1998 Lotus Elise from UK and Ireland - Comments

Brakes

Headlights

Indicators

Window Winding Mechanism.

All in six months of ownership.

Lost two grand in six months on this car! (and it was a good example)

DO NOT BUY ONE. I bought a Lotus Elise in 2005 having read a lot of positive reviews. I have been driving 8 years and this is the worst car I have ever owned. Yes it handles superbly in the dry and has rapid acceleration, but that's it!!

HANDLING & DRIVE

Its superb handling goes out of the window when it rains and this is the only car I have ever lost control of. It is dangerous in any conditions other than a summers day. I am not over exaggerating either - other people don't see you and pull out in front of you and the car is notoriously twitchy when it is not dry. Too much power through a 700kg shell. Its acceleration is excellent, again in the dry, but like a lot of cars wheel-spin takes over in the wet.

OWNERSHIP

DO NOT even entertain the idea of having one as your only car, as I did. The boot is big enough for two tescos bags only and its position next to the engine means all your food is cooked when you get home! A journey lasting more than 40 minutes will give you severe back ache. At one point I got pins and needles in my lower back and it frequently went numb and I'm a healthy 24 year old male. There is hardly any storage space for anything inside. Servicing costs are severe and the brakes aren't even servo assisted. Almost whacked my head everytime I got in! Girlfirend hated it!... turned loads of heads though - because it looks sexy from the outside!

CONCLUSION

Lovely car if its to be your toy to burn up and down in for a few thousand miles in the summer. Don't be seduced by the cars power, like I was - the honeymoon period soon wears off especially in bad weather - but you're not going to listen are you!!

This is exactly what I found, it feels faster than it is because it is so small, light and close to the ground.

Luckily I had a second car!

You've missed the point here, the car you both bought is track orientated and therefore not an everyday car, I owned a 98 elise for 2 years sold it regretably a year ago, and am now buying another series 1 next week.

Ask any lotus dealer they will all tell you they're not for everyday use, for that youd buy a saloon, these are track day cars and one of the best you can get, not many car makers can get the bhp per tonne lotus did with this, they have faults a plenty poor heaters clearing a steaming windscreen, leak like a sieve without a hard top, hard to get out of, bumpy ride and like you say they are notorious in the wet that's why they demand respect I spun my 1st one once and learnt from it, but I don't think you will ever get a bigger smile from any other car youll drive.

The acceleration is still lighting fast and steering is pin point, these will beyond doubt be future classics like e type jags.

Most of the reviewer's complaints seem to be about basic traits of the car (such as the very small boot, lack of creature comforts, small size and expensive servicing) rather than about any specific faults.

I've also got an Elise S1... No big issues... I had a MX5 before and issue with the boot are poppycock... I go to France for 2 weeks 3 times a year... and I can say it's not a problem... for food shopping... I put bags front of the passenger seat... 40 min and back problems... 1200kms down to Brittany... and I was OK...

Handling on wet... try a 911 from the 80's... it's a rear wheel drive without traction control so yep, it won't react as a Golf...

Only issue: the hood isn't perfect, but some tricks and a bit of flexibility can make the Elise your main car...

Seems like this owner COMPLETELY missed the plot of the car... you CAN use them every day no problems. They're also great handling cars wet OR dry, you just have to treat it with a bit of respect because you're driving a SPORTS car with no traction control, no driver aids and nothing other than YOU keeping it from spinning around on you.

Probably the best fun-for-money car you can buy EVER.

I've owned my 51 plate for 3 months.

Wouldn't go back to the cooper's' I had before. Sure it was more predictable in corners - under steer "tastic" and wheel spin from the still where upon pulling away all of the weight transfers to the rear end leaving the front tyres scrabbling for grip... You don't get that from an Elise!

The servicing costs are not that bad, if you go to a lotus specialist like Brooke Kensington and not a Lotus dealer (the swindon ones part of the Ferrari garage so costs mega bucks) you can get the services from £185 - £500.

Tyres are pretty cheap on this car no more than £120 for the rears and £85 for fronts. They aren't run flat like the minis which my 17" cost £190 each!

Just hold back in the wet and wait for the sun to come out and really get your foot down, wind in your hair and if it rains your hair will be washed and you can go straight to the pub, no excuses.

I use it every day come rain or shine, if your under 6ft and are a proper petrol head you won't get anything better for the money.

I have had my 89 Lotus over the last 3 years and love it like it was the first time I drove it. It is nothing, but fun and a drivers car. Forgot all the fancy stuff, this turns heads like no other car on the road, and despite the flaws in the rain and the window playing up, wouldn't change it for any other. I use it as a every day car and no issues just smiles.

The spartan nature of the Elise is not a barrier to every day use as long as you adjust your expectations. I found mine surprisingly comfy (once inside) and I could do a couple of hours up a motorway without excessive fatigue.

What I couldn't live with was the appalling build quality, and short service life of many expensive components. Shocks and exhausts that disintegrate after a disgustingly short time, headlamp brackets that rust to oblivion at the first sign of winter salt, engine cover release cables that snap annually, torrential water leaks in anything more than a light shower, window regulators falling off the doors etc etc.

The engine was reliable, but virtually everything else packed up or went wrong. I would agree with the original reviewer that it's a dreadful everyday car, although maybe not for the same reasons. If it was built properly, it would be superb.

I have just purchased a 1998 si and I am looking for somebody with some pro and cons.

^^^^ sell it.

If you want to see danger in the wet, buy an XJS V12 with a 6.0L TWR engine; this teaches you right from wrong in these conditions.

The Elise is a pleasure to drive; yes you get a bit wet in the winter, and there are niggles, but keep it serviced with a specialist, not a dealer, and it represent great fun & value.

I bought an S1 5 years ago off a friend who had it from new. Used it as my only car for ages - had a 'first' car but never wanted to drive it, so got rid since the big 4 door just sat there. It was the most reliable car I ever owned up to that point (my new first car is a Jag for big miles - 50K in 2.5 years). I had the interior upgraded by lotus so it was actually an amazing cabin, lighweight carpets and all - in fact the new interior looks incredibly like the Gallardo it parks next to! The window guides on all S1s are a pain, but it's irrelevant ;) That aside it was absolutely brilliant until I blew the engine at the Nurburgring this weekend after 70K of hard thrashing :) I'm keeping the car and replacing the engine with an audi turbo for o-100 in under ten. I love this car, I love the people I've met through it - what more can I say? (as an aside, reliability of a 'good' example of a ten year old car is not judged by replacing items of wear and tear - did it have all receipts and a full Lotus history like mine?)

As far as driving in the wet is concerned, looks like a classic example of the people who spin their cars in the first six months syndrome. Many do -an Elise is a performance car which you have to learn to drive. I've never lost my car on a public road - that's just inappropriate driving. just my 2P.