I have a 2005 111R with the 189hp 2ZZGE engine. Bulletproof and still heaps of fun. Keep the tires fresh and soft. Makes all the difference in the world.
I have an 02 plate S2, they are 122bhp in the early S2’s and weight between 750-800kg, the Toyota engined cars upped the weight with latest models circa 960kg. Amazing cars, yours is in excellent condition :-)
The vast majority of the k series powered car have been fixed with the newer MLS head gasket and revised stretch bolts etc great little engines once this is all done
Had the sport 135 and sold 2017 for 14k. Other things to look out for. Engine mounts Alternator bracket Gear linkage rubbers And the early 122 that I think yours is, is actually about 780 kg dry. Best car I’ve ever owned and not a day goes by I don’t regret selling it.
Also: Window-sill rubber (disintegrates horribly, hard to replace), front indicator housings (fall out when the plastic clip holding it in eventually breaks), radiator (plastic chambers can crack, metal replacements exist), coolant reservoir caps (some OEM caps can leak after parking the car, and have plastic threads which won't work, when the engine is warm), battery (the combination of being rarely driven, and having a hungry alarm can kill batteries at an alarming rate - deep cycles aren't great for any battery, never mind the electronics), floor mats (the sockets holding the bolts are only glued to the chassis - had them come loose from the ingress/egress loads), gear linkage (the wires can extend out, making shifts even less precise; replacement kits exist)
heeeey buddy. awwww brilliant!! ya know i had an S2 and then got an S3 and i kept on getting on that a misfiring cylinder which was such a nightmare!!!!! So this was all around4-5 years ago..and now im back in the market and am looking at another elsie..and back to the S2. it was such a better car than the S3. those pointers are brilliant!! to be honest i would of never thought of any of that…you are such a superstar and thanks so much.
@@sheaun3 awwww that’s awesome fella. mate i have sweet little IQ which i use for work and for the first time, i now have a driveway so i can keep an eye on the lotus when watching tele!! yeah i absolutely love those S2s and am so glad i had a look at your video. M4 is such a lovely car and you have chosen well!! yeah they are pricey but it’s a giggle as they are silly fast but now the luxury compared to the lotus…hehe. i was tempted for the smart for two brabus and they was the ultimate 125 edition which look soooooo neat but they are really rare to find and if im honest…its its not an elise!!
Had a 111s with the vvc. I wouldnt say it was slow but if i ever bought another elise i would go for the SC i think. About 200bhp is the sweetspot for the elise imo.
Earlier model S2 like mine has the long tail roof. First thing I did , after having an S1 years ago.)was hardtop , tyres and discs. Door waist seals tend to bubble up over time. Super easy to replace on S2, an absolute nightmare on the S1. Keep an eye on fluid levels and check the undertrays for oil leaks. Like any car, thrash it and things will go pop eventually. On the whole a lot more reliable than you are lead to believe. Ice Blue best colour.
The Toyota engined cars are much less problematic as they sorted out a lot of the issues (but will usually cost a few £1000 more because of that). I've used a 2006 Elise S every day for 8 months :)
I had an MGF vvc before buying my Toyota engined S2. The head gasket did go on it, the problem is the locating dowels are made from plastic, they wear, the head moves slightly then form leak paths iirc. After this was solved, replaced with alloy ones, it was fine and a great engine, its relatively easy to make 160bhp from the vvc, the Toyota on the other hand, is pretty much un-tunable without spending a huge amount of money, it also suffers bottom end engine wear and can consume a lot of oil. I found the engine got quite hot during road trips around Europe, an alloy radiator is a good upgrade.
Cheryl Cold - yeah I’ve heard a lot of stories about the head gaskets due to the dissimilar materials, but I believe it’s also about making sure the car is warmed up properly before high revs
Electric water pump will run after engine shutoff a little while and drop heat soak, uprated head gaskets still available, thermostat re-arrangement of pathing i/o location also helps - wisdom from Freelander 1 series Rover K 1.8 4-cyl woes of yore.
Nice example take me as an example for buying one when I was desperate, was told the head gasket had been done and it wasn’t -£2543 fully finished and a few extra pieces, exhaust £1000 (Larini clubsport) then a full suspension refresh -£5443 now the car owes me nothing thank god
I loved my S2 '01 for six years and sold it which was a BIG mistake so I went out and bought another. '04 model carbon fibre interior, New all stainless exhaust. New Lotus crate engine at 50K with a mild cam, New Quantum one coilover shocks - rear toe link kit, quick release Racetech steering wheel - New Alloy rims etc etc. By the way I have the exact same AM/FM radio. Pioneer right?
Great video. I’m doing a short documentary on the Lotus Elise on my diecast car channel. May I borrow some footage in this video for it? I can send you the finish video as well.
Hi they were not Yokos, and unfortunately I can’t remember. I know the front tyres on this model were difficult to get hold of and you have to get them from a Lotus dealer. I have the new model now.
I have a 2005 111R with the 189hp 2ZZGE engine. Bulletproof and still heaps of fun. Keep the tires fresh and soft. Makes all the difference in the world.
I have a hydraulic lifter which is a bit noisy at the moment, but apart from that it’s been great
Need valve adjustment the 2zzge mate? Corolla tsport owner
They are beautiful! I had one for about 3 years back in 2008
Beautiful One of the best colours 👌
such a beautiful little modern classic
I have an 02 plate S2, they are 122bhp in the early S2’s and weight between 750-800kg, the Toyota engined cars upped the weight with latest models circa 960kg.
Amazing cars, yours is in excellent condition :-)
Techy D thanks. I do look after it and make sure it’s serviced every year
Love the review, lots of good information!
Thanks for the great comment. Please share it to help others and subscribe to my channel
The vast majority of the k series powered car have been fixed with the newer MLS head gasket and revised stretch bolts etc great little engines once this is all done
Owner of a 2005 Lotus Elise Turbo 275bhp for a year. LOVE IT!!!!
Had the sport 135 and sold 2017 for 14k. Other things to look out for.
Engine mounts
Alternator bracket
Gear linkage rubbers
And the early 122 that I think yours is, is actually about 780 kg dry. Best car I’ve ever owned and not a day goes by I don’t regret selling it.
Also: Window-sill rubber (disintegrates horribly, hard to replace), front indicator housings (fall out when the plastic clip holding it in eventually breaks), radiator (plastic chambers can crack, metal replacements exist), coolant reservoir caps (some OEM caps can leak after parking the car, and have plastic threads which won't work, when the engine is warm), battery (the combination of being rarely driven, and having a hungry alarm can kill batteries at an alarming rate - deep cycles aren't great for any battery, never mind the electronics), floor mats (the sockets holding the bolts are only glued to the chassis - had them come loose from the ingress/egress loads), gear linkage (the wires can extend out, making shifts even less precise; replacement kits exist)
heeeey buddy. awwww brilliant!! ya know i had an S2 and then got an S3 and i kept on getting on that a misfiring cylinder which was such a nightmare!!!!! So this was all around4-5 years ago..and now im
back in the market and am looking at another elsie..and back to the S2. it was such a better car than the S3. those pointers are brilliant!! to be honest i would of never thought of any of that…you are such a superstar and thanks so much.
I’ve had 2 S2’s which I loved and had lots of fun in.
I’ve now moved into a BMW M4 which is a lot more expensive to maintain and run
@@sheaun3 awwww that’s awesome fella. mate i have sweet little IQ which i use for work and for the first time, i now have a driveway so i can keep an eye on the lotus when watching tele!! yeah i absolutely love those S2s and am
so glad i had a look at
your video. M4 is such a lovely car and you have chosen well!! yeah they are pricey but it’s a giggle as they are silly fast but now the luxury compared to the lotus…hehe. i was tempted
for the smart for two brabus and they was the ultimate 125 edition which look soooooo neat but they are really rare to find and if im honest…its its not an elise!!
Had a 111s with the vvc. I wouldnt say it was slow but if i ever bought another elise i would go for the SC i think. About 200bhp is the sweetspot for the elise imo.
Earlier model S2 like mine has the long tail roof. First thing I did , after having an S1 years ago.)was hardtop , tyres and discs. Door waist seals tend to bubble up over time. Super easy to replace on S2, an absolute nightmare on the S1. Keep an eye on fluid levels and check the undertrays for oil leaks. Like any car, thrash it and things will go pop eventually. On the whole a lot more reliable than you are lead to believe. Ice Blue best colour.
The Toyota engined cars are much less problematic as they sorted out a lot of the issues (but will usually cost a few £1000 more because of that). I've used a 2006 Elise S every day for 8 months :)
Yeah I've been told the same due to head gasket issues, but mine has been fine,.
Mine hasn't missed a beat and passed MOT every year.
I had an MGF vvc before buying my Toyota engined S2. The head gasket did go on it, the problem is the locating dowels are made from plastic, they wear, the head moves slightly then form leak paths iirc. After this was solved, replaced with alloy ones, it was fine and a great engine, its relatively easy to make 160bhp from the vvc, the Toyota on the other hand, is pretty much un-tunable without spending a huge amount of money, it also suffers bottom end engine wear and can consume a lot of oil.
I found the engine got quite hot during road trips around Europe, an alloy radiator is a good upgrade.
Cheryl Cold - yeah I’ve heard a lot of stories about the head gaskets due to the dissimilar materials, but I believe it’s also about making sure the car is warmed up properly before high revs
@@sheaun3 I saw in another vid there is a remote thermostat mod you can do so it starts circulating coolant earlier, do many have that done?
@@iksander70 no I haven’t done that.
I’ve just upgraded to a 2008 model
Thanks for the review!
When I had gunk on the end of my dipstick I went to the doctor, not a garage.
Hilarious.
😂brilliant
Electric water pump will run after engine shutoff a little while and drop heat soak, uprated head gaskets still available, thermostat re-arrangement of pathing i/o location also helps - wisdom from Freelander 1 series Rover K 1.8 4-cyl woes of yore.
good stuff.i also have a lotus s2 k series and not had many problems at all brilliant cars.
Yeah mine has been great
Its just a proper drivers car.No pointless tat in it.Still pulls a crowd like a common as muck Boxster wouldnt....
Tell me about it. With fresh rubber this car drives like it's on rails. And yes, the looks of gets....
Nice example take me as an example for buying one when I was desperate, was told the head gasket had been done and it wasn’t -£2543 fully finished and a few extra pieces, exhaust £1000 (Larini clubsport) then a full suspension refresh -£5443 now the car owes me nothing thank god
...I've owned a 2006 for 13 years and I still love it.............NO real problems either...........
I can't believe these were only £14k a few years ago. Now they're worth about 18k with this low mileage.
Yes these are good cars for seeing and increase in price
theyre like 30-40k usd here it sucks
50 - 70k AUD in Australia 😒
Future Classic.....In fact I`m surprised prices for used ones go down rather than up.
I know it’s a long shot as it’s an old vid but what’s the unit below the heating controls? .. looks interesting 👍
@@syvee45 I don’t have the car anymore so I had to watch the video.
It’s a video rear mirror
I loved my S2 '01 for six years and sold it which was a BIG mistake so I went out and bought another. '04 model carbon fibre interior, New all stainless exhaust. New Lotus crate engine at 50K with a mild cam, New Quantum one coilover shocks - rear toe link kit, quick release Racetech steering wheel - New Alloy rims etc etc. By the way I have the exact same AM/FM radio. Pioneer right?
I have the same car with the same color, I love it.
Cool video, you or the previous owner a Sheff Utd fan?
Great video. I’m doing a short documentary on the Lotus Elise on my diecast car channel. May I borrow some footage in this video for it? I can send you the finish video as well.
Of course.
Please send me a copy.
@@sheaun3 Thank you so much
Great review What stereo do you have in the Elise ?
I just have a standard pioneer, but i need to replace it and the speakers
Stereo? Adds weight! No stereo or AC in mine.
Nice video 👍 what’s the screen underneath the fan switches?
Vic RattleDead revering camera
Thanks
get an exhaust upgrade!!
What tyres did you fit please? Look like yokos?
Hi they were not Yokos, and unfortunately I can’t remember.
I know the front tyres on this model were difficult to get hold of and you have to get them from a Lotus dealer.
I have the new model now.
The Toyota Engined cars are the ones to buy
Especially with air bags and a/c
And then Toyota came to the rescue!!