Hi

[greedyboythomson]

When I posted originally I was trying to build up a profile of the car I was looking at. I understand that 'track car' doesn't = 'dinger' but obviously track use will have an effect on the car and may exacerbate any weaknesses, which may be detrimental if the proper maintinence isn't carried out. SE owners may be conscientious in ensuring their cars are maintained to a high standard, that's not to say every Elise owner is the same. Obviously the Elise's design also lends itself to fast road use and this may have an equally detrimental effect on the car if the proper maintinence isn't carried out. Whilst the Elises modular nature makes it easy to replace worn or broken components this can often be expensive.

I have never bought a car privately before and what concerned me was that if an individual owner is planning on selling a car in the short term, it may be tempting to give that service a miss or avoid replacing brake pads, tyres etc (without consideration to the effect this may have on the car's value). I've seen the effects a single track day can have on brakes and tyres and these are expensive parts to replace if you are particular about maintaining the Elise properly (as I would be!). I didn't want to buy a car only to be landed with an expensive bill when the extra money could be put to buying a newer/faster model.

I viewed the car I was looking at last week and found it to be in mint condition with the exception of one tiny stone chip on the bottom edge of the front clam (?) and a wee shiny patch at the point of entry on the driver's side. The car has done 7,000 miles in two years and the owner has had it serviced twice during that time (due another service in the next month). The car is on it's original set of tyres which will see out another 5-6,000 miles, the oil looked as though it had just come from the bottle and the brake pads have plenty of wear left on them. I spent an hour in the car subjecting it to a vigorous road test on country lanes and motorway.

Someone stated that the best way to gauge a car was to check that the owner loves it and this is certainly true in this case, the present owner is still really enthusiastic and regrets having to let it go in order to buy a more practical car. I'd never looked at it this way before but when buying used/approved you deal with a salesperson and the previous owner remains faceless. Privately you see exactly where the car has been kept and get a greater sense of the care/abuse it has recieved. I also phoned MMC last week and Graeme Robertson reluctantly admitted that he'd made an offer to buy the car, so I presume this is indicative that the car meets their standards.

Anyway, I'm going to get back to tidying the garage in preparation for the car's arrival on Thursday!

[simon]

Tyres lasting more than 7k means someone is driving like a big girl's blouse

[greedyboythomson]

How many miles is it reasonable to expect the tyres to last? Obvioulsy it'll depend on how fast/hard you drive it but within what range of mileage can a set of tyres expect to see?

Got insurance sorted today for picking the car up on Thursday, ask Admiral!

[Rich H]

Tyres depend on a lot of stuff, mostly compound, milage, and drivers right foot. My Toyos have lasted ages, cos I drive like a girl, but I know some of the loons here can kill a set of tyres in 3000 or less. One thing to watch for though is the age of the rubber, a car may have loads of tread, but if they are really old they will be hard and slippery.

Initially I was impressed my car had brand new tyres on, however, they were crappy polish efforts and downright dangerous. You should be looking for a car shod in a decent and recognised way (Not from personal experience, just reputation):

Toyo Proxies: cheap and ok
Bridgestones: ?
Yokohama Advan Nevoa LTS: Best all round
Yokohama 888: track semi slick not for the faint hearted or begginner
Maxsport RB5 Dry: A well balenced tyre for the unhinged (ie: Shug )

If it needs new tyres insist ont he Advans, they are fairly expensive ~£450 but very popular. Mine is shod with Toyos but the next set should be Advans (if she doesn't find out they cost so much....)

[simon]

111R Rich so no maxies.
That leaves Toyo T1-R, standard Bridgestones and Yoko Advan AD07.
My original Bridgestones lasted 7k and that included a couple of track days but I wouldn't expect too much more than that without going on track.
If you're replacing them, the AD07s are the best IMO and cheaper than the Bridgestones at £395 + fitting from MMC. They're also now std on the Elise.