Questions about buying a UK Elise

[Gabber]

Hallo all,

I am thinking about buying a Elise in the future. As I live in The Netherlands I would like to have a LHD Elise but these are very rare overhere so I look also at RHD cars. I want the 1.6 S3 because I like the model a lot and it will be the cheapest one to run.

This is an example I fancy

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/3637368.htm

My question is what would be a good price if you buying in the UK at a Lotus dealer for above sort of car with no part exchange ?
Does anybody know how much it is on a S3 to convert the headlamps from RHD to LHD ?

Thanks a lot

[Rudy 111]

as you're in the netherlands, I would suggest you consider directing your search efforts to the east, germany. I think you should be able to find a relatively low mileage decent spec S3 elise such as this one in the UK. remember the pound is actually quite strong at the moment (compared to 2/3 years back), add to this your BPM tax (import tax in the netherlands), and expenditure required for LHD legislation such as your headlamps and fog/reverse. I think the price for this S3 is quite steep, especially for you, as on the road price. And you still end up with a RHD car, which to many people on the continent is not really an option, think about market value at a possible sale as well.
You might also want to take a look at Italy, they have a new road tax system that had the effect a lot of performance cars are on the market very cheap over there at the moment. Ryanair flights are cheap...

[Gabber]

Rudy 111 said:

as you're in the netherlands, I would suggest you consider directing your search efforts to the east, germany. I think you should be able to find a relatively low mileage decent spec S3 elise such as this one in the UK. remember the pound is actually quite strong at the moment (compared to 2/3 years back), add to this your BPM tax (import tax in the netherlands), and expenditure required for LHD legislation such as your headlamps and fog/reverse. I think the price for this S3 is quite steep, especially for you, as on the road price. And you still end up with a RHD car, which to many people on the continent is not really an option, think about market value at a possible sale as well.
You might also want to take a look at Italy, they have a new road tax system that had the effect a lot of performance cars are on the market very cheap over there at the moment. Ryanair flights are cheap...

Thanks Rudy,

I'm looking for some time now and indeed everything you wrote is true. The pound is much higher now then a few years back. I look regulary on mobile.de but not much S3 for sale in Germany. Maybe you know other sites for searching ? Belgium is also an option as is Italy were the choices are bigger as in Holland. Problem with the Elises is they are holding there value very well which is a good thing when you selling but not when you buying and I hate the damn BPM.
But first selling the Dax Cobra and look futher after that.

As said before if you know some good sites in Germany or Italy let me know

[S Works]

There's a good Lotus community in NL and quite a few guys on the SELOC forums. Yvo from Elise-shop would be a good guy to talk to for advice:

http://www.elise-shop.com/contact_us.html?language...

[simpo555]

As a brit in France dont see an issue with RHD cars on the continent. When you go to meetings its about 50-50 and there's always a market for them. Obviously they are cheaper than the LHD versions but it remains relative. Sometimes its a pain but the power makes uf for a lot of the downsides. Headlamps dont need converting, just a slight adjustment. Good luck in your search. Apparently you need to avoid the 'dutch importer' who's name I won't mention as he has a tendency to import cat c or cat d cars and sells them off at good prices.

[Rudy 111]

Simpo555, what you say is true, RHD does not necessarily have to be a no go when elises are concerned. But it is still something you need to think about, whether you are OK with it yourself and what you plan to do with the car in the long run.
As our man is looking for a S3 I think he's in a market with very few dodgy examples, but as always use your head and take a good look!
Try autoscout24.com or .nl or.de or whatever, I think you can search europe wide on that site.

[Gabber]

Rudy 111 said:

Simpo555, what you say is true, RHD does not necessarily have to be a no go when elises are concerned. But it is still something you need to think about, whether you are OK with it yourself and what you plan to do with the car in the long run.
As our man is looking for a S3 I think he's in a market with very few dodgy examples, but as always use your head and take a good look!
Try autoscout24.com or .nl or.de or whatever, I think you can search europe wide on that site.

Thanks Rudy and Simpo555 ! I know about the certain dealer in EIndhoven....we will see what will happen in the future in the mean time it is nice to visit all different kinds of websites. Also I will visit our official Lotus dealer here in Holland.

[Subversive]

is the 1.6 so much more to run than the 1.8 ? There is a white edtion R for the same money on PH with a better spec...

[Gabber]

Subversive said:

is the 1.6 so much more to run than the 1.8 ? There is a white edtion R for the same money on PH with a better spec...

No not much more but there are other things. You have to pay import taxes , and overhere they are based on the age of the car and on the CO2 level. For a 2009 R you pay more then 6200 euro taxes for a 2010 1.6 you pay less then 4000.
That is one of the reasons to go for a 1.6 you pay less taxes,cheaper to run and because they are newer you still have warranty. Like the looks of the CR a lot.

[halfpenny43]

Hey Gabber

Not sure where your based in NL but would be happy to meet for a coffee and a chat if you would like.

I bought my 3rd Elise in the UK in late 2007 and imported it here (NL). Found a nice 2004 111R in Norfolk Mustard with a green roof and green leather - low mileage.
I took it to the RDW in Noordwijk (close to Van Sten so have seen Lotus's before) and paid EUR4k BPM.

Total costs for the car, BPM and other fees totalled around EUR22k.

I put nearly 45k miles on it in around 3 years and sold it last August to a lad in Groningen who has setup a business buying and selling RHD cars here in NL (happy to pass on his details) - although the car is now in Amsterdam with another owner.

Had the car serviced between Van Sten and Lotus Amsterdam. Insurance was around EUR700 a year and EUR190 a year in wegbelasting.

Find yourself a nice Elise - use the classifieds here, one of the Lotus clubs or Autotrader.co.uk and import it yourself - easy to do and I would I'd it again - but am enjoying the Cayman for the time being

MVG

[Kolbenkopp]

Gabber said:

[...]
Does anybody know how much it is on a S3 to convert the headlamps from RHD to LHD ?
[...]

Interesting question. On both types of previous S2 headlamps (non sealded from 01 / sealed from 06) there is a small shutter that can be moved to mask the beam going to the left side of the road.

Anybody knows if something similar exists for the new MY 11 cars? I can't find anything in the service notes and replacement headlights are rather expesive [1].

[1] http://www.deroure.com/search.asp?MAK=1&MDL=22...

[Subversive]

so how much do you pay for a 2010 R ? must confess as i have a vested interest in knowing what the costs are if i sell my car in europe.. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3740236.htm

[halfpenny43]

So regarding the headlamps - I did not swap my headlamps from RHD to LHD. The garage simply adjusted the headlamps as far to the right side as they would go, and the car, 3 years running, passed the Dutch equivalent of the MOT (APK).

As to value - someone in NL is not going to pay a premium for a RHD car just because you want to sell it on the continent, when there is a large market of cars to choose from in the UK. It is not realistic to compare a LHD car to a RHD car. All in my opinion of course

[Kolbenkopp]

halfpenny43 said:

So regarding the headlamps - I did not swap my headlamps from RHD to LHD. The garage simply adjusted the headlamps as far to the right side as they would go, and the car, 3 years running, passed the Dutch equivalent of the MOT (APK).

As to value - someone in NL is not going to pay a premium for a RHD car just because you want to sell it on the continent, when there is a large market of cars to choose from in the UK. It is not realistic to compare a LHD car to a RHD car. All in my opinion of course

Concerning the headlamps, I'm not sure the adjustment would be enough for the German TÜV as they can be a royal pain in the "!§*# when they feel like it. I really hope your MOT guys in .NL are more relaxed ...

On the Elise, headlamps up to 2010 can be changed to LHD by disassembling and modifying the little metal shutter effectively modding it to a LHD beam pattern. Or, if you are lucky, they let you thru with a "flat" beam pattern -- that is achieved if you move the shutter to the "drive on the continent" setting.

I just wonder what the options are for MY 2011 cars with the new headlights / redesigned front. The service manual (downloadable from Lotus for a minimal fee) does not give any details about a movable shutter, the unit looks sealed. What do MY 2011 drivers do on the continent? Ignore it and blind oncoming trafic?

[Kolbenkopp]

Subversive said:

so how much do you pay for a 2010 R ? must confess as i have a vested interest in knowing what the costs are if i sell my car in europe.. http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3740236.htm

Costs on your side a virtually none, if you do not have the COC form from Lotus for your car it is a good idea to get it as that helps s potential buyer getting the car past the continental variants of MOT.

As for prices for 2010 Rs -- looking at e.g. the German market, it is a difficult question since there are quasi none from 2010+ on offer. If you broaden the scope and look at LHD Elises Rs from 2005, these seem to start at about € 28k in here. Big money for a seven year old car, but the handfull of afficionados that buy these things new LHD here sort them out and keep them in a state that is on average better than the things originaly left Hethel.

To be honest, I don't think there is much of market for a € 30k RHD Elise in Europe.