FROM A MINI TO AN ELISE!!
Discussion
Hi there!
I'm considering a slight change of day to day car...an old mini cooper, to a lotus elise....as I said....a bit of a change! Have looked into insurance and surprisingly it's not too bad.
I would be using it to drive to work each day, for fun at weekends, and for a trip to Edinburgh every few weeks.
As I'd be doing this on a relatively tight budget - what would you all suggest to look out for; and what are the pros and cons for my situation - would I enjoy the drive to work and a 3hr 30 drive to Edinburgh in it?
I look forward to your thoughts, suggestions, and tips!
Thanks in advance!
I'm considering a slight change of day to day car...an old mini cooper, to a lotus elise....as I said....a bit of a change! Have looked into insurance and surprisingly it's not too bad.
I would be using it to drive to work each day, for fun at weekends, and for a trip to Edinburgh every few weeks.
As I'd be doing this on a relatively tight budget - what would you all suggest to look out for; and what are the pros and cons for my situation - would I enjoy the drive to work and a 3hr 30 drive to Edinburgh in it?
I look forward to your thoughts, suggestions, and tips!
Thanks in advance!
Just did a quick scan on Autotrader, and 7k will JUST get you an s1, ie slightly older and/or slightly higher mileage.
Not that either of those matter provided its been looked after, FSH, documented history with receipts, enthusiast owned etc etc.
Not that either of those matter provided its been looked after, FSH, documented history with receipts, enthusiast owned etc etc.
Edited by SeanyD on Tuesday 11th August 16:23
As stated you will be looking at an S1 for that money. An S2 would be better for commuting but has less of a stripped out race car feel to it. I own an S1 and can't see myself getting rid as I am too attached; I am planning on a few things like the S2 suspension upgrade and probably a DVA Power upgrade at some point.
The standard S1 with the standard seats is hard on the arse, it has a higher sill making access more difficult, there is no A/C and the roof can be a pain in the arse.
I have done some long trips in mine with no problems and I am happy to put up with the above if it means I have something I can have a lot of fun in at the weekend. You can upgrade the seats if you find them a bit too uncomfortable.
The standard S1 with the standard seats is hard on the arse, it has a higher sill making access more difficult, there is no A/C and the roof can be a pain in the arse.
I have done some long trips in mine with no problems and I am happy to put up with the above if it means I have something I can have a lot of fun in at the weekend. You can upgrade the seats if you find them a bit too uncomfortable.
As Gangland says, a lot depends on how you apply yourself. I came to the Elise (S1) from motorbikes, so the leaking roof is still a luxury to me of which I am very grateful, and the seats feel like heaven compared to a bike after one hour....
Getting out can burn up some energy but you do get to learn the best method.
If you want one, get one.....impossible to regret, so long as you take the time to get a reliable one, of course!
Getting out can burn up some energy but you do get to learn the best method.
If you want one, get one.....impossible to regret, so long as you take the time to get a reliable one, of course!
Will you enjoy a drive to Edinburgh? No, probably not.
An S1 will cost you a bit more to run than the Mini and be a big step down in comfort and build quality.
You need to decide how much passion you have for driving. I'm still learning how to drive my car 3 years down the line and it's just the most satisfying thing. I can now jump in near any fwd car and find it numb, easy, boring to drive.
Only buy if you really want one to drive, not to just travel or pose.
I can't even begin to think what I would want instead this side of £50K.
An S1 will cost you a bit more to run than the Mini and be a big step down in comfort and build quality.
You need to decide how much passion you have for driving. I'm still learning how to drive my car 3 years down the line and it's just the most satisfying thing. I can now jump in near any fwd car and find it numb, easy, boring to drive.
Only buy if you really want one to drive, not to just travel or pose.
I can't even begin to think what I would want instead this side of £50K.
noodleman said:
Will you enjoy a drive to Edinburgh? No, probably not.
An S1 will cost you a bit more to run than the Mini and be a big step down in comfort and build quality.
You need to decide how much passion you have for driving. I'm still learning how to drive my car 3 years down the line and it's just the most satisfying thing. I can now jump in near any fwd car and find it numb, easy, boring to drive.
Only buy if you really want one to drive, not to just travel or pose.
I can't even begin to think what I would want instead this side of £50K.
Some excellent roads to Edinburgh, some perfect back roads. An S1 will cost you a bit more to run than the Mini and be a big step down in comfort and build quality.
You need to decide how much passion you have for driving. I'm still learning how to drive my car 3 years down the line and it's just the most satisfying thing. I can now jump in near any fwd car and find it numb, easy, boring to drive.
Only buy if you really want one to drive, not to just travel or pose.
I can't even begin to think what I would want instead this side of £50K.
Your find journey take much longer in the Elise as your take all the back roads!
Let me know if you need some back roads to Edinburgh LOL
You'll enjoy it, and you'll be fine with longer distances, but beware. At £7k you are near the bottom end of the market and on a tight budget you need to be very careful to do your research on all the bits that cost a lot of money to replace (wear and tear... tyres, brakes, suspension and linked components like ball joints/trackrod ends etc), and buy wisely. Get it checked before you buy etc. Read the buyers guide here and on SELOC, do some sensible calcs and make sure you have a slush fund of a grand or two just in case. Otherwise you may end up with an expensive garden ornament should big bills arrive.
S Works said:
You'll enjoy it, and you'll be fine with longer distances, but beware. At £7k you are near the bottom end of the market and on a tight budget you need to be very careful to do your research on all the bits that cost a lot of money to replace (wear and tear... tyres, brakes, suspension and linked components like ball joints/trackrod ends etc), and buy wisely. Get it checked before you buy etc. Read the buyers guide here and on SELOC, do some sensible calcs and make sure you have a slush fund of a grand or two just in case. Otherwise you may end up with an expensive garden ornament should big bills arrive.
Wise words even with my 2006 111R my Bills are Bonus (Credit crunch) zapping compared to hot hatches etc...There not cheap as hot hatches over a period of time...but worth it!
zooto said:
Really just started looking, hence the sweet shop statement
- budget of around £7000, and just hoping for the best I can get for that! All recommendations welcome.
Well, there is a sort of rule of thumb that says a good S1 costs £10K regardless of the purchase price. - budget of around £7000, and just hoping for the best I can get for that! All recommendations welcome.i.e. If you pay £6K you can expect to spend further to fix it, replace tyres, tired suspension, toe links etc.
Still, £7k should get you a starter, although I'm not sure this is the right time of year to be buying.
Edited by Strangely Brown on Tuesday 11th August 21:49
S1s seem to have been edging up with cars regularly near or over the £9k mark now for 120bhp models (111S, 135s and 160s cost more). As S Works says, £7k is at the bottom of the pile and the car may be in need of work (on the other hand you never know you're luck!). I've regularly repeated the £10k mantra and its worth bearing in mind the second half of the £10k rule - 'for every £1k under £10k that you spend you will spend £2k bringing the car up to scratch'.
In all honesty the engine may well be the least of your worries on an older Elise: the suspension will need stripping and rebuilding with new bushes etc at some point if its not been done, dampers don't last for ever (£500 upwards for a set), radiators are a weak point (if mine doesn't go this year I'll be replacing it in the winter anyway), Discs and pads all round will cost towards £400 for something half decent, the suspension geometry will probably need doing, etc, etc.
Remember these are old cars now and will probably have had some hard use at some time in their life. A well maintained one with everything as it should be is a joy to drive. If its not right you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.
You can keep costs down by doing the spannering yourself and for what they are the Elise is cheap to run. However, its not a mass produced hatch which will tolerate mistreatment.
In all honesty the engine may well be the least of your worries on an older Elise: the suspension will need stripping and rebuilding with new bushes etc at some point if its not been done, dampers don't last for ever (£500 upwards for a set), radiators are a weak point (if mine doesn't go this year I'll be replacing it in the winter anyway), Discs and pads all round will cost towards £400 for something half decent, the suspension geometry will probably need doing, etc, etc.
Remember these are old cars now and will probably have had some hard use at some time in their life. A well maintained one with everything as it should be is a joy to drive. If its not right you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.
You can keep costs down by doing the spannering yourself and for what they are the Elise is cheap to run. However, its not a mass produced hatch which will tolerate mistreatment.
Two examples of why you need to be careful at the bottom end of the market on the first page of the Autotrader on-line ads. Two cars there advertised as 111S. They're not!
There's also a low miles car which makes a virtue of the fact its still on the original dampers (not nice) and from the piccies is on a set of P-Zero tyres. So you can add say £1k to the price before we start really looking!
There's also a low miles car which makes a virtue of the fact its still on the original dampers (not nice) and from the piccies is on a set of P-Zero tyres. So you can add say £1k to the price before we start really looking!
Thanks everybody for your words of wisdom
I think the key to buying a car, is always to try and research as much as you possibly can, and try and buy the best example you can afford - hence asking for your advice!
Will keep you all posted on the progress. We will have great fun comparing it with our TVR Tuscan
I think the key to buying a car, is always to try and research as much as you possibly can, and try and buy the best example you can afford - hence asking for your advice!Will keep you all posted on the progress. We will have great fun comparing it with our TVR Tuscan
zooto said:
Thanks everybody for your words of wisdom I think the key to buying a car, is always to try and research as much as you possibly can, and try and buy the best example you can afford - hence asking for your advice!
Will keep you all posted on the progress. We will have great fun comparing it with our TVR Tuscan
Exaclty - I always end up going 20-30% above budget for a good example ! LOL I think the key to buying a car, is always to try and research as much as you possibly can, and try and buy the best example you can afford - hence asking for your advice!Will keep you all posted on the progress. We will have great fun comparing it with our TVR Tuscan
Edited by Stu_00 on Friday 14th August 09:34
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