I've had the Elise for 6 months and now it's time to move on, but for all the right reasons.
It's been a great car and more reliable than it's reputation suggests. It's only fault was to the hot-cold flap in the HVAC unit. Being an Elise with air-con this meant a front clam off (£350) job. But I've had higher bills on less exciting cars so I'm not complaining.
In truth the car cost me an awful lot more than just the HVAC repair. I became caught up in the upgrading-servicing bug and so changed brake pads, discs, tyres, radiator, clutch, flywheel, spark plugs to name a few, at some cost. Most of this was DIY which helped with the budget, but still. The plus side though is that because I bought it late Summer and will sell in Spring the residuals look very promising. But I'm not counting my chickens yet.
It's been interesting to read back at some of the thread comments and see how true they were for me. It's been mixed I'd say. I never had issues getting in and out of the car and in some sense thought it added to the sense of occasion. The low seating position made it a very engrossing car to drive. Reliability was very good to me (as mentioned above), it never failed to start even on -10C mornings. The ice on the inside of the windscreen soon cleared with warm water on the outside. The ride is harsh and sometimes crashy, but again it added to the experience. But I wouldn't use the car as a long commuter, especially with the aftermarket induction and exhaust system that's fitted. The fuel economy was very good. I averaged 35-40mpg on my drive to work. When I then mixed in a few Sunday B-road runs it was nearer 30mpg. A recent track day showed 20mpg and was once 45mpg on a motorway run. Servicing costs are also reasonable. I found an excellent specialist in Daventry, Guglielmi Motorsport, who if anyone has an Elise or race car needing TLC I can highly recommend for their professional work, excellent customer service and modest labour rates.
But as for why I'm selling it, there are a number of reasons. The value of the these cars is very much link to their mileage. Mine is 38k now which still fits in the low mileage band. Once a car is 40-50k fewer buyers will consider them, so the price drops away quickly. But the main reason is that the car as it stands is too valuable for me to use on more track days. I went to my first proper track day yesterday and had a great time. So great infact that I would like to do lots more of them. But my commitment in to some fast corners was hindered by how much it would cost me if I crashed. Also they would suffer more wear and tear with track use, again hitting me in the wallet. So to enjoy my new found hobby I've decided to by a much cheaper road car that I can track and not worry about it's value. This will most probably me a Mk1 MX5.
So there we have it. 6 very enjoyable months, a lighter wallet but well worth it in my opinion.
If anyone is interested in buying this or any other Elise I'll happily answer any questions.
Here are some photos I took a few days ago.