Lotus Elise
- Thread starter NeSX
- Start date
NeSX said:
I'm #45 on the waiting list.
It's a great little car, nothing can come close to its performance and handling potential on tight twisty Malibu canyon roads. But if you want my 2 cents, I think you should find a way to keep your X as a daily driver and have the Elise as a dedicated canyon/track car. I'm 5 feet 7, lean and pretty mean, but still find the cockpit too snug a fit, like trying to get in and out of the cockpit of an open-wheel formula car. I've seen numerous showgoers at the LA motor show trying to get into and out of the show cars, with little or no success. No kidding, one slithe-physiqued man about 5 ft. 9 -11 tall couldn't find a way to get into the drivers seat gracefully, finally gave up after a few attempts and walked away swearing obscenities !! Another guy, 5 ft. 7 or so, probably weighed about 220, sorta squeezed in but his butt never reached the seat cushion! He had to call his buddy to help pull him out!! LOL! Too funny!! For me, it's comfy enough for short trips to the grocery store and the likes, but I can't imagine sitting in this bugger for hours on end if I'm going to drive this car for a Vegas getaway on the weekends, esp. if you have to take another passenger with you on the passenger side (even a tighter squeeze than driver's side!!). Trunk space, NIL. Reliability will most likely be an issue if you plan on driving it daily. From what I gathered on Elise club owners site in terms of reliability/durability, the 2nd gen Elise is anything but a Honda. One of many commonly-known problems is the propensity of the floorpan bolts to works itself loose over time. WTH?? That's just plain silly. Anyway, good news about Federalized Elise, unlike its Euro counterpart, is that CARB legal Toyota Celica GTS drivetrain, which is vastly better in built quality and reliability than the MG Rover version and offers better fuel economy as well. Collision repair, it's gonna be very tough to find a qualified AND LOTUS-TRAINED body shop in YOUR neck of the woods that can fix the damaged aluminum tub/frame, since the stamped extruded parts are mostly glued on by a special orange bonding adhesive specifically formulated for the Elise chassis by DOW CORNING. Mr Nick Adams, 2nd gen Elise engineering manager, informed me that ther is only ONE shop out of Costa Mesa (in L.A./O.C. area) that is certified by them to work on any damage to the aluminum frame. My 2 cents. I'm still bent on getting it and have no plans on backing out.
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