Opinions on an S1

[cardo]

I have been actively looking for an Elise for a while now and have missed out on a few cars that seemed to tick all the boxes.
Originally It was an S1 I was after,however,lately I had started to consider early S2's as well.
I would be grateful for any thoughts or advice on this car...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... hp/3970065

The chap that's selling it is in the market for a Caterham,so there is the possibility of a swap with my ex Academy car.
It seems to be a well sorted car with some nice additions,Probax,Victory wheels,DVA head and cams,etc and the close ratio box with long 5th appeals to me as a best of both worlds option.
Both doors and one sill have a fair bit of blistering in the paint though.

A reasonable car at the money and mileage?

Cheers

cardo

[Dominic]

The prices do seem to be firming up, and that seems like a nice spec, although if the blistering on the paint is bad, I'm not sure if it's a bit pricey. The blistering may be difficult / expensive to resolve. Looks okay in the pics, but would like to see some close up photos of the blistering. The mileage is not a concern, as long as it has a good service history, which it would appear to have. Not too dissimilar spec to mine - which I love, so I am probably a bit bias.

[woody]

I think though as time goes by, it'll be more difficult to buy an earlier car without some blistering. Looks like a good spec all round though.

[campbell]

A very intelligent spec. Relatively young engine, assume built professionally (did DVA build it or just tune it?).

Get an idea of repainting costs and use that for bargaining.

But all told, it may just about be worth the asking price given the spec. Let's face it. Clean, unmolested S1 values are only going north.

Good luck!

Campbell
(Biased silver S1 faction)

[mwmackenzie]

Great spec and comfy seats what more could you ask for, guy has been as SELOC member for years, check his posts on there to see if he's had a headache with the car, doesn't seem so. Blistering is common on VX220's and early S2's not so on an S1, I'd be asking about repairs in these areas or aftermarkey clams fitted, the blisrering is a ballache to sort properly and may come back if not repaired/dried out prpoerly. I'd use that to knock him down although he states this has already been taken into account with the price Looks like a really nice car with all the right bits, a set of nitrons and RS42 front pads and you have the perfect elise?

What about these 2... both cheap for what they are...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... ts/3894000

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... 99/3954262

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... se/3939152

If I had the cash I'd be all over either of these..

[j2 lot]

2nd one Mark listed would get my vote.

[cardo]

Thanks for your thoughts
I have seen some hi res video of the blistering and it is pretty bad,I would struggle to live with it I reckon.The problem will be finding someone to quote for a proper repair,any recommendations in West/Central Scotland? The rest of the car looks really good though....

I have been looking for a Sport 160 but had discounted the Black car due to it's cat D status and chassis damage.A few people on SELOC have been to view and all have walked away after seeing the mangled damper mounting.

I thought the Sport 135 looked lovely,but the mileage was putting me off....perhaps I shouldn't worry too much about that if it's as well maintained as it sounds?

The purple 111S seems cheapish compared to others out there,I guess that's down to the 86k on the clock..
Not too far away though compared to the others,may be worth a drive down for a quick look.

Cheers

cardo

[robin]

If you can get the 160 for a good price, the damper mounting does not have to be a show stopper - get some pictures of it and speak to Craig at MMC about getting it welded. That said you would probably want to get a lot of money off that 160 given the Cat D status?

I would ignore mileage on any S1 - the newest S1 is 15 years old ... mileage has very limited impact on the chassis; it's all the other bits that break and in 15 years, most of it will have broken one way or another whether rolling or stationary in a garage My S1 is probably approaching 120K miles ...

It's been a while since I got any painting done, but Martin at Willowbrae did a fantastic job of repairing my Exige when it got a bit of a dent; I would ask him for a quote to get your respray done to correct the paint bubbling.

Cheers,
Robin

[Dominic]

That is the cheapest 135 I have seen for a while. As others have said, I would not be too concerned about milage as long as the history is good.

Willowbrae did a great job of my front clams last year. Highly recommended them.

I would offer a run in my 135, to give you an idea what they are like, but it is currently residing chez MMC.

[campbell]

If you have some detail of the bubbling, get in touch with Steve Walker in Bathgate and show him for an opinion.

Just an alternative to Willowbrae - both have strong reps with fibreglass.

[smoo25]

Have you thought about a VX220? Pretty much an S2 but half the price...

[IanD]

Bubbling is a bugger to remove, really need to bake clams to remove them clams off chassis so expensive or decide it doesn't matter and live with it. Looks like a nice spec though.

[tut]

Agree with Robin as regards mileage as long as the car is properly maintained, the 135 would be my choice, only 50 of the original spec made, will never lose its value.

Kelvin had one and it did him proud.

tut

[cardo]

Thanks for the suggestions of the two body shops,I will get in touch to see if they can give me a rough quotation based on photos of the blistering.
I reckon it would be doors off and stripped to allow access to the inner skins,etc....sounds like a lot of hassle which equals expense
I have emailed a list of questions to the seller of the Sport 135 and have a mate nearby who can have a look for me.
I'll keep you all updated .....

Cheers

cardo

[cardo]

Sport 135 sold to the first viewer for the full asking price....search continues