Is an Elise really that expensive to run????

rossyl

rossyl

rossyl

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Having thought I'd get a 1998-2000 Elise in the new year, and then reading the - cost of running an Elise - thread I'm quite shocked and disappointed.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17756770&highlight=elise

I noticed quite a few people saying that some of the costs paid were ridiculous. I was wondering if this is true?
Simple stuff like an oil change, and other reasonably easy stuff I would definately do.

"Feb 06 - Replace ignition leads, spark plugs, battery and exhaust gasket - £424.49"
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Now the exahust I wouldn't do. But batteries, sparks, and spark leads I've done on a couple of Peugeot 405's and an old Fiesta - is it that different (is there special spark gapping?) that would not allow me to do this?

Oct 05 - Front and rear pads Mintex 1144, Front track day Ali-belled groved discs, Huricain induction kit, replace rear toe links - £1192.58
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Grooved discs and special pads will be expensive. And whilst i maybe wouldn't change the discs I've changed pads on saabs, renaults, peugeots, and a fiesta. Again is the Elise going to be so different?

One thing that is really haunting me is this - is there not a Haynes Manual or similar for this car? Or by buying a sports car am i going to have to take the car to some overpriced garage to get severly shafted? Or can i do the easy stuff myself and give it to my local trusted garage for everything else.

Also are standard parts cheap?

Further - should i look at something else? I know there are lots of questions, i do apologise, but i've been planning on getting this car for ages and reading that thread has massively burst my bubble!
 
read the rest of the thread, there are other elise posters who pay nowhere near £9k a year to keep the car on the road.
 
Morba said:
read the rest of the thread, there are other elise posters who pay nowhere near £9k a year to keep the car on the road.
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yeah i did read on. Think i panic posted!!! :rolleyes: :D

But just generally i would like to know how different it is working on a car like this as opposed to a standard car. I'm guessing there is very little difference except maybe less space to work?
 
No, it's not that difficult to work on and most of it is not that "special". OEM parts are generally inferior AND more expensive. It's entirely possible to keep the costs down, if you are prepared to get your hands dirty.
 
rossyl said:
yeah i did read on. Think i panic posted!!! :rolleyes: :D

But just generally i would like to know how different it is working on a car like this as opposed to a standard car. I'm guessing there is very little difference except maybe less space to work?
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Access wise, it is generally very good, but removing clamshells can be fiddly and time consuming. Only real points worthy of note is that jacking the car can be more tricky and some things require removal of undertrays.
 
Mine has cost me literally nothing to run, probably far less than the average Mondeo/Astra/Civic/whatever car would.

(although mine's only 3yr old so I'd expect it not to cost much to be honest)
 
My brothers been shelling out recently on his elise too, but like the above examples, I would have had a go myself on the non paint related ones.

He'd also had some bills last year but I think most/all were covered by his £50/year (yes its that cheap) 3rd party warranty.

He may be along to tell you about the 3rd party warranty, but apparently the details should be easy to find on their forum. That warranty sounds like a gods end and would definitely swing it for me were I in your situation. Think the car has to be <10 years, so the older ones are out.

I'd also fancy my chances at an engine swap if it went **** up - covered by warranty afaik. I wonder how many spares could be sourced from a old doner rover car aswell?
 
A '99-2000 car will be a Series 1 which are most certainly "past their prime". You'll have to pay a tidy sum to get a good a good example that has been looked after and had the appropriate recall/warranty work done as well as no expenses spared on fixing the various problems that crop up now and then.

The S2's seem to be better put together and especially the Toyota ones where the critical components are all Japanese. I've only had my 111R a month but I am reasonably confident it's not going to suffer any major problems in the drivechain department. Generally with a Japanese engine it is all or nothing - so if it does go it's going to cost a fortune and would generally be an insurance jobbie anyway...

After the engine/gearbox the next most important thing to look after, mechanically, on an Elise is the suspension.

If you want an S1 then look for one which has had an S2 Bilstein kit fitted because not only is that an mega upgrade from the stock Koni stuff, but it also means the previous owner cared about the suspension and didn't just let it rot.

Working on an Elise is fairly straight forward. All the usual components are pretty much where you would expect for such a car. The only additional thing you need to do over a lesser car is remove the undertrays. Occasionally you might need to remove a whole clamshell (e.g. for replacing the radiator if it decides to go) but in this case it is probably better getting a dealer to sort it anyway. Try to get one which has already had its radiator replaced with the all-ali one.

An Elise, as I'm sure any prospective buyer knows, is a very light car and as such it is quite conservative on brake pads/discs, tyres and fuel (esp. on the Rover powered variants). So take that into account when weighing up costs vs a more casual car. The Elise has its costs in different areas to other cars really.
 
As my bro says, AA Parts and Labour cover = £65 a year and allows for 3 claims of up to £500 which will easily cover the usual suspects (ie. HGF if spotted early enough and radiator change). Caveats are that the car has to be less than 10 years old and less than 100k miles.

Expensive to run? Not really but it depends on what you're after. If you just potter around with it as a weekend car and dont rack up the miles then it's dirt cheap - servicing starts at £120 odd for an A service rising to about £300 for a C service from a well respected specialist. The car's light on brake discs and pads if you're not a track day specialist or mentalist. Again, tyres are about 90 quid a corner but you'll get many many miles out of them if you dont regularly track or try to whip the tail on each and every round-about.

I've done 11k+ miles in mine since I bought it. In that time the only mechanical thing to go wrong has been a temp sender (£15) and the radiator/fan (replaced in full by Horizon using the AA cover). The fact that I've spent loads on new wheels, tyres, exhaust, splitter, geo, discs, pads, gear linkages, remote thermostats, resprays etc is an entirely different matter ;)
 
I ran one for 12 months

not THAT expensive to run if you buy a good one

Check servicing costs though, C Service set me back approx £800
 
£800 for a C service is ridiculous. Only difference between a B and C is fuel filter and cam belt...

Glad the 111R is chain driven as it's the rubber cam belt on the Rover cars that accounts for most dealers going to town on the C service...
 
I'm pretty sure places such as Jude Performance Services in Newcastle and Horizon Motorsport in Brum will quote around the £300 for a C service. Depends on whether you need the cam belt changed as this may increase the cost. £800 - was that from a main stealer? Sounds very steep imo
 
Sounds like dealer prices.

Learn how to take the clam shells off (with practice you could do it in 1/2 hour) and its stupidly easy to work on. Most of the costs come from labour rates when they have to come off.

Not allowed - Dangerous

And Sport160's are the best S1 derivative...and this ones been well looked after...
 
Thanks guys for all the responses.

One thing i've noticed is the number of variants of the Elise - something i was not really aware of. Anywhere where I can find out more info about this?

As for variants - an S2 is what i'd actually be after due to the looks of it more than anything. If i could get some advice on the S2 I'd appreciate it. Baring in mind things that usually go wrong, cost of parts etc.

Also the warranty doesn't sound to bad. But would that mean sending it in somewhere every 6 months or so for a diagnostic? As i assume that'd be the best way to make use of the warranty.


Matmulder your Elise - i won't be ready to buy till into 2008, also I'd prefer an S2. Looks lovely tho!
 
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Yup the 111S and 111R are probably the most commonly sought after models.

£15k is around average condition 111S territory really - although you might find a bargain in a private sale.
 
Standard S2 from coneception up until about 2004 was the 120bhp K-series. The k went under a few mods along the way and later models are more reliable (ie less likely to suffer hgf due to better engineering of the head/dowels etc). After 2004 a very few basic "S" models were introduced that still have the K-series engine but all the extras of the 111s/111r (ie carpets, leccy windows, sun visors etc). After that the basic "S" came equiped with the ~135bhp Toyota engine.

The 111s S2 used the ~156bhp K-series vvt engine. hgf was and is less likely to be an issue as these had more reliable 'bits' to stop it occuring.

The 111r came out around 2004 and uses the ~190bhp toyota engine. These appear to be very reliable however as the cars age there are a few suffering oil starvation problems and 'bottom end' failure (whatever that is!)

So atm you can only buy new a 111r or an "s" (both toyota engines)


There are a few other variations such as the 135r and the John Player Specials but the main thing to look at is the engine, the service history, the mods and the 'fit' that it comes in. In general, the S2 "Sports Tourer" has the most extra bits with the "Race Tech" being striped out a little more. The 111r has a few different variations with the most expensive in terms of trim being the Sports Racers. (I think)

Hope that helps. As mentioned, Elises.co.uk is a great source.
 
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