rai

Thinking I'm missing out on the Elsie. I got in contact with my local dealer and may test drive one. I haven't decided if I want to or not b/c I don't have the money right now and if I test drive I may get the urge to buy one.

Right now I'm not stacked with pleasure car + DD. I'm starting to use my S2000 as a 90% DD. I still have a back up beather, but I have to leave that at home for the baby sitter most times.


I know the Elise a great track car or sunny day back road drive. But do you guys think it'd work as a 90% DD? Meaning 20 highway miles (each way). I share the road with a lot of big rigs. I know the S isn't big, but at least it's a 'real car'. Not saying the Elise isn't built safe, but it it's so small, it could get steam-rolled a lot easier than most cars.

steve c

Yes I would be concerned given the laws of physics, the low seating position, bonded nature of the panels and the materials used. Not as scared as in a Caterham .. but more scared than in the S2k.

I would also not buy one for the track -- same reason I would not buy any momentum car for the track. On track days you are dicked over by every tom, dick and harry with horsepower who passes you on the straights then slows you down in the only place you can go fast, the braking zones and corner entry.

Of course your other alternative is to run with the newbies and spend your time waiting for them to see you back there and let you pass.

Either way you are screwed.

Saint_Spinner

Yeah, I'll be a little worried, but no more than a motorbike. I consider an Elise and motorcycle in similar classes. Will it prevent me from driving one on the freeway? Probably not...

CG

I have driven one on the highway and it didn't bother me at all. That said, one of the big things that stopped me from wanting the car BADLY was that I didn't feel it would be safe in a crash. So while I wasn't scared at all, I let my head rule my heart.

jah

an Elise would be fun as a daily driver but reliability woud be a concern. i would have to balance the level of expected maintance vs desire.

safety: i saw a ford F450 puckup the other day...

the Elise is to expensive to be a track car

aaronaps

90% DD... probably no good.

Scared on the highway ... why? Stops well, goes well, turns well = pretty safe, right?

Shinigami

Thank god we don't have all your huge pickups and SUV's on our roads over here...

I don't think doing 20miles per direction on the highway is all that bad, the engine does make quite a bit of noise at those speeds, and the stereo is useless, but I agree it must be a little bit disconcerting with all the larger cars that you find driven on the american streets :\

JettaGT

i would be scared of all the lifted pickups and gigantic suv's. im scared of them now in my jetta, whenever im at a stopliight and one is next to me i think of how dead i woudl be if one rammed into my driver side door. now in an elise...

vader1

No, I would not be scared. Driven big cars and small cars and feel safer in the small ones.

I've said it before, anyone who feels to scared to drive their Elise, ship it to MN and I'll take it. Heck, I'll even pay shipping.

MDXLuvr

In my case, I would NEVER drive an Elise as a DD on Texas Hwys. More than 50% of the vehicles on the road are trucks/suv's with limited view of the road.

YMMV