FISH22

Over the last few years, the Elise has been one of those cars that I have been really interested in owning. Everything I've read about the car (compared to an S2000), is that it's harder to live with, much more raw, etc. The S2000 is just a fun weekend car now, and it would be the same for an Elise/Exige. So I wouldn't really be concerned with how comfortable it is, or how much of a pain it is to get in/out.

My main concern is the build quality of the car. I still don't know if these cars are built well - but I know they have Toyota engines, so that seems like a plus. As far as everything else, I'm just not sure if they're built as solid as the S2000. I have spent some time on LotusTalk, but I'm still having a hard time getting a feel for the car's maintenance cost, parts cost (OEM), reliability, etc. I talked to a local performance shop that does a lot of Porsche & BMW work. They have worked on quite a few Elises, and say they are an absolute pain to work on. The thing I really love about the S2000, is that I can get the thing on jack stands, and do whatever I want to it. An extremely easy car to work on. Not sure if it's the same for the Lotus.

From everything I've read, I have no problem trusting that the Elise/Exige is a much more fun car to drive. And I do love that you never see them (at least in my area). The S2000 holds a very special place in my heart, but I wonder if the Elise could be one of the few cars that an owner can replace an S2000 with, and be content.

RMurphy

That is the same question I had and which I am trying to answer. I bought a 2005 Elise a month ago. My S2000 is parked and waiting for me while I play out my midlife crisis.

My mechanical guru is Chris Sharma (Natural Aspirations on this forum). Speak to him about if this car is easy to work on (hint: for a lot of things, it is not). No honest Lotus owner ever is going to tell you it's an easy or inexpensive car to maintain. However, such things are all relative. As far as exotics go, yes it's a *relatively* inexpensive car to maintain. Is it an S2000 level of easy or inexpensive? I can tell you emphatically no. Make sure you have a trusted mechanic willing to take this thing on for you when/if you sign on. I would be screwed without Chris on my side (i am not mechanically adept and I can't work on anything more than checking oil in my apartment complex parking structure). Do not trust the Lotus dealerships (if there even is one near where you live). Be prepared to do research on *everything* you do regarding this car because those blokes in Hethel just don't do it the same way as any other mainstream car manufacturers. In fact, all I can say is it is painfully clear they felt a need to live up to the great historical tradition of building British cars.

I laugh...no, I guffaw when I hear AP1 owners say their cars are so raw and like a go-kart. Oh really? You like raw do ya? Try an Elise. It's sushi grade raw.

These cars have a fragility factor unlike any other car. Read the threads about various bits which like to just pop out or fall off while driving down the road (turn signals). There are no bumpers or anything that absorbs minor impacts with no serious damage on this car. Period. A 3-5 mph parking lot bump from some distracted moron can easily mean a $5000 repair including clam replacement. Good insurance is a must.

If you go through with it, the usual rules apply but more emphatically: get one that is unmolested, with the least amount of miles possible, as few owners as possible, and preferably one that was west coast/warm-and-dry-climate only or was stored in the winters and was not a daily driver. Look for one with the sport package or at least the LSS wheels (you'll thank me when you have to buy tires). And be prepared for the concept that an awful lot of your car is held together or in-place with adhesive backed Velcro...even the battery.

All that stated though, I mostly love this car. I've only had mine a month so I am still sorting out some things that need to be corrected from some deferred maintenance of previous owners and I'm still adjusting to life with the new weekender, but my first trip out to the canyons last weekend was very fun.

RMurphy

Short answer: they are definitely not built as solidly or as efficiently as an S2000. You have to be part masochist to own and love a Lotus.

Sebring AP1

I wouldn't give up my S2000 for an Elise. (Ex-Elise owner)

After a few months of sitting in the Lotus you realize how cheap all of the materials are. Couple that with a few other cheap parts and once you really dig into the meat of it the car is not worth 30K in material cost. Shittiest transmission in the world, IMO. motor's not a huge selling point either. There are a lot of downfalls when comparing to the S2000 but really, you shouldn't do that.


That being said its a great drive and a lot of fun. Especially if you're into the raw/visceral feel of a go-kart. You're an older-ish guy and you appreciate the finer things in life - I'm fairly certain after the initial excitement of ownership wore off your feelings for that aspect of a lotus would start to die off quickly. It's really a drivers car or someone who frequents the track or a weekend canyon cruise (assuming you can justify a 30k canyon cruising plastic bin) and not much else. Insurance is fairly cheap and you can do pretty much all of the work on the car yourself. The only thing expensive is the body panels since they are 2 piece by design. Reliabiliy on track is also not as good as an S.

Long story short? Get an Evora instead.

s.hasan546

Exige owner for a little over a year now. What RMurphy is pretty accurate. Make sure you buy a "good car"

I have a great close dealer/shop to me. Autosportsdesign. I also bought the car from them. For me, my car has barely cost anything above my car payments/insurance. Had 2 oil changes only. have some cheap(ish) routine maintenance scheduled soon. Needed a new battery too. only 3,500 miles.

Also newer cars are obviously better. pre-07 elise/exiges have their stupid quality control issues. 08+ are much better. The car is fairly reliable. Parts aren't too expensive (toyota) but labor is. But if you do all your work on your s2k, there is no reason you can't on your elise/exige either.

DO NOT get an evora unless it is an '13+. They are piece of shits in terms of quality control. The powertrain is fine, but stupid shit always breaks. Headlights, door handles/locking mechanisms, nav unit, wipers; etc. a friend of mine had his evora in the shop for 7 months out of roughly 14 months of ownership.

IMHO tho, if your s2k is just a weekend car, the elise/exige is perfect for you. I drive my exige once a week. It is perfect for that. It won't be an amazing DD or saturday brunch date with the wife, but when u want to take a spirited drive by urself and forgot all the other bullshit, the elise/exige is the best car out there imo.

Sebring AP1

Whoops, good catch. Evora is 13+ the early models had a few things to avoid.

That second part about the Elise being the best weekend car though - definitely disagree. As I am sure many other people will disagree with you too. If you have some sort of emotional attachment to Lotus brand or the Elise in general then yeah, it makes sense. But Fish is a 3x S2000 owner who keeps coming back. The Elise is not going to be the substitute/replacement he is looking for. Could it be? Sure - but I'd put money on it not being the case.

RMurphy

One other thing... Fish, if you are married and your spouse enjoys the S2000, make sure she is cool with the Elise too. Getting in and out is not exactly the simplest process. There is no graceful way to do it. If she loves the top down drives in the S she may hate the claustrophobia of an Exige. I have not taken the hardtop off my Elise yet, so I can't comment on how the car is top off, but I can tell you from watching others that the soft top on/off is not as simple as the 7 second s2000 top. It's not evil terrible, but it's not something you can do at a traffic light.

Sadly mine didn't have the soft top (they all came with one, but one of the POs on mine obviously lost it or sold it or something). So if I pull the top off, I have to be committed to a day of completely topless driving. At some point, you get tired of the sunburn. But that's extraneous info.

And yes, after the S2000, the gearbox in the Elise feels incredibly mechanical and at times downright clunky. But the S2000 is a work of art in that respect so *anything* feels like a bag of rocks in comparison.

SpudRacer

There's a Lotus dealer just a couple of miles from my office. I REALLY wanted to like the Elise/Exige. But after looking at them and driving them I realized that they aren't for me. The interior quality and overall fit-n-finish is atrocious when compared to other cars in that price range. And I use my "fun" cars to go back and forth to work when the weather is good. The comfort, features, and noise levels of the Lotus twins can't compete either. I came away with the opinion that they are either dedicated track cars or something you'd drive for maybe 30 minutes on a Saturday/Sunday. They do look fantastic standing 30+ feet away though.

s.hasan546

no emotional attachment here. I love changing it up. I get bored very easily. I love my s2000 and still haven't been able to sell it after 6 years. Don't get me wrong if your going to brunch on a weekend with the wife, yes the s2000 wins any day.

But for a pure visceral experience where idc about anything else except driving on a sunday morning, i choose the Exige. It is just like the s2000 taken to the extreme with a crappier shifter. Shifter gets a little better with the aftermarket cable & linkage.

The elise/exige also has a cult like following just like the s2k. Many elise/exige owners are 3-4x owners as well.

But the elise/exige is not for the normal enthusiast. That i agree with. You have to have a good amount of extra "play" money to have a toy like the elise/exige. Most elise/exige owners are 3rd/4th car types.

Mezza

lol at buying a Lotus for interior quality. Imo, interior is beautiful - 100% function.
It isn't meant to be a good DD, far from the point of the car.
Spudracer did you expect it to drive like a Lexus LOL?