2005 Lotus Elise - Talk me into it or out of it...

[jorian]

That thing is saaaweeet! You'll look so cool driving it you won't need A/C.

[DanielDudley]

I would want AC, but otherwise I would love to own one.

Make sure your tires are up to date and correct for the temperatures you are driving it in. More tail happy than a 911 at the limit if you lift.

[ZOO]

I won't talk you out of it, but I will share some thoughts as a former owner - 2007 Krypton green, with the track and touring packages.

First, do you like attention? I mean attention everywhere? I thought I wouldn't mind it, but it became exhausting. I can see why some exotic owners come across as douchey, because it is time consuming to talk to everyone, always.

Second, do you have a carefree approach to life? I thought I was reasonably carefree around car ownership. Cars are meant to be driven, right? But the Elise is pretty fragile, body wise. No bumpers. And vulnerable all around. I worried all the time about clam damage, especially from people backing in to it while parking etc.

Third, how will you use it? I primarily used mine for track and auto cross. It was fantastic in both elements, but again the spectre of damage caused me to rethink using the car on the track. After all, any off may have destroyed the car, and left me with nothing more than a Toyota motor to sell. It wasn't worth it, to me.

I am glad I owned one, but overall, for my purposes, my E46 M3 has been a much better all around choice for my needs.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Nickshu

Ok here's where I get confused. It looks like the owner can get an in-transit permit, but that would be in his name. So he gets an in-transit permit in his name and I just carry a bill of sale to show I bought it from him if I get pulled over along the way?

Or he signs the title over to me and we go to the DMV together and I get the in-transit permit?

Door #2. After the transaction is complete and you are the new owner, you go get the permit at the DMV.

[Chocaholic]

The AC delete would be my only hesitancy. Mostly for resale reasons when the time comes.

[slow&rusty]

I'm going to be the exception here, as I never got the whole Elise craze and appeal. The styling and insect looking design never floated my boat. I totally get that they are lightweight, fast and nimble but so are nicely prepped Miatas. For me the last great Lotus was the Esprit S4 Twin Turbo V8.

[Nickshu]

Thanks for the input guys.

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

The AC delete would be my only hesitancy. Mostly for resale reasons when the time comes.

Choco, A/C delete does not bother me, but good point about resale. I had a 911SC for 14 years with the A/C removed, never bothered me much.

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

I'm going to be the exception here, as I never got the whole Elise craze and appeal. The styling and insect looking design never floated my boat. I totally get that they are lightweight, fast and nimble but so are nicely prepped Miatas. For me the last great Lotus was the Esprit S4 Twin Turbo V8.

Rusty, I have considered other cars in the price range including a brand-new Miata for the same cost, or a Subaru BRZ for about 10K less. But at the end of the day the Lotus is just so damn cool by comparison. Plus if I buy a Miata I'll spend oodles of money bolting crap onto it and at the end of the day it doesn't have the Cool factor. The Lotus, for me, is cool enough in it's stock condition.

[Steve Carlton]

Orange is the new black.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Orange is the new black.

Haha, the wife is already referring to it as "the orangesicle". "When are we going to pickup the orangesicle?"

[pavulon]

The hardest battle is won. Go get the car your wife already has named and in her mind owns!

Originally Posted by Nickshu

Haha, the wife is already referring to it as "the orangesicle". "When are we going to pickup the orangesicle?"

[nota]

how much better is that car then the second MR2 turbo with upgraded bits
30k will buy a lot of upgrades

[intakexhaust]

Nick- congrats and happy b-day! Forget about others opinions. You worked for it and now want to have a blast. Makes perfect sense to me.

The sans A/C debate is silly. If the time comes and you want to sell, someone is still going to love that car.

[Steve Carlton]

Post more pics! Now!

[Scuba Steve]

Do it!!!

[wildthing]

Wouldn't 30k get you a nice Cayman?

[aschen]

By far the worst thing about the elige is the fragile body work as the other owner said. It's not a car you want to get in any sort of accident or have an off with.

The other thing about an na Elise is, it is nearly quick its not super car fast especially at higher speeds.

[aschen]

Originally Posted by wildthing

Wouldn't 30k get you a nice Cayman?

Sure, and the Cayman is a much better actual car than an Elise


The Elise is a much better toy than a Cayman however.

[aschen]

You have to lose 300 lbs and find 40 hp to make a current miata into an Elise p/w ratio

A supercharged and worked over NB or NA would be a fun car, but remember you can supercharged Elise's as well easily

[sugarwood]

Which cars are currently in your stable?

That's a good price for such low miles.
Go for it. If you don't like it, you can just sell it and get your money back.

The Elise is truly what "Go Kart on rails" means.

[herr_oberst]

This guy did exactly what you are talking about doing, except he did it in July:

Crossing the Country in a Lotus Elise