Elise, VX220 or S2000?
Discussion
blindswelledrat said:
Ive worked out that for about 11k I can buy one of the above cars circa 2000-2001.
Use would be 2 miles daily to and from station and then weekend fun!
Any opinions?????
Elise. Unless insurance is a problem then the VX is the best. The S2000 I believe is a bit*h to insure.
Combover
blindswelledrat said:
Whats wrong with 11k elise?
It would be similar age/mileage to the VX220 from my brief forays into autotrader?
Are they not near-identical cars?
As it happens I was leaning towards the VX simply out of aesthetic preference but I'm curious as to your responses?
Nothing's wrong with it, per se, but I'd go for the one with the more reliable engine and gearbox, cheaper servicing, less niggles, arguably better build quality and easier softtop.
See profile for experience.
Harry, Rawr 
£11k? Should buy an A1 S1 Elise. The dogs are around £8k - £9k now. Christ, I only paid £13k for mine from a dealer and that was a B&C 160 version with £1500 hardtop, 1 previous owner and very low mileage.
The answer depends what you want it for. As an everyday car, I would be tempted by the S2000.
£11k? Should buy an A1 S1 Elise. The dogs are around £8k - £9k now. Christ, I only paid £13k for mine from a dealer and that was a B&C 160 version with £1500 hardtop, 1 previous owner and very low mileage.
The answer depends what you want it for. As an everyday car, I would be tempted by the S2000.
shnozz said:
Harry, Rawr
£11k? Should buy an A1 S1 Elise. The dogs are around £8k - £9k now. Christ, I only paid £13k for mine from a dealer and that was a B&C 160 version with £1500 hardtop, 1 previous owner and very low mileage.
The answer depends what you want it for. As an everyday car, I would be tempted by the S2000.
There's no such thing as an A1 Elise... with a K-Series (except perhaps Steve Butts's car but that's a nice exception). He's already stated that he wants it primarily for weekend fun so that pretty much rules out the S2000.
You could argue that the Elise will be more of a weekend thrasher than the VX220 but for real world giggles there aint that much in it between the two I'm afraid - but then everything's relative.
The VX220 will give you 95% fun of the Elise with 50% of the problems.
Rawwr said:
Harry, Rawr
£11k? Should buy an A1 S1 Elise. The dogs are around £8k - £9k now. Christ, I only paid £13k for mine from a dealer and that was a B&C 160 version with £1500 hardtop, 1 previous owner and very low mileage.
The answer depends what you want it for. As an everyday car, I would be tempted by the S2000.
There's no such thing as an A1 Elise... with a K-Series (except perhaps Steve Butts's car but that's a nice exception). He's already stated that he wants it primarily for weekend fun so that pretty much rules out the S2000.
You could argue that the Elise will be more of a weekend thrasher than the VX220 but for real world giggles there aint that much in it between the two I'm afraid - but then everything's relative.
The VX220 will give you 95% fun of the Elise with 50% of the problems.
Why do you keep buying Loti (sp?) without promoting them?
Rawwr said:
Harry, Rawr
£11k? Should buy an A1 S1 Elise. The dogs are around £8k - £9k now. Christ, I only paid £13k for mine from a dealer and that was a B&C 160 version with £1500 hardtop, 1 previous owner and very low mileage.
The answer depends what you want it for. As an everyday car, I would be tempted by the S2000.
There's no such thing as an A1 Elise... with a K-Series (except perhaps Steve Butts's car but that's a nice exception). He's already stated that he wants it primarily for weekend fun so that pretty much rules out the S2000.
You could argue that the Elise will be more of a weekend thrasher than the VX220 but for real world giggles there aint that much in it between the two I'm afraid - but then everything's relative.
The VX220 will give you 95% fun of the Elise with 50% of the problems.
furry muff. My experience is good as gold. But then I came from 4 years of TVRs.
blindswelledrat said:
Why do you keep buying Loti (sp?) without promoting them?
Because I liked them
I still maintain that the best Elise variant you can buy is an absolutely bog-standard S2 (K-Series). There are reasons for it too but I can't be arsed to explain myself now because I'm lazy.
I also have a lot of respect for the normally aspirated VX220 - it's a much, much sweeter car than it's bigger brother with the forced induction.
I don't always promote them because I'm not a single-marque fanboy. If the chap who started the thread had upped his budget a tad, I probably would've promoted the standard S2, however.
Rawwr said:
I also have a lot of respect for the normally aspirated VX220 - it's a much, much sweeter car than it's bigger brother with the forced induction.
Chap - can you explain this? Currently considering a VX Turbo, but £6k saved if I go the normally aspirated route, and it's not the first time someone has told me that they are nicer to drive...
Harry Flashman said:
I also have a lot of respect for the normally aspirated VX220 - it's a much, much sweeter car than it's bigger brother with the forced induction.
Chap - can you explain this? Currently considering a VX Turbo, but £6k saved if I go the normally aspirated route, and it's not the first time someone has told me that they are nicer to drive...
Drive both before you buy. I guess a lot of it is subjective but the VXT I mooched about it felt a bit more wallowy, a bit lazier and yet somehow a little more keen on killing me.
The response from the NA engine seemed 'just right' for the car. The chaps at www.vx220.org.uk will obviously know far more than me on the subject (and be a lot more biased)
Harry Flashman said:
Why would anyone want an S1 Elise over a VX220?
To own a lotus?
Surely everyone wants to at some stage?
And I don't mean a status thing I see them as a kind of benchmark for small sports cars.
Rawwr: Budget is not fixed. Is an S2 that much better?
The main reason I mentally said 11k is that I know I'll be perfectly happ with any of the options mentioned thus didnt see much point upping the budget.
I've never owned a good handling sports car so Im going to enjoy any of these but there is room for manouvre
shnozz said:
Why would anyone want an S1 Elise over a VX220?
A number of reasons that I cant be arsed to go into. In short, it suited my needs as a weekend only trackday and back road car. If I was using it daily, I would have bought either an S2 Elise or a VX220.
Fair cop Schnozzer, and I wasn't being rude. It's just that I have tried both series of Elise and a VX - and the S1 seems like a different generation of car to the S2 & VX (which I suppose it is). To me, the Vauxhall is a much better car (if not quite as sharp a driving tool) than a similarly priced S1 Elise.
Mind you, I have seen a few S2 Elises at £14k. That's mighty tempting...
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