Giveitfish

The BRZ and 1.6 are actually quite similar. For most of the time I've had my 1.6 my best mate has had a GT86 and we've done quite a few road trips together. Up to about 70 you can't put a fag paper between them for acceleration, they're very evenly matched until higher speeds where the 86 has the advantage. I've had a few high-torque cars too - Impreza Turbos, a 4.6 V8 MG ZT, Scirocco 2.0TSI and now drive a Tesla Model 3 dual-motor which really is an absolute torque-monster. I still look forward to a sunny Sunday and a blast in the Elise. It's just so engaging and refreshing somehow.

Welcome! The S3 1.6 has a very low guilt factor for a weekend car. 50mpg is possible on a cruise, they don't seem to depreciate and they have modern safety like proper stability control instead of just traction control like the earlier Toyota powered cars. The steering, ride and handling are just as good as the other models. It's not as raw as an S1 but is still amazing compared to anything which isn't another Elise. I'm not aware of any problems specific to the 1.6 but they do share the same build quality issues as other Elises. The aircon will fail at some point and some repairs are surprisingly expensive. I did see Jonny Seal mention 3rd gear problems in an advert but that's the first I've heard of it. Its a hatchback gearbox at the end of the day, parts should be easily available. The S3 in general is quite a step on from earlier cars with much less in the way of rattles for example. The downside is the engine is very light on torque and needs all the revs to come alive. It's not a very satisfying car in traffic (it just doesn't pick up from low revs like my old K-Series S1 did) but it works just fine out on a country road where you can keep it on the boil. It really loves to rev and will bang into its limiter all day long. Some other Elise owners will look down on you, politely in person and not so politely on Seloc lol. The 1.6 also needs an aftermarket exhaust to make them sound like a sports car. If you want a car to enjoy chucking about and are not hung up on bhp then they're great. I've had mine for 4 years and done 15k miles and the slight hankering I have for a supercharged car is more than offset by the £10k price difference. My old S1 was more lovable though, possibly because in some ways its more like a classic car and also maybe because it was low-key trying to kill me. PS. Best thing is to drive a couple of different cars if you can

Easy to take the mick, but they've already far outsold 13 years of Evora production in the UK alone. The cock-up in failing to sell the Evora (or make it attractive enough to sell itself) far outweighs any issues with the Emira. Dealer stock and falling residuals are an obvious byproduct of greater production numbers, a more mainstream audience and market conditions in general (see the current huge glut of Porsche stock for the most obvious comparison)

I agree, it’s all about the right person coming along. It’s just we’re a small niche so it takes a while for the stars to align.

That's an elegant Evora, really suits the GT demeanor of the car especially as this one will probably have the long box. However I note the description says "Inside, the interior is in excellent order" which kind of glosses over the fact that both the airbag cover and the trim panel in front of the instruments are completely knackered I hope whoever was responsible for selecting materials for the S1 dash is suitably ashamed, they're responsible for so many otherwise lovely cars looking like badly built kit cars.

Prices right now still surprise me to be honest. With a sluggish market and Emiras available in the 60's, you'd think Evoras would be starting to drop a little more? I appreciate existing owners might not agree! Anyway, FWIW as a benchmark from the past I paid £31k for a 46k mile N/A Sports Racer in a private sale back in 2018. It was a pretty good one too. It left me in 2020 for £27.5k with 66k miles on the clock. It was hard work selling it, even then you'd think a Sports Racer under £30k would fly out of the door but as with my Elise S1 it took a while before a genuine buyer came along.

Possibly a mix of cancelled orders and demos? Would they shift V6 demos before the i4 comes in? Cancelled orders not unique to Lotus by the way, non-GT Porsche's are suffering too - pages of chat about it on Pistonheads https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=48&t=2041147&i=0

I'd be there in a shot if there was some way I could afford it without having to lose my Elise. Good luck with the sale - hope you've not having to deal with too many timewasters.

Just noticed this one on Pistonheads, can't see it being around long as it looks great.

Oyster and Aqua is the perfect classy GT look - evokes thoughts of driving to the south of France for me, would look perfect on the coast roads in the sun. Leave it standard would be my vote!

Thanks @r3nault The Evora changed a lot in its life, so it depends which one! It started very much as a comfortable sporty GT in 2009 in NA and long-ratio gearbox form and then got progressively stiffer, faster and louder as time went on. By the time the 400 came along any attempt at subtly was thrown out the window. Saying that, I’ve driven a Sport 410 and it still rode pretty well and was comfortable despite being very shouty.

I'll echo whats already been said. I think you know the answer. The Elise is more concentrated fun, the Evora more of a GT/all rounder. You'd rather be in the Evora on the way to the hills then you'd rather be in an Elise when you get there. I ran an S1 Elise for 5 years/20k miles as a second car, then an Evora NA Sports Racer for 20k miles as my only car, and now I have an Elise S3 1.6 for the weekends. I've also driven a couple of hundred miles in an Exige 410. My take is: Elise S1 - purest, most intense and lovable of them all. I'd have one now if they came with air-con (sorry purists) and if I didn't think it would try and kill me one day. Evora - awesome car, massive sense of occasion which didn't diminish with use. Just lovely to be in, its the one to take to the Alps. But I didn't often get up at dawn to hit the Dales roads in it. It's just a bit too refined and too much of a GT to have a second car/weekend car (for me). Elise S3 - like the Elise S1, but with a roof that works, ABS and ESP and air-con. I've done 500 miles in a day in it and it's fine but you wouldn't choose it for a long trip unless the destination was worth it. However it's such a rush driving it on B roads. Just last night I went out for a 3 hour evening drive just for the hell of it. Being able to take the roof off adds a whole dimension that's missing in the Evora. The 1.6 is just enough but the old K-series actually suits the car better. I've not driven a 220. Exige V6 - a mini-supercar with all that entails. Controversial opinion - it's the one I wouldn't buy myself! It's not the refined all-rounder that the Evora is and it's not as agile as the Elise. The power, looks and noise are amazing but the controls are heavy, visibility is terrible and its just too much hard work to be a proper drivers car. I was happy to step back into my little 1.6.

Carfections latest Aventador vid is shot on the Blakey road for anyone wondering what it’s like.

Hope you had a great time! Those are my stamping grounds. I could write a book about the roads up here, some rival the best in the world. The B6255 to Hawes in the Dales is stunning, fast and testing, Blakey Ridge in the NY Moors is even faster and spectacular when the sun is out. And there are so many others too. Was out there the other weekend in the Elise. Just watch for sheep, wildlife and middle aged men in lycra. Ideally you want to out at 6am and back by 9am to enjoy them properly. If you're up here again I can share some routes It can be dirty work sometimes though...

I was there Saturday - was actually surprised to see the car was manual, I was expecting IPS for its intended use for some reason. Anyway, enjoy this comparison with the £100k more expensive McLaren Artura - If I was a McLaren PR person I'd keep these two apart...