OT - Lotus Elises

[Rawhide 0]

Well much as I hate depreciation it does make dreams come true :lol:

 

I've been noticing Lotus Elises are now affordable. However I don't know a hell of a lot about them. I love the corrado but I fancy something impracticle. I have an insurance payout for a broken back coming my way and I fancy something stupid.

 

I've allways loved the looks of Elises and I like the simplicity of them. I've been looking on the net and I can't find any forums about them.

 

Can any of you guys provide any info about them? Sort of stuff I'm interested in is model changes, power hikes, variable valve intoductions etc..

 

I know they're totally impracticle but I do a very low mileage so can probably live with it.

 

How well do these things last? It's a Rover K series engine right?

 

Thanks!

[Rawhide 0]

Also - IMPORTANT, how low are they? I live in London and my VR6 (standard suspension) is ok with speedbumps but only just!

[Guest]

Yes all 1.8 litre K series engines apart from latest Toyota engined models. Although very simple mechanically, build quality on S1 models was pretty ropey - however by now most problems should have been identified. Early models ran with aluminium brakes to reduce weight but these reverted to steel at some point (not sure when). From what I've read, forget mileage and age - buy on condition and history - your best bet is probably to try http://www.seloc.co.uk which is the Lotus Enthusiasts Club - early normally aspirated VX220's are creeping down to the 13k mark - probably a better all rounder if you can stretch to it, their forum is at http://www.vx220.org.uk

[corradovr6sc 0]

found a link with specs etc :

 

http://www.lotuseliseworld.com

[Rawhide 0]

Thanks Andy, google it seems is my friend and I've found a link from Autotrader thats got me on the research trail. Thanks for the links.

 

Ideally I'd like to spend around the 10-11k mark.

 

Not a big fan of vauxhalls though I appreciate the 220 is a good car.

[Jimjam 0]

Although they do not have the same prestige as the Lotus, the Vauxhall would be a much better car to live with day to day.

 

Also they don't carry quite the premium the Lotus's (Lotii?) do, so you will certainly get more car for your money.

[gradeAfailure 0]

If you get the VX220, just badge it as an Opel, slightly less embarassing than a Vauxhall...! :)

[GIXXERUK 0]

the elise is a go cart , i dont mean that in a bad way either, if you sit in the elise your elbow is about the height of the door sill,so it might not be a good idea if you've broke your back , still love em tho

[chrishill 0]

I've seen a vx220 with a badgeless grille, makes quite a big difference to the front end not having that big chrome 'V' on it. De-badge the rear and i bet 50% of people would be none the wiser that its actually a vauxhall!

 

by the power of google!

bit pricey at £275 though!

 

to me the vx220 has the edge over the early elise in terms of looks, and i would imagine build quality too. IIRC underneith they're pretty much the same car are they not?

[bristolbaron 10]

I love the corrado but I fancy something impracticle.

 

You've picked the right car if your over 6ft!!

I'm 6'2" and had to wedge myself into the thing!! no room to move once you're in either.

Personally I'm not too keen on the looks of the car, but handling is AMAZING!! It is like a go kart, in a really really fun way!!!

[gibber 0]

I know quite a bit on these as I have to work on my friends quite a lot.

 

Are you after a series 1 or 2?

 

The prices on the s2 seem to be dropping more than the S1, but the s2 is more livable.

[Scruffythefirst 0]

to me the vx220 has the edge over the early elise in terms of looks, and i would imagine build quality too. IIRC underneith they're pretty much the same car are they not?

 

Except it hasn't got an engine with a headgasket made of cheese.

[mrbeige 0]

Except it hasn't got an engine with a headgasket made of cheese

 

:lol:

[RACK 0]

Yeah the headgaskets let go all too often. My younger brother has an MGF with the K-Series engine and he had to have it done when it went on the motorway.

[dinkus 10]

to me the vx220 has the edge over the early elise in terms of looks, and i would imagine build quality too. IIRC underneith they're pretty much the same car are they not?

 

Except it hasn't got an engine with a headgasket made of cheese.

 

:lol: That's what you get from putting a Rover *shudder* engine in a sports car.

 

In fairness, apart from the badge on the front, the VX is a better car, but I still prefer the looks of the S2 Elise...

[Geo 0]

The rover k series engine is notorious in the trade for headgasket problems. And when the gasket goes it's worse than in most cars as you have to get the valves re seated or else the car won't run properly when you put it back together. The problem is that the cooling system only contains something like 2 litres of water so if any leaks out it's a disaster straight away, oh, and the coolant level warning sensor is mounted too low in the header tank so when it comes in it's already too late.

[Rawhide 0]

Cheers guys. Thats why I posted on here, I like getting honest neutral feedback rather than baised info.

 

I've seen that you can upgrade the gasket which might help. But I'm not keen on preventative head gasket changes on a new toy. As I live in London the engine will run hot so I imagine this is also not good

 

I'm 6.1 but cars are a luxury to me so provided I can fit alls good. I guess the only way to find out is to get in one.

 

I must admit I'm being won over by the VX220. They have 2.2l engines do they not? Surely they would slaughter the elise in performance or does the extra weight and slower reving engine play it's part?

 

Noone has mentioned the ride height? How bad are they? I think I've seen an elise creeping over the bumps on my street before.

 

I would prefer an S2 purely because it has more of the problems of the S1 ironed out. That said a well cared for (properly maintained) S1 would be fine, but I don't think I could afford one of the Toyota engined models.

[gibber 0]

You need to get the 111s then which will be the VVC engine.

 

On about head gaskets, the lotus's arnt ment to suffer as much because they arnt under the same loading!

[dinkus 10]

The VX220s come with either a 2.2 Normally aspirated, or 2.0 turbo engine. The 2.0 is the quicker of the two and is the version that's won all the magazine 'best drive' awards. And in standard tune, it's also (slightly) quicker than the Elise.

 

Of course, if you've got £15k extra to throw at it, you could always get one of these put into it 8)

[Jimjam 0]

If we're talking silly money (and zero practicality), how about a Radical SR? Holds the record for a road car round the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

 

They're developing a new engine - two Kawasaki (I think?) engines fused together to form a V8 - 370(ish) bhp so far.

 

Have a listen. Click Here and Here

[Rawhide 0]

Yeah yeah.. somehow I don't think my budget will stretch that far!

[willwoll100 0]

If you can handle a souless sound track then go and get one, I only had mine for 6 months but the sound was embarrassing especially when a old guy asked me to blip it :oops: So I bought something a whole lot louder :twisted:

[Rawhide 0]

So I see from your sig..

 

I must admit much as I love the laziness of the VR6 I think on the whole I'm a revs man. I think a TVR vs a Honda S2000 are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The most fun I've ever had driving is in a Honda CRX SRi (160hp) on my own at night. I'd love a big bore TVR but I'd probably not choose one.

 

I'm not too fussed how it sounds.. as long as it goes well and is fun to drive. I think the Lotus would fit the bill pretty well. Either way I'll be test driving one soon to be sure.

[bcstudent 0]

My mate paid £16k for a mint 51-reg, 4000 mile, Series 2 Elise with the Race Tech option pack last summer. It's a laugh on a sunny day but has zero practicality - you have to unbolt a body panel to fill the screen wash bottle for God's sake! Don't get me started about the wind-noise with the soft top on....

 

The ground clearance isn't that bad though and it can get over the vicious speed bumps on the way to my house with no bother. I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the performance overall. The exhaust note is also, as others have mentioned, absolutely poxy.

 

As for the comment about the Elise build quality being inferior to that of the VX220...they're built in the same factory, just south of Norwich, by the same workers. I would expect build quality to be similarly poor.

 

Just my 2p.

[dinkus 10]

Well if you want revs and power, you want something (anything) with one of the Hybusa Turbo engines in it. Revs to something silly and goes like absolute stink.

 

And my boss has a S2 Elise with the factory option sports exhaust on it and it sounds nice and meaty.