Where to buy.....
Discussion
Im sure people have asked similar questions in the past so apologies if this is duplicating another thread.
I live in London and am looking to buy a new elise 111R, there are around 8 dealerships that are reasonably local I can choose from. I wanted to know if anyone could recommend a garage as I imagine the quality of service and after sales care, servicing costs etc vary considerably.
Thanks in advance.
>>> Edited by doug ward on Sunday 26th September 21:09
I live in London and am looking to buy a new elise 111R, there are around 8 dealerships that are reasonably local I can choose from. I wanted to know if anyone could recommend a garage as I imagine the quality of service and after sales care, servicing costs etc vary considerably.
Thanks in advance.
>>> Edited by doug ward on Sunday 26th September 21:09
i bought my s2 from hr owen, canary wharf who were fine (but i did know the salesman). dont think they have a lotus franchise anymore -probably find bmw/ferrari/lambo owners easier to fleece.
more recently i've used wilsons in chadwell heath. much cheaper servicing costs than hr owen and quite a friendly bunch for a main dealer. -playing with the 111r and exige there when my s2 is in for a service in a couple of weeks.
cheers
tupolev
more recently i've used wilsons in chadwell heath. much cheaper servicing costs than hr owen and quite a friendly bunch for a main dealer. -playing with the 111r and exige there when my s2 is in for a service in a couple of weeks.
cheers
tupolev
In the end I bought it from Bell and Colvill, Colour is Magnetic Blue although I still have a week or two in which I can change it as I dont take delivery until 1st of december.
I was going to go for Black as it looks awesome but did not feel I wanted to spend all my time washing and polishing the road dust from it - I'd rather spend that time driving the thing!!!
I was going to go for Black as it looks awesome but did not feel I wanted to spend all my time washing and polishing the road dust from it - I'd rather spend that time driving the thing!!!
Why thank you! Cant wait to get the thing - Nov 27th is the scheduled collection date! Need to get some insurance between now and then - not looking too good on that front - Cheapest quote is from Tesco ~£1500 (24yrs old, London, car to be kept on driveway, 5 yrs no claims, fully comp, est mileage is 8k pa).
12.5 hours left!!!
On a separate note - I thought I got a pretty good insurance deal with Tesco.
24 yrs old, 5 yrs no claims, London Postcode, 111R with touring pack and metallic paint - £1150pa. Had to have a tracker fitted though which cost another ~£400 quid plus the yearly fee of ~£90.
On a separate note - I thought I got a pretty good insurance deal with Tesco.
24 yrs old, 5 yrs no claims, London Postcode, 111R with touring pack and metallic paint - £1150pa. Had to have a tracker fitted though which cost another ~£400 quid plus the yearly fee of ~£90.
I was also 24 when i first bought my elise,(I have been hooked with lotus since 007 took an esprit underwater) full no claims bonus, car parked on the drive, Glasgow Area,and most insurance companies wouldnt touch me without a Tracker etc, but i called admiral isurance, and they insured me for £800, you should maybe give them a try before finalising with the tesco deal.Finally i hope you have a great time, infact i know you will, it will put a smile on your face just nipping down to the shop's and as for handling ,i was once told 'You will bottle it before the car does'which is very true.
So having owned the car for a little over two weeks and clocking up the best part of 1000 miles (service due this weekend) before I dissapear on my Autumn visit to Florida I feel its appropriate to give my views so far:
Starting with the good:
1) Bell and Colvill - great service, friendly staff who know their stuff. Buying the car from them was a pleasure. Aftercare service so far has also been very good (which unfortunately as you will see below has been very necessary).
2) Magnetic Blue is just awesome - was not so sure about it at first, nearly changed my mind several times whilst I still could but so glad I did not.
3) I love this car
4) I love this car
5) I love this car
Ok so I think you get the point about the car - in summary, everything about it is just great - the acceleration, handling etc. I guess the only improvements I would ever as for is a slighly smoother gear change (could just be me being a muppet), and a powerband that kicks in a bit lower down the rev range (Although im only just exploring it after many a careful mile running in). I guess an extra 10-20 horse power would never go a miss either but hey im by no means dissapointed with what i've got. The one other thing is that it would be nice if they got rid of that moulded plastic housing down the centre of the cabin and round the gearstick - they could at least carpet it!
Now for the bad:
1) The radio did not work - no big deal I gues but I did not try and switch it on until I got the car home (spent the journey listening to the engine). The reason this bugs me is because I would have thought this would have been picked up on the PDI - one cant help buy feel as though if they have missed something so simple then what else have they missed?
2) As the revs pick up in low gears when accelerating gently the car seems to have developed a bit of a knocking sound in the engine - hopefully this will be ironed out in the 1000 mile.
3) It seems that some wiring behind the dash has not been earthed properly causing current to flow through the heater/vent controls (only happens when the headlights are on and can be picked up by pressing your thumb against one of the metal controls and touch your fingers on the metal dash underneath). Agiain i'm hoping this is resolved in the 1000 miler.
4) Heaters dont seem to work at all. I know they are notoriously bad buy mine dont seem to work in the slightest - there is no difference between when it is supposed to be blowing cold air or warm air.
5) Bit of a rattling behind the dashboard (could be the wires behind the stereo) when the car is slowing down post acceleration and the engine is resonating.
Anyone have similar issues?
With any luck all this will be sorted when I pick the car up from the garage on return from holiday.
>> Edited by doug ward on Tuesday 9th November 01:04
Starting with the good:
1) Bell and Colvill - great service, friendly staff who know their stuff. Buying the car from them was a pleasure. Aftercare service so far has also been very good (which unfortunately as you will see below has been very necessary).
2) Magnetic Blue is just awesome - was not so sure about it at first, nearly changed my mind several times whilst I still could but so glad I did not.
3) I love this car
4) I love this car
5) I love this car
Ok so I think you get the point about the car - in summary, everything about it is just great - the acceleration, handling etc. I guess the only improvements I would ever as for is a slighly smoother gear change (could just be me being a muppet), and a powerband that kicks in a bit lower down the rev range (Although im only just exploring it after many a careful mile running in). I guess an extra 10-20 horse power would never go a miss either but hey im by no means dissapointed with what i've got. The one other thing is that it would be nice if they got rid of that moulded plastic housing down the centre of the cabin and round the gearstick - they could at least carpet it!
Now for the bad:
1) The radio did not work - no big deal I gues but I did not try and switch it on until I got the car home (spent the journey listening to the engine). The reason this bugs me is because I would have thought this would have been picked up on the PDI - one cant help buy feel as though if they have missed something so simple then what else have they missed?
2) As the revs pick up in low gears when accelerating gently the car seems to have developed a bit of a knocking sound in the engine - hopefully this will be ironed out in the 1000 mile.
3) It seems that some wiring behind the dash has not been earthed properly causing current to flow through the heater/vent controls (only happens when the headlights are on and can be picked up by pressing your thumb against one of the metal controls and touch your fingers on the metal dash underneath). Agiain i'm hoping this is resolved in the 1000 miler.
4) Heaters dont seem to work at all. I know they are notoriously bad buy mine dont seem to work in the slightest - there is no difference between when it is supposed to be blowing cold air or warm air.
5) Bit of a rattling behind the dashboard (could be the wires behind the stereo) when the car is slowing down post acceleration and the engine is resonating.
Anyone have similar issues?
With any luck all this will be sorted when I pick the car up from the garage on return from holiday.
>> Edited by doug ward on Tuesday 9th November 01:04
Glad you like the 111r, i've just bought a standard elise (sports tourer) and love it to bits (drove a 111r and when the time is right (i've enough money) will go for one). Hope all the problems get sorted out during its 1000 mile service.
With reference to insurance has anyone else tried bell direct? they were by far the best for me, car parked outside, full NCB, tracker, but old man -32 and living in a low risk area. i got the insurance for £400 fully comp. Maybe others do not know of this insurance company? Even beat Elephant!
Enjoy
Tanman
With reference to insurance has anyone else tried bell direct? they were by far the best for me, car parked outside, full NCB, tracker, but old man -32 and living in a low risk area. i got the insurance for £400 fully comp. Maybe others do not know of this insurance company? Even beat Elephant!
Enjoy
Tanman
Left Gatwick this morning around 10.30am after an 8 hour flight from North Carolina, as the wheels hit the tarmac all I could think about is how much I was looking forward to picking up my 111R after its 1000 mile and necessary tinkering to sort out the earlier described problems. Called up the dealership, apparently 2 weeks have not been long enough to get everything done and they will have to call me early next week to give me an idea of when it will be ready.
Am I just impatient or should I be dissapointed that its taking so long. The justification I was given is that they are waiting for a new speaker to be delivered from Lotus (which will arrive on wednesday) as apparently the electrical problems (current passing through air controls) is to do with a speaker not being earthed properly or something. This seemed a bit strange as the problem only occurs when the headlights are on and as far as im aware the wiring for the headlights has nothing to do with the speakers?
Anyone shed some light on any of this?
Am I just impatient or should I be dissapointed that its taking so long. The justification I was given is that they are waiting for a new speaker to be delivered from Lotus (which will arrive on wednesday) as apparently the electrical problems (current passing through air controls) is to do with a speaker not being earthed properly or something. This seemed a bit strange as the problem only occurs when the headlights are on and as far as im aware the wiring for the headlights has nothing to do with the speakers?
Anyone shed some light on any of this?
Unfortunately welcome to the world of Lotus after sales service which in one word is PATHETIC, all the while charging a fortune.
Do yourself a favour and find an independant Lotus specialist that if he works on your car will not affect your warranty and who acutally is genuinely enthusiastic about the cars and who does finish a job on time like he should, and without ripping you off blind.
Lotus after sales service can make you hate the car due to the headaches that you will encounter.
I don't know anyone in real life (not on the net) that takes their car to a Lotus dealer for servicing, etc no matter where they live in the world due to the above problems.
Do yourself a favour and find an independant Lotus specialist that if he works on your car will not affect your warranty and who acutally is genuinely enthusiastic about the cars and who does finish a job on time like he should, and without ripping you off blind.
Lotus after sales service can make you hate the car due to the headaches that you will encounter.
I don't know anyone in real life (not on the net) that takes their car to a Lotus dealer for servicing, etc no matter where they live in the world due to the above problems.
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