Today we saw Hayes from Wire Wheel Classic Sports Cars, and he has sold a ton of Elises over the years. He had a black one on display. Looks like prices have bottomed out and are starting to drift up. At the same time, cars without rebuilt titles are getting harder to find. It's a late-model exotic that looks like a million bucks and has a Toyota engine.
So, is now the time to buy? Sounds like a good car is mid-$20s to low-$30s. Pretty sure JG wants an orange one. I'd second that choice, too.
I want green with yellow stripe. Unconscionable, and illogical, but the dude wants what the dude wants.
In reply to David S. Wallens:
That is probably the only fairly expensive car I'd LOVE to see you do a build project on.
White with dark tint & black wheels. And yes, as far as the "I suddenly have this big wad of cash to blow on a two-seater" car, I think it's the one. NSX's are too old, and the ricers can afford them. And you know what Vettes and Hemorrhoids have in common, right? 
Oh, and my buddy Matt is livin' the dream. Sold S2K one week, bought the Elise (orange) the next week, installed the SUPAHCHAGAH the next. 
I really want an Exige. I'm a roof guy.
Yeah, time to buy. Do make sure the oil lines (or ends) are replaced under the recall. Ask me how I know.
poopshovel wrote: White with dark tint & black wheels.
Ah yes, the Stormtrooper look.
In reply to Dr. Hess:
Oh no, did your Elise pop a line?
I registered for the recall, but never heard anything from Lotus. I ended up selling the car before they were fixed, but it was always on my mind. That and how damn hot it was in there with non working A/C.
On cool days though. Wow, what a car. I may get another that's been totaled from fiberglass damage one day...
Yeah, popped the line, blew the motor. However, Lotus put a new motor in for me under the recall, at no charge to me, including towing it 350 miles to the nearest dealer. Well, I did pay for a new belt and a new clutch disk, but that was my total out of pocket. Very professional, like they were trying to be a high end car company.
mazdeuce wrote: I really want an Exige. I'm a roof guy.
Troof. I'm holding out for those 260 S cars to hit the 20s. Probably never... But one can dream.
In reply to David S. Wallens:
David, I'm afraid you're no longer my favorite.
It's bad enough I was parked next to the orange one below all day in grid while I was instructing at the autocross school today, and now I'm finalizing plans to sell a kidney so I can start shopping for one(hey, it will be cheaper in the long run AND less painful than finishing the Europa ). And now you have to go posting nonsense like this...
Edit: And I don't give a damn if it was Hello Kitty pink with stickers all over it, I would rock that like a pimp.
petegossett wrote:
Love the vanity plate, GOKARTT
Hasbro wrote: In reply to David S. Wallens: That is probably the only fairly expensive car I'd LOVE to see you do a build project on.
What can you do to one that actually makes it better?
I'll take mine in champagne, or whatever their name for that color is.
I offered him my Europa in trade, but he declined. 
So, if someone was looking for an Elise for a street-legal autocross car, what is important. Do you need the Track Pack or LSD to be competitive? What do you really need to do to one to set it up?
The LSD was actually slower around Lotus' test track than the open dif. They only offered it as an option because people insisted.
In reply to Dr. Hess:
I seem to recall it was the autocrossers who insisted - but I don't know if the general consensus is that it really offered an advantage?
Well, a few years ago at LOG 26, I was at a talk given by one of the guys high up on the design team and for the car, and also the one that ran the team that made the GT2 (I think) Cup Car by bolting a supercharger on a stock crate motor and cranking the boost to 350 HP. He said the LSD was slower around the track, but people insisted. They tested mods being sold aftermarket for the car and what people were doing to them. He said that anything anyone did to the car made it slower around the track. But if someone did something and THEY felt it was faster, they could drive it harder and it might be faster for them.
Damn. I turned the page on my GRM calendar a few days back to see a Lotus. I was looking on Wirewheel at them about two days ago. Seriously thinking of selling the Mini and the MSM and buying one. Now this thread is not helping. The one issue I have is that I've never even sat in one eventhough I've been dreaming about owning one for years.
Dr. Hess wrote: Well, a few years ago at LOG 26, I was at a talk given by one of the guys high up on the design team and for the car, and also the one that ran the team that made the GT2 (I think) Cup Car by bolting a supercharger on a stock crate motor and cranking the boost to 350 HP. He said the LSD was slower around the track, but people insisted. They tested mods being sold aftermarket for the car and what people were doing to them. He said that anything anyone did to the car made it slower around the track. But if someone did something and THEY felt it was faster, they could drive it harder and it might be faster for them.
Wow.
Watch out for that Chrome Orange. I've got that on my Locost, and it is mind-bogglingly expensive three-stage.
In reply to T.J.:
I've sat in one, I wouldn't say they're particularly comfy, but they're well suited for the task at hand. Damn wide sills though, I think a Viper has easier ingress/egress.
T.J. wrote: Damn. I turned the page on my GRM calendar a few days back to see a Lotus. I was looking on Wirewheel at them about two days ago. Seriously thinking of selling the Mini and the MSM and buying one. Now this thread is not helping. The one issue I have is that I've never even sat in one eventhough I've been dreaming about owning one for years.
If you've got the means DO IT!
petegossett wrote: In reply to T.J.: I've sat in one, I wouldn't say they're particularly comfy, but they're well suited for the task at hand. Damn wide sills though, I think a Viper has easier ingress/egress.
I'm 6'2" and don't have any problems with ingress/egress but have owned several cars that are smaller so I guess it's a matter of familiarity.
In spite of Hess' info the mag still needs to do an Elise project. Slicks would require stiffer springs and so on. David and JG could each get one, then modify one to compare against the stock one.
I've been watching the resale values on these for years, and am a little bit devastated that they're still holding firm.
I loved mine the day I bought it. I loved it the day I sold it. Fantastic car, but oh so fragile. I cringed every time anyone got near it -- one guy grabbed the engine cover, and lifted it way, way up -- into the buttresses, and then kept pushing. I managed to get him away before he broke it right off, but that kind of ham-fisted-ness made me really gun shy.
You are, without a doubt, one of the most popular people at an autox if you have one. Or anywhere else for that matter. I got tired of that. But on a track, what a treat. I sold mine for just a few grand under what I paid for it, and could have likely got more for it had I held it over the winter.
You'll need to log in to post.
