The Lotus Elise urge is back... guys help me out!

[Yellowbird RS]

I love the body design of this car such as the specs. and all the mods. & updates you can do with it.

Do I trade my 2004 Boxster S for a Cayman S or keep the Boxster and get a nice 2006 Elise and spend another 10k on mods. and upgrades.



Cayman S (in signal yellow or signal organe) or the Elise

[Jeff Alton]

I want one too....

Cheers

[Larry_Ratcliff]

they are pretty tough to get in and out of for a daily driver... Also, if you are a big guy you wont fit very well. A friend of mine has one... I am 6' 215 lbs and I felt like a sardine when I got in it... have to sit down on theh door sill and scoot across to the seat... neat car but not nearly as accomodating as a porsche for daily use in my opinion... Also that yota 2.0 is rev happy but seriously lacking in torque... I bet the cayman would be a lot more fun for street driving.

[Hugh R]

I drove the one that belongs to Rodeo on the board. Amazing car. A lot of plastic however, but still very cool.

[MOMO3.2]

I'm not the guy who is going to talk you out of the Lotus. I am really lusting for one my self. In person, the Exige/Elise is very exotic looking.

Good luck.

Mike

[skinnerd]

go get the Lotus
it is the car that Porsche should have built
lightweight, responsive barebones sportscar

[the]

I'd trade a Boxster or a Boxster hardtop for that in a heartbeat.

[Yellowbird RS]

Originally posted by Larry Ratcliff
they are pretty tough to get in and out of for a daily driver... Also, if you are a big guy you wont fit very well. A friend of mine has one... I am 6' 215 lbs and I felt like a sardine when I got in it... have to sit down on theh door sill and scoot across to the seat... neat car but not nearly as accomodating as a porsche for daily use in my opinion... Also that yota 2.0 is rev happy but seriously lacking in torque... I bet the cayman would be a lot more fun for street driving.

Well I'm 6'2" and 198 lbs. the car it's not going to be a daily drive (+1) I drive the e90 or other car for daily actually my GF don't like to ride in any of my soprt cars because the "get in" issue (+/- 0)so it's going to be another toy for me and I need to admit here in MX. I don't go to the track (-1) so maybe for high way roads home to office some times or to the golf club it's a bad idea....

-1 @ the moment.

[Komenda Fan]

Elise for the fun of it. Cayman is a Buick in comparison.

[randywebb]

street or track??

nobody on this bbs will say Lotus is bad.

it's just the main usage that's the issue...

[Larry_Ratcliff]

Originally posted by randywebb
street or track??

nobody on this bbs will say Lotus is bad.

it's just the main usage that's the issue...

Exactly! for the track the lotus would be tons of fun. However, for the street big torque numbers, ease of getting into and out of the vehicle, and creature comforts ... relative to personality of course... My SC is my creature comfort car. my 74 with heim jointed 935 coil over suspesion is my 'toy' and my 914 is my track car.

IMO the engine in the lotus reminds me of my friends 69 S ... rev happy and no grunt ... great track engine but not really so much fun for stop light to stop light acceleration (to the speed limit of course) ... torque is king for a street car.

Styling of the elise... It is striking for sure.. but it does not strike me as timeless... sort of hits me along the lines of the testarossa ... lots of flashy stuff that will look a little on the plastic side in the future.

the Cayman on the other hand just says classy. Enough to be sporty but not so much as to say trying to hard.

I personally would rather drive a boxster/cayman than an elise or for the money I have seen newer turbos starting to sell in the 60ish K range. I just cant seem to get past buying air cooled cars though maybe one of these days I will buy a 993 turbo ...

[nostatic]

Elise is a great track tool. Not sure as a daily driver...there is zero storage space.

Cayman is much more livable. And very competent on the track. Turn off the PSM and have at it. Heavier than the Elise, but more grunt. And definitely a more comfortable ride.

[nineleven911]

If the 911 was not in existence, i would be sure i'd own an elise/exige. I have never driven one, but from what i hear and what i see, I LIKE!!

[89911]

Buy the Elise if you need a track toy or a once a week fun run car. Beyond that, It's usefulness is lacking. I think it has a 10 gallon gas tank? I have seen these appear used all over the place, so that is telling me the buyer didn't end up feeling it was the car they wanted. Think of it being about as useful as a tubbed out 911 track car.

[Jims5543]

This is too funny.

Same exact urge here. I was looking in Autotrader at the used prices.

I was toying with selling the SC and the RX7 and just getting an Elise as well.

Less insurance less space needed and a nice dual purpose car.

As far as daily driving, my SC has no a/c and I am in Florida. RX7 has 500# springs and swaybars the size of your forearm. Super harsh ride, smelly, noisy an Elise will seem like luxury compared to these 2.

[FastCarFan]

For the record I, too, love the Elise. However, to echo what Larry said, they are very hard to get in to or out of. I sat in one awhile ago. It was very hard to squeeze/contort into. Once in, it was comfortable. Tiny steering wheel & 0 storage.

Then when I was ready to get out I had to really think about it. It was very difficult. If the roof had been on I would probably still be stuck in the thing. Can't imagine getting in/out of it multiple times per day, although you would probably develop a technique that works.

I would also be concerned about the quality. In the one I sat in the driver door window crank was extremely loose...in the dealer showroom. Other parts seemed pretty cheap too.

Good luck with your decision. They do look like a lot of fun.

[cstreit]

Don't look at me, I'd dump a Boxster in a heartbeat for an Elise...

[Jim Bremner]

I lived with a '67 fastback mustang for years

no a/c
no p/s
no p/b
roadrace springs
heimjoints on the a-arms
etc

I thought that thr lotus was for me, I planed to buy the lotus

After the test ride I asked myself if I could tolerate driving from my house 110 mile to willow springs and back- nope!

I bought a C-6 corvette.

[porsche911girl]

I'd say get the Lotus. I've been wanting an Elise since I saw one parked in front of our hotel in London back in 2002. I still love 'em.

The Elise is the only car I would consider buying over a Porsche, and for me, that's saying a lot.

Good luck!

[HardDrive]

A post after my own heart. I have been considering what to do next with my 2002 Boxster. Cayman definetly on the list. The lotus just does not seem practical as a daily driver.

996 turbo is at the top of the list.