Lotus Elan SE Turbo - Opinions
Discussion
Buy a good one and they are very cheap to run relatively speaking, (buy a dog, which there are plenty, and you'll find its a money pit!)
had mine a year so far, other than routine servicing over 1yr and 5k miles Ive replaced the front brake pads and the exhaust.
check out HERE for all the Elan chat
had mine a year so far, other than routine servicing over 1yr and 5k miles Ive replaced the front brake pads and the exhaust.
check out HERE for all the Elan chat
Running costs are below typical for a Lotus - the car was designed and built in the period of time where General Motors owned Lotus and as such was targeted at the US market as well as Europe. As a result it is probably the best made, most reliable Lotus ever. Or to put it another way, so as not to offend owners of other Lotus models, I doubt you'll find any other 14 year-old Lotus that is as reliable or cheap to run. 
We've had virtually no trouble with ours in 2 years of ownership. All we've spent out on is servicing, tax, insurance, a rad recore, a new hood release cable, and sundries & consumables like oil, coolant, etc. That's it - we haven't even replaced the tyres yet, although we are due to soon.
The car qualifies for classic insurance, so we have it on a limited-mileage classic policy which cost us £197 this year. However, you can't do any business or work-related mileage with that, so I would imagine that would be unsuitable for you if you're going to run it as a first car.
Depreciation is very low. In fact, I think ours might even be still worth the same as when we bought it. There aren't many cars that have retained 42% of their value 14 years on. Not even my Corrado (another so-called "future classic") has done that.
So anyway, go for it! They're great little cars.
We've had virtually no trouble with ours in 2 years of ownership. All we've spent out on is servicing, tax, insurance, a rad recore, a new hood release cable, and sundries & consumables like oil, coolant, etc. That's it - we haven't even replaced the tyres yet, although we are due to soon.
The car qualifies for classic insurance, so we have it on a limited-mileage classic policy which cost us £197 this year. However, you can't do any business or work-related mileage with that, so I would imagine that would be unsuitable for you if you're going to run it as a first car.
Depreciation is very low. In fact, I think ours might even be still worth the same as when we bought it. There aren't many cars that have retained 42% of their value 14 years on. Not even my Corrado (another so-called "future classic") has done that.
So anyway, go for it! They're great little cars.
I am an Elan addict. Probably because I like the looks and the whole headturning design ethos. Engines are bulletproof and most servicing can be done by the local blacksmith, or you can go the other non main dealer Lotus specialists to keep costs down.Downsides are ;the poor brakes although upgrades are fairly readily available (and they're a lot better than the ones I had on my Austin 7!!), and niggling faults like hood seals which cost a king's ransom. I've used mine for 18 months with no problems whatsoever and have done all the servicing myself so it's been very cheap to run. 30+ m.p.g. is a good feature, too.
I like the performance and handling, although I never drive near the limit I can easily see off pretty much anything else at the traffic lights if the mood takes me. It is very practical as the boot is a good size. SWMBO likes them too, which is vital for an easy life.
I can't think of a car I'd rather have (that's why I've just bought another!)
I like the performance and handling, although I never drive near the limit I can easily see off pretty much anything else at the traffic lights if the mood takes me. It is very practical as the boot is a good size. SWMBO likes them too, which is vital for an easy life.
I can't think of a car I'd rather have (that's why I've just bought another!)
They are also very cheap and easy to tune - you can add 20+ BHP for about £50 if you're that way inclined.
IMHO the brakes are fine for road use if you use the car regularly (they seize through lack of use) but there have been some nightmare experiences on track days due to overheating.
There's also this cool bit of software called Elanscan that lets you tap into the ECU with a laptop (good for 0-60 runs etc).
IMHO the brakes are fine for road use if you use the car regularly (they seize through lack of use) but there have been some nightmare experiences on track days due to overheating.
There's also this cool bit of software called Elanscan that lets you tap into the ECU with a laptop (good for 0-60 runs etc).
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