I'd get a Lambo Gallardo.

 

Way too much. I am talking about keeping under 100k. 45k for a Elise and 30 for a Z.

 

if I have a boyfriend, I'd get an Elise, but FORTUNATELY, I'm STRAIGHT....so I drive a Z!!!

 

that's a pretty gay comment

 

i would have bought an Elise if i hadn't read page 68 of the Oct/05 issue Automobile magazine.......
"A second series,released in 2000, is the one we Americans got last year, now revised to showcase the 1.8 litre VVTL-i engine, a mad revving 190hp twin cam designed and built by Yamaha but branded as Toyota."

there you go ....a motorcycle engine disguised as a Toyota engine.....
i wouldn't pay over 20k for it.

 

Having happily owned a Lotus for 10 years, most of the respondants here don't have a clue as to how much fun a LIGHT weight sports car is capable of. Our Z's are porky pigs. I do enjoy mine a lot. I track it about 12 times a year. My Lotus wouldn't have survived that much abuse. But the Elise is much more modern than my old +2.

Also, I ran with the local Lotus club at their HPDE. MOST of the 350Z's were faster than the 10 Elise's there. But, we did bring along some GREAT 350Z drivers!

Soooooooo, you are only crazy if you don't at least drive an Elise.

 

faster is not necessarily equal to more fun. The elise feels so connected and agile that the 350z in comparisson feel like a truck, and having that engine rev at 8000rpm 20cm from your head is a blood curling sensation on it's own.... that said, a well driven stock elise will slaughter a 350z in the hands of a capable driver.

I track(8-10 time a year) and love my 350z, but I chose the 350z because it was an everyday, smooth and streetable GT coupe. If I wanted a real track car I would have gotten the elise without a second thought.

that engine is nothing short of awesome. Both on the celica and elise it has received nothing but praises. There is not a single performance test where the 350z would come in front of an elise. Don't hate the player, hate the game... you don't have a clue

 

Exactly! Lap times are not has important to me has the driving experience itself.

That's the one I drove back in Italy



"Cozy" would describe the seating position.

 

Dude, How did you get the go-kart street legal? joke ;P

But seriously, There's a Turbo miata in my city and he is pretty consistent in the track events to place in the top of the ranking. What's the difference with a Turbo Miata and the Elise when it comes to handling? If it's just about looks, then I think they both look like go-karts. And don't take this as an insult, but the pictures of you down below reminds me of the huge Donkey Kong in his little go-kart in the game Mario Kart.

 

Ive seen the elise on the road and it doesnt look that small. Also the comments about this engine are ridiculous. If it is a yamaha engine/ motorcycle engine then thats even better. The R1 yammy engine is a solid, power producing performer. The elise is simply a drivers car. Normaly i dont like that term but thats what it is. If you like to go to the track and you dont like the elise id like to meet you because that makes no sense at all. Its a no comprimises performer that comes track ready out of the box. If i could afford it Id have one for the track and ditch the Z for a luxury car.
In short the lotus isnt a daily driver, not for anyone. But if you want a track car you couldnt be better off than the lotus for the money. Anyone that says otherwise is either uninformed or 6'3" or fat.

 

LOL, that Donkey Kong image pretty much sums it all. When I drove the Elise, I was with the owner. He's shorter (5'8") but just also weight 200lb.

I haven't been to the dealership yet, work kept me busy. I might wait till spring to get one. It's really tempting...

 

The Elise is ok if you just want to go to the track and I think to really be competitive you would have to add some aftermarket stuff for more power. The handling is outstanding, but the ride sucks and getting in and out makes the Z look like a Lincoln, . Plus, when you take the price of an Elise I would much rather have a heavily modified Z. Shoot, get the Amuze CF kit and cut off 6-800 pounds (somewhere in that range) and then TT it and make it a 450 HP 2700 pound sports car and you'll still be under or near the price of the Elise, . Plus, you'll be unique. Which I value more than just saying "I own an Elise."

 

I rode in a couple recently. It would suck as a daily driver, but all the mod $$$ in the world won't make it as engaging an driving experience as an Elise. Think about how much money people pay for modest weight savings - the Elise is <2K lbs., and even makes my S2000 feel like an overweight pig by comparison.

There are plenty of downsides and compromises (safety?, ingress/egress, crash repair costs, A/C, comfort), but it would be hard to find a better handling street legal car (even modded) at any price.

 

[QUOTE=Fletch69z] Shoot, get the Amuze CF kit and cut off 6-800 pounds (somewhere in that range) QUOTE]

Jason, I hope you mean 6 lbs -800 lbs.

800 lbs for a fiberglass kit wraped in CF look materials?


Please, pass the pipe!

 

Um if you own an elise you are unique. Teh end.....

 

to make the long story short.....back in the days when Lotus first approached Toyota Motors to suggest using their Celica engine on their Elise .... according to one popular automobile magazine......Toyota flatly refused. But somehow after further begging/negotiations, Toyota finally allowed Lotus to use their name even though its built by Yamaha. Lotus ain't no fool.....cuz they knew they wouldn't be able to sell as many cars if they had branded it as a Yamaha, dude.
don't get me wrong...i still like the Lotus even though its soul is a motorcycle.

 

I’ve always been skeptical of “secret stuff” magazines put forward. More often than not, it’s a marketing act to sell more copies. Having been on the inside of some motorsport companies, it's amazing the imagination of some journalists...

I would like to see from what motorcycle the Elise engine might have been sourced. 1.8 liters twin cam with variable valve timing and lift, plus an H gate tranny and dry clutch and finally a puny 8000 and something rpm red line? I’ve never seen that on 2 wheels.

 

I dont see how you plan to pull 0-60 in 4.5 seconds with just "a couple of bolt ons". And even if you did (with a high psi turbo setup) you would still have to try to match the turning ability of the elise. There is more to compare than just going straight.

Ide probably opt for the elise if I could afford it. Yeah, its a go-kart. I personally think go-karts are fun though.

 

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elis...ne/toyota.html

Will tell you all about the history of the Elise engine.

"Long-time Lotus development engineer and driver Roger Becker flew to Japan with the idea of sourcing Toyota's new, 1.8 liter, Yamaha-designed 2ZZ-GE engine for use in a world version of the Elise."

The birth of the Elise was becasue one of the engineer's wife did not want him to get a motorcycle: http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/060402.html

"The Lotus Elise began life in 1992 as a lightweight 'step-over' car with no doors after the wife of an engineer at the Hethel, England-based company insisted he not buy a motorcycle."

So I say here is the next generation of Elise minded cars:
http://fast-autos.net/roadtests/trex05/index.html
"the T-Rex is a tube-framed three wheeled vehicle that uses the engine and transmission of a Kawasaki ZZR-1200 at the back, and custom built race car style suspension at
the front. The 152 hp motorcycle engine in a vehicle that weighs only 900 lbs (dry) creates performance numbers that few cars can rival."

 

Thanks, I'll read all that when I get home.