Lotus elise or S2000?

[verytalldave]

So are Toyota Land Cruisers.....

I think the point was relative to a Lotus. Lotus are miles better than they were pre Elan Mk2 days, but still dont come within a mile of Honda.

 

[srtaylo0]

I have owned both and could not recommend the S2000 to anyone - unless they like looking at the imminent destination through the side windows instead of the windscreen (tail-happy doesn't begin to cover it!).

The S2000 engine, which is a joy above 6000rpm is lifeless below and you spend your whole life thrashing around in the geabox. Overtakes require you to drop two or even three cogs to stir the thing into action, the interior is uninspiring and the body doesn't seem comfortable in its own skin. I could go on....

I assume you mean a brand-new Elise? You do need a good engine to make the Elise fly so beware of the Rover engine unless it is suitably tuned up (150bnp is a minimum). And it is cramped, stuffy and hideously noisy. But it is purer than any other car I have ever driven by a long margin. It is the car I would go and buy tomorrow if I wanted just the pleasure of a great driving experience.

The "new" toyota powered elise (s2) has a similar "flat t0 mid range, then all hell gets let loose engine" when the second cam kicks in - its great !
I believe the old elises struggled with head gasket failures... the new toyota engine is much more reliable - and it has a six speed box (unlike the s1)

the elise does come apart very easily though - I can remember after one jaunt around the peaks having to put the interior back together as the velcro didn't do a good job of holding it together.
not driven a s2000 though so couldn't say

 

[srtaylo0]

I'd choose the S2000, its a Honda, and hondas are damn reliable.

and the elise is a toyota :bannana:well some of it anyway

 

[prprandall51]

I think the point was relative to a Lotus. Lotus are miles better than they were pre Elan Mk2 days, but still dont come within a mile of Honda.

Agreed, but you buy a sports car for the thrill of driving; you buy an everyday car for its reliability. I wouldn't advocate a totally unreliable car just for the driving thrill but I do think one has to place reliability second to the driving experience in a decision like this.

 

[srtaylo0]

also most elises are driven by hard core track dudes who work in IT and dont have girlfriends..... just a general sweeping observation, please feel free to discard

 

[V8mate]

S2000 - every time. Comfort and power vs rattles and shakes

 

[Adam230K]

You gotta remember though, the road isn't a track. And your "thrills" wont be fully met til u go to a track, and since there is a very small difference between the s2000 and the elise... thats why i prefer the honda.

Its true that elises have crappy interior, and its not a well thought out road car.

 

[prprandall51]

You can tell the Elise is a better car driving down a dual carriageway.....

 

[verytalldave]

This could go on for weeks. Is always simply horses for courses. Personal preference. As far as reliability compromise is concerned, many years ago in my Lotus owning days, I would accept a degree of unreliability. But in todays world where we expect cars to not break down, I couldnt do that.
I would always want reliability first, second and third. And I am sure quite a few F1 drivers from last Sundays Hungarian display would agree with that. No point in having the ultimate driving tool if it cant get you home.

 

[prprandall51]

I titally agree - friends with "classic" lotuses were always breaking down. But the Elise seems very reliable to me (especially if you keep an eye on the coolant level!). I did 10,000 miles in my Elise without a hiccup.

 

[Candy]

Have you thought about a Boxster

I only say this because when I purchased my Boxster, I'd also had the test drive in the S2000.

When I went into the showroom of a local dealer who sold these sort of cars - they were both together and for looks - I could hardly choose.

Then I went for the test drives. The S2000 responded well and drove really great....I'm sure I would have bought it (as that's what I went there to purely see and test drive) but then I saw the Boxster.

As soon as I put my foot down to pull away - that was it....the Boxster sings to you in your ear (as the engine is right behind your head) and the noise from the exhaust is pure bliss.

The handling was far smoother (even for a sports car, which is naturally hard) than the S2000.

However, having said that...I've just traded the Boxster in for SLK !

Good luck with your decision - if I was choosing again between the Boxster and the S2000 - I would do my homework on service costs, and major replacements of parts. Go onto the Honda forums and see what the owners are saying about running costs...similarly with the Lotus.

Ta ra

 

[crockers]

Hmm are we forgetting the OP original budget ??? 14k max...can't see getting much of a boxster for those pennies.....maybe a plastic windowed 2.7....

What about an Audi TT ... that may just slip into the budget....but surely you can't discount a Mazda MX5....

 

[jeremytaylor]

My eldest daughters boyfriend had a Boxster S and traded it in for a Carrera 4 about a year ago - only because he was always getting ribbed at work about "not being able to afford a proper Porsche". So he splashed out the best part of £50K and joined the 911 club.
And you know what.
He prefered the Boxster - even though his 911 is faster and much more powerful. He says the actual driving experience in his Boxster was more enjoyable and fun. He is now on the brink of chopping in the 911 for an R8.

I can second that. I had a Boxster S (without ESP). LOVED it. Sold it on for silly reasons, and a couple of years later still had the Porsche bug but thought a 911 would be better (had kids in tow by then). So I bought a used 996 Carrera Tip.

It wasn't a patch on the Boxster. Nowhere near. Steering, handling, noise, you name it - all better on the Boxster. Maybe it was just the gearbox (Boxster was manual) but I don't think so.

But if you are thinking of a Boxster as a daily driver, the bills will be MUCH higher than with an S2000. No Porsche is cheap to run.

 

[Candy]

Here's prices from PistonHeads S2000 v Boxster

Sorry...I don't know what sort of Elise you're after to post the prices...but pop onto PistonHeads - it will give you an idea of what's out there for your £12-£14k budget - to do a comparison on S2000, Elise, Boxster, MX5... etc

First link is S2000....second one is Boxsters.........get yourself to the auctions....my trade in wasn't far from your budget and a 2004 S with 48k miles on the clock....criminal to let go for this - but so many for sale.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/li...xt=&px=&nodays=60&filter=TP&o=p&Submit=Search

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/li...xt=&px=&nodays=60&filter=TP&o=p&Submit=Search


Boxster 3.2S Tiptronic, Low Mileage (2000)

30,769 miles, Porsche Boxster 3.2S Tiptronic S (2000) Covered 30,679 miles with four owners, the first of which was Porsche Centre Leeds who used the car as a demonstrator and have ...
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Fantastic Nurburgring Blue Honda S2000 (2004)

29,900 miles, 2004 HONDA S2000 2.0i 2dr Roadster, Nurburgring Blue with blue leather interior. Registration AV04 YTN (Not shown on photos as it did have personalised reg.) ...
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Lancashire

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£13,995
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[Shude]

One of my Father's friends runs a dedicated Lotus Elise workshop. From what I have heard they are basically very reliable but the build quality is terrible. They all leak, it's just a matter of how much and the carpet and trim is held on with a glue that is dissolved by water, so it peels off easily after time.

I think put simply the S2000 is a road car that you can also use on a track, the Elise is a track car you can also use on the road. Both of them get the job done and while the Elise is more raw the S2000 is more polished.

I've not driven either but I get the feeling that the Elise is going to give you more of a racing-car feel, noisier, less comfortable but potentially giving a better appreciation of the speed because of this. Remember though it is essentially a turnkey kitcar.