Stiched Up When Buying First Elise?

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 12:41 pm

So then guys,

Chatting to some of you over the weekend I would appear that we were all stiched up when first buying Elises:

I paid £1000-£1500 over the odds to a specialist (£10500 for my 34k 97R S1), the car had mixed Ali/Steel discs front/rear, one of the springs had gone and the C service that didn't include the cam belt change... All rectified FOC eventually. Also I had to fit new tyres and have found the footwell corrosion now she is out of the Lotus 8 year anti corrosion warranty

Still love her tho

Any other horror stories?

Rich

Post by ed » Mon Jan 16, 2006 12:52 pm

I was told i was buying a 111s when it turns out it was ST made up as a 111s. Thankfully i paid only a little more than average ST money, but it still p*ssed me off!

Lazydonkey · Post by **Lazydonkey** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:18 pm

When i got mine home i realised it had a Vauxhall badge

.....joking aside i bought mine privately from the VX owners club and one year on i still think i got a good deal.

ninja · Post by **ninja** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:18 pm

i think i was ok - did a lot of research on pistonheads and traveled to the south of england to buy one 4k cheaper than i'd have managed to get it up here.

so generally quite pleased. did the belts asap after getting the car as a precaution and found that there was actually a rip in the timing belt which would have been a disaster if i hadn't caught it.

ninja

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:36 pm

I really ought to havea looky at my footwell re corrosion, I have a 98 and there are a few small bubbles that I have ignored.

I am a bit of a spanner when it comesto mechanices but time fora spanners session in Edin one morning ?

GregR · Post by **GregR** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:08 pm

[quote="Sanjoy"]I really ought to havea looky at my footwell re corrosion, I have a 98 and there are a few small bubbles that I have ignored.
[quote]

ack - another thing I have no idea about. Am I to get the rubber mats up for a look? Mines a 99 so have a wee bit of anti-corrosion warranty left..

Spanners sesh (if that means clever people help out the dumb ones) would be great!

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:13 pm

GregR wrote:
Spanners sesh (if that means clever people help out the dumb ones) would be great!

Mac - you got any free time?

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:18 pm

If say <6 cars could prob get in to my garage at the flats as it is in the undercroft and would be dry. Also got the option of bacon rolls and coffee.

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:22 pm

Tools?

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:22 pm

Or we could see if Lawrence is free anytime soon....

Sanjøy · Post by **Sanjøy** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 2:32 pm

I have a socket set, decent pliers adjustable spanners set etc so should be okay for majority.

Oh and a hammer for stubborn electrical faults.

MacK · Post by **MacK** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:41 pm

I've got lots of tools, so that would be no problem.

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 3:49 pm

Sanjoy wrote:Oh and a hammer for stubborn electrical faults.

The GBH school of electronics repair.
(GBH=Get a Bigger Hammer)

I have a rag-spanner, very useful for fixing faults involving leaks....

Rich

GregR · Post by **GregR** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 4:28 pm

drifting back on-topic, I reckon that your first purchase of anything expensive is bound to be a rip-off. When you get an idea that you want something, no amount of common sense is going to stand in your way of getting it. Its only afterwards when you become part of a 'scene' that you get to know about things e.g. PH for 2nd hand elises. For example, I bought a bike years ago (push-bike before anyone gets excited!), ended up downhilling and got loads of contacts within the first 6-months that could have got me the gear @ trade price, or 2nd hand from people that had cherished their gear, spent a fortune, and were simply prepared to take the hit and sell at a loss.

I do feel a bit peeved at times thinking what I spent, but it was my first fast car and as far as I was aware, could've been frought with danger. In that respect, a couple of grand over the odds for a warranty etc was better than something going pop 2 months into ownership!

jj · Post by jj » Mon Jan 16, 2006 4:32 pm

I remember seeing your car at Glasgow Murrays the week after I bought mine Greg, it looked spot on.