After some valuable input from board members on my previous thread "Scoob to TVR Griffith" I am convinced a TVR is going to be a money pit that will require constant filling. I WILL own one at some point but not just yet.

I still desire a RWD soft top proper sports car i.e. lightweight and fun and therefore my PLAN B is to buy new a 2nd generation LOTUS ELISE. I've read that it is even better than the 1st gen. and it's on limit poise has been improved. It also looks great and has a sense of occasion that I so desire.

What do you all think? Any Elise drivers past or present care to comment. And, before anyone say's it, "Elise is NOT a womans car"
Colin Chapman would turn in his grave if he heard that, god bless him.:P

 

OK then.

I have an Elise Mk 1, just a standard car with sports exhaust and a few other bits and bobs, but no performance enhancements. I love it and it has been very reliable, but it is only my weekend fun car . I know a few other ownders including two guys who use theirs day in day out and they have all had very good reliability. My only real complaint is that just sometimes you wish it had a little bit more power.

On the subject of the Mk 2 I will be honest. I have driven one for a good few miles and on the road at least it is a better car. I also prefer the looks of the newer model, but not enough to bother changing mine yet. I also think the newer car is better built.

I would say go for it, for sheer driving involvement I think it's hard to beat unless you go totally silly (Caterhams are lovely, but not very practical).

Now the really good news is that some dealers (certainly Lotus Ribble Valley in Lancashire) are offering the 135 sport upgrade for £995 if you order a car before end of March I think. This factory developed performance upgrade normally costs £2500 and ups the power to roughly 135bhp which apparently makes all the difference.

Good luck and I hope you go for it, you won't regret it.

Regards,

tiggers.

 

One other thing - anyone who says the Elise is a woman's car needs to be driven round the Lotus test track in one by one of the Lotus test drivers. If they still think it's a woman's car after that I'll be surprised.

Tiggers

 

Tiggers,

You are a gent m8, thanks for the very informative reply. Your opinion or the New Elise fits in with all i've read about it. How are they on running costs compared with the Scoob? Obviously fuel will be considerably less I would imagine but what about insurance, servicing etc.

Cheers.
Magic

 

I'm sure I'll poke my nose into a few when I get my car serviced @ sgt tommorow

 

I love the Elise very much, but the the price of a new one you get get a virtually new Exige.

No contest
If fact, anyone want to buy an Elise s1 with the 135 upgrade/PTP airbox/ SS Janspeed exhaust and cat replacement/ braided hoses new Yoko Advans for £17,000 so that I can get an Exige?

 

I prefer the Elise to the Exige to be honest...but only because the sensation of speed is greater due to not having a roof.
Servicing is pricy, but saying that my scoob needs 2 services a year so it probably works out the same.
Build, I don;t know about the S2, but I had a nightmare experience in an S1..stuck throttle crash! and it put me right off them, especially as it isn't as rare a fault as you'd want to believe..even the Exige supplied to EVO for their TDCOTY suffered the same fault!
I'd really like an Elise S2, but it'd be a third car and the insurance is too much, so I'm thinknig about a bike engined Seven-esque car..can get very cheap insurance on these 'kit' cars (Caterham/Westfield) so easier to justify as a toy.
Enjoy!
Chuck

 

I so very very nearly bought one new in 98.. so would have been a mark 1...wanted a Yellow one... sat in it at the motorshow.. spoke to the sales man and decided I'd sleep on it and spend the money in my local dealer if I was to get one....

I only hessitated as I had just got a new job with the increased income allowing me to look and I knew nothing about finance and thought I'd get stung...

Sometimes I wish I had and sometimes I am glad I didn't..

I am currently waiting and watching the price of the older R reg ones saw one for £12500 the other week and in Purple too which I don't like as much as yellow but attracts less attention.

At somepoint I plan to sell the bike and replace it with an Elise, as time goes on I think I might have to sell the Scooby and replace it with a diesil (arrrgghhh) estate for transporting the family and then have the Elise to use every day to get to work etc... and obviously weekend and mid-week fun.

If you have enough readdies then I suggest you get one..

I have never ever heard them called a womans car before, to anyone who says they are once you own one I suggest you take them for a spin... more like a road legal go-kart...

Worrying about the throttle sticking? is it a sometimes thing or is there a fix or problem that can be checked etc?

DO IT!!! I will be very jealous!

ho ho JGM

 

To answer your question on running costs I would say they are quite a bit lower than a Scooby. Mine does between 35 and 40 mpg which is a good start and servicing is quite reasonable (about £200 for a full service at Lotus dealer). Tyres are a bit pricey, but no more so than any other performance car.

Aside from that nothing has really gone wrong apart from the drivers window winder which got very stiff. Fixed under warranty, but only took half an hour so wouldn't have been too costly. Insurance is considerably less than a Scoob at the moment.

Regards,

tiggers.

P.S. If you have any more questions just ask - I'm more than happy to give you an answer.

 

I can probably help out on any questions specific to the S2, also.

 

They're just fab. Love my S2. Not half as attractive to thieves as Scooby's and virtually all Lotus owners wave at you when you pass. Better organised to - always an owners run going on somewhere each weekend.
For more info have a look at the Lotus Elise BB

http://www.british-cars.co.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=lotusbbs&access=&mode=tlist&subject=2 001

Take a test drive - you'll buy one :-)

 

Got one too.... 98 standard car since new. Second car, though, but it is cheap to run, with mid-30s mpg. Fairly easy on tyres and brakes because it's light. I'd say save yourself £10k on an S2 and get a three year old S1 with 15k on the clock. Then tweak it to 160bhp for about £2500.

Insurance is very variable, but mine is less than £500 (full NCD, 5000 miles, garaged). Servicing is less than a Scoob.

For the performance, it's a bargain. I've figured mine at pretty much exactly the same 0-60 as the Scoob (standard MY00) (around 5.8 using a GTech Pro).

But treat it with a bit of respect in the wet.

 

had a play with one a few weeks back at an undisclosed location in the UK one of the new ones two.
He was showing the proper respect round the bends like I was but it was open season on the straights
Didnt have much puff past 120 but we both seemed to enjoy it.
astraboy.

 

Have you sat in one yet?

Went down to the Lotus dealer to have a look at one, very basic(I know it's meant to be)but it's to basic.
I'm quite tall and even with the roof off it was a nightmare to get in and out.
The seat was crap and hard. No bend in the knees either, legs straight out.
I could only use it as a weekend car if I got one,and I think I'd buy something a lot cheaper,ie westfield.

 

I had a Mk1 Elise as my everyday car for a couple of years until I got the Scooby. All in all it was a fantastic car and I do miss it but in the end it just became a bit too impractical.

If I was to get another one I would go for a 2-3 year old Mark1 which will have already had its big hit of depreciation and will be nicely run in. My old car seemed to be still loosening up after 10k miles!

Heres a quick list of good and bad points that I experienced while owning the car:

GOOD POINTS

Great fun to drive in all weather, you just have to be a bit sensible in the wet!

Superb 'FUN' handling: I have driven Mk2's on several occasions and admit they are a more capable car, however I would not have changed from the Mk1 simply because I thought it was a more exciting drive.

Mine was completely standard apart from the sports exhaust and having driven the 135, 160 and 190 bhp versions the only one I thought was worth having was the 190 which was just awesome. For me the 135 and 160 did not seem to add much to the driving experience.

People always seem pleased to see one whereas I get a few disapproving looks in my Scoob.

BAD POINTS

Leaking roof

Sometimes you just want to be able to sit back and relax while you're driving. I could never do that in the Elise!


Overall, having made the switch from Elise to Scooby, I don't think I would go back.

Cheers

Si

Also, I am 6' 2" and you do get used to getting in and out of it after a little while and I really never found space a problem.

[Edited by SiWhite - 2/22/2002 1:34:51 PM]

 

You'd be surprised how soon you learn to manage an elegant entry and exit - the first time you try it in front of a sexy girl you somehow manage to do it properly.
Seats are fine in my S2 - regularly do a 3.5 trawl up to The Lakes without any discomfort. Have to stop for petrol though - even though economical the tank is very small.
Oh, and mine doesn't leak apart from the occasional 3 or 4 drops on the drivers door sill after a downpour.

 

Those 3-4 drops are what I was referring to!

No matter how much time I spent trying to get the roof in exactly the right position a bit of water always used to get in!

I understand that the Mk2 roof is better than the previous one in this respect though.

 

I always use the 3 or 4 drops to dampen a cloth to remove the scuff marks I make with my feet on the speaker surround ! I think it's great that Lotus have designed the roof with this special extra !

 

LOL at Hamsterwheel!

The only problem is that on my car sometimes I used to have enough water to clean the whole of the interior!!

 

I have just swapped to an Elise Mk1 after having a Scoob for 2 years. (Coz I am due a company car which wont be a scoob price/tax)

Main toughts are

It gets attention, My previous cars were a scooby and MR2, neither of them was avaerage, but the lotus gets adoring looks wherever I Go.
Its a bit of a pain for everyday car at the moment.
Driving is more fun that the scoob. The scoob may be superb for traveling distance at high speed in all conditions, but a quick blast round the cotswolds in the elsie is pure joy.
You feel like you are in a racing car.
My Scooby cat £3800 in bills in 2 years, the Lotus MUST cost less. Especially track days where the light weight make MUCH less ware on brakes and Tyres.

The S2 is a fine car, but how about a ltd edition Mk1. My mate has a SPORT160 whihc does 0-60 in about 4.7 seconds, sounds fantastic and looks evil. info on http://my.genie.co.uk/dedwards/cars/lotus.htm

Also the Exige looses a lot of the elise thrills becuase its too good. The guy I know with the 160 test drove one a few months back and said it just felt like it was doing it for you. And soft tops are ace!

 

I looked at both an S1 and S2 last summer when I wanted a '***** out raw fun car' for the weekend.

I drove a Sport 160, great, very noisy, but still lacked a bit of grunt. Sweet rather than great handling. An **** to get in and out of but good driving position when I got there.

Came back from the drive and salesman offered me a drive in a new S2 (std). Same price as the 2nd hand S160. Everything about the car was better. Interior, exterior, getting in/out, driving position, the engine was smoother (granted more down to the noise of the 160) and the handling more refined - as the whole of the car was.

I didn't get either! They weren't as special as I hoped. You could easily use them day in, day out. Performance wasn't that good, and although the handling was close to perfect, i wasn't as fun as I wanted. The final nail in the coffin was when the owner of Ribble Valley dealership was 'selling' after I came back from the test drive in the S2. He said the Elise was perfect, his wife and he frequently used an elise for long weekends down to the south of france, despite having half a dozen Bentley's at home . It has enough room for 2 soft bags, and the perfect mini-GT and the perfect open top tourer for sunny days.

I didn't want a 'mini-GT' or an 'open tourer', but he was right, the Elise is a beautiful, sweet driving car, but it (especially the S2) is more mini-GT than than raw sports car - and I wanted the raw sports car

So I got a Fireblade engined Westfield. It has more then twice the power to weight of the S2 (160bhp/tonne Vs 330bhp/tonne), is almost half the weight so handles better and corners and brakes so much quicker, is ten times the fun, ten times more of an 'occasion' to drive, sounds better (12500rpm red line anyone? ;-) ) and gets ten times the looks.

Add in the cost which was half the S2 (£12700 Vs £24000), insurance which was about fifth of the S2 (£300/yr Vs £1450/yr) and servicing which costs a fraction of the S2. The Westie is also far more upgrade-able (get bored of/used to the performance, change the engine for a Busa or R1 and for £2000 take 330bhp/tonne to 450+bhp/tonne ).

Granted the Westie is not as practical as the Elise, but do you buy a sports cars for its practicality?? I can still fit two helmets and weekend clothes for two in the Westie - it just doesn't have a roof...or doors.....or a windscreen

 

Probably get shot for saying the following but I firmly believe that the VX220 is great ownership prospect. My 2001 'X' is up for sale simply becasue I now need a 4 seat/booted car but here is my argument:

The car has been one of, if not 'the' best car I have ever driven from a sheer driving experience point of view. I have owned very fast Skyline, original Quattro Turbo etc. and have also driven Subaru P1, Evo VI, 911's but this car has taught me more about my driving, and almost all of it within or close to legal limit. Very easy to live with: in town, long distance and of course come the bends and roundabouts there is nothing to touch the fun.

As far as the comparison with the new Elise? I drove both back-to-back (several times to be sure) before choosing the VX!

1. Handling almost indistinguishable (VX better on most public roads)
2. Engine - different world, real torque with a push in the back from
1900 rpm and a meaty sound! as opposed to the sewing machine 'K-series'
3. Gearbox - shorter lever, nicer shift
4. Interior - simpler, no bare rivet/screws, marginally better wearing seats (leather)
5. Brakes - absolutely fab, sure ABS (non in Lotus) not everybody's choice on track but definitely my choice on wet roads when children step off the pavement!
6. Airbag - another safety must have for me!
7. servicing - cost availability
8. Insurance - noticeable lower
9. Better luggage space, with better access
10. Looks (personal) - I don't think the VX will date as quickly as the Elise

I am 37 with 3-4 year NCB and it cost me less than £400 fully comp. with NU direct.

I have thoroughly enjoyed driving one of the purest cars on the road (bar Caterhams etc.) and a car that has been described as a baby Ferrari for Ferrari VAT! by CAR Magazine.

There you are, I've said it!

She's in showroom condition but she has to go. Anyone happy to part with £17,995 on please call me.

Nick 07768 600 007

 

GaryC.....
YGM!

 

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

I had one of the early ones (P reg, bought it when it was about 6 months old). I do not look back on it fondly but will try to keep this balanced:

GOOD POINTS

- looked fantastic (silver, blue leather seats)
- people fawned all over it (though there weren't many round then)
- perfect on a summer evening for a quick trip to the pub
- felt not dissimilar to a single seater formula ford. similar performance and handling, similar basic feel and rapid steering response
- economical

BAD POINTS

- slow slow slow. It replaced a std N reg Scooby and never made the grade. ok up to 60 but then pretty much went backwards
- noisy (forget ideas about a stereo on the motorway)
- numb **** beyond 60 miles (seats are akin to those plastic chairs in junior school with the legs snapped off - no rear adjust etc)
- roof is a ball-ache to take on and off. if the heavens open you're drenched before you've got it on so it's better to put your foot down
- never managed to stop the exhaust pissing oil or the gearbox crunching in third or reverse
- you can tell it's handmade (bits fall off it)
- not a car for every day use. I commuted for about 6 months in it and, aside from the practicalities (boot the size of an ice cream container in the middle of the engine) I used to cringe if it was raining
- I took it on a track day and it was fantastic and I appreciated why the car mags raved about its handling. on the road it was not a car to relax in - very twitchy, easy to get sideways, tramlined like mad and always seemed on the verge of wanting to hop into a stone wall.


Overall I miss its looks but nothing else. It was slower than nearly everything else I've had and when hustling it along it always felt nervous and had to be kept in line. Oh, and I lost a fortune on it - depreciated like mad. Would like to have a go in an Exige (saw a bright orange one at Glasgow airport a few weeks ago - looked mental!) but would never buy another Lotus.

Sorry, failed to keep it balanced - good luck!
Gordo

 

Spoke to a mate last night who was able to shed some more light on this throttle sticking problem.

Apparently it is the Rover engine that has a slight problem in the throttle body.

When the engine is cold if you rev it quite high and then take your foot off it slowly shuts the throttle butterfly.
When the engine is hot is should shut it quickly and give you engine braking. On some cars occasionally the throttle butterfly in the throttle body shuts slowly when hot and you get not engine braking.

This is still not good but I thought from what was said previous that it was throttle stuck open or similar.

I drove the new shape MR2 last night.... I was dead impressed..
I think if you are looking at a Mark 1 Elise and you are not bothered by the Toyota badge then I'd test drive an MR2 as well.
It was very rewarding to drive.. steering and power to handling is very well balanced..
Slightly more practical than the Elise with carpet and a nice stereo standard and the roof doesn't need an allen key to put on and off.. slightly bigger boot too, you can get in and out easily.
Apparently the Mark 2 Elise has better handling.. but the mark 1 is about the same.
I am still a huge fan of the Elise and I think if I eventually manage to get enough money together I will be test driving an Elise and an MR2 back to back to try and make a decision.

 

We've got an S2 - nominally my wife's car, though she uses my current Scoob day to day (to be changed to a Honda Civic Type-R tomorrow to keep running costs in check!). The Elise is simply lovely, had it since November so barely had the roof off yet but still great.

Running costs are fairly minimal compared to the Scoob - 10,000 miles/12 months servicing intervals (and I wouldn't bother with main dealer gimps - warranty's only 12 months anyway so you aren't likely to need to!), 40mpg, insurance is no worse that the Scoob, and they are just such fun to drive. Amazingly, the Elise is also more relaxed than the Scoob when you want - leave it in 4th gear and let the torque do the work; it doesn't tramline etc like the Scoob either, so can be driven gently. And, bizarrest of all, despite being so low relative to other road users, you feel less threatened by them.

As for too slow - well, the lack of inertia pulling away from rest just makes it feel alive after the (relatively) heavy, unresponsive 4wd Scoob. And a friend followed me from Cirencester back to Aylesbury last Sunday in his Alfa SZ and did no more than keep up (despite using dual carriageways part of the way) - he was surprised by the Elise's acceleration up to 110 (we didn't go faster because it's not sensible to do so). Oh, and in wet bends (it was a rainy day), he kept dropping behind, which doesn't square with the Elise stereotype at all.

Perfectly usable every day, plenty of boot space (vastly more than a Mk3 MR2), and the sense of occasion overcomes any difficulty getting in. Try one, and buy it!