Looking to learn.
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Lazydonkey
- Posts: 5139
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 6:24 pm
- Location: Glasgow
- Contact:
[Random thought]
£12k would get you a lovely (newer) VX220
If you wanted i'm sure we could let you have a shot of standard and modded cars.
I LOVE elises but for that kinda money you should at least consider a VX before you do the standard lotus things and not buy it cos of the badge
[/Random thought]
£12k would get you a lovely (newer) VX220
If you wanted i'm sure we could let you have a shot of standard and modded cars.
I LOVE elises but for that kinda money you should at least consider a VX before you do the standard lotus things and not buy it cos of the badge
[/Random thought]
Focus ST estate, i3s and more pushbikes than strictly necessary.
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
Best to take someone along from here to look at a car with you.
Rich kindly agreed to come with me to look at an S1 last year in MAnchester... I learned so much from that and threads on this forum which gave me the confidence to buy mine.
BTW, i got mine for under £9k - 49k miles, 111s, nitrons FSH etc etc.
Calypso Red S1 111s
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Lazydonkey
- Posts: 5139
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 6:24 pm
- Location: Glasgow
- Contact:
Dont get me wrong i love Loti and if i was goign to change it would probably be for an exige it's just I starte off with a budget (15K at the time) that sat me right intbetween mint S1 and older less mint S2 - the VX bridged the gap for me.
Not for everyone but I'd drive one before ruling it out.
Don't tell anyone but both ed and tom have been seen in VX's and enjoyed the experience
Not for everyone but I'd drive one before ruling it out.
Don't tell anyone but both ed and tom have been seen in VX's and enjoyed the experience
Focus ST estate, i3s and more pushbikes than strictly necessary.
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
Guilty as charged! 
As a new owner, look for a fully stamped service book for starters, though don't be put off if the stamps aren't from a Lotus main dealer. Some on here will say they're the worst sort of stamps to have in the book!
I've had mine for 2 years now, and have had absolutely no trouble whatsoever (save something that was ultimately my fault!). If you're buying from a private person, the main thing is to make sure they've cared for the car - e.g. if a K-series powerplant, making sure oil temp is up to operating level before ragging the car senseless.
Buy a car with some sought-after upgrades on it already, you'll save a packet in the long run! e.g. Advan Neova tyres/BFG G-force profilers (on an S1) and a suspension upgrade will save you cash too, e.g. on a S1 car, S2 Bilstien dampers are a good thing to have. On that note - standard Konis have a shelf life of 40-50k miles, depending how hard the car's life has been, so factor in a £600 - £1,000 upgrade budget (or haggle that off!) if the car is on standard bouncers at that mileage.
Also - don't be put off a car that has been tracked. Most of us do it, and we'd be mad not too! That doesn't mean that we treat our cars like sh!te, and far from it! These tracked cars get more frequent oil changes, brake-fluid changes, pad changes and tyre changes. Given they spend so much time up in the air for these replacement parts, its a good opportunity to check the car over. You're highly unlikely to get that attention to detail on a 1 lady owner, 10 year old 3,000 mile car!
Main thing is, get out and drive one. If you've never driven one before, you'll never know a good one from a bad one! Even better, come along to Knockhill on the 10th March and say hello to the chaps
Best of luck, and look forward to meeting you soon
I've had mine for 2 years now, and have had absolutely no trouble whatsoever (save something that was ultimately my fault!). If you're buying from a private person, the main thing is to make sure they've cared for the car - e.g. if a K-series powerplant, making sure oil temp is up to operating level before ragging the car senseless.
Buy a car with some sought-after upgrades on it already, you'll save a packet in the long run! e.g. Advan Neova tyres/BFG G-force profilers (on an S1) and a suspension upgrade will save you cash too, e.g. on a S1 car, S2 Bilstien dampers are a good thing to have. On that note - standard Konis have a shelf life of 40-50k miles, depending how hard the car's life has been, so factor in a £600 - £1,000 upgrade budget (or haggle that off!) if the car is on standard bouncers at that mileage.
Also - don't be put off a car that has been tracked. Most of us do it, and we'd be mad not too! That doesn't mean that we treat our cars like sh!te, and far from it! These tracked cars get more frequent oil changes, brake-fluid changes, pad changes and tyre changes. Given they spend so much time up in the air for these replacement parts, its a good opportunity to check the car over. You're highly unlikely to get that attention to detail on a 1 lady owner, 10 year old 3,000 mile car!
Main thing is, get out and drive one. If you've never driven one before, you'll never know a good one from a bad one! Even better, come along to Knockhill on the 10th March and say hello to the chaps
Best of luck, and look forward to meeting you soon
Ferrari 458
Porsche 993 C2
Disco V
Porsche 993 C2
Disco V
Ah, a fellow GTV owner. That's what I had last year, prior to the Elise - beautiful car; loads of trouble with electrics, some with suspension, etc.
Maybe someone more qualified than me will give you a run-down of specific common problems, but of the usual things to look for, regular servicing is a must, although not necessarily by franchised dealer (in fact, probably desireable that it's not!)
If you're having a look at a car, you may find someone on here knows it's history, so could be worth posting its details.
Maybe someone more qualified than me will give you a run-down of specific common problems, but of the usual things to look for, regular servicing is a must, although not necessarily by franchised dealer (in fact, probably desireable that it's not!)
If you're having a look at a car, you may find someone on here knows it's history, so could be worth posting its details.
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bertieduff
- Posts: 2253
- Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:19 am
- Location: Purple Side of the Moon
Like dezzy says, you've stumbled on a veritable goldmine of information here.
If you get yourself along to a trackday or event I'm sure there'll be plenty of people willing to give you a demo run and scare your pants off
IMHO the lotus is sometimes tempramental, sometimes expensive, sometimes impractical but you'll forgive every time.
Take the plunge and I'm sure you won't regret it, whatever you go for. I run mine on a shoestring budget- it needn't cost the earth, and you will quickly develop the following permanent expression:
Hint 1: Just don't get one with a hardtop or people here will question your sexuality.
and offer you Take That tickets
/fur coat'n'nae knickers faction/
Lotus Corsa
Lotus Wagon R
Lotus Focus
Lotus Collie dug
Lotus Wagon R
Lotus Focus
Lotus Collie dug