Lotus

[Elev12k]

Hello,

Next Tuesday I plan to orientate me on a Lotus. I do not plan to buy immediately, but hope to be able to buy on the medium-long term.

With my planned budget I think I will be able to acquire myself the following:
- Elise
- early 90s Elan
- Esprit

I immediately take the Elan off the shortlist, as that is not what I want. Leaves the Elise and Esprit. What to look out for? Which of the two would you recommend? Can I run one economically? (to some extend :roll: )

 

[dyna-ti]

V Early 90's elan

Poser

 

[legrandefromage]

elise can return around 40 + mpg but beware the rover engine's weak head gasket

esprit is good but that 2.2 is rough and thirsty compared to 10 year old elise or opel VX220?

 

[SF Klein]

Although I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Esprit (I think it was the effect of seeing the white one at 10 years old in Moonraker turn itself into a submarine), all of the sports car comparisons BITD would inevitably pick something else in preference to the Esprit which would garner complaints for lack of torque, build quality particularly the electronics, no rearward visibility, etc. As a dream car on a poster, you'd be hard pressed to find a better candidate outside of a Lamborghini Countach. But as a car that you'll enjoy driving, and more importantly living with, I think the Elise has to be the obvious choice. They've kept the essence of Lotus - nimble, light weight, small, good to look at - and added the virtues of reliability, fuel economy, and ergonomics.

Add that to the fact that to find an Esprit in the sort of condition that makes it driveable off the seller's lot will be much more difficult than finding an Elise that's been well cared for with a good service history. Financially speaking, restoring an Esprit properly is way beyond the scope of restoring even the most run down Klein Although if you're looking at it as more of an affair of the heart, then I think the Esprit would be much more rewarding to find and restore since there are much fewer of them. Practicality wins out for me though - choose the Elise.

 

[Dr S]

Go for a 70's Europa before the values rise further. Cool looking car that has come into vogue the last few years. Lots of parts now available and easy to to work on.
Modern Elise is not a bad car but as LGF says the Rover engine is a bit rubbish- Toyota engined would be a better bet. Very spartan cars which are fun for a quick blast but become tiresome on longer journeys and over rough roads.
Forget the Esprit- poor build and costly to run and fix.
90's Elan is not a bad car but the FWD puts off the purists.
Another to consider would be a 70's Elan Plus 2. Cheaper and more practical (and better looking IMO) than the smaller Elan. One of the best handling cars of all time, mountains of spares available, quick and frugal- my friend drives his to Le Mans every year filled up with camping gear and still gets 36-38 mpg. Be careful though, there are some poor examples out there. Buy the best you can afford and if in doubt walk away or it could all end in tears!

 

[fingers]

S1 Elise is a good buy at the moment... Esprit be it 4 cyl or V8 can be a disaster on wheels.... 90s Elans leave me cold...

There are many mods and solutions to the head gasket on the K series, so for an easier life, Id get an elise...

 

[lewis1641]

s1 elise's suffered with dampers that made really bad clunking noises. a lot of owners ditch it for the later set up.

head gasket failure as lgf said but this is often caused by not looking after the car properly - using normal water in the radiator and not using the correct coolant levels.

very good cars to drive. very sharp and responsive

 

[lewis1641]

if you do buy an elise, practice getting in and out in a cool way well out of sight of others.

my mate bought one a few years back, picked me up and we went for a drive. stopped at macdonalds for a coffee - was late at night and full of boy racers and i couldnt get out of the stupid thing. ended up half crawling, half walking on my hands.

yes, i am a hit with the ladies

 

[Grannygrinder]

.

I know nothing about Loti/Lotus's. But i'm told the eclat is good value for money. Not the prettiest though.

 

[Tallpaul]

If you can afford it, go for the >2006 with the 134bhp Toyota engine. 0-60 in 6s but still 35mpg is possible.