Things they don't tell you before you buy an Elise....

[cre8toruk]

Much like what I like to call Children club... (nobody talks about children club)...
I'm beginning to discover things that the world, every salesman I've ever talked to and all forums neglect to mention importantly BEFORE someone buys an Elise.

Sure there are buyers guides and gushing reviews and in so many ways absolutely justified... here's my list of things that are newbies are never / rarely told until it's too late...please feel free to add your own.

1. Body work repairs a flipping expensive
2. Changing the main beam lamp is a dark art
3. Changing any lamp requires universal joint wrists and the hands of a small child
4. The fuel gauge is more an estimate than a gauge (should be fuel guide rather than gauge).
5. Never ask what tyres you should change your current one's for (everyone has a different opinion)
6. Radio reception is rubbish
7. The Speakers aren't powerful enough for your stereo
8. Your wife / girlfriend / boyfriend / partner (delete as appropriate) will complain about getting in and will resist at every opportunity.
9. Owners who modify their cars have far too much money !
10.The gear knob is made of dry ice !

That's my current top 10... what's yours...

8.

[kambites]

cre8toruk said:

10.The gear knob is made of dry ice !

And the pedals. Don't try driving in bare feet in the winter.

[cre8toruk]

kambites said:

And the pedals. Don't try driving in bare feet in the winter.

I think you'll find that's illegal even in the winter ! :-)

[Mr E]

8 has never been a problem for me.

[Scrambled]

I have rose tinted specs. No matter what problems my car gives me, it's still the best car I have ever had.

......but loose rear windows are annoying....

......and the fact the headlights can pop out under cornering...

....and the fact that as soon as you buy, you need to spend more money so the car sounds like it looks!

[Oscar the Grouch]

14. It will leak when it rains
15. The electrics will work most of the time

[Thorburn]

Scrambled said:

......and the fact the headlights can pop out under cornering...

I've heard of the indicators popping out on the S2s, but never the headlights.

[kambites]

cre8toruk said:

kambites said:

And the pedals. Don't try driving in bare feet in the winter.

I think you'll find that's illegal even in the winter ! :-)

You mean like breaking the speed limit and all those other things that we never do?

I'm pretty sure that's an urban myth anyway.

[kambites]

Thorburn said:

Scrambled said:

......and the fact the headlights can pop out under cornering...

I've heard of the indicators popping out on the S2s, but never the headlights.

The headlights can't "pop out", they're bolted through the clam.

[Mr E]

Oscar the Grouch said:

15. The electrics will work most of the time

You have electrics?

[Scrambled]

kambites said:

Thorburn said:

Scrambled said:

......and the fact the headlights can pop out under cornering...

I've heard of the indicators popping out on the S2s, but never the headlights.

The headlights can't "pop out", they're bolted through the clam.

Agreed, early morning post.

I meant indicators.

[Scrambled]

Mr E said:

Oscar the Grouch said:

15. The electrics will work most of the time

You have electrics?

That's the same myth that there is a heater!

[Tyre Smoke]

Not all these are Elise specific, most also apply to TVR Cerberas.

[J^2]

My list isn't all that long...

1. The seats are uncomfortable for journeys of more than 2 hours. Solved by fitting 340R seats.

2. The K-series is not the nicest engine in the world (I went through 3 of them - parts of the last still live on in my Caternail). Solved by replacing with a K20A.

3. The original MMC brake discs (whilst wonderful in terms of feel) didn't get on with track use and tended to end up with the bell separating from the rotor. Solved by moving to aftermarket discs with Pagid pads - lost a bit of feel but stunning stopping power.

4. It didn't like sitting on a drive through the winter following a house move. Solved by having a garage built.

The speakers in mine are fine (as is the radio reception), the fuel gauge is pretty accurate and the roof doesn't leak. Guess I got a good one given that I still love it after > 160K miles!

[cre8toruk]

J^2 said:

My list isn't all that long...

1. The seats are uncomfortable for journeys of more than 2 hours. Solved by fitting 340R seats.

I can vouch for that having picked the car up in north london to drive back to hampshire...only to have a complete technology break down... no sat nav or mobile and a 2 1/2 drive home... still we got to know each other round the north circular :-(

2. The K-series is not the nicest engine in the world (I went through 3 of them - parts of the last still live on in my Caternail). Solved by replacing with a K20A.

oh dear...not had that (yet!)

3. The original MMC brake discs (whilst wonderful in terms of feel) didn't get on with track use and tended to end up with the bell separating from the rotor. Solved by moving to aftermarket discs with Pagid pads - lost a bit of feel but stunning stopping power.

4. It didn't like sitting on a drive through the winter following a house move. Solved by having a garage built.

The speakers in mine are fine (as is the radio reception), the fuel gauge is pretty accurate and the roof doesn't leak. Guess I got a good one given that I still love it after > 160K miles!

My roof doesn't leak either (I know the S1 soft top did)... I've no idea if the fuel gauge is accurate or not at the moment (see my other posts !)...

Really do need to sort the reception out Radio 5 is awful with the heater fan running and anything FM is borderline AM reception.... I know there's loads of info on that so I'll do my research first but metal tape seems to be a strong fave...

[simpo555]

I had friends and even my son who bemoaned the difficulty of entry but never once did it put anybody off. On the contrary had difficulty in refusing the number of people that just wanted to 'go for a spin'. Found the car comfortable and cosy. Never worried about the stereo. Never had an issue with the lights, never having to change anything in 2 years of ownership. Changed the tyres from Yoko's to Bridgestones and never noticed any difference from a daily driving point of view. Loved the small steering wheel. Adored the gearstick which seemed one of the few quality components in the interior. Loved the Alacantra dash which seemed better than the later plastic version. Sometimes concerned that the techies or the trackies viewpoints count for more than your average guy that just wants to enjoy his car in an everyday road use situation which explains some of the debates. I respect all points of view, but if you're not tracking the car, or if you haven't bundles of cash to upgrade then some of the debates do not adress the 'normal road user requirements' Never leaked, soft top or hard top in place. Fantastic car. There are two things I don't miss. Driving at night time when you get dazzled by all and sundry, oncoming or vehicles behind allied to less than adequate headlamps. Secondly the constant attention from other 'road users' who seem to want to race at every given opportunity. Otherwise the car is sorely missed.

[Frimley111R]

Its got far lower build quality than anything else you've probably owned
Its not an everyday car unless you are quite hardcore

[SCEL1SE]

I done 3500 miles in 2 weeks, across 7 countries. Yeh it was not luxury, but i never complained once, and neither did my other half. The pleasure of driving the car, cancels out any negatives!
But yeh,lol, the build quality ain't the best, for such an expensive car.

[otolith]

Build quality issues - hmm, there is the indicator cluster issue which had to be fixed, a bit of paint blistering on the driver's door, I have lost one of those screw-in caps which holds the floor mat down and I have clumsily damaged one of the vanes in one of the interior air vents. Otherwise, it seems to be fairly robust - it isn't as if there is much to go wrong, wear or break.

[Arisutea]

The subzero gear knob in the winter, but that's cured by a woollen knob hat.

Other than that, I kinda knew about the other stuff (I hung around on Lotus forums for a good year before I got one!).