S3 1.6 Buyers guide...?

[Kilmany]

Hi all,

I am hoping to buy an Elise in the next month or so and I'm rather taken with the idea of an early 1.6 S3. Are there any particular "gotchas" with the S3 ( saw something about 3rd gear?) or even an online buying guide. I think pistonheads did a generic Elise guide.

Also, the S3 looks remarkably good value compared to S1/S2s. Am I missing something? Understood that S1s are now classics and appreciating accordingly, but are S3s lacking somehow compared to the earlier cars? Original road tests were very complimentary.

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers!

[Giveitfish]

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

[jep]

You'd be very unlucky to buy a bad S3 Elise. All Elise are reliable and sorted but S3 is particularly so. It's heavier, so I prefer S1 or K series S2 but they're getting old so naturally may bring more issues - though nothing serious if you buy a well maintained example. 

Best find S3 that has been pampered, garaged and sparingly used with FSH. Do your research, be patient, do a wants advert and get your eye in - search every day. 

Justin 

[Kilmany]

Many thanks for the replies. I was a big fan of lots of torque (TVR, Saab and Subaru Turbo diesels) so my Subaru BRZ was a bit of a shock to the system with non existent torque and having to change down from 6th to 3rd to accelerate. I would imagine the 1.6 has better pick up than a GT86/BRZ. 

I do like the idea of a K series S2 but the S3 just seems such good value with (as Giveitfish says) mod cons.

If I'm successful I will let you know!

Cheers

Edited February 12 by Kilmany

[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.

[PJB]

I have one, they are great little cars but you have to work them to go at any speed.  Mine is a 64 plate and feels very well put together (for a Lotus) and has been completely reliable in the nearly 6 years I have owned it.  The running costs are absurdly low and it’s totally guilt free ownership as someone else mentioned.  Regardless of the costs, it’s just a lot of fun with no complications of some of the “higher end” models.  Even my wife loves it and has said I’m never allowed to sell it.  She’s never said that about anything else I have owned. If you can cope with the fact it’s not actually that fast, and simply want something fun, they are hard to beat.

I would add, if you get one a 2bular exhaust makes a noticeable difference, a bit more torque, better noise and less weight.