Would an Elise be a good buy for me?

dean_ham

dean_ham

dean_ham

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Hi guys basically i will be doing a minimum of 250miles a week. 300 Miles a week more than likely.

Traveling to work its 44 miles round trip, 35 miles of that sat on the motorway @ 70mph, the rest through twisty country roads.

I have always wanted an elise/vx220 but due to where i lived it was not possible. I have just purchased a house on a dul-de-sac with a garage so now im happy to have a car like this.

Since i was aged 10ish playing Need For Speed II and racing the elise around, i have to have one before i die :)

So will it be sensible me getting one with the mileage that im doing. Looking at the MPG of the elise looks like its very sensible at 35-38mpg crusing at 70mph. Which im happy with, but what about realiablity?

Any models i should avoid?

Any other suggestions, S2000 maybe? Just after a really good looking 2 seater. Ideally looking at spending 10k. Maybe push to 11-12k if its worth it! But bear in mind the mileage im doing, realiablity is important, and MPG is fairly important aswell, dont fancy filling it up with 50quid of petrol every week :D

Thanks guys
 
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Probably the wrong sort of car for journey comfort but if you can live with it, why not. S2000 would be a bit better choice. Neither would be my pick for day in day out motorway though.
Best thing you can do is go and try them out. These cars can be very subjective.
 
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Yum Yum :D

2001 LOTUS ELISE 111 2dr Convertible

* 24,000 miles
* Manual
* Red
* Petrol
* Convertible
* 1796 cc

24,000 miles, Absolutley immaculate condition throughout, Full Lotus Service History, All historical documentation, Garaged each winter, tax until June / MOT until Oct, HPI Clear, Alpine CD System, Suede unmarked interior, Private Number Plate included in the sale and price, Viewing highly recommended. £10,995.

Fuel Consumption (Urban) 30 mpg
Fuel Consumption (ExtraUrban) 51.8 mpg
Fuel Consumption (Combined) 40.9 mpg
0-62mph 5.1 seconds
Top Speed 132 mph
Cylinders 4
Number of Valves 16 V
Engine Power 156 bhp
Engine Torque 129 lbs/ft
 
It's completely the wrong car for the job. Do you have another car at the moment?

An Elise is a weekend toy, it is not designed to offer a comfortable cruising/commuting environment.
 
It's not really the right car for the job, you will grow to hate it if you are doing a commute like that in it. It's best used for fun on the right sort of roads. Using it on the daily grind removes its special feeling and you'll soon tire of it. Using it on the right roads for pleasure means you'll get so much more out of it.
 
Get an elise, but also buy a £500 daily snotter. A Cavalier, Mondeo, Primera, Carina E etc... Something big, comfy and cheap with a years MOT on it.
 
[TW]Fox;13906095 said:
It's not really the right car for the job, you will grow to hate it if you are doing a commute like that in it. It's best used for fun on the right sort of roads. Using it on the daily grind removes its special feeling and you'll soon tire of it. Using it on the right roads for pleasure means you'll get so much more out of it.
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This, as Sam found out with the VX220. Great cars, but just not suitable for daily use.
 
At 19 I saw no problem with owning a very basic cheap sports car and doing the occasional 300 mile trip every 6 months or so in it. However as I have gotten older and experienced it more and more, I can see now why someone would split there car Budget and have 2 cars. If I was doing 50 miles a day motorway, I would not want to be doing it in an MX5 if I could avoid it, or an Elise, and I am willing to put up with allot to have a fun car. Sensibility would win out and I would have to compromise and get something boring, or if possible, something comfortable but also fun.

Now im not sure of this as I haven't got the long term experiance with one, but something like a Z4 would offer comfort and fun e.g http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/997137.htm

or forgo the hardtop and get a 350z http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/978768.htm

In your situation these are what I would be looking at.

In my experiance anything that compromises any more isn't going to be fun, then again, if you have your heart set on an Elise, maybe that will be the only thing that will satisfy you, I do think you would regret it though.
 
I know I say this every time the subject comes up, but meh, it's true for me.

I commute 500 miles a week in a mk1 mx5. Yes it's not as raw as an elise, but it's a lot closer to that than something else you could buy for 10k.

Yes it's loud at motorways speeds, but I find it very, very comfortable, and there's always a few spots on the way home I get to have fun. On the way home there is a T junction, where I can go one way for the quickest route home, or the other way for the longer twisty B road. After doing this for 6 months, I pretty much always choose the twisty road.

The car still makes me smile every time I drive it, and after driving it all week the first thing I do at the weekend is drop the roof and take it for a good hoon.

It seems this is not most peoples experience, and that's fair enough; I just thought I'd offer the flip side to this argument. If I had 10k to spend on a car, I'd buy an Elise without a moments hesitation.
 
As Fox says, if you use it everyday on a large commute, you'll quickly tire of it and it'll lose that "special" feeling. You'll adjust to its abilities and it'll just become a means of A-to-B.

If you really want an Elise, and not something like an S2000, get a commuter car for £500-1000. Anything will do. You'll appriciate the Elise a lot more, and you can still use it for the commute when the sun comes out.

Also, when its freezing cold, pee-ing down with rain on a December morning, you'll *really* be glad you've got a car with a decent heater to get to work in ;)
 
I had a hoon around a track in an Elise. I had no idea you could corner like this thing does! Quality car. BUT like Fox and others have said, I would not use it for a daily car. I did not find it comfortable and it wasn't really built to be sound proof. Also you look like a tard trying to get in and out of the thing as it's low! :p lol. So I think it would be a bad choice also.
 
I have a 50 mile round trip commute and about 8 of those are on the the A14 dual carriage way near Cambridge. Those 8 miles are really boring, noisy and annoying as the car skits around on tarmac "join lines" on the motorway.

That's with an 111R too.. which are generally accepted as being more comfy and commutable than an older Rover K powered car.

Saying that though... the rest of the journey is brill and after a crappy day at work it really sorts me out.
 
Personally I'd say it's fine for daily driving like that, is a great way to wake you up in the mornings on the way to work and is also a great way to start your evening when you drive home.

I think it's fine as an everyday car, plenty of people do use it like that, it depends how much you love the car. I'd buy the Elise then buy a cheap daily runabout if you need it, to give you a sense of perspective as well.
 
I found the ride in my old 330CI on 18s with run flats (yea I know, but I had a lot of tread left on them) was a bit too firm and unforgiving at times (some of the roads around here are really awful, although I tend to not use the reall bad ones if I can help it). An Elise, Jesus JimBobJebedhia Christ the III, that would get annoying. Make sure you budget for a chiropractor if you do decide to try this.
 
Hell, even the suspension on my Mondeo (zetec-s so same suspension as the ST I think) gets on my nerves on longer journeys..

As suggested, get yourself something comfy for the daily commute and an elise for fun :)
 
iaind said:
Hell, even the suspension on my Mondeo (zetec-s so same suspension as the ST I think) gets on my nerves on longer journeys..

As suggested, get yourself something comfy for the daily commute and an elise for fun :)
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Oh I find the ST220 quite a lot more comfortable and forgiving than the 330CI was, you might not think so, but trust me, it is. I drove one about a hundred miles got out of it and drove the other a hundred miles home, there is quite a differance.

The most uncomfortable car I have been in recent years was a mates Hyundai Coupe, I swear that thing didn't have a suspension as we know it. That was unbelievably hard but not just hard, also harsh and crashy.
 
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Hmm the Elise is quite soft really. I've never had any complaint over ride 'harshness'. I find the car very snug and cosy in the winter.

It's not the spine that moans, it's the ears. Whether from the wind noise and road noise etc or from the annoyance of clonking, banging and what not over bad road surfaces :p
 
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