hello all... debating 2004 S vs. the Elise I have on order...
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 6,579
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From: Charlotte and/or Tampa :)
Dave, check this out....If you haven't been following this car for more than two years, then don't talk out your butt....
Car and Driver Review is in!
by: Tony Swan
photos: Aaron Kiley and Ritch Chenet
Comparison Test- Extreme Sports
The Lotus Elise is here at last. So where does it fit in the U.S. sports-car continuum?
Hold it! What kind of compare is this? Kit cars versus production?
Are you guys off your meds? We can explain.
First, we know that for all their at-a-glance similarity
Car and Driver Review is in!
by: Tony Swan
photos: Aaron Kiley and Ritch Chenet
Comparison Test- Extreme Sports
The Lotus Elise is here at last. So where does it fit in the U.S. sports-car continuum?
Hold it! What kind of compare is this? Kit cars versus production?
Are you guys off your meds? We can explain.
First, we know that for all their at-a-glance similarity
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,809
Likes: 15
From: Sydney
A buddy of mine just got an Elise 111R. It's an awesome car but would be very hard to live with as a daily driver. The roof is a Mecano set and it has almost no storage.
Also, in straight line speed my car kills it. Ok, so I'm supercharged but for the difference in price you could buy a supercharger and still have enough left over for a holiday in the bahamas.
The Elise was first released here in '97. I loved it but knew that I would need a second car so it was out of the question. When the S came out it had all the performance of the original Elise with a heater, stereo, electric roof and boot. I bought the S for reasons of practicality.
Also, in straight line speed my car kills it. Ok, so I'm supercharged but for the difference in price you could buy a supercharger and still have enough left over for a holiday in the bahamas.
The Elise was first released here in '97. I loved it but knew that I would need a second car so it was out of the question. When the S came out it had all the performance of the original Elise with a heater, stereo, electric roof and boot. I bought the S for reasons of practicality.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,139
Likes: 1
From: Pacific Palisades
Honda rocks. I want to keep my S for ass long ass I live. It got 25K miles on it
now. Im hoping to get another car in about 2 years. Hopefully I will only put 20K more
miles on it in the next 2 years. If I take care of it and don't crash it that S will last
longer than I do. I had a '91 civic dx hatchback a few years ago. I traded it in with 70K miles
on it. That car was so reliable. I've loved Honda's ever since. The S is so sweet though. If you listen carefully when your going like 4 mph the engine whistles like a missile. The S is only 4 or 5 years old too. I am interested to see how it lasts compared to the other Hondas. If Honda threw in a stock hardtop that would be nice too. I wonder if there is some kind of mod where you can replace the ragtop with a convertable hardtop like the benzos
ps. the elisse looks like an alien to me. It looks like a wannabe magnum pi ferrari morphed in the new millenium. i just like the S. Im stoked when I see other ones too.
I like supras and AMG mercedes too. You should get a kick ass supra. You can find them with low miles. Some old folks bought some and didn't even break the clutch in. AMG are $$$$$$
now. Im hoping to get another car in about 2 years. Hopefully I will only put 20K more
miles on it in the next 2 years. If I take care of it and don't crash it that S will last
longer than I do. I had a '91 civic dx hatchback a few years ago. I traded it in with 70K miles
on it. That car was so reliable. I've loved Honda's ever since. The S is so sweet though. If you listen carefully when your going like 4 mph the engine whistles like a missile. The S is only 4 or 5 years old too. I am interested to see how it lasts compared to the other Hondas. If Honda threw in a stock hardtop that would be nice too. I wonder if there is some kind of mod where you can replace the ragtop with a convertable hardtop like the benzos
ps. the elisse looks like an alien to me. It looks like a wannabe magnum pi ferrari morphed in the new millenium. i just like the S. Im stoked when I see other ones too.
I like supras and AMG mercedes too. You should get a kick ass supra. You can find them with low miles. Some old folks bought some and didn't even break the clutch in. AMG are $$$$$$
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Charlotte and/or Tampa :)
Originally posted by AusS2000
A buddy of mine just got an Elise 111R. It's an awesome car but would be very hard to live with as a daily driver. The roof is a Mecano set and it has almost no storage.
Also, in straight line speed my car kills it. Ok, so I'm supercharged but for the difference in price you could buy a supercharger and still have enough left over for a holiday in the bahamas.
The Elise was first released here in '97. I loved it but knew that I would need a second car so it was out of the question. When the S came out it had all the performance of the original Elise with a heater, stereo, electric roof and boot. I bought the S for reasons of practicality.
A buddy of mine just got an Elise 111R. It's an awesome car but would be very hard to live with as a daily driver. The roof is a Mecano set and it has almost no storage.
Also, in straight line speed my car kills it. Ok, so I'm supercharged but for the difference in price you could buy a supercharger and still have enough left over for a holiday in the bahamas.
The Elise was first released here in '97. I loved it but knew that I would need a second car so it was out of the question. When the S came out it had all the performance of the original Elise with a heater, stereo, electric roof and boot. I bought the S for reasons of practicality.
. That's all I need for an every day driver. Those needs will vary by driver. I doubt your car kills it in a straight line. I think we went over this before? I've seen SC S2Ks and they are not as fast as the Elise, but, that's not what the Elise is about, just the same though....
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 30,809
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From: Sydney
Originally posted by tidalwdave
Practicality means different things to different people.
Practicality means different things to different people.
[QUOTE]I have no kids and have a couple other cars.
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,037
Likes: 26
From: SoCal
I had a euro-spec Elise for a weekend and it is a fun car, but I'm gonna wait and see what happens with the Lotus dealer network, reliability, market value etc. I'm not going to wait in line to pay MSRP of $45k (or above) for a car that still has a lot of question marks attached to it. People are sure to bail on their reservations when they drive it for the first time, others will sell within 6 months once they realize that the Elise is not an English Miata. Heck, even the S2000 has a fairly high "must sell, too impractical, baby on the way" factor and it's nowhere near as uncompromising as the Elise.
Not right now, thank you, I'll keep enjoying my '03 S2000 and wait for the bleeding-edgers to lead the way on Elise ownership.
S2000 advantages over Elise:
$15,000 less
Huge dealer network
Proven reliability
Limited slip diff
Best 6 speed transmission ever
More refined feel to *everything*
Power 5 second soft top
Holds 2 sets of golf clubs
Easier ingress/egress
HID headlights
Better aftermarket support
Did I mention the stack of seven hundred and fifty $20 bills in the secret compartment?
You'll have fun in either car.
Not right now, thank you, I'll keep enjoying my '03 S2000 and wait for the bleeding-edgers to lead the way on Elise ownership.
S2000 advantages over Elise:
$15,000 less
Huge dealer network
Proven reliability
Limited slip diff
Best 6 speed transmission ever
More refined feel to *everything*
Power 5 second soft top
Holds 2 sets of golf clubs
Easier ingress/egress
HID headlights
Better aftermarket support
Did I mention the stack of seven hundred and fifty $20 bills in the secret compartment?
You'll have fun in either car.