Saying bye to Boxster :(

[Bavarian Motorist]

I have made a deal on a new Lotus Elise.


For as long as I can remember, the Elise has been my dream car. It's everything I want and has nothing I don't want.


This means I will be trading in my Boxster.



The deal is done and now we're just finishing the lousy paperwork.




I will post pics when I pick up the car in a day or two.






Everyone here has been phenomenal and great people to be around. The Boxster is an awesome car and it is the best car in this price segment for most people, but for me, the Elise is the best car, and if there was no Elise, it would be the Boxster.



Ok, thanks guys

[Perfectlap]

Congrats, I was just lusting after an Exige that was on Motorweek this weekend.
What color did you git?

Well if you plan to drive this Elise every day I think you will be back in Boxster!

[eslai]

"For as long as I can remember, the Elise has been my dream car."

For as long as you can remember?! The car's not even five years old--how old are you?

Congrats. I cross-shopped the Elise against the Boxster back in 2005. I chose the Boxster only for the following reasons:

1. Daily driver
2. Cost of repairs, to both its body and, well, mine.

[porschedude]

yeah, i test drove the elise too. handles well but it's very difficult to get in and out of that car and i am not a big guy. i find the boxster more practical. best wishes to you!

[Bavarian Motorist]

I drive for fun, so any drive for me is a true joy I suppose I'm just different.


I need to lose more weight to fit better, but that's no problem as I've already lost 70 lbs.


It's a yellow one.



It's not technically official yet until the paperwork is completed but it's going to get done. Just a matter of a few days.






The Elise hasn't been out that long, but I've been thinking about it ever since so it seems longer than it has been

[conradtan]

Congrats on the new toy! What did she set ya back if you dont mind me asking?

[Bavarian Motorist]

If anyone is interested in new '06 Elise for cheap, Lotus of Durham in NC was going to sell me one for a FIRST OFFER at 41.5k. They offered to go lower.


They also valued my Boxster at $37-38K with 20k miles on the clock. They said Boxsters sell well there and I assume the market there isn't as strong, thus raising the value. (meaning less Boxsters in circulation)


Great guys to work with and give awesome deals.




The Elise is being sold to me for around $44k. The value of my Boxster is being valued at $35k and the payoff was $41,438.09.


Total will be approximately $50k


It's a new '06 Elise.

[porsche986spyder]

Are you buying or leasing this time?

[super66]

It seems like a cool little car, I would go with krypton green....but then you might not be infatuated with superman like me and shaq

[Bavarian Motorist]

Well, here are my options...



Wait until Feb. to custom order an '08. Then I will still have my Boxster, but my dad will keep it for the time being.



I don't really wanna wait, so I am settling for a yellow one and for an '06. I think the car looks good in any color so I am not picky. First choices would be Chrome Orange, Laser blue, Krypton Green or Chilli red (all $1200 options)



First things I am doing is getting forged wheels (-20 lbs from unsprung weight) and powder-coating them black. Then I will just enjoy it for a while.



There is a decent aftermarket for this car, to my surprise. Actually a bigger one than the 987 has...who would've thought?



I'm leasing this car as well because, buying an '06 will cause me to lose more $$ than I want to by owning it. It will soon be 2 years old.

[Bavarian Motorist]

http://www.lotusofgreenwich.com/cars.php?cat=lotus&carid=630&subcat=elise




That's what it would look like...minus the stripes. I don't think I want stripes.

[Boxtaboy]

Congrats on your new purchase. Just make sure folks are careful when you need to change tires:

Lotus falls off lift at tire store:
http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?p=28081255

More pics here:
http://www.my914-6.com/crap/

Seems the whole exterior shell of the car is fiberglass.

[JP-s-in st. louis]

congrats man! I am thinking of getting rid of my SC'd Box but every time I get in and drive I just smile. The other day I was driving home right after telling the GF that i was selling the car when I said " I really love this car" , she things I am crazy.

[Bavarian Motorist]

I remember when Qball posted that topic about his car getting owned.


It sure made me aware of how delicate and rare these cars are.


You are right in that both clam shells are made of fiberglass. No removable bumpers. If you damage a clam, the whole clam goes.


So at the end of the day, being a Lotus owner is probably a pain in the ass, but a worthwhile pain in the ass I hope.





JP: I believe there is a Lotus dealer in Missouri. You thinking about one?

[Wonko The Sane]

Great choice on the car.. I love the elise One thing I'd be wary of is powder coating rims, though... I've read on a couple of forums about the extreme temperatures that are required for powdercoating causing alloy rims to lose a lot of their strength and shear under hard cornering (racing apps). May want to look into that before you get it done

[Boxtaboy]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Motorist

I remember when Qball posted that topic about his car getting owned.


It sure made me aware of how delicate and rare these cars are.


You are right in that both clam shells are made of fiberglass. No removable bumpers. If you damage a clam, the whole clam goes.


So at the end of the day, being a Lotus owner is probably a pain in the ass, but a worthwhile pain in the ass I hope.





JP: I believe there is a Lotus dealer in Missouri. You thinking about one?

It looks like a heck of a fun car though. Enjoy it.

[blinkwatt]

@ Bavarian,

I will be right behind you man. I'm buying a Elise as my next car(keeping the Box)....though that's years away.

Does anyone have any websites for the aftermarket goodies available for it?

[porsche986spyder]

If you are looking at some nice black rims for that Lotus, you may want to check out this web site. http://www.forcedfed.com/elise/wheels.html

These are the best looking wheels for that car in my opinion. They also have allot of performance mods on this site for the Lotus. I did some research on the Lotus and I am also considering it for my next car if I ever sell my Boxster. The front bumber is removable from the rest of the body. They make a complete Carbon Fiber front end as an option for racing, not street legal, but who really would know if it was painted.

Aslo, there aren't many types of rims availible for the Lotus because it uses only 4 lug nuts. I did not like the stock rims and that's how I found these. Good luck and beware of speed bumps and pot holes.

[Bavarian Motorist]

Thanks for the support guys!!! I was half expecting to be talked out of it. That's what everyone else has tried to do.



I strongly recommend testing one of these babies. To get in, it takes a little technique. Sit your butt on the door sill and slide one leg in and then the other. You can't step in like a normal car.



Thanks for the tips on forged wheels, but remember that the Exige and Exige S come standard with forged wheels and powder coated black wheels.




SOME AFTERMARKET SITES: Sector111.com is great. There are tons of exhausts including 2bular, arqray, larini, quiksilver, forcedfed, etc.



Also plenty of superchargers (tripoint) and forcedfed turbo kits.

How do you "trade in" a leased car for another leased car? Sounds like losing money twice.

What about the mods you did?