Advice on viewing Elise

[Piddy]

Hi chaps

Finally making the plunge in to Elise ownership this weekend (all being well). I was going to wait till my house purchase had completed, but... dammit, life is too short!

I've found a lovely 111S on an '05 plate, less than 20k miles. Obviously with such low milage it's in pretty good nic, though I worry that it hasn't had it's head gasket go yet meaning I'm likely to be the lucky owner who will have to deal with it.

What things should I be looking for when I go to view it? 

Thanks for your help in advance and shout out to Ken from Snows Lotus who pointed me in the direction of this one. 
Amazing chap seeing as he knew within a minute he didn't have the right stock for me yet still gave me an hour of his time in advice and some leads.

[Bibs]

Ken's a lovely chap as you've found out.

Head gasket isn't the end of the world if it does go to be fair, and that's not to say it will if you're careful with warming the car up. There are lots of things you can look for on an Elise but essentially, since nothing is that expensive, the biggest deal breaker would be chassis damage around where the wishbones are mounted. A bent chassis is more often than not game over so check that and otherwise, if it looks, sounds and smells right it probably is

 

[Piddy]

Thanks Bibs - It has an aftermarket steering wheel which means I will be checking it wasn't because the airbags have deployed (any way to check that easily?). Pretty certain that it is just an 'upgrade' though.

Talking about warming up etc. What should I keep in mind when I am looking after it. For instance Ken told me to leave the parking brake off when possible. 

I think I will just be able to fit it in my tiny garage so I will be able to trickle charge it too.

Any other tips to look after my new baby?

[Piddy]

Actually- pretty sure the 111s didn't have an airbag.

[Bibs]

The brakes stick on pretty easily if the discs are even slightly damp which is why he said to avoid the handbrake but mine is never bad enough to worry about so I use the handbrake all the time. 

Best way to look after the car is to use it. If you leave it, you can start to find problems appearing but with regular use, they're are good as pie

[rogerch]

I leave the handbrake off when it's in the garage, but that's a bit of a left over habit from the Esprit. After a wash I always drive around the block to dry out the brakes.

[Piddy]

Off to pick her up today

[Bibs]