Fro future model years will this car ever be a good DD? the only thign holding me back from buying new is the fact I can only have one car in my garage. From what everyone says this is not a good DD but any change it will be in the future or is it just wishful thinking?

 

I thought I was the only one who wanted an Elise for a daily driver. What's not to like about it? It gets great gas mileage, fun to drive, and easy to park because of its small size.

But if you think about it..how are you going to do your grocery shopping? How are you going to avoid purchasing large consumer products anymore? And in the case you have to evacuate your home and move to a hotel or somewhere else quickly in the event of an emergency, how are you going to transport your luggage? These intangibles are always something to think about.

Other than these things, and not having to mind to pry yourself in and out of the driver seat everytime you get in and out of the car, I would definitely love to have an Elise as a DD.

Oh, and also keep in mind that the Elise doesn't have power steering either, and if your morning and evening commutes hit traffic hour everyday, I wouldn't say the Elise would be the most comfortable of cars to be in.

 

I think you're talking about another car than the current Elise. In other words, will the next Elise become a better DD? I believe if Lotus wants to sell more cars, they'll want to make the Elise more livable.

Inevitably the more livable (and safer) you make a car the larger and heavier it'll become. As in Miata -> MX-5 gains 400 lbs but you'd be hard pressed to say the MX-5 is not a better all around car.. safer, quicker, more comfortable etc..

So I wonder if the next Elise will become a better all around car. Such will be larger, heavier, more powerful, more comfortable etc..

Just hope if that happens it won't loose it's fun-to-drive nature.

 

yeh, I'm sure it would sell more if that did happen. For right now it just seems liek a toy weekend car. my s2k can do both I know eventually I will have to get a new car whether it will be tommorow or next year I dunno whatever pops up. Right now there is nothing that cmpares to the overall experiance with my s2k.

 

It's hard to predict exactly what Lotus will do, but for now, what they've shown of their product plan keeps the Elise as the minimalist track toy, the upcoming Europa will be a mid-range GT oriented car like the Cayman or 911 and the Esprit-replacement will be a modern supercar. Supposedly the Europa will be the car that's everyday livable for a larger portion of the market. But then again, given their performance through lightweight philosophy and their past record, it's hard to imagine any such thing as a practical Lotus.

That said, I use my Elise as a daily driver and it does quite well. If you get the plastic bags, you can hold a lot of groceries. And I've done 8+ hour trips with no ill effects. Once you're in it, it's really quite comfortable. The whole 'daily driver' argument just makes me believe we've gotten soft these days. It's a much easier car to commute in than an original VW Beetle. I used to go back and forth to school in one of those. A 500 mile drive in the winter in a Beetle will really take it out of you. I also used to get by with only a motorcycle, grocery shopping and all. It may be convenient to own an array of large, plush cars, but it's by no means a necessity.

 

where cna I get info on the europa? is it coming ot the U.S?

 

If some people can live having only a motorcycle then why not the Elise? Not that either is all that practical.

 

Not much solid info yet, but supposedly all three cars will come here.


http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/gossip/lotuss...acts-122175.php

http://www.pistonheads.com/lotus/def...?storyId=12048

 

The biggest issue with the Elise as a DD is the repair cost of the front and rear fascias. The fiberglass costs between $4-8k to repair, so parking lot mishaps, parallel parking incidents, etc, cost a bloddy fortune to put right. This, more than the discomfort, would rule it out for me. Can't DD it if you are always scared to death of parking it somewhere.

 

4-8k? ouch lol. I agree as a DD you know your going to scratch it dent it etc sometime........