Yet another Aberdeen newbie

[captainflash]

Hello all,

I've decided I fancy something exciting to drive and its going to be an elise, I prefer the looks of the S2 in honesty - please don't post something horrible through my door for admitting so! - but am open minded conisdering my budget for a S1. Looking to spend no more than 12k ideally. I've been out of the country for the last few years and have kept an old Mk1 MX5 here for jaunts when back in Scotland, now that I'm rebased here I'm keen to change the car.

The question that commonly appears is 'can I use it as my everyday car' . . . or should I go in comfort in a comfy 3.0 litre Z4 etc? Trouble is that I'm a little boy and I don't get excited by boring wagons . . . when I see an elise I never fail to stare and smile . . I suspect I could put up with the wee drawbacks. Work is a 20 mile round trip, wearing a suit and transporting a laptop bag, parking in a fairly busy car park.

Any experiences of operating one as a 'only car daily driver' in the Northeast? I suspect the answer might be to buy a machine and discover if it can be used so or not.

Cheers

[Mikie711]

along.

[meatball]

[Modena Scotland]

[Edin430]

Been using an S2 as a daily drive for the last 4 years since I was 18 and it's not a problem at all...

Exactly the same as you. Suit and laptop everywhere I go in Edinburgh. Fold jacket up and leave on pax seat with laptop bag and job done. Yes you have to sacrafice a lot of things but 1) you get used to it and 2) you wont regret it. There isn't much space for moving about therefore not too comfy in a suit but once your in and settled it's actually quite cosy

Only issue I could see is the car park, depending on how anal you are about your cars? I always use an underground car park as don't like leaving mine on streets/outdoor spots therefore always have plenty of room, but can imagine it would suffer some miner dings/scrapes if it was parked in a tight car park 5 days a week. Although I guess that's pot luck and the same for all cars in a tight car park!

If you want the best of both worlds then buy a daily hack for a couple of £k's and get yourself a well sorted S1, or even a slightly rougher S2 for £10k for the weekends.

HTH



Lewis

[AJT]

[DavieK]

Been using an S2 as a daily drive for the last 4 years since I was 18 and it's not a problem at all...

Exactly the same as you. Suit and laptop everywhere I go in Edinburgh. Fold jacket up and leave on pax seat with laptop bag and job done. Yes you have to sacrafice a lot of things but 1) you get used to it and 2) you wont regret it. There isn't much space for moving about therefore not too comfy in a suit but once your in and settled it's actually quite cosy

Only issue I could see is the car park, depending on how anal you are about your cars? I always use an underground car park as don't like leaving mine on streets/outdoor spots therefore always have plenty of room, but can imagine it would suffer some miner dings/scrapes if it was parked in a tight car park 5 days a week. Although I guess that's pot luck and the same for all cars in a tight car park!

If you want the best of both worlds then buy a daily hack for a couple of £k's and get yourself a well sorted S1, or even a slightly rougher S2 for £10k for the weekends.

HTH



Lewis

Like Lewis we had an S2 for a year and it was our only car so it had to do everything only thing I could see a problem with is if the car park is a multi story and if so how the ramps are for clearance etc. We now have an S1 as a second car and its only really used for "messin aboot in" and I would say if your after a little more compfort go for the S2 (although theres really not much in it)

Best thing to do is if your not in a hurry is to try and get a run in both from some locals and see if theres one you would prefer.

[kenny]

[cla5h]

Used my s2 as a daily driver for nearly two years, in a suit, work and back. Was parked in a company car-park, so didn't have any concerns there.

Winter driving was always a bit of a concern, although I only ever had to leave it at home and take the train once - there had been light snow overnight, and by the time I'd cleared it off the car, there was more snow on it than when I started.

My concern was what would happen if we had a bad winter, perhaps like the kind you might get in the NE, so bought a second car.

I could, and did, cope with it as an only car, but wouldn't want to go back to not having the flexibility of a second runner.

That said, for a s2 in your price range, there might be on in the classifieds now.

[captainflash]

Thanks guys - all interesting points. Nice to hear from the guys who have used it as a daily driver.

Carpark isn't multi-story, so ramps are not an issue. As for gettign in and out, when you get experienced as it - i.e. don't make a full of yourself as I have in the past as a passenger in an S1 - how far do you have to open the door to get out? I'm asking as I wonder if parked in a 'normal' car park space, with cars parked either side, can you always get in/out of the car?

Sounds like a daft question I agree!

[jen]

first of all!!

I dont have to open the door fully to get in and out but it can be quite awkward. On saying that, that is with my S1 and the S2's are much much easier to get in and out of.

Probably the best thing would be to have a sit in a few and see what you think is best for you. There are loads of variants in Aberdeen and the Shire so you won't be short of offers of pax runs or to meet for a look at the car. You are welcome to come and see ours, we are in Balmedie, but be warned, it's not drivable at the moment due to a ball joint issue so will be a couple of weeks before a pax run is on the cards!!

As for the s1 plus run about v. S2 for everyday, it depends where you stay in Aberdeen. If it's city centre or close suburbs, you will probably be fine with just the S2. But if you live somewhere that you would have to drive on back roads, or a longer commute to work, an S1 and a cheaper run about may be worth thinking about. We have an s1 and a Clio, and that suits us fine.

Good luck in your search!

Jen

[bertieduff]

Personally, I use a shed for day-to-day running, and keep the elise for play.
The elise is a bit of a pain in heavy traffic, when your visibility can be limited, and in the dark, when you're just at the right height to be dazzled by everyone elses lights. Mine ain't the most watertight, but some people seem to have no issues with that, to be fair.
That said, no reason why you can't use it daily. Personally I'd still do it if I had to- it's a car you buy with the heart rather than the head, so for me the foibles are far outweighed by the pleasures

And

[ClarkyBoy]

along.

[hendeg]

[Peter76]