Would I regret moving on?

[J__D]

I currently have a Lotus Elise S, bought it new 3 years ago. I've put on about 7k miles in those 3 years, and debating whether it's time to move on.

I love how it looks, how it drives and find it suitably fast for road use. The engine is a bit bland and it isn't as usable as it could be, these are my only two issues.

I've been thinking about whether I should sell and move to something else more usable (e.g. being able to use properly in the winter, business meetings requiring a suit, no parking worries / being able to get in and out) - the only real option that I would consider is a Z4 35is (I couldn't put any more money into the purchase, so limited to £30k) and it ticks a number of boxes, its fast, has a nice engine, electric roof and usable in all the above situations - however I don't know if I'd regret moving on from the Elise, which is more special / feels more special when driving it and less mainstream. As I bought it new its the right colour / spec and I know it's been treated well, so wouldn't want to sell it and then find a way to come back with a different Elise if I decided I missed it.

Has anyone made a similar move and regretted it or made the move and not looked back?

[Krikkit]

Instead of punting on the Elise could you buy a cheap saloon for the winter months? Something totally opposite like a comfy Volvo or Mondeo etc would make a nice counterpoint and can be had and run cheaply enough.

I suspect the Z4 will be better day-to-day, but won't tick that same box when you're on the perfect road and want something sportier.

[KevinCamaroSS]

I have driven neither car, but, one is a pure driver's car, the other is a mass-produced, slightly lardy sporty model.

[kambites]

It's probably worth noting that you've owned the Elise through the only bit of its life where it will actually depreciate. Given that it will most likely be worth about the same in ten years that it is now, most other cars are likely to be much more expensive to run than the Elise.

I'd expect buying a cheap (but decent) practical car to run along-side the Elise to result in a considerably lower total cost of ownership than selling the Elise and forking out £30k on a Z4 or similar.

[krisdelta]

I've driven a Mk1 Elise extensively and had a Z4M (which I think is lighter and far more focussed than the newer 35i), the Elise is night and day better (except maybe engine character). You'd likely regret it the first time you were pressing on, not feeling what the tyres were really doing. If you need another car - then either chop in for an older one + something sensible, or shed it / zipcar if you're in a city

[Byker28i]

kambites said:

It's probably worth noting that you've owned the Elise through the only bit of its life where it will actually depreciate. Given that it will most likely be worth about the same in ten years that it is now, most other cars are likely to be much more expensive to run than the Elise.

I'd expect buying a cheap (but decent) practical car to run along-side the Elise to result in a considerably lower total cost of ownership than selling the Elise and forking out £30k on a Z4 or similar.

I'm guessing that with only 7k miles in three years it's not his primary transport.
I cant see a Z4 being a good replacement for a focussed sports car like the lotus

Edited by Byker28i on Thursday 15th June 09:54

[NicGTI]

As mentioned above, if you can afford and have space for two cars, definitely keep the Elise and buy something auto and wafty - for example:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[havoc]

Byker28i said:

I can see a Z4 being a good replacement for a focussed sports car like the lotus

The Mk2? Not by its reputation...

OP - you can fettle the car slightly to give the engine more character - there are decent induction and sports exhausts for the 'yota 1.8 motor (assuming it's that engine) which will make it sound fruitier without being too loud/anti-social/boomy. But do your research first. Might also be worth investigating a piggy-back ECU to change the engine map - that engine is VERY linear - just have a think what you'll want to get out of it.
(Total cost ~£1,000 - much less than the dep'n you'll suffer on swapping cars)

Practicality / wear a suit - a chap who worked for me commuted daily in a VX220T, and a colleague years ago had a Mk2 Elise which he drove to work in from time to time. It's not an ideal car but I've seen people use worse - maybe you just need to give yourself a little talking to?!?

More seriously - depends on what exactly you want from the car - there's a surprising gulf in the market at the moment between Lotus and the 'mainstream' competition, with the only real stepping-stones being the Cayman/Boxster, the GT86 (which again needs a little fettling to get the best from it) and maybe the (much heavier) 370Z. The alternative is to buy an older motor as a weekend toy, but the risk there is you molly-coddle it as much as it sounds like you already do to the Elise...

[Byker28i]

sorry edited - should have said can't see a Z4....

[J__D]

Yes forgot to add we use the wife's car as the daily / shopping car - I use the train for commuting so don't use it for normal journey's only for meetings which are out of the way of my usual commute.

I've also thought about depreciation points, albeit I'd probably get a z4 at about the £20-25k mark, and I don't think they'd drop too much, nevertheless the Elise won't lose anything close to it I'm sure.

[zebra]

J__D said:

I currently have a Lotus Elise S, bought it new 3 years ago. I've put on about 7k miles in those 3 years, and debating whether it's time to move on.

I love how it looks, how it drives and find it suitably fast for road use. The engine is a bit bland and it isn't as usable as it could be, these are my only two issues.

I've been thinking about whether I should sell and move to something else more usable (e.g. being able to use properly in the winter, business meetings requiring a suit, no parking worries / being able to get in and out) - the only real option that I would consider is a Z4 35is (I couldn't put any more money into the purchase, so limited to £30k) and it ticks a number of boxes, its fast, has a nice engine, electric roof and usable in all the above situations - however I don't know if I'd regret moving on from the Elise, which is more special / feels more special when driving it and less mainstream. As I bought it new its the right colour / spec and I know it's been treated well, so wouldn't want to sell it and then find a way to come back with a different Elise if I decided I missed it.

Has anyone made a similar move and regretted it or made the move and not looked back?

Don't sell the Lotus; invest in Larini!

[anonymous-user]

J__D said:

Yes forgot to add we use the wife's car as the daily / shopping car - I use the train for commuting so don't use it for normal journey's only for meetings which are out of the way of my usual commute.

I've also thought about depreciation points, albeit I'd probably get a z4 at about the £20-25k mark, and I don't think they'd drop too much, nevertheless the Elise won't lose anything close to it I'm sure.

Oh the z4 will continue to lose a fair chunk of cash from 25k for sure. Likely be worth 12-14k in 3 years from now.

[J__D]

havoc said:

The Mk2? Not by its reputation...

OP - you can fettle the car slightly to give the engine more character - there are decent induction and sports exhausts for the 'yota 1.8 motor (assuming it's that engine) which will make it sound fruitier without being too loud/anti-social/boomy. But do your research first. Might also be worth investigating a piggy-back ECU to change the engine map - that engine is VERY linear - just have a think what you'll want to get out of it.
(Total cost ~£1,000 - much less than the dep'n you'll suffer on swapping cars)

Practicality / wear a suit - a chap who worked for me commuted daily in a VX220T, and a colleague years ago had a Mk2 Elise which he drove to work in from time to time. It's not an ideal car but I've seen people use worse - maybe you just need to give yourself a little talking to?!?

More seriously - depends on what exactly you want from the car - there's a surprising gulf in the market at the moment between Lotus and the 'mainstream' competition, with the only real stepping-stones being the Cayman/Boxster, the GT86 (which again needs a little fettling to get the best from it) and maybe the (much heavier) 370Z. The alternative is to buy an older motor as a weekend toy, but the risk there is you molly-coddle it as much as it sounds like you already do to the Elise...

Yep the 1.8 supercharged engine - I have a TRD intake already and a 2bular exhaust, which I've had since new, but as with most 4cyl, you can only really wrap it in glitter. I had a Cayman S before it, which sounded much better, but that was about the only thing that was better than the Elise, and therefore couldn't go back to a 987, even a Boxster. Would quite like 981 Boxster S, but just about out of budget really, and want more power than a base Boxster.

Regarding the suit wearing situation, its not about comfort, I can deal with that, my issue is ripping them getting in and out (I speak from experience) - also the Elise being in orange too, is a bit too flashy for meetings.

I had previously debated going in the opposite direction and getting a Morgan 3 wheeler or similarly random, but expect I'd end up using it even less making it a bit of a pointless move.

[NicGTI]

lord trumpton said:

Oh the z4 will continue to lose a fair chunk of cash from 25k for sure. Likely be worth 12-14k in 3 years from now.

Maybe a 20i would be worth that but there's a 7 year old Z4 35is, the model OP mentioned, on Auto Trader selling for £18k......

[anonymous-user]

NicGTI said:

Maybe a 20i would be worth that but there's a 7 year old Z4 35is, the model OP mentioned, on Auto Trader selling for £18k......

I stand corrected

[NicGTI]

lord trumpton said:

I stand corrected

Still a bit much for a hairdressers car, even if it does come with a 6 cyl turbo engine!

I think an MX5 that had been fettled by the guys at BBR GTI would be a good option, if I were looking at fast convertibles!

http://www.bbrgti.com/

[J__D]

NicGTI said:

Still a bit much for a hairdressers car, even if it does come with a 6 cyl turbo engine!

I think an MX5 that had been fettled by the guys at BBR GTI would be a good option, if I were looking at fast convertibles!

http://www.bbrgti.com/

I have never desired an MX5 ever, I just couldn't persuade myself to buy one unfortunately, even though I do like what it tries to do as a car!

[dave87]

A Boxster or Cayman perhaps? £30k would get you into a very early 981 Boxster (just?) and a 987 Gen II Cayman.

[havoc]

J__D said:

Yep the 1.8 supercharged engine - I have a TRD intake already and a 2bular exhaust, which I've had since new, but as with most 4cyl, you can only really wrap it in glitter. I had a Cayman S before it, which sounded much better, but that was about the only thing that was better than the Elise, and therefore couldn't go back to a 987, even a Boxster. Would quite like 981 Boxster S, but just about out of budget really, and want more power than a base Boxster.

Regarding the suit wearing situation, its not about comfort, I can deal with that, my issue is ripping them getting in and out (I speak from experience) - also the Elise being in orange too, is a bit too flashy for meetings.

I had previously debated going in the opposite direction and getting a Morgan 3 wheeler or similarly random, but expect I'd end up using it even less making it a bit of a pointless move.

Engines - I really like the sound of the Type-R's I've owned but I know exactly what you mean...and the 'yota has never had the soul of a Honda motor, despite being very effective.

If you couldn't go back to a 987S, then there's nothing else out there that would be an 'in-between' (save an older Noble, which probably has the same 'flaws' for your requirements as the Elise).
- V6 Exige is too much £££ still (lovely as they look to be)
- Cayman-R may be worth a test-drive - they're appreciating (and will continue to do so), they're a LITTLE more focused than the stock 987S, and they're late enough in the prod cycle that the main flaws with the 3.4 motor have been fixed. Get one with a/c though...
- Maybe a late-model TVR if in budget? Sagaris' are stratospheric now but the T350's might be worth a look and the Tamora is unloved but capable...
- How sorted are the Ginetta road cars?!?


...otherwise you:-
- change tack completely and accept you're not going to have something as engaging as the Elise*; or
- you get a cheaper 'hack' for the times you need the practicality / lack of ostentation. Something like a 6-cyl E46 or early E90 is very cheap now but still quite fun for a daily...or if you can live with another 4-cyl an old EP3 Type R is a bargain, as are the non-R26 MeganeSports.


* I think this would be a mistake, given that most modern stuff is only really engaging when you're thraping it, and most modern "performance" metal has more power than you need, meaning you're risking a BIG speeding ticket every time you want to have fun...I was going to suggest an E92 M3 as a good, semi-analogue change of direction, but my last sentence makes me pause before doing so...

[tankplanker]

Exige would be the next logical step up but you aren't going to find that any easier to get in or out of in a suit. I'd suggest an Evora and you could probably negotiate an early NA example for £30k.