Clio 172 To Lotus Elise

[George16v]

Do you think this is a worth while swop

Or would I miss the 172 - I have had 5 clios so would be missed for sure, But do you think I would still be able to use the Elise as I use the clio

ie: To and From Work everyday, Le Mans once a Year, Weekend trips etc.

And would the service costs and running be much higher?

 

[jon_r]

DO IT.

 

[blink172]

serice costs will defo be more as will parts. You cant compare the two though, a 2 seater rwd rear engined lightweight sportscar or an upgraded family hatch back with a big engine. Dont get me wrong, i love my 172, but if i could afford one id have an elise tomorrow

 

[pkimber]

Just changed my 182 at the weekend to a Boxster, 5 years old, less practical but quality and pedigree is there. Still fun like the Elise as well

 

[Daipac]

I dont think I could use the Elise as an everyday car TBH.

 

[GazTwo]

Have a word with williams-ant he changed from a 172 to a Elise about a month ago...see how hes getting on.

 

[leeds_182]

George16v - I had a clio 172 in flame red and went from that to a blue vauxhall vx220.

Absolutley loved the vx220 and for a while it was fine for everyday use but i began to get annoyed with it after a couple of months.

The cars are really nice but being so hard to get out of makes them a nightmare for parking in car parks as on the vx (I dont know about the elsie) you had to have the door open fully to get out.

Also I used to get panicky about leaving the car anywhere as I though some t**ser would scratch it because I was a flash b*****d and It broke down about 5 times in the 1st four months!!!

I owned my vx220 for 5 months and then sold it for what i payed for it so wasnt bothered. Really loved the car and thought it would be ok for everyday use but in my opinion it wasnt.

I now own a black 182 which I am really happy with. Still miss the non stop head turning I got in the vx though!!!

 

[Pete]

Depends on whether you plan to take a passenger on the weekend trips or not, altho the guys from SELOC managed Spa and the Nurburgring two up in Elises.

 

[telford_mike]

172 is very civilised for a performance car, and also very practical. If the Elise is your only car I guess youd find it a pain after a while. I went 172 --> Clio V6 and thats a bit of a shock, but an Elise would be a different proposition altogether.

 

[sn00p]

Quote: Originally posted by leeds_182 on 25 October 2004


George16v - I had a clio 172 in flame red and went from that to a blue vauxhall vx220.

Absolutley loved the vx220 and for a while it was fine for everyday use but i began to get annoyed with it after a couple of months.

The cars are really nice but being so hard to get out of makes them a nightmare for parking in car parks as on the vx (I dont know about the elsie) you had to have the door open fully to get out.

Also I used to get panicky about leaving the car anywhere as I though some t**ser would scratch it because I was a flash b*****d and It broke down about 5 times in the 1st four months!!!

I owned my vx220 for 5 months and then sold it for what i payed for it so wasnt bothered. Really loved the car and thought it would be ok for everyday use but in my opinion it wasnt.

I now own a black 182 which I am really happy with. Still miss the non stop head turning I got in the vx though!!!

Of course the lotus wont have the vauxhall engine. Lotus themselves have switched to the toyota engine which is much better than the K series engines that the elises used to have.

You look like a right c**k getting in and out, its real awkward (Im the best part of 66) but once inside there is loads of room. Getting in and out as leeds_182 said in a right car park space would be nigh on impossible with the roof on.

The seats in the elises Ive been in arent that nice either, theyre just a bit of carbon fibre covered with fabric, no padding. Tends to hurt after a while. The seats in the exige are *much* nicer and I could live with those without much problem.

No way I could live with it as an everyday car. Was seriously tempted to go that route before I bought the 172, but the reality is that in my opinion, if you have an elise you need a second car!

 

[George16v]

Guess I need to go and test drive one and see what I think if the ride is ALOT better then may go for it, But I live in Westminster so you guys talking about parking is probably nothing like the spaces I have to fit into... mmm Will have to think hard about this, may need to be a V6 - Few test drives in order I think - Cheers guys..

 

[Toypop]

When you say "swop", do you mean you will be getting a second hand Elise?


Remember that many an older elise is slower to 100 than a 172 and they top out at speeds that are regularly exceeded by Cliosport members (at least if the stories in driving tales were true).


Personally Id look out for a NA VX220. I never had any trouble getting in and out.

 

[George16v]

mmm never really thought about one of those tbh! Do remember when I had my Cup I raced my mate to the Motor Show and he topped out at 133 and I just cruised passed him,lol - Good point - Presume the newer ones have I higher top speed - Really needed when going to le Mans

 

[leeds_182]

Quote: Originally posted by Toypop on 25 October 2004


When you say "swop", do you mean you will be getting a second hand Elise?


Remember that many an older elise is slower to 100 than a 172 and they top out at speeds that are regularly exceeded by Cliosport members (at least if the stories in driving tales were true).



Must have been my lard arse then mate.
Personally Id look out for a NA VX220. I never had any trouble getting in and out.

 

[Jason C]

Elise is a different proposition:

To try and clear up some of the questions / misinformation:

Its REAR engined.

It doesnt have carbon Seats.

118 Bhp elises would struggle to outdrag a 182, particularly over 70 / 80. On the road a well driven 182 would probably keep up with an elise. But theyre not about speed. I drive the clio much quicker than my elise - you dont need to g quick to have fun in the elise.

You can easily live with one every day. I drove mine most days for my 20 mile cross country mmute, and left the BMW on the drive.

If youre 6 6" I can see getting out could be difficult. Under 6 " its no problem - theres a very easy technique to it.

If you can live with a 2 seater, which might leak a bit on rainy days its a no brainer.....but get some training f youre not used to driving a M/R layout.

The fun you have more than makes up for the niggles.

 

[cupsportmad]

They are bloody good fun mk1 elises, havent driven the later model but the handling of the mk1 is just unbelieveable; even better with upgraded suspension like nitrons and a arb. Maybe the best thing to do would be to enlist in that 48 hour vx220 turbo test drive to get a feel for whether such a compromised car is for your purpose.

 

[cupsportmad]

Also the elise costs alot to run if you service it through main dealers, you can save about 20% elsewhere. However a vx220 is probably as cheap to run as a clio because its all vauxhall parts and servicing.

 

[sn00p]

Quote: Originally posted by Jason C on 25 October 2004


Elise is a different proposition:

To try and clear up some of the questions / misinformation:

Its REAR engined.

It doesnt have carbon Seats.

118 Bhp elises would struggle to outdrag a 182, particularly over 70 / 80. On the road a well driven 182 would probably keep up with an elise. But theyre not about speed. I drive the clio much quicker than my elise - you dont need to g quick to have fun in the elise.

You can easily live with one every day. I drove mine most days for my 20 mile cross country mmute, and left the BMW on the drive.

If youre 6 6" I can see getting out could be difficult. Under 6 " its no problem - theres a very easy technique to it.

If you can live with a 2 seater, which might leak a bit on rainy days its a no brainer.....but get some training f youre not used to driving a M/R layout.

The fun you have more than makes up for the niggles.

Ive been in a few that were owned by lotus and they had carbon fibre seats - did they not provide them as an option on production cars? The seats are *awful* (standard or carbon) - every elise Ive been in has left me with bruising on my back. The exige seats are about 5 million times better. The 220T drivers seat was better too as it had the little inflatable bladder which provided some padding.

Come and drive down the roads I drive to work in the morning and Im sure youll change your mind, its bad enough in a 172!

 

[jon_r]

Im sorry having driven both a lot, a well driven Elise would walk rings round a well driven Clio 172/182 down a twisty B Road. We are talking about a MID engined 2 seater sports car here.

If you really are stupid enough to be worried about a drag race then yes above a certain speed a Clio would go past the basic Elise. But then you dont buy an Elise to go dragracing....

 

[George16v]

I am 6 5" so may find it a bit awkward - Have been offered an R-Reg Impreza WRX, Completed Standard and History from New - Am going to find out a bit more later today but what do you think of these cars - Certainly more practical, But probably not as fun.. May be wrong

 

[jon_r]

Im 6 4 ish and have no problems in it.

 

[George16v]

mmm need to test one out, This Subaru has Subaru history from new, but has 103k on the clock, £6000 is this too much?

 

[telford_mike]

Might be a good idea to ask on the Scooby forums, 103k on a turbo sounds like a money pit to me.

 

[George16v]

Yeah, have F***ed it off now, too risky, And there is a VX220 for sale on here now,

 

[Ally]

2nd hand (but older) Boxster as an option?

The GFs dad has one and Ive always found it surprisingly practical - its got decent luggage space back and front, easy to get into and loads of space inside: Im 62, hes at least 64. You can get early ones for well under £20K, if thats within your budget!

Goes like sh!t off a shovel too.

Hes owned an mk1 Elise before that, and had daily use of a NA VX220 for 3 months between times. Porche seems to be his favourite cos hes kept it for quite a few years now.

 

[Simon_P]

George,



I may be able to offer some advice to you as I have owned a Williams Mk1 172 and currently have a 182 with cup bits and an Elise 111S.

There has been some Bollox spouted on here, step forward sn00p best advice is cupsportmad & Jason C



Firstly they never came with carbon fibre seats, however they can be added from various tuners. The seats in the 111s & 135 Sport are different than the 111. They offer far more support and have a little padding-making day to day more enjoyable. Getting in and out is not really a problem if you follow the procedure of one foot/leg in/out first then body then next leg.

Day to day I have the luxury of two cars and if its p1ssing down then I take the 182 as it just spoils the enjoyment of the Elise.

Servicing the K can be very cheap by using specialists and apart from Main services I do the work on my own car. It really is an easy car to work on. The K is a fragile engine but I honestly think it is a great engine and getting more power from it is very easy with exhaust/de-cat/induction/throttle body releasing 20 odd BHP and making the car a lot sharper. Suspension wise it’s Nitrons or the cheaper option of upgrading to the S2 kit £500.

There is plenty of room inside the car once you are positioned in it. With my wife in the car we have been away for weekends (including all her shoes!) in comfort. Weekly shopping is not a problem as the boot is surprisingly accommodating.



Now on the speed front. It feels fast as its low down. Power in the111 dies at 5500 which is a pain but some head work can solve this or you could get a 111s which has the VVC engine this will keep pulling to 7300-7500 and is very fast (IMO) to 100. Sport 160 is another option here. Between the 172/182 there really isn’t a lot in it but given a sunny day some B roads and you will have a BIG smile on your face in the Elise! I have been passed in sh1te weather at Bedford before by 172s and have also passed 172s. They are quite evenly matched but as some of you found out at SPA they are very fast in the right hands!

If you do get one then go to http://www.carlimits.com/U face=Times New Roman color=#0000ff www.carlimits.com/U for some airfield training with driving God Andy Walsh. This is considered the best upgrade for your Elise.



This is the right time to be looking as bargains are about.



A very good example of a S1 111 is going to cost you about £12, a 111s is about £14, a 160 Sport is about £15. The 135 doesn’t come up for sale that often.



Any further advice just give me a shout! Log on to http://www.seloc.org/U face=Times New Roman color=#0000ff www.seloc.org/U where there are loads of peeps that will give you advice.



I have had my car for 2 years and its 4 ½ years old and all its needed is regular servicing and the replacement on wear & tear parts, excluding my modding festish. If you buy a good one it wont cost you much to run.



Cheers


Simon.

 

[RobFenn]

Quote: Originally posted by Jason C on 25 October 2004




Its REAR engined.

Since when did we start talking about Porsches?

Id get an Elise, defo, even if i got sick of it after a year, its worth having the experience. Forget the "Its not as fast in a straight line" b****cks, thats not what the Lotus ethos is all about! You will have the time of your life, trust me.

-Rob

 

[Simon_P]

Foregt the early 2.5 Boxster as this is the £20k ones keep the clio. Only one to go for is the 3.2S with sport spec.

cheers

Simon.

 

[sn00p]

Quote: Originally posted by Simon_P on 26 October 2004


George,





There has been some Bollox spouted on here, step forward sn00p best advice is cupsportmad & Jason C



Firstly they never came with carbon fibre seats, however they can be added from various tuners. The seats in the 111s & 135 Sport are different than the 111. They offer far more support and have a little padding-making day to day more enjoyable. Getting in and out is not really a problem if you follow the procedure of one foot/leg in/out first then body then next leg.

Ill go slap my mate works for lotus (not a pleb, he designs mechanical stuff on them, he drives them round the track and if you book a "lesson" at lotus, hes one of the people wholl teach you to drive), when I mentioned the seats in one of the elises Id been in, he said that they were carbon, this was a car owned by lotus.

Do a search of google for elise seats, the number one link on there is saying how uncomfortable they were - thats all I was trying to get at! (Alternatively, do a search on here for lotus and youll see Im one of their number one fans)

As for getting in and out, I can vouch that from personal experience its pretty tricky if youre 66.

Day to day I have the luxury of two cars and if its p1ssing down then I take the 182 as it just spoils the enjoyment of the Elise.

Servicing the K can be very cheap by using specialists and apart from Main services I do the work on my own car. It really is an easy car to work on. The K is a fragile engine but I honestly think it is a great engine and getting more power from it is very easy with exhaust/de-cat/induction/throttle body releasing 20 odd BHP and making the car a lot sharper. Suspension wise it’s Nitrons or the cheaper option of upgrading to the S2 kit £500.

This must have been some of the other "bollox" I spouted, didnt I say above that the K series wasnt very reliable?

There is plenty of room inside the car once you are positioned in it. With my wife in the car we have been away for weekends (including all her shoes!) in comfort. Weekly shopping is not a problem as the boot is surprisingly accommodating.

Yep, more bollox here, hang on, didnt I say that there was loads of room inside once in too?

Now on the speed front. It feels fast as its low down. Power in the111 dies at 5500 which is a pain but some head work can solve this or you could get a 111s which has the VVC engine this will keep pulling to 7300-7500 and is very fast (IMO) to 100. Sport 160 is another option here. Between the 172/182 there really isn’t a lot in it but given a sunny day some B roads and you will have a BIG smile on your face in the Elise! I have been passed in sh1te weather at Bedford before by 172s and have also passed 172s. They are quite evenly matched but as some of you found out at SPA they are very fast in the right hands!

Yes, no contest elise vs. 172 in the driving stakes, elise everytime - these things have the most awesome handling. But I personally couldnt hack one for everyday driving, if you can then thats fine.

 

[jon_r]

The standard Boxster is still fundamentally a great car though. However it has a different image to the Elise.

 

[Simon_P]

I apologise sn00p I was a little harsh.

Defo slap your mate about though as only after market seats are carbon fibre (thats where I was referring to bollox) Do you really think Lotus would supply those as standard, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers

Simon.

 

[sn00p]

Quote: Originally posted by Simon_P on 26 October 2004
I apologise sn00p I was a little harsh. Defo slap your mate about though as only after market seats are carbon fibre (thats where I was referring to bollox) Do you really think Lotus would supply those as standard, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!cheersSimon.


Not a problem mate! Probably jeleous as youve got both a 182 & an elise!

Saving for an exige though.....

 

[Simon_P]

Mk1 Exige I hope

 

[George16v]

Cheers Simon,

Guys Def. Not interested in a poor mans porsche, I have been on Track Days with Porsche Boxster Ss and still one so not the car for me, Plus is well Girly in my opinion.

What do we think of the TVR Chimaera as this is another option - And I know they arent the most reliable, But they are cool....

 

[Simon_P]

Forget ALL TVRs apart from the Griff 500 and the most up to date ones. You will be off the road more than on it and left with no notes in your pocket. I know several owners and not 1 has had a good car. They look/sound fantastic and go like rockets in a straight line but thats it. Just read pistonheads and othe TVR forums to hear the horror stories.

cheers

Simon.

 

[George16v]

Wel how about this VX220 thats up for sale. The N/A Version for £13k and 45k miles. Plus the owner is looking for a mk1 172 so a possible P/X

 

[ad220]

I have to agree with what the majority are saying. I was in the same situation as you George about 2 months ago. Ive decided to go for a VX220 N/A

I knew that I wanted a RWD sports car but couldnt decide which one. Basically I narrowed it down to the Elise and VX. Reasons why I chose the VX

Servicing - much cheaper because it is basically a Vectra engine. Parts etc

Engine - is a lot newer in the VX. The K - Series engine in the Elise was developed about 20yrs ago I think

Safety - I know the point of these cars is not safety but I would much rather an Airbag and ABS

Chassis - For my budget I can get a newer VX. And the VX is set up more towards Oversteer whereas the Elise S2 is set up towards Understeer.

Lotus developed the VX and then used the information to develop the Elise S2.

All VX are built in the Lotus Factory and there is a rumour that for every VX that breaks down GM(Vauxhall) fine Lotus. Therefore Lotus are spending more time building the VX to a higher standard than they are an Elise.

With regard to the 182 being quicker in a straight line - If all you want is straight line speed then buy a TVR. Realistically how much of your time do you spend driving at over 100mph!!!! On a sunny day with a B road infront of me I know what I would choose!!

Rant Over

 

[Simon_P]

George - That is not a bad price at all but as the milage wears on the squeaks crashes and bangs get louder.
The Na Vx engine is good but how has it been looked after? Is it heading for a major service i.e. cam belt? Check the front clam for stone damage; I would imagine with that mileage there would be a fair bit of peppering. Has it been tracked, if yes then that’s more mileage than 45k as advertised?

Honestly if I was looking for an Elise/VX type of car now I would be buying the new VXR220 with ohlins however I am a badge snob so it may be the Exige.

My best advice would be visit http://www.vx220.org.uk/U face=Times New Roman color=#800080 www.VX220.org.uk/U there is a lot of info on there.



Cheers


Simon

 

[Simon_P]

ad172 - I hope non of your rant post was aimed at me as its not very constructive and you have missed the point. You are wrong with most of your post anyway.

Servicing is not cheaper for the VX. If you use an independent (I wouldnt trust those monkeys at Vauxhall to service my car) to service the Elise its just a K after all. The K is a very good engine, its light and very revy.

Safety is debateable. The abs on the VX is dangerous and is well documented on VX.org Most owners disable it on track, where you do over 100mph! The VX is not set-up towards over steer and we are not talking about the S2 Elise here it’s the S1 which is over steer biased.

TVR is a whole different animal.

cheers

Simon.

 

[George16v]

Thanks guys - Need to think heavily about this one, Trouble is I love my Clio soo much, Can I actually sell it?

Have tried once before but everone that came to see it told me it was the best one they had seen and it should be garaged blah blah blah and basically after a couple of days the buyers had persuaded me to keep it lol!