A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Yes, yet another should I buy or should I not thread. But I seriously need some advice from you guys!! My first post so please be nice!
I finally had the time to test drive the elise, and man maybe I shouldnt have. I was so excited driving it, i felt like a little kid in a gokart. Man does this thing stick on the ground or what! It kinda reminded me of my first car (honda prelude) where it kicks in a high rpms and you can actually feel the road and steer where you want it to go. My current car (g35) is a damn bus compared to my honda. You steer it one way you can feel the body roll, kinda like you have no control of whats going to happen. It was a mistake going that route (looks and more HP), but now I can say that I just want my old honda prelude handling back. I was expecting a lot worse harshness in the test drive but it wasnt that bad at all. My lowered g35 (yes it still feels like a bus) feels a worse than the elise! I think the g35 is more for show and luxury riding then what I want. When I got my g35 a year a go, I was looking more for a upgraded honda prelude but that didnt work out too good.
So my dilema.
If i choose to buy this car, I would sell my current g35, and the elise will be basically my daily driver. To all those that use the elise as a daily driver, how is it? Can you still go through jack in the box drive thru? lol. Would I regret this car like I regret getting the g35? Would the lotus be too extreme?
Even if you guys cant help me, I just want to say that I check this forum at least 5 times a day and has a great group of people. Also nicer than a lot other car forums out there. Thanks for everything!
A:
I have 5 cars and whenever I can, the Lotus is my daily driver. With the hard top on, drive thrus are difficult at best. Don't sweat it though! You'll find you have to make due with alot less space but if you are like me, you'll adapt.
A:
My Elise is my weekend toy. Initially I thought it would be my daily , but that was the excuse to buy it! My daily is a modified Cooper S.. Love the Elise, make excuses just to drive it , but it isn't a daily for many people. If your trip's are on good road's , your climate is good, the people you have to deal with on your commute are civil and your parking is protected, then that's another story.
Do I regret buying this toy? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!
A:
As long as you are never required to carry luggage or worse still a girlfriend and two sets of luggage.... A long weekend for two at the beach is tricky if it's your only vehicle.
A:
I would recommend buying the elise and a point "A to B" get around town car for daily driving.
A:
Thanks for the replies! I want this car so bad! Do you think you guys will get sick of your elises?? One of my friends said I would within 2 weeks of owning one... hmm?
A:
Definitely daily drivable. I've put 18.5k miles on mine in 11 months and loved every minute of it.
As long as you are carefull about parking (parallel parking is an absolute no-no) and entering sloping driveways you will be fine.
Edit: My Elise was my only car for 8 months until we got a VW GTI for the wife.
A:
Only you will know if you are going to regret this or not. My advise, sell the G35, get the Elise for fun driving and buy a beater (Honda?) for utility.
A:
I can't wait to purchase my Elise. I currently have a Single Turbo Supra but that is more for the strip and show. I love the handling this car has and you can turbo it too bad they couldn't fit the 2jz in this bad boy because the 2jz-gte is my fav motor.
A:
Agreeing with Megatron here.
Get a cheap unmolested 4th gen Civic sedan or something, or get a Mk2 (1985-1992) VW. Both known for good handling, both known for lasting a long time (well, OK, if rust doesn't get to the Civic), and both dirt cheap. You can find running examples that just need a couple weekends of work for $500.
That way, you'll have a passable handling car for when you need something with space, and an awesome handling car for when you don't.
(I do need to drive an Elise, but I have a feeling that it's going to be a bad idea, considering that I can't even afford a Mk3 VW, let alone an Elise... )
A:
I went from a 2004 G35 coupe (6spd, aero, brembos, etc) to my current Elise. The Elise is the only car I have right now and have put 4500 miles on it in 5 weeks. I haven't gotten sick of it at all - in fact, I take it out for a couple hours just to drive for fun when I'm bored. I do miss some things in the INF every now and then like heated seats and space for a lotta stuff in the back seats. I think the perks of the Lotus definitely outweigh all of that. Whatever car I end up going to after this one will be a huge disappointment, I guarantee. I'm pretty much ruined with this car : )
A:
I too came from a loaded 04 G35 coupe (6MT, Navi, Aero, etc.) and I have to say that the two cars have roughly the same utility less the back seat (which is essentially a decoration). I am assuming that you have a sedan as you never mentioned coupe in your description. I now have an Exige which I drive alot but not quite daily (as I now have other cars as well). If winters are non-existant or you have access to mass transportation then you can probably get away with having only an Elise. Having just paid $181 for an oil change I can tell you that having the Lotus as a daily driver can rack up some bills pretty quickly unless you're into the DIY stuff. Can it be done? absolutely! but it will be a constant test of your dedication to driving the car.
Oh and on a side note... you may want to stop those trips to Jack In The Box... you have no room for that in the Elise.
A:
Originally Posted by QuickSilver
As long as you are never required to carry luggage or worse still a girlfriend and two sets of luggage.... A long weekend for two at the beach is tricky if it's your only vehicle.
My wife and I did a seven-day 3K mile trip from WI to the Dragon without any trouble. And she's not one to pack lightly either. She also said it was more comfortable than our Boxster, Evo, or her old New Beetle for the trip.
A:
14K in the first year here.
But whether the Elise is a daily driver depends on other factors. How much does it snow where you live? Are you willing to install all-season tires if you have a wet period? How much stuff do you haul.
I keep a 4Runner for hauling "dogs and logs", but it only gets use about one day a week.
Go for it and good luck!
A:
Thanks guys. I'm coming from a G35 coupe actually. Lowered with 20"'s (i know i know) so the ride is def. rough. I live in Las Vegas, so there is no snow and it doesnt rain often. Also theres no such thing as parallel parking here. I think its a great place to have such a car here. With all the replies I'm kind of leaning toward getting one.......
A:
Sometimes, I want it to rain because that's the only excuse not drive my Elise. I have other cars, but I use the Elise as a daily driver.
DO NOT parallel park it, I've had a bad experience with this one.
So far, I've accumulated 7K in 4 months of ownership.
John
A:
Originally Posted by JWA
My wife and I did a seven-day 3K mile trip from WI to the Dragon without any trouble. And she's not one to pack lightly either. She also said it was more comfortable than our Boxster, Evo, or her old New Beetle for the trip.
I agree the Elise/Exige is a comfortable ride for long journey's - the seating position is great for both of us. Luggage space on the other hand is less than half that in the new Boxster - which we always managed to fill
We travel internationally extensively with both our jobs, but packing light has never been a skill either of us have truly acquired - more the be prepared for anything school