Which Car??

[st0ckman]

Hello Guys

I currently own a Lotus Elan SE Turbo and it has been the greatest car i have ever owned. Practically faultless for 3.5 years. However it is time to upgrade.

I was considering a Tuscan for a long time because they are stunning but that S6 seems a little too troublesome right now. Also my parents are moving to Spain so i am lookign at a car that will last the distance and not overheat or be too uncomfortable. The choices i have are:

TVR Griffith - Convertible, 2nd best looking TVR there is including the newer models. Drove one a little while back and wasn't impressed with the impossible to move gearshift, however this might have been this one car?

TVR Cerbera - Hardtop so A/C for Spain. Very distinctive looking car, very quick and a little more space.

Lotus Elise S2 - Opentop, not very comfortable but fun to drive. Might manage to get my laptop in it but not sure about a weeks luggage.

Lotus S4s - Sunroof and A/C. Powerful car and handles beautifuly, just about enough luggage space, however i am worried about reliabilty even more so than the TVR's.

I know this is on the Lotus forum so i expect a bit of bias. However it's also on the TVR forum.

Cheers

st0ck

[clanger]

Stock

M100 is a hell of a car to replace - had mine over 4 years now - can't bear to part with the lil' buga - it's so bulletproof and dare I say it, practical..

If considerin' an Esprit IMHO GT3 is the best variant ever produced (apologies to Sports 300 owners - I'm soo jealous of them )..

[muley]

I think you'll have difficulty replacing the M100 - I think it is extremely practical and a pleasure to drive (and look at).

I had a TVR previously (S Series) and I found the suspension to be hard and the cockpit got hot in the summer - this may be a problem with the Griffith as well. SWMBO is not too keen on the homebuilt feel of TVR interiors.

Is the Porsche Boxster on your list - might be worth a look?

[st0ckman]

Thanks for the replies.

I had thought about a Boxter but it doesn't excite me. It's also the only car in Docklands that you ever see and i was hoping to be a little different.

I love the Lotus Esprit S4s but am finding it difficult obviously coz of the rarity to find one that i want, i think i will make that the next car after this coz i definitely want to own one. I love the Elise but i would prefer a little more power in my next car which leads me to the Griff.

I'd say it was practical but the heat does worry me coz i am considering driving to Spain more where i believe any Lotus would be better. Decisions Decisions! Should take for granted that it is nice to have the decision to make.

[onedsla]

I drive my S2 111S 220 miles from near Canary Wharf to Liverpool area about once a month and find it comfortable enough for the journey. The 111S has padded seats and it's great at letting me know about the road surface without hurting me through the suspension.

The boot is not quite as bad as you say - it can actually fit a lot of stuff in, provided it can be squashed into a corner. I managed to drive from Liverpool to London with most of my clothes, a duvet & 4 pillows and various other bits, although it was not easy packing!!

[JEFFOILMAN]

Get a Elise S2,the uncomfortable bit is getting out of it knowing you have to sleep,but the next morning its back to Nirvana(catch my drift)

[chimburt]

try a griff if you fancy one. lovely cars, and there are plenty of mods available to help the cooling thing.
simply re-wiring the fans from the starter motor supply will give a significant improvement in fan speed. you can get them with air con as well, though i wouldn't bother - if you're worried about the car getting hot then you'll have it switched off all the time in any case!
you'll be filling the griff up a fair bit more than the liz ( i can assure you of that! ), you may find servicing every 6000 a hassle, but they are great cars with character. less common than the liz and they certainly make an impact wherever you go.

anyhow, my local dealer has a 190 sport in, which i'm going to take a look at, as despite the fact that i would love a griff, they are holding their money right now.
happy hunting, you lucky fella.

[st0ckman]

Again thanks for the replies. Bit of unfortunate luck right now coz i have knee ligament trouble and can't even drive my Elan let alone try out some other cars. So as you can imagine i have the right 'ump!! :-)

But i can assure you as soon as i am able i will be out there looking again. It could actually be a blessing in disguise and make me wait a little longer, by then those summer prices might come down. ;-D

[kylie]

Hi there, I have looked at a whole bunch of Lotus cars and Esprit did it for me. If I pack the luggage carefully in the car you will be surprised what you can fit in it. The esprit is an exotic and turns heads everytime. The performance is fantastic too. Not so practical going over large road humps and tight fits, but hey you get over it pretty quick.
Cheers
Kylie

[superflyguy50uk]

I was thinking of a TVR, but the fuel bill makes it a nightmare for anything but occasional use. Got an Esprit S4s and use it everyday, done 7k miles since Jan and reliability is OK, its my only car so I have to rely on it!!!!

[chimburt]

i do a commute in my 4L chim of about 280 miles a week, and reckon i spend about 60 quid a week on gas. not too bad, considering the audi i had before that used to cost me 50 quid!

[ViperExige]

I agree with everbody here, you'll find it hard to replace the Elan M100! You could do what I did, and thats upgrade your Elan M100 to another M100, with lower miles? ;-)

Have you thought about servicing and care in Spain? availability etc.

Another option would be to become a two car owner. Keep the Elan, and get something else?

[gilesM]

I have an Elise S2 120bhp, with the sports tourer option which adds a little extra comfort. I've driven 23k miles since January this year no major problems, one front damper killed itself, Lotus changed both fronts under warranty.
The car is actually very comfortable, although getting in and out with the roof on is a bit of a pain, but that's just another reason for leaving the roof off.
This year I had a holiday in Southern Spain (drove from Edinburgh) with the Elise, enough stuff in the car for me and my girlfriend for 3 weeks, some careful packing, and my girlfriend couldn't do any shopping in Spain, obviously that's a plus. Also been camping, got all the camping stuff in no problem.

But all that is just about how practical it is, the real benefit is the smile on your face while driving quickly on a twisty B road.
Oh, and it's pretty good on the track aswell.

Giles

[andecorp]

I have been running Esprits as my every day cars for many years now. I have NEVER been left stranded anywhere and I do up to 15k miles per year.

I currently have 2 '96 S4s (one yellow, one black ). I live in Australia, in the hot part. Never had problems with overheating etc. I do a lot of country driving too, and the S4s is very comfortable. Of course, you can't compare it to a Lexus, etc, but it's much better than the Ferrari I had. The dancing donkey used to give me a bad back every time.