should i give my elise the chop?

General General Lotus Talk
1

hi all, i seriously considering part-exchanging my elise for a new renault clio v6, just wondered if any of you have a v6 or know anything about it.the spec is very good but worried about the suggested handling problems that it is supposed to have, as the huge weight of the 3.0 litre engine causes the tail end to come out when cornering at some speed.Also does anyone know roughly what i would get for my elise in part exchange? it is r-reg 98, with hardtop and 30,ooo miles on the clock and in perfect condition. many thanks for any replies.

2

A short wheelbase and lot of weight in the back, often makes for a handful in the handling dept, which most have the mags have stated. IIRC, the car weighs about 1450kgs, about 40% more than a Clio 172 which is why the performance of the two cars is fairly similar. Looks like good fun all the same.P.S. Evo magazine contains a Clio V6’s owner’s running report each month so check that out for first hand info.

3

thanks the performance is not geat i think 6.3 o-60 but top speed of 147 mph which is good. i know it wont handle like a elise but i just want to bit more luxuary for the next few years, i looked at the exige but as i live around london the rear visablity put me off as i do alot of reverce parking.any ideas what a dealer will give me for my elise?

4

Dunno about your Elise value as a trade-in but you would save a LOT of pennies by selling it privately and buying a Clio V6 in a private sale too. Best to buy a copy of Top Marques and look for similar Elise’s to your own to gauge the going rate for them.BTW, if you don’t find a suitable V6, another car worth considering is a BMW ZM Coupe. Excellent visibility for town driving/parking and great fun out on the open road. 321 bhp so 0-60 in 4.3 and de-limited top speed of 170MPH+. [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image] Available from �20k+. One of the most enjoyable cars I’ve had.

5

I am sure the guys at RMA (the trackday people) are trying to shift a load of Clio V6s. Sorry I don’t have a linkAs for your Elise, my guess is �12k to �13k (hope thats not bad news)…Cheers

6

quote:Originally posted by kieron:but worried about the suggested handling problems that it is supposed to have, as the huge weight of the 3.0 litre engine causes the tail end to come out when cornering at some speed.Don’t have any personal experience, but I have talked to a driving instructor at an advanced driver training and he hated these cars like no other.He was an ex police driver who was used to driving the original 911 targa’s (were used in the 70’s and 80’s by the police here), but still found the Clio V6 to be a handling nightmare.He found that it was very, very difficult to control the back of the car once it started to slide. Even more so than the original 911’s (which have a reputation of being ‘dangerous’ in this respect).For a road car he found it too unpredictable and dangerous. If set up for the track then it can do good things, but would probably be not really usable on the road anymore.Again… Not my personal experience, but some idle chit-chat during a driving course…The guy also proceeded to show me how to keep an Elise (mine!) in a controlled slide on a wet circle… Impressive… Just kept on going round and round sideways all the time… And making it look deceptively simple [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]Bye, Arno.

7

thats what i worried about if the handling is that bad then im not going to like the car at all especially after going from an elise, but as i live around london my speed is not that high most of the time so i might not notice it so much.i would also love an exige but not to sure about have one around london for the rear visability and also the stealing factor.does anyone here have an exige and live in or around london?

8

I have an Exige and live in London and as much as i love it I think personally I would find it hard work as an everyday car. However, some of these chaps on this bbs use their cars as everyday transport…with huge grins im sure [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image] It all depends on your priorities.

9

is there a special way to see to reverse cos i sat in one at the showroom and could not see a thing from the rear as the spoiler just took up all the back window.i just worried im going to find it a nightmare as a everyday car in london.