lozgti

Bought an MX 5 because I wanted back to basics motoring and some fun.

In reality I wanted an Elise and I still do.Its just that I went with head rather than heart.

Still toying with getting one.Problem is its my everyday driver and I wanted a car that was

1.Dry
2.Worked

MX great but anyone live with an Elise everyday or can it only be a 'spare' car? Budget £10k so not looking at new ones! Need to scratch this itch and I miss speed

stilover

I think it's a bit of a myth that an Elise will break down every 5 minutes.

Guy who lives in the same Apartments as me, and he uses an Elise as his every day car. His is the Anniversary model, and has never gone wrong.

Not sure if it's a rover or Toyota engine though.

Think the biggest trouble with an Elise is just the sheer basic-ness of it for using as an everyday car.

Steve vRS

It would be the clambering in and out that would put me off one as an everyday car. I would have thought the Toyota engined cars would be pretty reliable but pricey.

What about strapping a turbo or S/C to your MX5 (if it's a mk1, 2, or 2.5)?

Steve

borat52

No personal experience but had a friend with an elise (late 90's model) and he had lots of trouble. Used to break down very regularly. He used to drive to work everyday but had to stop using it as he was afraid of the repair bill when it next broke down. If you can get one with a toyota engine I think you'll probably be ok. I've even read about the honda civic type R engine being planted into them, would love one with that under the bonnet.

Brendan Hughes

If his budget is 10k I'm not sure that'll get a Toyota model.

How much money/ hassle is it to get an old Rover one and then find a Honda engine to put in yourself when you're ready? (Suppose that means time off the road though )

RobEvo5

iTrader: (9)

I have had a VX220 turbo and Mx5 turbo both used as my daily driver. the VX220 is funadamentally the same car and initially its great, but after just 1-2 weeks you will begine to wish you brought a MX5,S2000,M3 conv,Audi TT convertible, etc.

They are great as a total toy, but as said above they are a harsh drive, nightmare to get in and out, roof takes ages to get on and off. If you want a daily driver convertible with some grunt I would highly recommend my current ride which is a M3 Evo convertible, ideally like mine with hardtop for winter months.

I loved the VX220 in the time I had it and glad I owned it, and got rid of an itch, but wouldn't get another elise or VX unless it was a 2nd/third car.

wilffive

I had a S1 Elise for 2 years. No reliability issues with it whatsoever - never missed a beat was a great little car.

I would definitely NOT have one as a daily driver. Its only marginally less uncomfortable and inconvenient than the m'bike I've replaced it with.

Ran mine as daily driver for a while then ended up getting a second car. Ended up selling both and getting e46 M3 convertible which I adore. Not only is it a comfy daily driver, performance car and convertible it also seats 4 adults and takes luggage and has all the toys.

wilffive

whoops double post.

edited to say my post reads v similar to RobEvo's

Got my elise cos of a similar itch - scratched now.

NeilT

Had an s1 Elise as a second car to my sti9, sold it last yr.

Head gasket failure cost me £500 ish, apart from that great car, cracking drive - but wouldn't have one as a day to day car, just too raw for that.

Excellent residuals too, made a profit when I sold mine, even accounting for the hgf(which Is the elises archilles heel btw)

In the end though I just didn't use it enough to warrant keeping it, was easier most mornings to get into the sti as opposed to trying to squeeze into the elise.

Neil

RRH

I don't have a lot of experience of either on the road, but have raced both so have considerable experience of the handling of them.

Both are great and real fun. The Mazda has the more forgiving chassis- I may even be inclined to say the 'better' chassis- its certainly more fun on the limit than the elise as its very adjustable.

In the wet the Elise can be very nervous in comparison to the Mazda, which is pretty predictable.

The joys of a mid engine eh....

KJD Mk1

iTrader: (3)

The elise is a fantastic car, you wont find another that will put a smile on your face every day like an Elise will.

To use it everyday is another matter, firstly you wont find an S2 for 10k well not a nice one anyway The one to go for is the short roof model, its a breeze to get the roof off and back on but its a manual job and takes a few mins.
second, not that practical for carrying anything than a few shopping bags etc.
Third They can be a bit nervous in the wet due to the lightness of the car.

On the plus side, cheap to run tremendous fun, you WILL look forward to driving it, can do the miles I've done 450 in a day in mine no problem. and a real joy to own.

I know plenty that use them everyday, but they do tend to be Lotus nuts.

VX is a good cheaper option but does not quite have it somehow, if you can buy a cheap runaround and buy a nice S1.

WARNING dont test drive one , you will have to have it

RobEvo5

iTrader: (9)

Very true, which is the big problem with them. You get the itch to get one one, you test drive one, and can't help but fancy owning it. Few weeks down the line you will probably realise the error of your ways. Definately a 2nd car.

Another way of approaching one is to get a 1K hack as a daily driver you use and abuse, and the Elise for when you feel like 'Driving'. For me personally if I have a nice car I like to use it all the time so this idea don't work for me, but feel sure its works for others.

turbogav

Had a T reg Mk1 Elise as a daily driver. In terms of running costs, so long as nothing goes wrong, they're quite reasonable and you get 40mpg.

The biggest problem is that the roofs leak between the window at the A-pillar. No matter how careful you are in putting the roof on, water somehow finds its way in. The drip of water will then splash onto the wide sills and onto the seats

And they all seem to be like it. I remember once passing Bell and Colville after a bit of rain, and just out of curiosity took a look at the dozen or so Elises outside - each one had a puddle of water on the sills.

This causes big problems with dampness inside the car and the windscreen steaming up as the blower is pretty pathetic.

I didn't have a garage when I had mine and it had no central locking. On a frosty winter morning it was impossible to get in as the lock would freeze up! When I finally did get in I would have to scrape ice off the inside of the windscreen!

To round it all off, I crashed my one damaging the front clamshell. It took 3 months and three accident repair centres to finally get it back and it still wasn't quite right, the bonnet would rub against the clamshell.

Needless to say I sold it as the second winter of ownership approached - I just couldn't stand the hassle of it as an everyday driver, and my 'itch' had strangely disappeared thats when I got into Scooby's.

However, as a garaged weekend car / toy, an Elise would be great. I hope you have a happier experience than I did if you do decide to get one

Gav

wilffive

the roof on my s1 didnt leak more than one or two drips even in v heavy rain - never had a wet seat.

my pet gripes were

getting in and out
low seating position - rubbish visibility for overtaking
it was slow in a straight line
rubbish seats (upgraded)
rubbish headlights (I upgraded)
rubbish wiper (upgraded)
rubbish heater
rubbish radio reception and quality of sound - it matters on a commute
unable to get out unless you have door wide open - not good in a multi storey bay
wobbly rear view mirror

twas fantastic in the summer roof off and pedalling along b roads though

wall

Had a 111S ..... exactly as said above: looked at it and loved it, drove it and loved it even more, so parted with the cash without a second thought ... unfortunately.

After a few weeks of honeymoon started to realize that on the perfect day (sunny, warm, no traffic, nice winding country lane) was motoring bliss, but on all other days (99%) was a pain: cold in winter, hot in summer, roof slow on and off, barely a weekend worth of luggage space, poor on freeways (blown away by lorries, too loud for radio and easy conversation), etc etc etc. Wished I had opted for an S2000 (my 2nd choice).

Sold it after one year (making a not irrelevant LOSS as I purchased it new). Glad I got rid of an itch but would never again own a similar car unless 2nd or better 3rd car in the garage.

Wall

Brun

Not an S1 but i bought a brand new S2 in November as my daily drive. I've now done about 2600 miles through all weathers.
Yep it's a bit of a pain to get it - the heater is ****e - it ain't quick enough in a straight line (having owned a 300 brake Scoob) and there ain't room to put much in , but i'm hoping the winter pain will be paid off when the summer comes . Would i swap it for an MX5 - not on your nelly

dunx

iTrader: (3)

Funnily another West Yorks lad has an Elise, he calls it the bath-tub...

It's wet and un-comfortable, the dealers can't fix the leaks !

DunxC

P.S. My std STI trailled my bosses Elise around with no real difficulty, especially in the "twisties" - that's a joke by the way !

Landy

On a £10k budget i'd defo say the vx is the way to go over an elise (I would say that seeing as i'm selling my vx for 10k haha!!)

Vauxhall : Europa Blue 2003 VX

Seriously though I was torn between which way to go when I bought it

and there were lots of little things that stacked up and pointed me at the vx
the main ones being
the 2.2 vauxhall engine seemed bullit proof compared to an early elise
Insurance is half the price!!
Servicing is like a standard vauxhall cost, plus it doesn't need a cam belt change

They are easy to live with daily, you just adapt and the odd rain free day we do get makes it all worth while!!