which lotus elise?
daniel mason - 21/11/09 at 12:42 PM
i have been on the lookout for a new car for a while now and until the other day,an elise had never crossed my mind! that was until my mate bought a
mint 111s, with hard top. i do very little miles,(around 4k per year)and i could live with the fact they are noisy and somewhat uncomfortale. any long
journeys i can do in my parents car. my question is,that for between 9 and 10 grand which is the best model to go for? an older s1 with a higher spec
or would an s2 with perhaps lower spec and power be a better option. what are the potential drawbacks of an elise and what are common problems and
things to look out for? cheers
spelling edited. think the only lout is me.lol
[Edited on 21/11/09 by daniel mason]
scootz - 21/11/09 at 12:59 PM
I've owned an S2 Elise and Exige and I would say without any doubt that the best car at the sub-£10k point would be a VX220!
Not trying to be funny... I'e had a VX220 as well and it was every bit as good as the Elise, but without the price-tag. A rarer sight on the
roads too.
If it has to be a Lotus badged Lotus and not a Vauxhall badged Lotus, then the S2 for me every time if you can get one at the right money.
A1 - 21/11/09 at 01:10 PM
whats this louts elise? lol!
i was looking at them before i got the mk, i think the s1 is meant to be better, ie more hardcore...
paul the 6th - 21/11/09 at 01:18 PM
Hi mate,
I bought this: http://www.haynes.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=48303&langId=-1
/>
and having read it, a vx220 seems like a good buy if budget is an issue. After the s1, Lotus wanted to increase production but were unable to meet the
funding required for mass production type approval/safety requirements, so GM agreed to invest so long as they could have input the design of, and
access to the chassis (and many other components) in order to fit their own powertrain & bits to it.
The elise is regarded to be a real purists car. Where the vx220 is far from "an everyday car" it is said to be more civilised and a bit
easier to get in/out of. 
hope some of this helps.
If not vx220, go for an s2 elise, they look nicer! 
daniel mason - 21/11/09 at 03:03 PM
i do like the vx 220 also but its got the 2.2 motor which my current vectra sxi has. and altough its obviously a lot heavier than a vx,its far from
rapid! a great motorway cruiser though but gear ratios seem a bit high. are they different on the vx?
also it seems lotus have focused the elise on driving and vauxhall have not! a prime example bieng the 17" rims on the front of the vx for
"aesthetic" reasons when it sould have had 16" on the front like the elise. i would probably prefer the 2.0 turbo but fear its out of
my price range.
chris taylor - 21/11/09 at 03:16 PM
Buy a VX mate, sold mine this summer but had it for 4 years, only money I spent on it was servicing, what a superb car, better engine/box/brakes etc
than the Elise, personally I feel a better car all-round and far better value for your money,
Chris
scootz - 21/11/09 at 05:23 PM
Difference in handling is negligible... Entry / egress is equally difficult in both... The n/a VX220 is more rapid than most of the K-Series Elise
variants (which I suspect will be the only option in your budget range)... The only thing 'more civilized' about the VX220 is that it has an
airbag (a good thing in my book).
For me, if you're not fussed about the styling, then it's a no brainer... virtually the same car but a hell of a difference in price,
maintenance and insurance.
Buy one and you won't be dissapointed.
PS - The 'hardcore' legend of the S1 is really only something that S1 owners go on about. 'Hardcore' in old Lotus terms
perhaps... iffy build quality! The S2 is a proper evolution of the breed and is better in every respect than the S1 (all IMHO of course! ).
antonio - 21/11/09 at 06:14 PM
S1 sport 160
vx are not funny IMO
MikeRJ - 21/11/09 at 06:30 PM
S1 is the best looking car of them all IMO.
britishtrident - 21/11/09 at 06:43 PM
Early S1 was drop dead gorgeous.
Buy on condition only ---- don't fence yourself into a particular model.
zilspeed - 21/11/09 at 10:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Early S1 was drop dead gorgeous.
Buy on condition only ---- don't fence yourself into a particular model.
An original bog standard 118bhp S1.
What a fantastic thing.
I had the pleasure once many years ago.
A truly great thing to drive.