I recently sold my ITR. Had 2 of them, both stolen. Last one was recovered, then vandalized. That's another story.

Anyway, I really want an 'open' car. I have had a deposit for a Lotus Elise for 2 yrs now. I am close to the front of the list to get one early. However, the price for one specd out the way I'd like will run around $46K w/o taxes. I really like the 04 S2000s. I am leaning towards the S2000 as it can be bought for about $15K less than the Lotus and is probably a better car. Certainly better engine and reliability. Only advantages I see for the Elise is the low weight (less than 2000lbs), better power to wt ratio, and the exclusivity.

Convince me the S2000 is a better purchase. I already am beginning to think it is. Also, what price can I expect to spend on one? The dealer I went to said he'd sell at list now, but $4K over when spring rolls in. I laughed at that.

 

Nah you need the Elise.

 

Sounds like you need something more like an '83 buick that won't get stolen or vandelized.

But if you're looking for the bling, I would go for the Elise if you have the $$. Either car will get stolen or vandelized since they're high visibility cars.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jon7
Convince me the S2000 is a better purchase.

 

Go drive the S. See if you can get one that's been broken in and get on it and sample the VTEC. You should know within a very short period of time if it's for you.

Took me all of 30 seconds of just sitting in one in the showroom.

The sh*t eating grin has yet to leave my face.

 

I've never driven or touched an Elise before in my life, so i'm not exactly sure what i'm comparing too. i guess i would need to drive one to get the feel for it. but i can tell you that just see'ing my S on the lot made me want it... driving it made me want to sign my life away for it


chad

 

You should be able to get an S2000 at around invoice or a little more. Certainly closer to invoice than sticker. It really depends on how much searching you are willing to do for the right price. Yes, they will be less willing to dicker when spring rolls around. I don't think that you can beat the S2000 build quality. In my opinion, it looks better too. If you can drive a used S2000, you would be able to rev it all the way up and see if the car is a fit for you. I know that the '04 is a little different than the previous cars, but it should help you get the feel.

For what the Elise costs, you can get the S2000 and a beater car and still have money left over. I take my Altima anywhere that I even think is questionable.


PS: What is an ITR?

 

A test drive is worth a thousand opinions. If you haven't driven an S yet I would suggest doing so. Preferably a used one so you can venture into VTEC territory with open abandon. It's true that the price for convertibles goes up in the spring (for obvious reasons) but you should be able to get one for less than MSRP if you shop around a little. A good cornerstone for comparison is the Hardtopguy (who is a member of this site). He sells them for about 31K. The Elise is a little lighter and a tad quicker as you probably know but is pretty sparten in comforts. Fit and finish remain to be seen not to mention driving comfort or dependability. If you're not planning on tracking the car as the main reason for purchase I would seriously consider the S. They hold their own in that respect and are probably the better purchase when price is factored into the equasion.

 

Testdrive the S, enough said.

 

Thanks for the comments. This car will not be my everyday car. It will be a weekend car primarily. As much as I like the Elise, I am finding it hard to justify a $15K price difference.