Who has an Elise???? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

JAAY · 04-08-2009, 04:13 PM

I may buy another car maybe an exige... I want to see drive one and not have a dealer in the car with me.

I know its a gutsy post to ask but..... It is just a mid engine celica.

j.fro · 04-08-2009, 04:59 PM

I had the opportunity to take one around an autocross course a couple of years ago. It's no Celica! The car I AXed was an 05 with the track-pack and Yokohama R-comp tires (A080??) It's as close to a go-cart as a street car can get. Very light feeling vehicle, Flat handling, super-quick turn-in, and it just would not break the tires (but I wasn't going 10/10 either) . For a while I was lusting after one, but then I put the K-sports and R-comps on my 986S...The Box doesn't have the 2000 lb feel, but the handling is close. I imagine the supercharged Exige is a beast.

spyder803 · 04-08-2009, 05:11 PM

I looked at them a while back and really like them, however I quickly realized what a pain it would be to get in and out of it and decided there had to be a more comfortable way to enjoy the ride. Still think they are great cars and would love to have one at some point.

Stroked & Blown · 04-08-2009, 06:04 PM

A guy at my local AX went from near the back of the pack in a Panoz roadster on Hoosiers (read: bad driver) to 3rd in a stripped Exige on Kumho Estaca XSs.

Not a celica.

However, the articles are right, you have to be a contortionist to get in it. A 5'8" 215lb guy at the AX couldn't even manage to get into the drivers seat. I'd imagine an Elise with the top off would be easier.

spine911 · 04-08-2009, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAAY

It is just a mid engine celica.

Exactly, That's why it does not have the IMS, RMS timebomb issue that our Porsches have

.
After 3 Porsches (a twin turbo included

) i wonder if it is just the "Porsche Heritage" that makes me buy these things.

insite · 04-09-2009, 08:44 AM

those cars are fun as hell! my buddy's exige s turns laps on par with the GT-R at the track we frequent. FYI, i'm 6'0" / 240lb and fit in it. the removable steering wheel makes it a LOT easier to get in and out. i would not want to drive this every day, but for a weekend toy / track weapon, it is awesome.

FYI, i got more looks driving this thing back from the track than any other car i've driven. it's almost a PITA. literally everytime we stopped, be it for gas, dinner, etc, people were asking questions & taking pictures.

Lil bastard · 04-09-2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAAY

... It is just a mid engine celica...

If that's what you think, then I believe you have a LOT more research to do.

The Elise/Exige are purpose built cars, they are not all-rounders.

That's a mistake many buyers make before purchasing. They are unlivable for everyday, which isn't surprising since they were never designed to be.

If you're buying it for it's intended purpose, few cars will beat it.

For me, the Boxster is a better choice... I only WISH it had that 'mid-engine celica' reliability!

mylamb · 04-09-2009, 09:06 AM

I test drove one in Atlanta. I really liked it. The dealer went with me but I expected as much! Hell, the ONLY way I would consider a delicate Lotus would be if it had a Toyota motor! I must admit, it took me several seconds for ingress/egress, so I would not consider it a daily driver.

spine911 · 04-09-2009, 09:22 AM

There are 2 major things(Good &Bad) to consider when you are in the market for an Elise...The Good(probably the best) part is the Toyota engine which delivers in reliability, durability, performance, cost maintenance (not everything that is cheap/er has poor performance

....). The Bad (for some it is good because of the lightweight factor) is the carbon fiber body, most Elises that ive'd seen that suffered a significant (not major) damage is often given a Salvaged title by the insurance companies because of the high cost of body rebuilding.

insite · 04-09-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spine911

The Bad (for some it is good because of the lightweight factor) is the carbon fiber body, most Elises that ive'd seen that suffered a significant (not major) damage is often given a Salvaged title by the insurance companies because of the high cost of body rebuilding.

i was JUST going to post on this. i considered picking up an elise / exige for a track toy instead of the boxster. several guys from elisetalk.com go to the track w/ me frequently. one of them had just had his car repaired from a MINOR bump in a parking lot. it was $12,500. i saw the damage before hand; it was a ding the size of a small cell phone.

fragdude · 04-09-2009, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spine911

There are 2 major things(Good &Bad) to consider when you are in the market for an Elise...The Good(probably the best) part is the Toyota engine which delivers in reliability, durability, performance, cost maintenance (not everything that is cheap/er has poor performance

....). The Bad (for some it is good because of the lightweight factor) is the carbon fiber body, most Elises that ive'd seen that suffered a significant (not major) damage is often given a Salvaged title by the insurance companies because of the high cost of body rebuilding.

http://autos.aol.com/cars-Lotus-Elise-2009/expert-review

The body is not made out of carbon fiber. Its a hand-laid specially made fiber glass, which is more expensive than your basic body parts, but not as expensive as carbon fiber.

ekam · 04-09-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAAY

It is just a mid engine celica.

And Boxster is just a girly car.

JAAY · 04-09-2009, 07:14 PM

Saying that it is just a celica is a the truth for me. Yes there are many other cool facts to the car. BUT. It is a toyota. Turn the key and it works.

Mike_Yi · 04-10-2009, 08:50 AM

You short guys get to drive all the cool cars.

salerno501 · 04-10-2009, 10:32 AM

The new Evora (due next year) is designed to seat 99% of Americans, at least in the front seats. It is a 2+2. I think the web page said up to 6'3" comfortably. It seemed like a great car. Hard to tell from only company publicity. Anyone hear pro/con about it, other than from Lotus? I know it will have another Toyota engine.

James

ekam · 04-10-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salerno501

The new Evora (due next year) is designed to seat 99% of Americans, at least in the front seats. It is a 2+2. I think the web page said up to 6'3" comfortably. It seemed like a great car. Hard to tell from only company publicity. Anyone hear pro/con about it, other than from Lotus? I know it will have another Toyota engine.

James

It's just a mid-engine camry.