S2 Elise...

[_leon_ 0]

Have read people saying they either like them or dislike them - but I've just been out with a friend in one - and by goodness its fantastic. Its had the exhaust and induction changed (probably more for sound than anything else), suspension (now stiffer and slightly lower) and tyres (sticky semi slicks) changed from new - it sounds awesome, handles like its on rails, accelerates very quickly indeed and with the addition of being able to have the roof down - its an awesome toy. i want one!

 

Anybody else tried one?

[Andy665 0]

Wifes ex-husband had a VX220 Turbo with Ohlins suspension and a re-map to about 245-250bhp that I drove a few times. All of your comments but a fair bit more shove. Tried it when it was on original suspension and it was a bit soft but the Ohlins transformed it.

[dinkus 10]

I fell in love with the Elise the first time I drove an S2 - they really are sublime to drive, if a little basic inside. It had the aforementioned engine/exhaust tweaks, although I think it was standard suspension.

 

Then I drove a Toyota powered S2 Exige at Silverstone the other week - it was just a driver experience day, but it re-ignited the love and much better with more grunt from the Toyo engine. They look like sex even when they're parked up too, let alone when they're moving.

 

If only I had £25k kicking about, I'd grab myself a year-old one. Once you've bought one, the depreciation is pretty reasonable and the running costs for most things are minimal too.

[_leon_ 0]

surprised this thread has received such a poor response. actually i'm probably not

 

yeah i know a chap who chose a vx220 over the elise. he seems to be very happy. i can't say i feel the lust factor at all with the vx220 though

 

interesting about the exige - i always thought i'd prefer an exige, but today has left me unsure. having the open top is 8). this elise was a k-series rover engine - so i've yet to see what the toyota engine is like. read they both have their pros and cons (what doesnt). i've been on the track as a passenger in this elise and i can't say anything negative about it. the exige is a little heavier, esp the air con models so no doubt the extra go in the toyota engine is needed.

 

the exiges hold their value very well indeed - i'm sure the costs (repayments vs project costs/fixes) equal out and i'm already thinking next year of having one. scotland seems to have quite a large owners club and they go on several annual trips round scotland, europe etc etc - 30-50 of them at a time... sounds great!

[dinkus 10]

My boss at the last place I worked used to own an S2 Elise, so have heard quite a bit about them without actually owning one myself.

 

If you're getting an Exige - get an A/C one because they get like a sauna inside without it (hence why they fitted it to an otherwise minimalist car).

 

I know what you mean with the top-down Elise action in the summer, but they leak like a biatch in the rain and putting the roof on/off is a faff.

 

As far as running costs, the everyday stuff is pretty reasonable - it's only a 1.8 (Toyota engines may be 2.0, not sure) and weigh bugger-all, so cheap as chips on fuel. The engine servicing costs are what you'd expect for a mass-market, unstressed small engine (i.e. also bugger all). Having said that - if you can stretch to one of the newer Toyota engined ones, do it because the K-series engines have a habit of popping head gaskets (usually due to people thrapping them from cold, but if you're buying second hand you' don't know). Plus the T engine has more go :norty:

 

Even driving like a loon, you still get good mileage out of the tyres, because again, it weighs so little.

 

However, in rather the same fashion as a Corrado - any interior/bodywork bits are expensive - they're made in small numbers and have a Lotus badge on them. Brakes and drivetrain bits can also be expensive, but not horrifically so and they don't tend to break much (from what I've heard).

 

I think the biggest Lotus owners' club is the South East one - SELOC and have a very good forum. Most of the owners are alright, but be aware that quite a few owners are twats too :lol:

[Jim 2]

Was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to thrap an Elise round the test track at Lotus's factory in Norfolk a few years ago. It was an absolute blast and do clearly remeber at the time just how much quicker it felt than my 2.0 16v Corrado, and just how much better it handled.

 

I guess it lacks somewhat on the practicality front but i'd certainly never turn one down if I had the chance to own it.. the only thing I disliked about it was how much of a fart it was to get in and out of! Very low slung, very cramped cabin... but definately a lot of fun :)

[dinkus 10]

Your arthritis giving you jip again Jim? :lol:

 

But yeah, you will never be able to get out of an Elise gracefully. Getting in quickly can be mastered if you get the hang of the Dukes of Hazzard style entry technique that's needed :lol:

[Andy665 0]

The series 2 Exige has a removable roof panel unlike the fixed one in the series 1, definitely prefer the looks and more hardcore nature of the Exige, even more desirable in series 1 guise

[dinkus 10]

Ah cool, didn't realise you could whip the top out of the S2 Exige! Even less reason to get an Elise then! :lol:

 

I prefer the more evil look of the S2 over the S1, not to mention the more powerful Toyota engine, but wouldn't complain at either :)

[_leon_ 0]

Yeah I've been looking at the Elise manual and have seen the radiator and matrix is under the front clam, meaning all the coolant pipes run along the sills - therefore making the cabin pretty hot with hard driving. Also had a good nosy round the engine section in the boot of the Elise - its pretty crampt in there to do work (unlike the g60 bay!) and I think you'd be removing the 2 rear undertrays for a lot of jobs. To get the front clam off theres 13 or 14 bolts to remove - not something you'd have to do very often mind. Suspension is a doddle to change yourself - and I think you could do most jobs yourself. Bodywork like mentioned above could be expensive. An example is the rear stretch of glass (behind the head rests) will cost around £500 to change due to the fact a bonded section of bodywork needs to be dealt with - hopefully no paint would get damaged in the process... I think my friend said he'd spent around £2-3k in the last 3 years of ownership on wheels, induction, suspension and exhaust mods. The rest is servicing, fuel, tyres and pads! Probably less than what I spend on the g60 since I literally never stop working on it/building it up.

 

Same friend has 2 sets of wheels - one for track with track tyres - one for road use. Not cheap, but makes sense. Interestingly, the brake discs are quite large (diameter I'm not sure of) but are single piston. And theres absolutely no braking issues.

 

Practicality - its not a replacement for the Corrado. I think the C actually does very well as a daily car. The Elise/Exige is a fun car and for the daily grind you would ideally need a boring car to do the chores in. But then thats what the gf wants so its a win win situation ;) And unfortunately she hates the Corrado... Although in a year I'll say fortunately... ;)

 

Exige vs Elise. Not heard of roof leaking issues - but I think I could put up with it - I wouldnt take it out in the rain but granted you could easily get caught in it, esp in Scotland. Driving with the roof off only adds to the fun factor - think I could really regret not having the soft top. Sure you can remove the roof panel - but its not something you can change at will on the road - if youve stuff in the boot - where would it go? The Exige IS the better looking brother though....

 

And Jim the Elise (K-series) felt a good bit quicker and sharper than my g60 :(

[dinkus 10]

Yeah, the brakes are only 1-pots and not particularly large, but as they've got so little weight to stop, do still work extremely well.

 

I think the S2's roof is far better than the S1 was, but not entirely sure if it's perfect. I'm no real expert tho, I'd have a peruse of the SELOC forums for more detailed info.

 

Definitely would be a second car though - use the C as the grand tourer and the Elise/Exige as a weekend toy and/or track weapon :)

[_leon_ 0]

track weapon ;) actually, it was more fun on the b roads than my C.

[_leon_ 0]

Went for a test drive in an 111R today. Totally different to a Corrado and not really comparable. Loved it - thought it was excellent fun - steering, cockpit layout and positioning, grip (lush) etc etc etc. had a few gripes though: the high clutch, brakes weren't as good as I was anticipating (but I'm putting it down to courtyard time - plus read below for an on-track account) and the toyota engine... i didn't particularly like how it lacked torque from under 6k then went comparatively wild on the 2nd cam. Going to try an older Elise with a KSeries engine as they apparently have more torque on offer and don't hike up in power towards the latter end of the rev range.

 

On track though - went out in one and the braking ability (new pads) was blinding. I am sure my Corrado didn't go round the corners that quickly :( Met ColinT from ScottishVAG in his Mk2 1.8T too - I can see why so many people put them in Mk2s and Corrados - his car was flying!

[_leon_ 0]

s1 elise with an i-vtec engine fitted - what a brute.

[speedtwelve 0]

Was planning to buy an S1 Elise instead of my Corrado but was put off by horror stories of idiots backing into the GRP clamshells in Tesco carparks.

 

Haven't driven an S2, but have 'tested' an S1 Sport 135 and VX220T. The Elise was everything I hoped it would be, the single best handling road car I've ever driven. They are almost devoid of inertia, the steering is so direct, and chassis response instant. The Elise brakes were good, very easy to modulate. I thought the Sport 135 to be a little underpowered; I expect the standard 118 bhp probably feels pretty gutless.

 

The VX220 Turbo was like trying to steer a car bomb explosion. It is seriously, properly fast. Steering is great, brakes are just adequate I felt. I got back in my Mk2 Golf GTI afterwards and nearly crashed it pitching it into a roundabout at VX220 speeds.

 

I plan to go either Elise/VX220T/Rover V8-engined TVR to replave my Corrado. Given the choice of Elise/VX220T I'd go for the Vauxhall, as with boost-tweaks it'll go faster than the world with most of the 'Elise' qualities still intact.

[_leon_ 0]

Tried an S1 Elise today - not sure what model number/name - but it was the basic 118bhp models. Thought the power was poor - felt ridiculously slow after stepping out of my G60. So if you thought the 135 was underpowered... Could try a 160 but they're not that common around here. The feeling of the brakes was dreadful. It had been sitting in a garage so the brakes weren't at their best, but still... - a friend told me I would be shocked but you get used to them apparently... Again braking was very unlike the one I was out on track with. Steering is a lot lighter than that of the S2 - not sure I liked that - quite liked the heavier handling.

 

Not tried a VX220T - they unfortunately don't do it for me. I think I'll try one to get a balanced view though.

 

Just a Kseries S2 left to try. Got to admit - the interior of the S1 I seen today was really shabby. My 16 year old Corrado looks countless times better by comparison. Got me thinking - next time round I'll pay the extra for a newer car already in fantastic condition. The garage said that going by the book - a Corrado G60 would fetch £750! Jokers. Then said, hmm we'd give you maybe up to £2k for it. Ahem, cya...