Thinking of getting an S1 , which is the pick of the bunch models wise. Is the S2 worth the extra money i prefer the look of the S1 and will be using it for a weekend / fun car?

Thanks

I chose my S2 over an S1 even though it's a weekend toy as it's more useable and I prefer the styling [/vain]. If you prefer the looks of the S1 and can live with it the go for it. They're lots of fun 8)

Mine's going in for a service and new tyres before a 2 week road trip round europe. Can't wait.

What is it about the s2 that you find more useable? Also would you go for a rover or toyota engine.

More sound deadening, seats which I can drive all day in, carpets and a stereo you can hear. Of course you can change all of these on an S1.

Pics of my S2 ST

One important difference nobody tells you is the heater is rubbish in the S2 making winter blasts with the top down not possible, while it is much stronger in the S1.

Sounds like you really want an S1 to me.

Cheaper just to get your penis enlarged 🙂

Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious 🙂

My dad got a VX220 Turbo. Not as good looking as an S1 or S2 and the chassis isn't quite as dialled but the 2.0 Turbo powerplant is big and bombproof. And it says 'Vauxhall' on the back instead of 'Lotus' so it's cheap.

stonemonkey,

I was looking to buy an S1 and ended up finding a S2 in my budget. Whilst I prefer the styling of the S2 over the S1 it is all subjective. I would still have had an S1 if I hadn't found my S2.
I was looking for a 111s (140+bhp, VVC K series engine) as I felt this offered the best of all worlds, quicker than a std engined car, relatively easy to fix (engine wise) if it goes pear shaped, and useable power on the road (ie not too high an output).
History is critical, find one with FSH, have it HPI'd (I nearly got caught out on that). Chassis condition is critical ie suspension mounts etc. Don't be put off by high mileage, mine has 86k on the clock and still looks great and is mechanically excellent.
Handling is better on the S2 however this can be retrofitted to an S1, roof is easier to fit on S2. I use mine all year and normally without weather gear, coming from a Caterham it is positively luxurious!!!

Whatever you get you will enjoy it. I love mine, not as raw as my 7 was (that had 320bhp/ton) but great fun in its own right and more practical, I have done 2 'Ring trips as well.

Loads more info here: http://www.seloc.org.uk

Anymore qustions please feel free to ask. If you are local to Leicestershire let me know and I'll take you out in it sometime.

Regards,
Matt.

unless you're going for the toyota powerplant leave the s2 alone IMHO. although it's not a fair comparison, cornering an s2 felt like driving on ice compared to my 'sorted' chimeara. maybe i got a dud, but it was loaned to me described by the spares guy at the tvr/lotus dealership as the 'most fun car'. maybe it was testament to the job they'd done on my car. just did not get on with it at all at speed.
111s is the best of the bunch from the s1 IMO. seriously considered getting one. very, very flickable at low speed, and easily held – a lot of fun undeed. runs out of puff at about 90, but if you want more than that start looking at tanoras or t350s ( they feel like big elises, lots of go, but handle well, are very well mannered indeed at low revs and easy to drive, but appropriately bigger bills, of course 🙂 ).
seriously though, if you just want a 'toy', look at caterhams. all the advantages of the elise, but more so, and almost as practical.

I do a lot of work for an independant Lotus garage and what we are finding now is that the S1 is showing its age abit unless you can find a good example. As previously stated make sure you know the history of the car. Check underneath at the front for floor damage, check all the points where the wishbones mount for bent chassis ( gets damaged if had a wheel contact ), as with all cars check the straightness of the body, if you can check all the fixings for the front clam, if they are rounded or damaged it indicates the front clam has been removed for some reason.
If I went for an S1 some of the upgrades I would like to see would be aluminium front rad ( std ones are very weak ), upgrade to S2 dampers or higher spec, had a geo setup.
As previously stated look on SELOC or MLOC as this is where you will find the best examples of cars for sale by people who are fanatical about them

And finally if you get one, make sure u get a new back as after a bit they are a pain in the ar$e to get in and out of.. 😆

I havent got an Elise. I'm just a jealous barsteward. Brilliant cars. I would love one 🙁

David Jevons- one of the best colours to have on a Elise IMO. 🙂

Edit: Can we have more pics please (jimbo)?

Had an S2 "Touring" for a bit with the usual tweaks (intake, exhaust etc, etc). It was cold, cramped, leaky, noisy (but then again also absolute luxury when compared to the motorcycles I was used to) and not massively practial.

And it was awesome. You won't care about any of the aforementioned niggles when you've handling/grip/feedback/FUN on a level an Elise can provide.

re. engines. Rover = proven, strong (stock bottom end good for 8000+rpm and 250bhp), issues (i.e. head gasket) widely known, not too bad provided it's looked after and easily remedied. Toyota engine known to do its lift bolts = expensive!

I'll put another thumbs up for a VX220 Turbo, one of my friends had one, it was amazing fun, got plenty heads turned, and I wouldn't worry about badge snobbery, you won't be hanging around long enough to here the end of the sentence "why didn't you get a lotu….." 😆

Seriously though, you've got a massive Vauxhall dealer network, an engine that's in plenty of other cars, plenty of tuning parts if you want 'em. What's not to like.

I've not seen how the VX was put together, but I knew someone once who owned one for a while. Reckoned it was a fantastic grin-inducing machine.

After seeing how a Lotus is constructed, I'd never own, nor drive one.

Solo.

They're put together in the same building are they not?

LOL!
yep!

I think you meant, they were "put together in the same building"

When I walked the line, the VX was out of production, so as I tried to point out, I would not speculate about the VX.

However, I have seen the Lotus assembled, and I wouldn't have one.

I don't want to argue, I just thought that I'd share my opinion.

Solo.

two words for you—— coolant pipes.

I don't know anyone, and I know 7 Elise owners, who hasn't had the rad pipe blow on them at some point.

I have had a 1999 111s for just over seven years, I only got it to keep for a year, do a few track days then tour europe in it and I loved it so much i kept it !!

The 111s has a the vvc engine and more important for me is the close ratio gearbox that the other S1's dont have (apart from the Sport 135 but not many of those about) it also has better seats so you can stay in it abit longer , I did 2 weeks in and around the Alps and my arse was fine !!

The 111s and the S160 also have larger front are rear tyres so you will get a bit more grip but you can fit the same tyres to the other models

I went for the S1 as i like the retro looks,I have drove mine all year round with the roof down and yes the heater is rubbish but put on some thermals and a silly hat and you will be fine

I got mine from a dealer for a bit of peace of mind if it fell to bits.. like sq said coolant pipes …..mine front passenger side on fell of a few weeks after i got the car but the AA popped it back on and its been fine ever since

With the K series your always going to be told about the head gasket and mine went last summer for the first time and just make sure you fit the new landrover MLS gasket its a lot stronger

What I will say to you and this is what the first owner of my car said to me …If you dont take it on the track you will never know how good the car is" and its true !!

Not the fastest car in the world by a long way but if you want a silly arse grin on your face from when you fire it up to when you park it up you cant buy much better for the money

hora

Picture for you. This is my S2 Racetech at Reims GP circuit in France

Regards,
Matt.

Heading out to the Slelvio Pass in 2004

re. VX220s. IIRC replacement body shells/clams aren't available any more, so a write-off is a possibility for even a minor shunt. Plus you're limited with front tyre choice.

I bought an S1 in Feb this year. Very happy with it so far, Like you I had to decide between s1 or s2, but decided I prefered the styling of the S1, and that to get a decent S2 I'm have to spend way over my budget. As has been mentioned above get one with the S2 Bilstein suspension upgrade if you can as this makes it a lot quieter. If you find the noise a bit much there is an s1 carpet set (expect hairdresser comments), I found this made the car a nicer place on long trips. The original S1 seat aren't so comfortable, however if you can get a 111s they have better seats, or looked for someone who upgraded them. History is definitely more important than mileage. There are some garage jewels around with low mileage but be wary of these as they may not be in such good condition (e.g. original shocks, old tyres). If you want to buy froma dealer for peace of mind there is a dealer called WillB who sells on piston heads/seloc who has a good reputation.

Again its been mentioned before that seloc is a good forum to join. You can join and post for free, or pay a small membership fee, which among other things gets you 10% off insurance with some specialist (who tend to have much better prices anyway).

Thanks for the info , been playing the old autotrader game, idealy the plan is keepp it for a year and sell it on with out much loss, hence the S1 is closer to the bottom of its depreciation curve, I prefer the S1 styling as well. I have also been looking at a porchse 968 and a Lancia Intergrale evo. I have heard good things about the VX220 but after 2 vauxhalls it would be nice for a change. Defenitley going to take it to a track and the snake pass.

Cheers

Have had two standard s1's and an s1 111s.
Good friend had the 160s(lotus one not the bell and colville one)
no probs with mine or mates though the k series engine was prone to hgf for a time.
Also look for corosion in footwell under mats.
Fella called Robert collings/Coleridge had a good web site with lots of tips.

160s had a very lumpy idle, bit jumpy at low speeds, the 111s with the cr box was great for my intended purpose namely b road driving in the lakes.

Loved them all.

S1/s2 styling is just personal pref so take your pic.

With so many quick cars about these days it's not about who you can beat etc etc (mugs game anyway) it's cheapish open top driving in a design and handling icon.

Buy one whilst you've still got hair for the wind to whistle through.

Realistically, what mpg do you get out of the Lotus's … assuming normal driving, and not ragging it all the time ?

If i drive mine steady on the motorway i can get about 40mpg and even on B roads having a bit of fun its still good on fuel , its a bog standard engine with just exhaust and airbox mod's

It only has a small tank about 36 Litres and if you lucky you can get 250 miles no probs and i have got just over 300 a couple of times on long motorway runs at a steady 70 ish 😉

If you get one you will find you dont have to drive like you have robbed it to have some fun

This afternoon i just nipped out to my local bike shop and the next thing i knew i was driving around in the Peaks !! that the sort of thing the elise does to you , always taking the long way home 🙂

Expect a few stone chips on a used elise thats not a bad thing as they chip very easy.. I would be more worried of a used elise with pristine paint work on the front end as to me it would look as if its had some paint work on it and that could just be a fussy owner or a bit of front end damage to hide

Trying to keep up with hot hatches in the wet may end up with you going backwards into a tree !!, its a rear engine rear wheel drive and no fancy gizmos to keep you on the road thing

Best thing to do would be get on some of the local forums on the owners club and i am sure if you nipped down to some of the meetings you will get alsorts of nutters rushing to bore you top death with all things Lotus

Silly things like,

when it rains even with the roof up you will get wet,,they leak
the roof takes a week to put up on a S1 so just keep it in the boot and put on a Gortex jacket its quicker
the brakes have no servo so you need to give them a good hard press ….you will get used to it
the lights are crap at night
you cant talk to whoever is sat next to you when driving on the motorway
getting in the car with the roof on is a pain….keep the roof in the boot 🙂
the radio if even fitted is rubbish CD's or the exhaust note is all you can hope for

But, cheap to run and insure and if you know your way around a tool kit you can fix most of the stuff on your own and save a load of dosh at the same time (done my own services and upgrades for the last 6 years,)

If you love to drive on B roads and hate the motorway buy one !

If its not your thing you can always sell it

Happy hunting

Andy

Water tightness, stereo and comfort arent much of an issue as an ex land rover defender owner. Although i am becoming interested in the lancia intergrale as it offers a greater opportunity for potential profit. The Gf hates it though and the elise is such a great car . Plenty more research i think

Thanks for everybodies advice , its a great help keep it coming

http://www.elises.co.uk/index.php

Rob's site is very good .

Driving home today after the run in the peaks and a guy on a big sports bike came blasting past me on his back wheel !!

never had that before

Andy w(111s), have you recently got back into MTB after 10yrs lotus ownership and putting on weight by any chance?

small world hey?

I'm looking for an Exige at the moment but it's been suggested to me that an Elise would be an easier car to live with on a daily basis.
There may be the odd occasion where it'd be used to go biking trips. What's the options for mounting bike racks?
Granted, it won't be the most practical car but we have other vehicles to use if need be however if I buy it I'll want to use it as often as I can.

http://www.elises.co.uk/models/s1/brochure/p4.jpg

I love the way the standard equipment list includes a steering wheel and speedo.

polarisandy,, Yep thats me, As silly as it sounds i was going to get a new MTB the year before i got the elise.

I was all set to splash out 2-3 grand on a GT iDrive bike but then I found out that GT europe had gone bust or something and if you had a problem with the bike you would get no warranty claim on it.. and the bike I was looking at did have a habbit of the frame cracking

So I went all silly and got the elsie then drank beer, eat burgers and cake for ten years (it was great !!)

Just been out in the 111s and got a bloody light flashing at me on the dash (the MIL light)

Still puts a smile on my face even when its got its silly head on 🙂

The Orange Five covered in mud sat in the shed was going to be new wheels,tyres,Nitron shocks and a general tart up of the car

oh well there is always next year……..

I looked at S1 v S2 1 year ago, and ended up buying neither… in fact I ended up with an MX5 as it was my everyday car.

Things I was told are walk away from S1 & S2's Rover engined varients if they don't have impecable service history. S1's are the better car to drive (more raw) but can be a bit more rear end twitchy (depends whether you think thats a good thing or bad thing!) The S1 and early S2 hood is a pain in the arse and leaks, the S2 hood is a pain in the arse slightly less and still leaks. Nearly everyone, even independant dealers said look at the VX220.

A Lancia is a very different car to a Lotus, not even remotely similar cars. Decide what you want from a car first before buying. Personally if its just a weekend car I'd get a Catherham/stroke equivalent.

they are a pain in the ar$e to get in and out of..

My mate has one and going for a spin in it is a great laugh.

However to get out here's what I have to do:

Open door
Lean top half of body out
Put hand on kerb
Lift body out using my hand and sit on kerb
Stand up and check for people laughing at you
Close door.

😕

I wont be buying one of those then.

I'm 6'4" and 15st+ mind

Just keep the roof in the boot and its easy to get in and out of

I did two weeks in the Alps and around Europe and the roof never went on

A good coat is all you need

polarisandy

Just twigged onto what you was saying,,,,yes a very small world indeed

Just hope that Sho does not find me in this forum !!

Off to work in the car to try and fix it ….again,, then off to do some tyre kicking with blokes with beards and plastic cars that fall to bits

its great !!

However, I have seen the Lotus assembled, and I wouldn't have one.

Now I'm curious. Is this an irrational fear of bonding?

i had one for 3 weeks as a courtesy car while my own car was being fixed.
twas a '02 111S (with the toyota engine)

like Del, when it first arrived it felt like it was on ice. then i checked the tyre pressures a couple of days later, they'd blown the tyres up about 10psi more than the lotus recommended pressures. once at the correct pressure it was much better. tho it was still a little skitty – but i put that down to the car having summer tyres on, and it being February!
yes – its noisy on the motorway, conversations are more shouting to each other. when it rains its noisier because of the water splashing on the inside of the arches.
the air con option helps keep the windows clear of mist in the snow and rain. its warm enough inside with the roof on when its -2c outside.
i looked back at the car after parking up and heading into the office.
about one of the first times we've just gone out for a drive – purely to drive. headed up the A682 to Settle and back to Bacup, just for the pleasure of driving it – and it didnt matter that we got stuck most of the way behind little old '40mph everywhere' alot of the journey.

getting in and out was ok once i'd worked out a technique.
oh and going to the shops – we could get as much shopping in the boot of the elise as we could in the MX5 – which does us for the week. and the boot is insulated enough from the engine that the icecream didnt melt either!

I'd have one in a heartbeat – tho if i had the option i'd go for a Caterham. tho Lady S would have the Elise.

For weekend fun I'd still go for an S1 and some tracktime + tuition. I don't know what your coming from but the Elise is a snappy mid-engined car and can catch out the unwary. The S1 was always a bit more 'pointy' whereas the S2 disguised the rear weight bias with skinny front tyres and some understeer.

All elise's, exige's and VX's can be modded to taste and if you fall for the car you'll be a strong fella to avoid spending lots on upgrades and modifications to get your car just how you want it, before you start all over again – just like with a bike in fact.

Where the S2 scores is in everyday/year round use. IMHO the S2 is less fun on a track. Both S1 and S2 are amazingly good fun though, and if you prefer the look of an S1 go for that.

I've managed 80,000 miles in an S1 in year round use, lots of trackdays and now MSA Sprinting. I've moved house in it, got married in it (well, drove there) and been euphoric and really pissed off occasionally with it, but I love it. It's ace. Buy one.

I've managed 50mpg on drone motorway slogs (the tank takes 43ltrs) but 30's are more normal mpgs although a track day will see see that fall – but not as much as with 99% of other cars. MMC disks are amazingly durable (mine have 90,000 miles on them and have lots of life left) but are crap in the wet. Insurance for a 30-something is £300.

Did I say Buy one? Ok, BUY ONE!