Buying an S1 elise

[Rich H]

The guy has beeen buying and selling them for 20 odd years

Interesting claim...

Also means he knows what to say to get shot of it.
Not much comeback unless he is actually a dealer...

[j2 lot]

Best of luck with getting a good one, you certainly can't be accused of not having done the research.

Once you get a car get the AA warranty too, better safe than skint.

[Matelotman]

The biggest advice is to go with your gut feeling - if you're not 110% sure then walk away, even if it is an 8 hour round trip. Don't be trapped into thinking that you've travelled all that way so you have to buy it. Good luck.

[s29ttc]

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... x_mileage=

This is one I am really interested in

[jj]

Only thing I can see from the pictures is the tyres - they look like Pzeros so you should budget to change them asap.

[Stewart]

Scott

Looks like a fairly comprehensive list. I found this site useful when researching my S1 http://www.lotus-elise.nl/Buyers_Guide/ ... guide.html

Good luck.

[thinfourth]

there was one in the local paper up here in abz

I shall dig it out if you want

[ironside]

Hi Scott,

That car looks really nice - is it the deep purple one? I believe those are very rare.

Seeing as it's 10 years old and has only done 30k miles and especially as it's still on P Zeroes you should view this lack of use as a bit of a mixed blessing. Be prepared for a few surprises as things get used to being used properly should you buy it and start enjoying it . I don't mean to frighten you, it will likely only result in generating a few annoying niggly things, none of which are likely to be horribly expensive to fix and/or leave you stranded. Nevertheless it would be a good idea to have a wee war chest standing by to deal with such issues as they crop up. Definitely consider changing the tyres immmediately, they will be either as grippy as cardboard and a deathtrap in the wet or just a deathtrap in the wet. Something like Toyo T1-Rs are good and can be purchased fitted for about £250 for a full set. I believe some have managed to find them for under £200.

Don't worry too much about wee things like boot cable and red clutch hose, they are pretty straightforward to deal with. Things like the steering and suspension can be checked by jacking the wheels up with the car in gear but the handbrake off. Give the wheels a good shake with your hands at quarter to three and six o'clock. Any movement here could be wheel bearings, ball joints, toe links, track rod ends, steering rack or even loose wheel nuts! Intelligent wiggling and yanking will help reveal the exact source of the play. These are all consumable bits though and inexpensive (although a steering rack with play could get pricey) but might give you an idea of what servicing bills to expect in the near future and give you a chip to bargain with on a selling price. Also give the wheels a spin a listen for roughness in the bearings.

That car may also be old enough to have MMC brakes. The way to test for them is to try to stick a magnet to them. If it sticks they are *not* MMC discs. MMC disks are a dull grey colour, not shiney like cast iron ones and they don't rust. If the magnet doesn't not stick then you have MMC brakes. These require special MMC pads and cannot be used with normal ones designed for cast iron discs.

Also, on your HGF checklist, make sure there is coolant there (just below minimum at cold is fine on the Elise) and looks like it's not mostly water. Have a good sniff around the engine bay too to see if it smells of coolant, especially with it's running and warm.

Other than that you look very well prepared!

Cheers,
Simon

[mckeann]

i would say that if you dont have a 2 or 3K contingency fund then you shouldnt be buying an elise, but maybe i am just unlucky with cars breaking down on me.

[s29ttc]

i would say that if you dont have a 2 or 3K contingency fund then you shouldnt be buying an elise, but maybe i am just unlucky with cars breaking down on me.

I wont have 2 or 3 grand no, I did take out a 10 grand loan but after everything is payed there should be a grand left over. Lets just hope its all good!

[s29ttc]

Hi Scott,

That car looks really nice - is it the deep purple one? I believe those are very rare.

Seeing as it's 10 years old and has only done 30k miles and especially as it's still on P Zeroes you should view this lack of use as a bit of a mixed blessing. Be prepared for a few surprises as things get used to being used properly should you buy it and start enjoying it . I don't mean to frighten you, it will likely only result in generating a few annoying niggly things, none of which are likely to be horribly expensive to fix and/or leave you stranded. Nevertheless it would be a good idea to have a wee war chest standing by to deal with such issues as they crop up. Definitely consider changing the tyres immmediately, they will be either as grippy as cardboard and a deathtrap in the wet or just a deathtrap in the wet. Something like Toyo T1-Rs are good and can be purchased fitted for about £250 for a full set. I believe some have managed to find them for under £200.

Don't worry too much about wee things like boot cable and red clutch hose, they are pretty straightforward to deal with. Things like the steering and suspension can be checked by jacking the wheels up with the car in gear but the handbrake off. Give the wheels a good shake with your hands at quarter to three and six o'clock. Any movement here could be wheel bearings, ball joints, toe links, track rod ends, steering rack or even loose wheel nuts! Intelligent wiggling and yanking will help reveal the exact source of the play. These are all consumable bits though and inexpensive (although a steering rack with play could get pricey) but might give you an idea of what servicing bills to expect in the near future and give you a chip to bargain with on a selling price. Also give the wheels a spin a listen for roughness in the bearings.

That car may also be old enough to have MMC brakes. The way to test for them is to try to stick a magnet to them. If it sticks they are *not* MMC discs. MMC disks are a dull grey colour, not shiney like cast iron ones and they don't rust. If the magnet doesn't not stick then you have MMC brakes. These require special MMC pads and cannot be used with normal ones designed for cast iron discs.

Also, on your HGF checklist, make sure there is coolant there (just below minimum at cold is fine on the Elise) and looks like it's not mostly water. Have a good sniff around the engine bay too to see if it smells of coolant, especially with it's running and warm.

Other than that you look very well prepared!

Cheers,
Simon

Thanks for that mate, sure I shall be all good taking a mechanic with us too. It looks a minter from the pics and I am really interested so lets hope its as nice in real life and I find no problems

[s29ttc]

there was one in the local paper up here in abz

I shall dig it out if you want

Worth a swatch!

[s29ttc]

Only thing I can see from the pictures is the tyres - they look like Pzeros so you should budget to change them asap.

Thanks for that JJ, good eye for detail I wouldnt even think of looking at that!

[s29ttc]

Scott

Looks like a fairly comprehensive list. I found this site useful when researching my S1 http://www.lotus-elise.nl/Buyers_Guide/ ... guide.html

Good luck.

Thanks for that!

[s29ttc]

i would say that if you dont have a 2 or 3K contingency fund then you shouldnt be buying an elise, but maybe i am just unlucky with cars breaking down on me.

It's just the way you treat them
I don't think you need hold any money but it's an older car and things will fail

I expect to do some things, not spend 3 grand fixing it though. I wont be driving it hard day in day out though. It will be used to go to work and back mabye the occasional blast somewhere but mostly be driven easily. Not like some cars which everytime they are out they are driven hard so obviously the parts wear quicker...?