A&Q about Lotus
Q:
in austin last weekend
i was at a light... talkin to a friend in the passenger seat... got a phone call right before the light turned green... i had my cell phone in my hand and started to go forward when the S500 Benz next to me took off like a light... 2 car lengths ahead...
my friend laughed at him... what the heck... didn't even know we were racing... i continue to go straight and the benz had slowed down... just enough to let me catch up, then he took off again, got in front of me... and got onto the on ramp of the highway...
i just slowly kept going forward making fun of him with my friend...
A:
I keep getting that too. People "racing" me off the line at lights, and they give no indication they want to race me. So as I pull away at a normal pace, some guy in his crappy mustang is flying through the intersection and blowing his engine.
Some guy in an M3 did that beside me and had to slam on the brakes immediately when cars were still sneaking through on the left turn signal, and he almost t-boned them. Looked like a fool.
A:
Originally Posted by eighteenseconds
I keep getting that too. People "racing" me off the line at lights, and they give no indication they want to race me. So as I pull away at a normal pace, some guy in his crappy mustang is flying through the intersection and blowing his engine.
Some guy in an M3 did that beside me and had to slam on the brakes immediately when cars were still sneaking through on the left turn signal, and he almost t-boned them. Looked like a fool.
Brings up a good point, I was at stop light of a very busy intersection on a very big street. I had a van on my left that crept up over the crosswalk, I could not really see what was going on to my left. A guy in some kind of import was next to me on the right and reving a bit. The light turned green and the little devil on my left shoulder said "go go go !! race him!" The little angel on my right shoulder said "better safe than sorry". I went with the angel, an SUV blew the red light from my left as I was slowly creeping to a normal start , had I gunned it I would have either hit the SUV or been T boned by it.
I could not see him blowing the light because the van on my left was blocking my view. I will never ever again even think about racing off a light if I don't have an absolute clear view of the entire intersection and the streets coming up to it. I don't really street race anyway but sometimes if somebody really gets your goat it takes a lot to not do it !
A:
Better to be safe!
After many long trips overseas, I returned to the States and immediately noticed the fequency of red light runners has gone up!
A:
Well, I thought it was just me. But I noticed MBZ and BMW'rs tend to want to pass me quickly. Guys in motorcycles seem to do the same thing and get in front of me very close. I was actually going to ask that same question. "Do you notice other cars passing you just for the hell of it, or is it just me.?"
A:
Originally Posted by drjose
Well, I thought it was just me. But I noticed MBZ and BMW'rs tend to want to pass me quickly. Guys in motorcycles seem to do the same thing and get in front of me very close. I was actually going to ask that same question. "Do you notice other cars passing you just for the hell of it, or is it just me.?"
It seems like more people want to do the "haha I passed you and therefore am superior to you and your stupid little sports car" thing. But I reflected back on owning my Dakota RT which was also a bit intimidating on the road, a big hairy 5.9 litre V8 truck that did 0-60 in 5 seconds and sounded like it. People would constantly rev at me at lights and zip past me as well. I think it is more that insecure people in standard cars are trying to feel valid by zipping past and cutting off obviously way faster and more powerful cars. But the main thing in the Elise is that you are so low and small that normal cars seem to be more intimidating and noisy. And also appear like giants in your rear view. When I think about it, the same stuff happend in my RT, but since i was taller and heavier than most cars I would just chuckle, in the Elise I flinch and look for an exit out of the situation !
A:
The worse so far was a construction worker riding his work truck and tailgating me; getting real close and then leaving a little room. I decided to change lanes to the right. He then got on my left side and did a swipe maneuver towards my lane, so I had to do an evaisive maneuver. This followed by him pushing into my lane and taking the next exit. As I turned to the right he gave me the middle finger. Jealousy I gues.
A:
A couple of good ole boys in a '90-something Mustang GT wanted to race on the Interstate on my way home from work. Fairly heavily patrolled section, too. They weren't *******s about it, but just silly. I just waved 'em on.
Then at a convenience store out in the county, I stopped to buy a Powerball ticket, and came out to see some guy in a pickup in a driveway nearby grinning and looking at the car, but kinda strangely. I found somebody had messed with my Sprite in a similar situation years ago, so I was thinking this guy might have done something to the Lotus. When I started leaving, he did, too. I decided to follow and get his plate #, but when I got home, I didn't notice anything wrong with the car. Just a weird vibe.
The guy messing with the Sprite had put a bottle behind the front tire while it was sitting in the parking lot. Bastard had the balls to be sitting in the space next to it when I came out, and watched as I backed out. Luckily, I heard the bottle break and stopped immediately, and rolled a little forward. Got out, saw what happened, and knew it was deliberate. Just brushed away the glass (no tire damage, luckily), and said, "Gee, I guess some redneck idiot thought he was going to give me a flat" and just smiled at the guy. I knew it was him, though I didn't see him do it, and couldn't prove it. Some people just have nothing better to do. What a tool....
A:
NB 75 tonight...
Black S4 with tinted windows came hauling up behind me, rode right on my tail for a bit, then punched it and swerved around into the clear fast lane. He ping-ponged a bit and exited WB 635.
If any of you Audi guys happen to know him, please pass along that I said "F*ck off!" - I don't think he saw me giving him the finger. Thanks!
A:
Originally Posted by codymac
NB 75 tonight...
Black S4 with tinted windows came hauling up behind me, rode right on my tail for a bit, then punched it and swerved around into the clear fast lane. He ping-ponged a bit and exited WB 635.
If any of you Audi guys happen to know him, please pass along that I said "F*ck off!" - I don't think he saw me giving him the finger. Thanks!
A:
Originally Posted by codymac
NB 75 tonight...
Black S4 with tinted windows came hauling up behind me, rode right on my tail for a bit, then punched it and swerved around into the clear fast lane. He ping-ponged a bit and exited WB 635.
If any of you Audi guys happen to know him, please pass along that I said "F*ck off!" - I don't think he saw me giving him the finger. Thanks!
Hey did this all happen about 7pm? I only ask because I felt a strange disturbance in The Force at about that time.
xtn
PS - Did you two get the PM that I sent?
A:
Originally Posted by xtn
Hey did this all happen about 7pm? I only ask because I felt a strange disturbance in The Force at about that time.
xtn
PS - Did you two get the PM that I sent?
Hey, hey... the disturbance you felt was when I picked up a copy of Texas Driver and was struck, once again, by the fact that our group photo wasn't in there.
Audi guy was simply adding insult to injury a little later.
Got the PM about TX/OU.
A:
In my area guys driving new Maximas seem to have performance envy. I have this wonderful road to drive on my way home each night. Two s-turns and a bunch of minor twisties and no cops. Well there are a few guys with Maximas I run into every so often. They fall behind in the twisties and then race up onto my tail when the road straightens. Over and over again. I don't drive it over 70 or so (it's a 45mph road) so it's easy to catch me on the straight because I'm not really trying or racing them, just enjoying the ride.
Anyone else have a particular car type these days?
A:
What I think is funnier is how after awhile Elise owners assume everyone is checking out their car or trying to race them....
A:
Originally Posted by SFC VXN
What I think is funnier is how after awhile Elise owners assume everyone is checking out their car or trying to race them....
in some cases i would agree with that, but with most of the stories here... i don't think it's the case
if i had a car speed up next to me when i'm just cruising... then just take off like a bullet... and then slow down to get right next to me again... and then do it again... i'm sorry, but i would have to assume he is wanting to race or something along that line like wanting me to take off because they want to see what the car can do... just a hunch though...
perhaps his/her passenger is just messing with the driver and stepping on his right foot, which makes the driver unintentionally accelerate and decelerate... i guess i should have known better than to assume he/she wanted to race me...
p.s. since i'm an exige owner... i guess i don't have that problem
all you elise owners should listen to SFC VXN
A:
Was the EXIT
Then they Bad Guys
And of course, the girl that needed saving.
Such is the life of the Elise/Exige driver. Ahhh, Sooo.
A:
Originally Posted by SFC VXN
What I think is funnier is how after awhile Elise owners assume everyone is checking out their car or trying to race them....
Well I don't get that behavior from the same cars while driving in my other car, yet I drive it pretty agressively as well. Therefore I can assume I'm correct in my assumption that they are trying to race the Lotus.
A:
Originally Posted by SFC VXN
What I think is funnier is how after awhile Elise owners assume everyone is checking out their car or trying to race them....
Got an alternative theory for why Audi-guy went from driving with the flow of traffic to riding my ass and swerving around me when the fast lane was clear?
I'm all ears.
At the end of the day, I don't really need an explanation to know he was driving like an a-hole.
A:
Originally Posted by codymac
Got an alternative theory for why Audi-guy went from driving with the flow of traffic to riding my ass and swerving around me when the fast lane was clear?
I'm all ears.
At the end of the day, I don't really need an explanation to know he was driving like an a-hole.
your big car was in his way
A:
i had a few encounters like this on the highway late on night with very few cars around.... the only reason i don't "play" with them is because i know the exige is slower...