what car thread - Lotus Edition

[integrale_evo]

I think I’d save up a little longer or take out some finance and get an s1 exige because to my eyes they’re just about perfect.

I doubt you’ll lose any money on any of them, try a few and buy whatever looks and feels right.

[dan]

I think I’d save up a little longer or take out some finance and get an s1 exige because to my eyes they’re just about perfect.

I doubt you’ll lose any money on any of them, try a few and buy whatever looks and feels right.

They look nice but they’re shit to drive by 21st century standards. Slow as shit and gutless engine liable to explode at any moment, and I say that as a genuine fan of the k series, just not the vhpd in the exige.

Best looking car lotus ever made but very old fashioned to drive now.

[Rich B]

I think I’d save up a little longer or take out some finance and get an s1 exige because to my eyes they’re just about perfect.

I doubt you’ll lose any money on any of them, try a few and buy whatever looks and feels right.

i agree on the looks - my favourite of all the Lotii, but also double my budget…

[Rich B]

My S2 with 120bhp didn’t feel all that fast, especially above 70mph. Therefore, get this

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-detail ... obcid=soc3

no AC presumably (button on the heater control between the dials?) not sure i can be having a mid engined summer car with no AC!

[Matty]

I think I’d save up a little longer or take out some finance and get an s1 exige because to my eyes they’re just about perfect.

I doubt you’ll lose any money on any of them, try a few and buy whatever looks and feels right.

They look nice but they’re shit to drive by 21st century standards. Slow as shit and gutless engine liable to explode at any moment, and I say that as a genuine fan of the k series, just not the vhpd in the exige.

Best looking car lotus ever made but very old fashioned to drive now.

I can't stress enough how disappointed I was when I finally bought one. Literally No2 on my "must own" list and I just didn't get on with it at all....I know I've mentioned this on here before but it was the definition of "Don't meet your heroes" for me. Massively preferred my S160 over it.

[dan]

160's are still my favourite S1, they're just about fast enough to be fun and the grumpiness of the engine makes them feel a bit special compared to a cooking model. Standard S1's are still fantastic to drive in isolation but they're too slow nowadays. Unless you're a proper lotus fanboy / enthusiast and want to be able to tell people how pure it is then it'll just be a bit bland for you.

Don't buy a normally aspirated toyota car whatever you do. The 2zz in n/a form is one of the most gutless and underwhelming engines you could have picked to put in a sports car. They barely make 125lb ft and the power band is too narrow to keep on cam unless you lower the changeover point, but they're so slow anyway there's no point. I actually enjoy driving the 140hp models more as they do what you expect them to.

The supercharged 2zz is a much better lump (it makes the same power and torque as a boggo K20 - 220 / 240hp and 160lb ft) which transforms the car into a proper grunty feeling thing that pulls from low down but also gets a move on when you keep your foot in. 2zr is a similar story, i'd be happy with either as an occasional / weekend toy that didn't need loads of maintenance and still felt special and different enough to your M2.

Anything old and K series powered is going to need lots of looking after but if you're up for that you undoubtedly get a car that feels much more responsive and agile because of the lack of weight, but again its all relative - any elise is going to feel like that compared to the m2.

My choice would be a depo and finance on a V6 exige (in the true spirit of ignoring your criteria) as they are properly special. They make a fantastic noise and feel very grown up despite basically being identical underneath from the rear bulkhead forwards to any other s2 elise / exige. I'd really recommend having a test drive in one.

Technically of course, my choice is actually blow ten years savings building the most mental s1 elise you can imagine, but the above would be my second choice

[duncs500]

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17363946

Something like that with a bit of haggling?

I saw that one too but it’s five years older with 25k more miles for a similar price to the one I posted. Is that one ‘rare’ as per the advert?

Meh, I dunno, I don't think there are that many SCs about, but I don't know much about these new fangled S3s... didn't realise that one has decent powah. Yeah, get that one then.

[ZedLeg]

A particularly racy S1 on my way to work has convinced me that it’s only that or an Exige S1 for me.

I’d just put up with the inconvenience

[240PP]

Timcalculator and a call to Ocean Finance may be required, but…

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-detail ... 6170830673

[Sundayjumper]

Timcalculator and a call to Ocean Finance may be required, but…

If we're doing that, get an Emira. There's one I've seen locally a couple of times and it has great presence.

Or a Ferrari...

[Jobbo]

I’d go for a supercharged Toyota s2 Elise if the budget will stretch to one of those. They’re fast enough to be fun and you won’t have to fuck about with it other than service it once a year.

Dan is inevitably correct on anything Elise related. Though if you don’t like the S2’s looks that is a bit of an issue.

I went through the thought process of getting an Elise. I was (20 years ago) happy with the performance of my 120bhp S2 and wrung it out everywhere. So I settled on an S2 Toyota S with the 134bhp engine, as a slightly newer and probably more reliable version of my old K-series car, and available with air con. If you want more power than that the supercharged S2 is the one to go for IMO, though I do think the earlier S2 111S is a wild card. Plenty of people fettle K-series engines quite cheaply. And that was the first Elise to get air con as an option, though I’m not sure it was terribly effective and not that many were specced with it.

Ultimately I went Japanese because I have as much affinity for an MX5 as an Elise and wanted a car where I didn’t have to think about reliability. But I’m not going to recommend my own car. It wouldn’t scratch your itch.

There’s got to be some merit in doing a Duncs, particularly if the S1 is the model you most like the looks of. Not sure Dan is fitting air con yet…

[Rich B]

Ocean Finance! haven’t heard that for a while!

nah, this is going to be a cash purchase 2nd car plaything - i’m not interested in taking on any debt for it.

[Jobbo]

If it were my money, I’d be tempted by this one: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409113902169

One owner, 134bhp Toyota, pre-dated the airbag so has the nicer steering wheel but still has air-con. Also has alcantara seats and the lovely optional forged wheels.

[mik]

Any Elise will feel great in the twisties, but IMHO you've been driving M-saloons too long to consider a lower-powered car. I suspect you'd be dissapointed every time a straight appeared.

As per the suggestions of others - you're not a kick in the arse off a 'charged S3 for that budget. This one seems suspiciously cheap for a low-mileage 2017 car - maybe cos of the colour (?). https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17096306

[Matty]

On the subject of S1 Exiges, after my pilgramage to Essex in the week with the comfort of the Giulia, it reminded me that I did the same 6-hour round trip in my Exige Made even worse by the fact that it kept melting the fuel pump fuse, and after about 90mins I'd have to pull over, reach over my left shoulder, pull out a scalding-hot melted fuse, pop a new one in and carry on again. That's Exige ownership summed up for me


Also, as this thread says "Lotus Edition" not "Elise Edition" I feel compelled to suggest, as is tradition, the Evora:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17367944

If you're not doing trackdays, this offers 90% of the enjoyment with significantly more usability and you can even throw small children in the back (ideally your own, not other peoples).

[RobYob]

Timcalculator and a call to Ocean Finance may be required, but…

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-detail ... 6170830673

S3 Roadster is one of my favourites, not that you can't "convert" the hardtop with a small amount of effort.

Clean look, open air, epic soundtrack.

[duncs500]

There’s got to be some merit in doing a Duncs, particularly if the S1 is the model you most like the looks of. Not sure Dan is fitting air con yet…

I think he'd blow his budget very quickly trying to pull together a nice Honda'd car! However, S1 Elises can be had for cheap and with the remainder I think you could turn it into a very nicely fettled K-series car. I nearly went in that direction with mine.

I'm still inclined to agree that the supercharged S3 and a bit of haggling is the solution the meets Rich's needs the most.

[Wilspeed]

From one tart to another, I can confirm an S1 Elise is a fabulous thing. I was in the same mindset as you for some time when an unmodified, very low mileage 1997 S1 in titanium/red popped up with one of the familiar dealers. The deal was made over the phone and the car picked up a week later in Stuttgart.

As one might expect, what is so special about it is the purity of the driving experience. I've always had doubts about this getting lost with the heavily modded track cars, so the only option I considered was a completely standard car, including the boring K-series engine. The whole package just works wonderfully well; nimble, perfectly balanced and plenty quick enough on good road tires.

It is also very pretty: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9sbUQRtQ07/

[Rich B]

that is lovely, but i won’t have another fast car to get kicks from (the M2 is going, to make way for this van/car combo). i worry that i’ll still want something that can go fast in a straight line too!

My learnings so far seem to be leading towards S2/3 SC Elises, though i still think i need to try a 190 S2 Exige - because i love the look so much (though Dans thoughts on the NA Toyota have flagged serious concerns on the engine).

[Jobbo]

I think Duncs is correct that a factory supercharged S2 or S3 is probably the one to go for - they look pretty good value at sub-£30k. And if you had any doubt about that, a non-supercharged S2 is twice the price overseas; we are just lucky in the UK that there's enough supply to keep prices as (relatively) low as they are:


But of course you might find an open Exige V6 tempting: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-detail ... 5059393120