My dream car could be within reach...
Discussion
One of the first things that sprang to mind when my boss suggested an internal role to me was that I could finally get a Lotus (Because of the low miles I'd be doing.) I've always lusted after an Elise.
Subsequently I've checked with my insurance company and it would be expensive but do-able.
I'd have a budget of up to £13k, and it'd be used as a daily driver covering maybe 10-20k miles per year.
So a few questions, I'm used to services costing £150 and tyres £90. How do the Elise's in my range compare?
Also, perhaps a tricker question. Which S2 models should I be going for in order to target the lowest insurance groups?
And finally, just how good is the new s3 above the s2? My budget could stretch to £20k if its a big difference.
TIA
Joe
Subsequently I've checked with my insurance company and it would be expensive but do-able.
I'd have a budget of up to £13k, and it'd be used as a daily driver covering maybe 10-20k miles per year.
So a few questions, I'm used to services costing £150 and tyres £90. How do the Elise's in my range compare?
Also, perhaps a tricker question. Which S2 models should I be going for in order to target the lowest insurance groups?
And finally, just how good is the new s3 above the s2? My budget could stretch to £20k if its a big difference.
TIA
Joe
Go for the lowest power S2 Toyota 2004 onwards for better reliability and lower running costs. Tyres came in at £200 for two rear tyres, Avons though, not th Yokohama LTS special tyres. Services are about £300. Now is the time to but before the sun comes out and prices jump £3000. Don't know much about S3 only that it is low powered as a 1.6 and I think it looks a bit froggy or amphibious with the new front end. £20k would get you a nearly new one though.
Servicing through a specialist will be cheaper than the dealer, around £200. There are specialist insurers so may be worth checking those as well (Hendersom Taylor, REIS, CCI to name a few)
As said above, Toyota powered version S version is the lower of the 2 power specs but check the insurance as it may not be much less than an R, the insurer I use said the break point was 200bhp for increased insurance so it may be the S and the R are the same.
As said above, Toyota powered version S version is the lower of the 2 power specs but check the insurance as it may not be much less than an R, the insurer I use said the break point was 200bhp for increased insurance so it may be the S and the R are the same.
1981linley said:
Go for the lowest power S2 Toyota 2004 onwards for better reliability and lower running costs. Tyres came in at £200 for two rear tyres, Avons though, not th Yokohama LTS special tyres. Services are about £300. Now is the time to but before the sun comes out and prices jump £3000. Don't know much about S3 only that it is low powered as a 1.6 and I think it looks a bit froggy or amphibious with the new front end. £20k would get you a nearly new one though.
The 1ZZ engined Toyota 'S' was introduced in 2006. A 2004/2005 111S will be the K-series VVC.HBFS said:
I'd have a budget of up to £13k, and it'd be used as a daily driver covering maybe 10-20k miles per year.
So a few questions, I'm used to services costing £150 and tyres £90. How do the Elise's in my range compare?
For the £13k budget you're really looking at K-series engined cars. The higher powered 111S is actually more economical due to the longer ratio gearbox (on the motorway you can get over 40mpg) and cheaper to tax (£165 a year). You won't get an absolutely mint one for £13k, but you should be able to get something decent. Make sure you've got a bit of a safety buffer though - I spent over £3k sorting bits out on mine in the first year of ownership.So a few questions, I'm used to services costing £150 and tyres £90. How do the Elise's in my range compare?
Will Blackham has a very good reputation and has this 111S up for sale: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2113757.htm
Servicing costs vary on the model and what needs doing. Being mid-engined makes things a little trickier and personally I wouldn't want the car being worked on by anyone who's not a specialist when it comes to the cars - too many horror stories of cars being dropped backwards off 2-point lifts and the likes. Don't know about specialists in your area, but JCT600 is the local dealership for Leeds.
You can find some ideas of servicing costs here: http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Servicing_costs
And servicing schedules here: http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Servicing
Tyre costs aren't too bad in my experience, although I drive an S1. S2's wheels are an inch larger at each end, 16" at the front, 17" at the rear. I think for my last set I paid about £210 inc fitting, but the tyres I used are out of production.
To give a rough idea of costs have a look here on Seriously Lotus: http://www.seriouslylotus.com/index.php/wheels-and...
The OE fitment Yokohama Advan AD07 LTS tyres are around £600 for a full set, Toyo T1R's are a cheaper option (I'm not a fan personally) at around £400 for a set. Obviously you have to add fitting on to that, but if you shop around you might be able to find some deals.
HBFS said:
Also, perhaps a tricker question. Which S2 models should I be going for in order to target the lowest insurance groups?
Doesn't tell the whole story as it's often based around risk profiles as well as insurance grouping. You click through the different models on here to see the insurance groups though: http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/facts-and-fi...Varies from Group 42 for the current Elise 1.6, up to Group 47 for the Elise SC.
Best bet is to ring some of the specialists. If you're profile is right you're 22 years old which might make things tricky though as most won't cover you until you're 25. I bought mine at 23 and paid around £900-1000 in the first year with Admiral and then as I'd owned rear wheel drive sports cars for over 4 years CCI covered me for under £700 when I was 24, with track day cover included. They also offer a 10% discount for SELOC members, along with further discounts for those who do some driver training such as CarLimits - http://www.carlimits.com/
HBFS said:
And finally, just how good is the new s3 above the s2? My budget could stretch to £20k if its a big difference.
Drove one and wrote this on it last year: http://www.seloc.org/articles/driven/elise-1-6/I liked it a lot, it's not the fastest Elise out there but it still felt as good to drive as any I've been in. 45mpg fuel economy and £130 a year road tax are nice bonuses too. In your situation though I'd be more tempted to stretch the budget a little bit and look at the Toyota engined Elise S, rather than pushing all the way up to £20k for a 1.6. The savings in fuel, tax and insurance will likely take a long time to make back and it's still early on in it's depreciation curve vs. the slightly older cars.
Was 28 when I first got my new elise s 1.8 got it insured with cci for just under £500 (i got 10% off for being a member of a dedicated lotus forum).
Tyres, I use the yoko ad07, but am thinking of using some Eco tires to bring down grip levels as too high to have safe fun at my skill level on roads.
Did look at replacing it with a 1.6 s, found it to he a nice car but preferred mine, as the new version misses the low down grunt, 20mph in 5th is not a problem so find the 1.8s so easy to drive. Also preferred my gear change as found the 1.6 to be very stiff when cold, whereas mine is very good quality.
As for servicing normally about £260 but have just signed up with main dealer for £399 2 services, 2 health checks and 2 mot's which I thought was very good value.
I use mine daily and do about 12k miles a year mainly on motorway, had it for nearly 3 years and its still a dream to own.
Get a few driven and like above get one soon before summer affects prices.
Tyres, I use the yoko ad07, but am thinking of using some Eco tires to bring down grip levels as too high to have safe fun at my skill level on roads.
Did look at replacing it with a 1.6 s, found it to he a nice car but preferred mine, as the new version misses the low down grunt, 20mph in 5th is not a problem so find the 1.8s so easy to drive. Also preferred my gear change as found the 1.6 to be very stiff when cold, whereas mine is very good quality.
As for servicing normally about £260 but have just signed up with main dealer for £399 2 services, 2 health checks and 2 mot's which I thought was very good value.
I use mine daily and do about 12k miles a year mainly on motorway, had it for nearly 3 years and its still a dream to own.
Get a few driven and like above get one soon before summer affects prices.
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