Availability/ Prices Elise S1/S2
Discussion
Hi all,
Finally freed up some funds and started looking around for another Elise, however two things have hit.
There are very few on sale within my budget (£10k max)
Those that are , loads seem to be Cat D...
So should I be running a mile or are these cars up at £11k actually selling at those figures???
Cheers for any feedback
Bryn
Finally freed up some funds and started looking around for another Elise, however two things have hit.
There are very few on sale within my budget (£10k max)
Those that are , loads seem to be Cat D...
So should I be running a mile or are these cars up at £11k actually selling at those figures???
Cheers for any feedback
Bryn
It's because the owners of most normally want to keep them.... I reckon someone would have to offer 18k + for my 'standard' '03 S2 111s (prob actually worth 11-12)
In terms of CatD - I'd want to be very sure of the facts with an Elise, I'm sure they can be 'written off' with some superficial damage due to the cost of repair/replace of clams, or also easy to cause serious and 'unfixable' damage to the chassis with out it being too obvious. I wouldn't go there unless I was very sure I understood and believed the issues personally
In terms of CatD - I'd want to be very sure of the facts with an Elise, I'm sure they can be 'written off' with some superficial damage due to the cost of repair/replace of clams, or also easy to cause serious and 'unfixable' damage to the chassis with out it being too obvious. I wouldn't go there unless I was very sure I understood and believed the issues personally
£10k is towards top end of standard S1's and is bottom end of S2's. If you are after an S2 in that price range you will be sifting through quite a lot of rubbish, but I am sure there are some nice genuine early S2 cars around if you have the patience to find one. £10k will buy a lovely low mileage base model S1, or a decent S1 111S. I am biased and prefer S1's, but you would do well to look at as many as possible, talk to owners, and get a feel for what you really want before you take the plunge. If you are not on SELOC yet, getting over there would be a good move. It is very active, has lots of info available, and has a regional setup so you can meet owners local to you and chat about the cars and your options. Good luck, they have their quirks, but are immense fun and value for money. I wouldn't be without mine.
Edited to say I have just seen you said ANOTHER Elise, so you have had one already? If you know what you are looking for, £10k will get you a very nice S1 or K series S2.
Edited to say I have just seen you said ANOTHER Elise, so you have had one already? If you know what you are looking for, £10k will get you a very nice S1 or K series S2.
Edited by GR4 on Saturday 3rd December 11:59
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3302827.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3435269.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3332689.htm
There are plenty of s1's for less than 10k???
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3435269.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3332689.htm
There are plenty of s1's for less than 10k???
Sorry yes should have explained my post better....i'm aware of most S1's available however S2's seem to be holding price really strongly at present (the only ones available tend to be damaged ones).
Part of me worries that another s1 would kill the happy memories (yes I know i'm mad lol)
Part of me worries that another s1 would kill the happy memories (yes I know i'm mad lol)
I too was surprised at the real lack of cars for sale vs a few months ago (only looking at S2's), typical when I didn't have the money to buy then 
I'd finally decided a 111R was the car for me but values seem to be very strong considering everything else is taking a hit at the moment.
Sold my other car a few weeks ago and all of a sudden found very few 111R's which weren't snapped up by someone else the day they went on sale.
A few of the ones I enquired about been sold to France/Germany, deposits being sent before the cars were even viewed! Two of the ones I missed stayed in the UK, and are now for sale at a well known trader with a significant mark up..
The nice ones don't hang about, it seems you got to have the cash ready and be prepared to travel at the drop of a hat.
I'd finally decided a 111R was the car for me but values seem to be very strong considering everything else is taking a hit at the moment.
Sold my other car a few weeks ago and all of a sudden found very few 111R's which weren't snapped up by someone else the day they went on sale.
A few of the ones I enquired about been sold to France/Germany, deposits being sent before the cars were even viewed! Two of the ones I missed stayed in the UK, and are now for sale at a well known trader with a significant mark up..
The nice ones don't hang about, it seems you got to have the cash ready and be prepared to travel at the drop of a hat.
BEP said:
I've noticed that too....been offered a really nice S2 but mega high miles and another low miles but a little modded, any feelings on high mileage Elises? HG and belts done recently etc ??
In my mind i've set aside Xmas week for viewing lol
Mega high miles? As in, 150-200,000 miles? In my mind i've set aside Xmas week for viewing lol
Or something silly like 60k?
Suspension parts wear out quickly. At higher miles, I'd be looking for one with new dampers. TBH, I'd also want it to have new ball joints, new bushes, possibly new bearings as well depending on the mileage.
Steering racks go as well, so if that's been done recently all the better.
Radiator fans go, as do the plastic ended radiators, so if either have been changed, good.
Otherwise, no, why not buy a high mileage car. You should get it cheaper, but it won't be worth as much in the long run either.
Mine had 60k when I bought it, has now done 90k, great little car. I've upgraded the head on mine so HGF wasn't an issue, but it seems like there's just as much chance of it giving way at 30k miles as there is at 60... Just set aside £700 just in case.
BEP said:
108k, had new rad, new hoses,briaded brake lines, Hg done etc, new shocks....
Needs discs and pads and a pair of tyres otherwise seems ok...
You'd be amazed at the mileages some S1 K series engines have covered and have just completed a season's racing (know one with over 130k on the clock). There's also a well travelled car that's covered umpteen track days and a few seasons racing that this year alone covered 2 24hr races and went onto a 1,000km race within a couple of weeks of one of the 24 hr races with nothing more than fresh brake pads and oil.Needs discs and pads and a pair of tyres otherwise seems ok...
So, 108k should be OK if its normal use. However, with that mileage I'd budget for a complete suspension overhaul which would probably include new dampers. Budget £1500-£2000 for parts depending on choice of dampers. Labour costs will probably cost the same again but its not a difficult job to do - just a bit of a PITA.
Budget £400 for discs and pads and make sure you fit same tyres front and back - Elise is very sensitive to tyres, pressures etc.
Just noticed the car has new shocks. Depending on your intended use and what the shocks are you might be able to knock £6-700 off the suspension refresh parts cost and some more if you go with standard toe links rather than uprated ones (although standard ones have gone on the road!).
^^^ Incidentally, due to the fact the cars are driven hard - I'd be recommending a lot of the work at around 60-70k - so it's not a cost you'd necessarily avoid if buying a much lower mileage car.
With that in mind, it's worth checking when things were changed... If they were done 50, 60k miles ago, some of them could be due another refresh. Obviously they could also go for a lot further - it depends on how the car has been driven.
That sort of mileage, I'd also be wondering about the clutch - obviously it can go for many, many miles, but standing starts can also wear it out quick sharpish (mine had a new one at 50k miles, and mysteriously the CRB was shagged 20k later) - it's at least a £500+ job, as the gearbox needs to come off.
With that in mind, it's worth checking when things were changed... If they were done 50, 60k miles ago, some of them could be due another refresh. Obviously they could also go for a lot further - it depends on how the car has been driven.
That sort of mileage, I'd also be wondering about the clutch - obviously it can go for many, many miles, but standing starts can also wear it out quick sharpish (mine had a new one at 50k miles, and mysteriously the CRB was shagged 20k later) - it's at least a £500+ job, as the gearbox needs to come off.
There are some bargains to be had over here in Ireland at present.
It's not just the Elise that's cheaper over here either, many of the high-end cars are being sold by people who can't afford to keep them.
Most of the Lotus owners here post on the forum on www.octane.ie and some cars turn up for sale via that site as well.
Also you could find them advertised on www.donedeal.ie , www.carzone.ie and www.cbg.ie
I picked up my 111R on Irish plates (which meant the ridiculously expensive VRT import duty was already paid) for way less than I'd have bought the equivalent car in the UK.
It can't hurt to look and you'd never know you might just get a few days away to sample a pint or ten.
It's not just the Elise that's cheaper over here either, many of the high-end cars are being sold by people who can't afford to keep them.
Most of the Lotus owners here post on the forum on www.octane.ie and some cars turn up for sale via that site as well.
Also you could find them advertised on www.donedeal.ie , www.carzone.ie and www.cbg.ie
I picked up my 111R on Irish plates (which meant the ridiculously expensive VRT import duty was already paid) for way less than I'd have bought the equivalent car in the UK.
It can't hurt to look and you'd never know you might just get a few days away to sample a pint or ten.
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff