The Elise is Quite rare in Malaysia. As a result, I don't have a car to test and brag about. All is NOT LOST, I dished out 3 videos review, 3 links to "Buyer's Guide", 1 Supertest by GoAuto Australia, and 4 Owners review sourced from Carsurvey.org.
In Malaysia, presently, there's 5 units of Lotus Elise MK1 on sale in Mudah.my. 1 1998, 1 1999 and 3 2000 model. From the 5 units, I worked out
the averaged Used Elise Pricing:
Year:.....1998....1999....2000....2001....2002...2003
Price:....105k....117k....125k....133k....140k...150k
Without further ado, here's some links to "LOTUS ELISE BUYER"S GUIDE"...
LInk 1: http://www.elises.co.uk/features/buyersguide/index.php
Link 2: http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/lotus/elise-1996.aspx
Link 3: ELISE FAQ:
http://www.hazelnet.org/elise_faq/index.htm
NEXT: Videos featuring LOTUS Elise MK1:
Video 1: FIFTH GEAR(?): Lotus Elise MK1
Video 2: Top Gear Best Handling Car In The World Part 1 of 2
Video 3: Top Gear Best Handling Car In The World Part 2 of 2
Followed by "SUPERTEST" by GoAuto Australia. ENJOY:
SUPERTEST: Lotus Elise MK1
Overview
speed, handling and looks, the super-light Lotus goes off the scales.
Its lightness of being and a gutsy Rover engine provide the motivation
while the steering, brakes and handling will flatter the most ham-fisted
driver.
Such a shame it is beyond the budget of many sporty drivers.
Model release dates: January 1997 - June 2000
The Car
STUNNING. Distinctive. Small. Spartan. What else can we say about the
Elise? It's the work of Julian Thomson, who clearly had a wonderful time
styling the car. The heavily sculpted "clamshell" body is made from lightweight
glass-fibre composite materials and designed to provide a minimum of
aerodynamic drag and maximum of interest from anyone who sees it.
Did you know?Brit Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (1928-1982) founded lotus in 1955.
THE ACBC monogram is incorporated into the Lotus badge.
The Car - Seat Plan
THE driver's seat is nearer the vehicle's centre-line than the passenger seat,
which itself is fixed in the rearmost position. The aluminium chassis is left
exposed along the floor, under the dash and along the sides of the car. A
number of small trays and pockets are provided for odds and ends, plus a
document net behind the front seats. Getting into the cockpit requires hurdling
over the high sill - best to climb in feet-first.
Did you know?
Some of the significant Lotus moments were the launch of the Lotus Sevenin 1957, the Type 19 (aka Monte Carlo) in 1960, Elan in 1962, Elite in 1974,
and Esprit and Eclat in '75.
The Car - Seats
greater comfort, without compromising "seat of the pants" chassis feedback
to the driver. The traditional Lotus "pump-up" lumbar support for the driver's
seat has been retained. High seatbacks are used in preference to adjustable
headrests. Leather trim is available as an option. The passenger's seat does
not slide fore/aft.
The Car - Dash
A spartan dash with a Stack racing car instrument layout offers large dials
for road and engine speed. All other information is delivered by a multi-
function LCD readout. A cigarette lighter can be found, but there is no
ashtray, nor is there a radio in the base model's standard equipment.
The Car - Controls
THE indicator and wiper stalks are borrowed from GM cars such as the
Barina, while the windows and mirrors are DIY jobs. A row of five buttons
to the right of the steering wheel - sourced from Peugeots of a bygone era -
controls the lights.
Did you know?
The top-shelf Elise is the $140,000-plus limited edition (340 worldwide)340R racecar, which has a revised gearbox, suspension and brakes.
The Car - Wheels/tyres
THE mid-engined Elise has a 39/61 per cent front to rear weight distribution
and as a result rides on 5.5x16 185/55R15 front wheels and tyres, and 7Jx16
205/50R16s at the rear. There's no room for a spare, just a tyre-inflating
aerosol can.
Did you know?
Lotus cars are built at Hethel in Norfolk, near NorwichThe Car - Luggage
The 2000 model year brought an improvement to the Elise's cargo carrying
ability, dispensing with the boot bag? A fully lined boot now uses the full area
behind the engine which is no Falcon or Commodore cargo space, but perfectly
acceptable for a couple of overnight bags
A piece of insulation underneath the boot carpet has also been added to shield the boot from exhaust heat. A further benefit of the larger boot is that the roof bows, previously stored behind the seats, can now be stored in the boot. There are two velcro clamps at the top of the engine bulkhead, which allow the roof bows to be easily stored.
The cloth hood and frame stow neatly behind the seats
The Car - Climate control
TO own an Elise means sacrifices must be made, and air-conditioning -
unavailable even as an option - is one of them. A minimum of heating/
temperature controls are provided - a fan knob and a control for heat and
air distribution.
The Car - Security
- and that's about it.
Did you know?
A new generation Elise was due to go on sale in late 2001.Our opinion
We like Light, sexy looks, clever use of advanced build system.
Room for improvement Tricky to enter, unexciting engine note, hilarious weather protection.Our Opinion - Other opinions
 | ||
 |  | "The Elise offers pure, basic motoring at its finest with compromises only to comfort. Sunburn, numb-bum, no luggage and too close an intimacy with the passenger are paybacks for a razor's edge experience at any speed. But still, love's like that." |
| ||
 | | "The Elise is a triumph - it is good enough to carry the rebirth of the marque on its shoulders and make Lotus great once more." |
| ||
 | | "Brilliant minimalist sports car, which unfortunately wears a maximalist price tag." |
| ||
Mechanical
Mechanical - Plan views
THE Elise adopts classic "mid-engine" design to equalise weight balance
between front and rear wheels. The transverse engine makes it less of a
true mid-engine design than the Porsche Boxster however. The four-
cylinder powerplant is derived from the MGF.
Mechanical - Engine
THE 1.8-litre DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder Elise engine has been transplanted
- unmodified - from the non-VVC MGF and develops 88kW at 5500rpm and
165Nm at 3000rpm. They aren't particularly startling figures until you consider
the Elise weighs just 690kg. Independent tests have shown it can blast from rest
to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds, and even that is sixth tenths off the official Lotus claim.
The low weight saves on fuel consumption too, though premium unleaded is called for.
Mechanical - Suspension
THE Elise uses a double wishbone suspension with single coil springs and
dampers front and rear. Uprights of extruded aluminium were made by
Alusuisse. The suspension setting is firm, in keeping with the car's no-
compromise racecar potential.
Mechanical - Transmission
A FIVE-SPEED transaxle sourced from the MGF drives the Elise's rear wheels.
It's not the only item sourced from Rover - the K-series 1.8-litre engine and final
drive are straight from the MGF production line.
Automatic transmission is Unavailable.
Mechanical - Brakes
UNTIL the 2000 model year, the Elise used aluminium disc brakes which
saved a great deal of weight over materials such as cast iron. However, the
aluminium discs have proven unsatisfactory during sustained competition and
track work - where the car spends much of its time - and as a result Lotus
engineers have swallowed an increase in unsprung weight with the standard
fitment of steel brakes. Anti-lock braking is unavailable on the Elise.
Mechanical - Steering
TIPPING the scales at an incredibly light 690kg, the Elise's weight allows
power assistance to be deemed unnecessary. The steering system is rack
and pinion, with a turning circle of 10 metres. The unassisted steering goes
from lock to lock in just 2.7 turns.
Safety
THE lightweight aluminium chassis frame weighs a mere 70kg. Hollowaluminium extrusions are joined by epoxy glue, with rivets added to
prevent peeling in the event of a collision. Side intrusion beams and a
roll bar are standard. A high-mount rear stoplamp is provided. Airbags
and anti-lock brakes are unavailable.
The Sport R version, which is set up for the racetrack, is shown above.
Specifications:
- Two years/unlimited km
WARRANTY:
- Mid-mounted, twin camshaft, 16-valve inline four-cylinder.
- Multi-point Injection
- Capacity: 1.796 litres
- Power: 88kW at 5500rpm
- Torque: 165Nm at 3000rpm
- Bore/stroke: 80.0mm/89.3mm
- 10.5:1
ENGINE:
Performance and Economy
200 km/h
5.9 s9.6 l/100km (10.4km/l)
5.7 l/100km (17.5km/l)
7.1 l/100km (14.1km/l)
170 g/km
Fuel tank: 40litres
- Five-speed manual
TRANSMISSION:
- Front: Independent, double wishbones, coil springs
- Rear: Independent, double wishbones, coil springs
SUSPENSION:
- Un-assisted rack and pinion
STEERING:
- Length: 3726mm
- Width: 1701mm
- Height: 1202mm
- Track, front: 1440mm
- Track, rear: 1440mm
- Kerb weight: 690kg
DIMENSIONS:
SOURCE:
http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/B24764C744BA8F82CA256A0F001DD560
Without further ado, let's proceed to 4 Owner's review:
(SOurce: www.carsurvey.org/)
OWNER 1: 2000 Lotus Elise Standard review from Malaysia
"Where angels fear to tread"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Boot catch failed at about 7000km.
Soft and hardtops leak in medium to heavy rain all the time.
Horn wiring developed a fault at 16000km and would honk intermittently
on track corners.
General comments?
The Elise is a simple and delightful car for those who love driving. It is not
for those who merely like fancy cars to be seen hopping in and out of at
fancy hotels.
Its steering is sheer poetry. no other car comes close but for maybe a couple of mid engined wonders. The 360 Modena has amazing steering for its weight, but is just short of the magic which the Elise employs.
The brakes for this car could have had more bite. They also cease to operate when wet until decently warmed up.
The Elise squeaks, moans, has coolant piping which rattles and develops an acoustic gumbo with any and all tuning options, but it drives like nothing else one will ever own.
It is a slow car by most performance car standards, but if kept on higher revs, it can keep up with many more powerful cars on twister roads on second and third (and this means Porsches and Ferraris built at the same time). In the hills, only the new Porche Turbo and GT2 will be faster. Drivers of other super cars will be hampered by the weight of their cars and the fear of plumbing past a limit.
The Elise is not a car that was designed for the motorway. It is happiest on the back roads and the hills and in the city. It is not the best for one who appreciates occasional track days. A powerful two stroke kart will provide more thrills safely than an Elise. A more serious track head will have to tune the Elise appreciably.
It is a great first car for the first three months, unless one lives close to work. Then add a couple of months more. After that, it should only be taken only twice, maybe three times a week, without water and on an empty stomach. Any less and it will be missed. Any more and you will begin to understand the true meaning of commitment.
After an Elise, marriage will never look easier.
Cheers to the petrol head!
OWNER 2: 1999 Lotus Elise Standard review from UK and Ireland
"Fun with a capital F"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The catch holding in one of the roof bars has become loose, this now
requires careful adjustment before trusting it hold on the soft top!
Intermittent fault with dashboard electrics which causes warning lights
to periodically light up.
Repeated flat batteries, do not leave this car standing for more than a few
weeks without fitting some form of battery charger!
Other than these minor niggles nothing major has interrupted the pleasure of owning the car.
General comments?
Perhaps not the fastest sports car on the road, although it will still leave most trailing in its wake. It is guaranteed to turn heads wherever you go and to place a large inane grin on your face, this car is seriously fun to drive.
One note of caution.
I tried to use this car as my main means of transport, that lasted 2 months. It's cramped, uncomfortable for long journeys, difficult to get in and out of with any dignity and totally impractical.
OWNER 3: 1999 Lotus Elise review from UK and Ireland
"Best fun you will have this side of a Ferrari"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Speedometer works intermittently.
Rear window seal has loosened.
General comments?
This car certainly sacrifices comfort for performance, but the sacrifices are well rewarded.
The cabin is minimalist but practical.
The seating is not the most comfortable around, but I have been in worse!
The Elise is not about comfort though, it is about performance and driving pleasure and, as a driving enthusiast, I have to say that I have driven nothing else that even comes close.
The driving position is perfection, although anyone over six foot would probably disagree, as is the power delivery and handling which is, after all, what this car is all about.
Yes it does leak when raining, yes it is hard work to get in and out of, but all that is forgotten once you get onto that back lane and remember why you bought this car.
I use my Elise every day and can never see myself getting tired of it.
OWNER 4:
1999 Lotus Elise Standard Mk1 review from UK and Ireland
"The best sports car in the world"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Window channel failed, resulting in window the dropping into the door.
Numerous resonances.
General comments?
The Elise is a fantastic car. I have absolutely no criticisms. I am amazed by
the amount of adverse comments on this site, and my opinions are as follows:
It is basically a handbuilt cheap supercar. Pound for pound I cannot imagine
any substitute. Performance wise, this is quite a compliment comming from
a Honda SP 1 owner. Yes insurance is high, but with all other cars with
similar performance you will also be faced with massive fuel bills. For some
reason (similar performance and price perhaps) it is always mentioned
alongside the Scooby. For the critics, my advice is buy a Scooby, because
you are obviously not commited enough!
Colour Choices:
Before I go, here's a PARTING SHOT: INTERIOR SHOT:
THAT"S ALL FOLKS, THANKS FOR HAVING THE TIME AND PATIENCE TO READ THIS BLOG ENTRY!
