lotus elise s1

goldspanners

anyone had any experience with the lotus elise s1?
how was it? was it reliable? as far as im aware the uk version has the dreaded rover k series engine fitted. is it any better than it was when it was fitted to rovers?

david29dpo

The S1 was considered the better car, no tacky add on's of the later ones but its down to personal choice. You dont seem to here as much about the head gasket problem as with the rovers, maybe lotus owners expect problems! Myself, never had any problems, did nearly 50000 mile in one.

Locoblade

Head gasket failures are just as likely in Elises if not slightly more so due to the mid engine'd configuration compromising cooling efficiency, but generally the higher powered variants suffer more than the stock 118bhp engine.

Ive not owned one but have done trackdays for the last 5 years or so with friends who run them. Ive been on track in a properly sorted but stock powered VVC S1 and it was very impressive, not as quick or nimble as my kit car, but considering the increased practicality, not far off.

All the info you'll ever need should be on the forums at http://www.seloc.org/

goldspanners

thanks for the replies guys,i am tempted to get one next year,im itching for something faster than my focus but want something just as relaible and as easy to fix if it goes wrong.

tomstickland

VX220 has the preferable 2.2 bus engine.

goldspanners

tomstickland wrote: »

VX220 has the preferable 2.2 bus engine.

i did think about these but i would prefer the lotus,but i didnt realise the vx 220 actually uses a lotus designed engine. why did they not fit this to thier own elise? or did they fit this to the s2 or another variant all together?

tomstickland

I think it's the 2.2 16v from the Zafira.
The K series engine was a brilliant bit of design optimisation, only it needs a bit of care.

Little_Chicken

We used to have one and never had any problems...apart from a leaky roof. They're not very comfy tho.....

goldspanners

tomstickland wrote: »

I think it's the 2.2 16v from the Zafira.
The K series engine was a brilliant bit of design optimisation, only it needs a bit of care.

optimistic yes. unfortunatly it needs a bit more care than im willing to offer it,i dont mind lying under my cars fixing them,but not every other weekend,unless i can close the garage door on it,which i dont have at the moment.

the vx is looking the better buy. i really dont want to be doing head gaskets on a regular basis.

goldspanners

Little_Chicken wrote: »

We used to have one and never had any problems...apart from a leaky roof. They're not very comfy tho.....

thanks,i could deal with a leaky roof,even in scotland,im sure i could find a dry day to sort that out. and well comfort can wait a few more years,if i really need comfort i can take the transit.

tomstickland

I know someone who bought a VX220 for £10K. Maybe it was less.
They've got to tank in price soon.