especially love in the Subaru, the Noise, gear change and engine are all lacking in the Elise.

I

Chris L

Incidently, the head gasket problems are largely due to the huge amount of cooling pipes that run around the Elise (the K series was never designed for a mid engine installation). It can be cured with a proper thermostatic regulator - about £80-£100 from one of any number of Elise specialists - so don't be put off by that. GTTurbo makes some good points. I wouldn't really see it as an everyday car, but I'd love one for weekends. If you're budget can stretch, try a Sport 160 - surefire modern-day classic

Gav1

Guys, thanks for all your advice and after much consideration and an earfull off the missus i am not going to bother with the Elise.
Im going to stick with my trusty Scoob and ive even got the go ahead for a few more mods!!!!
Its booked in for some paint work tomorrow( this was already arranged) and i think a new set of rims and a new spoiler are next on the list.
Feel much better now ive finally decided.

Thanks again.

GAV.

Brun

I have thought about an Elise for the last 3 years
I'm yet to have a ride in on as i think it might just convince me to do it.
Anyone with an Elise in Yorkshire who would care to take me out for a ride?

corradoboy

Brun, the Lotus Owners Club meet at Buckles Inn on the A64 near Tadcaster (where there used to be a Scooby meet). I believe their next meet is on 25th Feb. Last time I was there (in my Scoob ) there were about a dozen Elises, a couple of Exiges and VX220's and a few classics and Esprit's.

http://www.lidget.freeserve.co.uk/index.htm (Click the N.Y.L.O.C link)

(If you're a big eater, get the large haddock , oh ! and the beer's cheap )

Brun

Cheers for that. Might go for a squiz

corradoboy

You could pop along to the WYIOC meets too

wilf

I've gone and done exactly what you are thinking about.

Bought an s1 Elise for your budget after multiple Scooby ownership.

Couple of points re the replies you have had.

1. My car has so far been reliable since purchased in Oct 04. I wouldn't be put off by the old LOTUS stories. The Elise is pretty simple to maintain and generally cheap to fix.

2. HGF - yep thats £200 to sort out. I wouldnt be put off by the horror stories and you can pick up a prob especially if you watch out for early signs.

3. Brakes. I thought they were poor when I first drove an Elise some years back coming from a P1 with Alcons. However I have adjusted my driving and the brakes are actually pretty good.

4. Roof. Mine doesnt leak apart from under a pressure wash when I get a couple of drips - hardly a problem.

5. Wet handling. Yes its pretty dodgy. I need new tyres on my car but it will slide and break traction surprisingly easily.

6. Exhaust note. Just get a sports exhaust/induction kit. Sounds as good as a scoob then.

7. VX. Yes maybe better engine but understeers more, is heavier doesnt look as good and yes that badge as well as Vauxhall steering wheel.

7. Conclusion. Its a step up from my previous Scoobs our Clio Cup as a fun drive. You dont need to rag it to get a grin out of it and on the sunny day its great top off with little wind intrusion. That said I dont think I would want it as an only car or for long journeys. Provided you find one for sensible money its got to be a good long term buy. It was an instant classic on launch and long term values of the S1 are protected somewhat by the slightly more compromised driving experience of the S2.

If you dont want an Elise then dont make the mistake of driving one as you will only change your mind

DCSCOBBY

I have an Elise S1 T Reg - its the best car I have ever owned great fun and you do drive around with a constant smile on your face - there is only one niggle i have with the car which is getting in and out, it can prove to be a bit of a mission - but well worth it!

My roof dont leak - but I cant wait till the summer (when it will come off and stay in the boot)

I have driven my Boyfriends scoob and im not saying the Elise is a better car, but in my opinion much more fun and alot more chuckable.

Gary C

Drove one at silverstone, very nice car. Felt at home straightway. Easy to steer on the limit with the throttle (never used to think this was possible until I got a Mk3 MR2).

Thinking of one of these to replace the GT4 (The scoob will probably be replaced by an FQ340)

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

I've owned both, a Jap 260bhp WRX, and a '99 Elise (118bhp model). I must admit that the Elise IS the most fun car I have ever driven, that is reasonably practicable. (My Westfield 'blade was fun but not practicle at all!!!) I sold the Elise two years ago to help fund a house deposit, but must say at this very moment, I'm looking for another (Elise that is, not another house!). Running costs are the big bonus, it hardly scrubs tyres, easy on brakes, great on fuel, I really could'nt fault them, but some people could'nt live with the practicality. I used to do a minimum 100 round trip every weekend in mine, all year round. It never missed a beat. Go for it!!

Proby.

Janner

I sold my P1 to get an S2 Exige and never looked back.

Brun

What is the 118 bhp model like for overtaking? I know they are in the 5's to 60 but what about pulling out to overtake a couple of cars at say 50mph. That's where the Scoob does me proud. I know the Elise won't be as good in this dept but i don't wanna be in a position where i can't overtake anything other than Tractors

Brun

Could be tempted by the Scoob meet corradoboy