What Elise S1 to get?

[Church of Noise]

So, I've been looking at S1 Elises for quite a while.

Here's the situation: I currently have an Alfa 156 1.9 jtd sportwagon as a daily driver, yet only do around 6k-8k miles a year.
Being 28 and single, there is no reason for me to have such a large car.
Besides the Alfa, I have 2 MGBs that require some attention and as such, will be off the road for a bit (there's a '65 RHD roadster that's been fiddled with and a bog standard '74 RHD GT V8 that will probably be sold). I live in Belgium, so cars tend to be LHD over here...

So, for the plan: I'm seriously considering getting a S1 Lotus Elise, as I have had a soft spot for them since day 1. They are obviously rather rare and I want a good one, so the question I have boils down to:
- Is an Elise a good daily driver (considering I don't do a lot of miles)?
- Would I be better off sourcing a RHD or LHD one? The MGBs are RHD, so that doesn't necessarily bother me, would it bother me in day-to-day traffic? The RHD examples seem better value when compared to LHD examples as well...

Thanks in advance

Edited by Church of Noise on Wednesday 24th November 12:53

[MattyB_]

Perfectly fine daily drivers - I used an S1 Sport 160 practically every day for 2 years, no problems, but the 111S is the best choice as a daily. Won't be as practical as the Alfa, but as an ex-Alfa owner myself, I can tell you the Elise will be infinately more fun, so if you don't need the practicality, get the Elise. Now.

[MiniDiva]

I drove my S1 111S every day for about 2 years, and it's perfectly manageable (maybe a slightly warped perspective being used to it and all)

Things that made it a little tiring at times was when it was peeing with rain. You'll see a lot of posts about the roof leaking, and they will, but the extent will depend on things such as how and where you park it (up/down hill/lots of side wind), having your windows adjusted so there is minimal gap, re-proofing the roof annually - this makes SO much difference, using a shower cap - this is a great solution, but a complete PITA rolling it up when it's soaking and windy, if you have a hard top - I did in the end and it really did make it 20x more civilised - you may think hard tops are expensive, but you'll barely lose ANY money on them - I think I made money on mine! It also made a huge difference garaging it every night - helps keep it dry and clean, and definitely reduced the morning steam-up of the windscreen!

saying that, other people will not do any of that and will be perfectly happy too - they can all vary so much.

If you're doing very short trips, then maybe it's not ideal to use daily, but it's fine in normal traffic - in bad traffic it can get a little hot so just make sure you keep an eye on the gauge.

You'll be forever having to train your passengers on how to get in and out, screaming at them to not pull on the windscreen or slam the door, and apologise each time you grab their knee. And you'll have to think twice about carrying 'larger' passengers - I accidentally took someone as passenger I shouldn't have. He squeezed in which was OK, but then I had to push him back out of the gap then pick them up off the pavement!!

I loved the torque of the K-series, it really was a fantastic little car. My heart lies with the S2 exige though - that's how it all started, and that's what I'm back in now. Love it!

[Sammyturbo]

I use a S160 every day and if you can live with getting in and out procedure you should go for it !!