Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Lotus elise

Anyone owned one of these? I was chatting to a series 1 owner today and they were very enthusiastic......a barebones driving experience, sounded rather interesting.
I wonder about reliability etc.?
Any thoughts?
Nick

Never owned one but had a test drive a few years ago. Wonderful experience! The steering is incredible - so connected. The gearbox less so. Ended up taking the Porsche route for he next few years but always wish I'd had one.

There was a thread on here recently about Elises and the conclusion was that the handling is not actually that brilliant sadly . I would strongly recomend driving an Elise of your choice either S1 or S2 and then drive a similar priced Cayman or Boxster depending on wether you want soft top or not . There are plenty of Elises and Caymans/Boxsters around so bargaining is essential !

Howard is the fountain of much small Lotus knowledge...

The handling is already very, very good as long as it is dry. I was quoting my buddy from America here. He also drives an Elise but he is very special and very demanding. He criticized that the Toyota engine is a bit high. And that the Elise is strictly speaking not a mid-engine car because the engine is placed almost above the rear axle. But my Elise can do much more than I can.

My Elise is from 2007, first year of construction with ABS but still without airbags. With the tuning (Rotrex charger) I had reliability problems from time to time. But that's not Lotus's fault. All by myself.
The car has only run 55.000 km. Everything is very solidly built. My clutch is reinforced and I have bigger brake discs, at about 230 HP instead of the original 136 HP, 1ZZ Toyota engine.

Everything that turns and moves is very reliable, brakes, wheel bearings, door hinges door fit, roof etc. A special praise to the Probax seats. Not adjustable except front and rear and immediately very comfortable over long hours. The gearshift from Toyota is quite good. You only have to place a water hose a little out of the way of the gear linkage.

Ohohoh... when the first Elises arrives in Germany my daughter and me press our noses at the local LOTUS dealer.

We want a yellow one. That's shure and the plan. But with holes in the pockets, what's to do? We do every "Preisausschreiben" . Every. Than chance the money to an Elise. But it doesn't work.

Now, my daughter is a little bit older and out of the house. And: her friend has his! dream car. An (new) Elise.

My daughter is real infected Brit girl. Working for Jaguar, have a lot of miles with the car, her forst car was a classic MINI,
but ups: the Elise wasn't her cup of tea.Hard, loud, rain comes in... No.

But a few drives in the MOG: yes, a lot better. Warm, comfort, not so noisy...

Hmmm, I also had a test drive in a Caterham and the bigger Lotus... I think it was a factory prep EVORA, all are real street cars.
In summary the +4 is a real good "GT".

René

I test drove two back in 2012, one with the salesman and one on my own.

I was generally unimpressed, considering the reputation. The gearchange was poor, the interior finish was uninspiring. I really did want one and for the second car, which was an orange SC, I even took the money with me.

I just couldn't do it, it didn't speak to me like a Morgan does.

Yes. I owned a 111R for 7 years and it was one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. Durng thast period it had a new water pump for the Toyota engine and it broke down once when a plug fell out of the fuse box. 30 mpg and after 19000 miles it still had the original front tyres. It would outcorner anything else came across on public roads - I really used to enjoy overtaking cars on the outside on a roundabout.

I would be nervous about buying a car with the Rover engie which has well know cylinder head gasket issues and is a bit rough anyway. Look for the Toyota 190 bhp models with Probax seats and aircon. Then thrash the nuts off it as I did and enjoy it.

Great trackday car.

Only reason I sold was the difficulty getting in and out with my old body. And a 7 year itch. But neither of the Ferraris I have had nor the F type are half as much a fun sports car as the Lotus.

They have the most tactile steering you will ever experience

P.S. When Heinz says " But my Elise can do much more than I can" he is absolutely right. I did a days driving training round the Hethel track with Martin Donnely ( ex Lotus F1) as my tutor. I was astounded what the Elise could do and what evertually he got me to do in the car. I would never have believed it.

Every car enthusiast shoulf own a Lotus at one point in his life.

Crikey..! You'd have fallen into the hole in the mattress..

I went to try one once at a dealer in Amersham when I wanted to trade in my 4/4. The battery was flat so it was a static test.
The seats weren't adjustable & with the hood on my head hit the roof. The internals were cheap.
I lived at the time on a road with monster speedbumps & was told if you damage the clamshell the costs are huge. It also had the K series engine.
The next day I saw the +4 and the moment of madness was over.
But I still have the itch.