Europa - any love?
Discussion
I've owned two Europa T/C Specials over the years & very much enjoyed driving them (the last one had to go when my old arthritic knees made getting in .... & more especially .... out very difficult!)
The Europa is a very quirky car, expect your hand to hit the windscreen when you turn on full lock for example, & you won't be able to see a lot out of the rear window! Handling in the dry is excellent, but in the wet some care is needed as the adhesion is of the go / no go variety. You are either stuck on the road or going sideways / circulating, there is no warning or very much of a chance to catch the back end (unlike an old Elan - these cars "talk" to you a lot more)
Inside? No wide shouldered passengers, you'll be touching each other. It's very "cosy" inside. Also hope you're not too tall as there isn't a lot of headroom?
Don't park where there is a puddle next to the drivers door, you will want to put your hand on the ground to get out.
Every Lotus enthusiast needs to own & drive one at some time!
Regarding noise, I've never driven an Elise 111R so cannot compare, but in the Europa .... quiet it ain't.
The Europa is a very quirky car, expect your hand to hit the windscreen when you turn on full lock for example, & you won't be able to see a lot out of the rear window! Handling in the dry is excellent, but in the wet some care is needed as the adhesion is of the go / no go variety. You are either stuck on the road or going sideways / circulating, there is no warning or very much of a chance to catch the back end (unlike an old Elan - these cars "talk" to you a lot more)
Inside? No wide shouldered passengers, you'll be touching each other. It's very "cosy" inside. Also hope you're not too tall as there isn't a lot of headroom?
Don't park where there is a puddle next to the drivers door, you will want to put your hand on the ground to get out.
Every Lotus enthusiast needs to own & drive one at some time!
Regarding noise, I've never driven an Elise 111R so cannot compare, but in the Europa .... quiet it ain't.
k-ink said:
Thanks for the replies. Yes I should have said I am interested in the new Europa. I love the elise for short trips. But I also do a long motorway trip twice per month.
I had a Europa for around 46,000 miles apart from servicing costs/tyres etc it ran faultless I owned it for around 4 years, I would have considered another if they were still in production, as far as long trips are concerned from Essex to Manchester was not a problem and very comfy with the probax seats.Get a good one that has fairly low milage and standard car not modified ( I don't mean don't go for an SE or Lux interior )if you can have it serviced properly at a Lotus dealer don't skimp on this and it will serve you well.
The Cabin is much the same layout as the Elise, the Radio has a sat nav in most say its rubbish but I found that by reading the manual understanding its foibles it works its a basic black and white display with turn by turn graphics. The door sills a slightly lower and the cabin roof slightly higher so entry/exit is slightly better.
If you've not found it already it's worth checking out the Europa S/SE facebook group for info and access to existing owners:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lotus.europa/
I've not been in a 111R so I don't know how it compares noise-wise for motorway cruising, but I find my Europa S is ok on motorways. 6 speed gear box, turbo torque and probax seats make it a comfortable enough experience - a bit of wind and road noise of course but I believe it's slightly better insulated than, say, a touring-pack equipped hardtop-fitted elise or exige (it's not as quiet as a modern saloon of course). I have the full milltek exhaust system on mine for a better exhaust note but that still stays quiet when cruising. As has already been mentioned the cabin layout/driving position will feel pretty much like your 111R. The boot is surprisingly spacious compared to an Elise's
.
Looks like there's a few decent options in the classifieds at the moment. I wouldn't obsess about mileage if you're going to use it (especially if it's a car that's done those miles on motorways) - look at condition - you may feel less precious about regularly using it if it's already had a few put on it. I'd say the cat C blue one is a bargain and worth checking out - it's been repaired by the best place to have one repaired (Hofmann's) so it should be very well sorted - the cat C aspect is likely make it a little harder to shift come resale time though.
There are some old threads on PH with opinions from various owners in kicking around which might be useful too, e.g.:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=125...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lotus.europa/
I've not been in a 111R so I don't know how it compares noise-wise for motorway cruising, but I find my Europa S is ok on motorways. 6 speed gear box, turbo torque and probax seats make it a comfortable enough experience - a bit of wind and road noise of course but I believe it's slightly better insulated than, say, a touring-pack equipped hardtop-fitted elise or exige (it's not as quiet as a modern saloon of course). I have the full milltek exhaust system on mine for a better exhaust note but that still stays quiet when cruising. As has already been mentioned the cabin layout/driving position will feel pretty much like your 111R. The boot is surprisingly spacious compared to an Elise's
.Looks like there's a few decent options in the classifieds at the moment. I wouldn't obsess about mileage if you're going to use it (especially if it's a car that's done those miles on motorways) - look at condition - you may feel less precious about regularly using it if it's already had a few put on it. I'd say the cat C blue one is a bargain and worth checking out - it's been repaired by the best place to have one repaired (Hofmann's) so it should be very well sorted - the cat C aspect is likely make it a little harder to shift come resale time though.
There are some old threads on PH with opinions from various owners in kicking around which might be useful too, e.g.:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=125...
Have had two elise s's (non supercharged) and now own a europa. 7 years old and 20000 miles and it feels lovely, moves around more than the elise which may be due to the much higher power but also gives you a bit of confidence as the elise just holds and holds and then snaps very quickly.
So far not had too many issues and replaced the stereo for a Bluetooth alpine unit, means I get hands free phone and also lighter in weight.
Facebook group is very helpful only reason I use Facebook.
So far not had too many issues and replaced the stereo for a Bluetooth alpine unit, means I get hands free phone and also lighter in weight.
Facebook group is very helpful only reason I use Facebook.
kazste said:
Have had two elise s's (non supercharged) and now own a europa. 7 years old and 20000 miles and it feels lovely, moves around more than the elise which may be due to the much higher power but also gives you a bit of confidence as the elise just holds and holds and then snaps very quickly.
So far not had too many issues and replaced the stereo for a Bluetooth alpine unit, means I get hands free phone and also lighter in weight.
Facebook group is very helpful only reason I use Facebook.
That made me laugh. It's the only reason I use Facebook too.. and I don't even own a Europa (yet). Very helpful group and nice people too.So far not had too many issues and replaced the stereo for a Bluetooth alpine unit, means I get hands free phone and also lighter in weight.
Facebook group is very helpful only reason I use Facebook.
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