Tell Me About Elise S2 Running Costs?

[TheDetailDoctor]

I keep coming back to this.

I'm after something interesting for the daily commute, 5 miles B roads, 20 miles m/way.

It would appear a low(ish) mileage Elise S2 ticks the "interesting" box, and looking around, it should be possible to get more that 40mpg out of one.

My question is... what are the service intervals/costs like? Any perpetual problems I should look out for?

[STEVEY_SC]

Depends:

Rover Elise S2 (before 2005) - pretty reliable apart from HGF.
Toyota Elise S2 (after 2005) - very reliable, servicing every 9k miles.

If all you do is drive it on the road then its pretty cheap (servicing is a few hundred quid). If you track it then it costs substantially more, normally because of tyres and brake pads.

[The Bandit]

Mine(Toyota powered S)now goes to a local independant, 1 year/9000 mile service is £160.
I get the brake fluid changed every year and that is an extra £40.
Main dealer charges are now around £300 for doing both service/brake fluid.
40 mpg or thereabouts should be fine if you're cruising

Bear in mind you may get less mileage from tyres than a 'normal' car(depending on how you drive,trackdays etc).

[live ade]

K-series engine (based on running an S1). Expect 38mpg average, with 44 easily possible on a long run...all without being to easy on the car. Tyres last about 12k at the back in normal use and double that on the front.

Toyota engine (based on non 111R). more like 33-34mpg for normal running and 38 on a run. Tyres wear a little quicker. An atypical bill at a main dealer would be for service, front pads & 4 tyres... this comes in at £1k...it's usually more like 300-400 (main dealer) for the 9k service...depending on whether the brake fluid needs a change.

independant or DIY can obviously save a fair bit..depends on your capabilities.

I've used an Elise as an everday car for 10 years...it's well worth it !!

[VTECMatt]

Not an easy question, some years I have spent over £350pm but then I like to track the car and was replacing pads and oil every 3 months, Disks yearly..........

Is it new?

If so very little.

If it is an early 01/02 car and you don't track it, the cost is reasonable, budget £75pm. I would look for one which has had the Rad & Fans replaced with an Ally Rad,heater and check if the rack has play in it, all these jobs can soon get expensive. Anything over 50K mileage and you will need to start about replacing ball joints, bushes. HGF is always possible but by shopping around a proper repair can be had for a reasonable price.

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

live ade said:

it's usually more like 300-400 (main dealer) for the 9k service...depending on whether the brake fluid needs a change.

That really depends on the dealer, it only cost me £300 for 9k + Fluid + Geo and courtesy car for the whole day - cheaper than the indie that quoted me.

[SeanyD]

4 Years ownership of my k series s2, and maintenance costs seem to be working out at 500-1000 per annum on servicing and bits'n'bobs, although an independent warrant covers some of this.

Daily running costs are similar to our regular family car.