Elise Buying Advice

[johnpeat]

Given that £14-15K seems to secure a decent Elise these days friend is considering one as a 'nice days and track days' car - and so I'm hunting for tips...

Are the early cars reliable? - is there anything really nasty to look out for?? - what are real running costs like (say in comparison to a hot hatch) etc. etc.

Most cars we've seen have some mods done - some of which suggest track use - is this always a good/bad thing? One car we've seen was an ex-company car which was (by it's nature) totally stock - but had 70,000 miles up which I was astonished at (for a 3 year old car!!) - all 'motorway miles' we're told (*strange choice of car for that*)!!

Obviously I don't want a total buyers guide - but any ideas on what's good and what's not at the cheaper end of the market (def. <£20K) would be apprec. - I get the impression Elises aren't as bad as other Lotuses in the garage magnetism/wallet draining department but I'd like some proof

TTFN

JP

[Steff]

Have a look on www.elises.co.uk its where I looked for advice before buying my Elise 2 years ago. Also have a look at www.british-cars.co.uk

[adrianr]

My 'history' is up to date and accurate - take a look. I've owned my 98R from new, done 32K miles and at least 15 track days in that time.

www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=127

Assuming there's no accident damage, steering racks and lower suspension ball joints are the most common wear items - even on just road use, otherwise it's mainly cosmetics. If you're after an occasional track car then you're probably not worried about a few stonechips, but pay attention to the condition of the interior as while trim can be replaced, it's not possible to repair scratches in the aluminium.

AdrianR



Cheers,
AdrianR

[reaan01]

I recently bought an elise S1 as a weekend/fair weather car, and my budget was similar initially. If you can stretch up to just over 16 you're into the late s1 territory and some lower miles (pre MOT etc.). I ended up paying in the mid 16's for a late W (2000) which was absolutely standard with under 5k on the clock. Go for a standard one imho, you get the fun of spec'ing it with any performance mods you care for.

As for running costs, i'm positive I'll have to shell out for a thing or two, we'll see....

-Andrew.

[melw]

I've had my '97 Elise for a couple of years it's done 15k, all round a good car, FSH etc .etc. As for running costs? I've had no real problems but things always crop at a service,(usually preventative), and then there's the Lotus niggles which all add up. I'd say budget around a grand a year to keep things in order.