Lotus Elise

Lookin at a used Lotus Elise to replace my Fiesta ST. Anything in particular I should consider or look out for?

2015, 80k miles is the milage too high? Should I try and stretch my budget further. I'd be doing less that 10k a year

Don't be an overcompensating manlet. Buy a hairy chested man's car.

I doubt 80k is too high, isn't this the Lotus with the Celica GTS motor in it? Those will last to 200k no problem

Related question: do Lotuses in general make for reasonable DD use? There's one down the road from me that always catches my eye and makes me wonder if I should try one out as a possible midlife crisis car.

Or maybe that just means it's a little too flashy.

That's true. I'm no expert by any stretch but I always hear good things about Jap engines

This would be a DD but my commute is tiny and I don't need a practical car, no kids, don't need boot space bigger than a weekend bag. The Elise may be a bit bare bones for some people, I love the heated front screen on my Fiesta but I can take or leave anything else. Can't comment on any other Lotus

Yea i mean I have the regular Celica GT which has the garbage 1ZZ engine that burns oil and it still lasted till 250k before it needed a rebuild and even the rebuild has 60k on it. The 2ZZ is so much better. Although to have real fun you need to redline it because the real powerband is from 6500 to 8400 RPM.

How are those for taller people? Better or worse than the Miata?

>pic unrelated

Sucks I imagine

Being a manlet is so much better when you're into cars. I like small lightweight cars but i know i wont fit into most of them.

Flexibility training is helpful and very useful into old age. There's a lot you can fit into as a tallfag if you don't mind being all folded up.

80k is a shitton for these cars, it's going to be a rattletrap, really depends what it was used for though

People don't drive an Elise the same way they drive a Matrix or Corolla. The top end of the engine often has issues.

Pain to get into but not so bad once you are inside

Yeah but the question is if you're comfortable while doing it.

That's what the flexibility training helps out with. That's the difference between feeling like your knees are going to explode because you're stuck on a plane for more than 30 minutes and just chillaxing around until it's over.

pain in the ass if ure above 6

I'll look into that, thanks user.

The Veeky Forums sticky has good suggestions. Not how I got in to it but they're pretty good suggestions imo.

Try this one, I call it the reverse mantis position

A true god-hand doesn't even need his left hand to shift.

>double-layered knees
I always knew I liked you, heartbreaker

*right hand, unless you're also a master of the reverse driving technique.

>overcompensating manlet
>overcompensating by buying one of the smallest, least practical cars you can find without getting a Lotus 7 kit car

Please for the love of god dont get a fucking Lotus especially as a dd lmao

Both with the Rover and the Toyota engines they've been known to reach 200000 miles with few problems. Just regular maintenance. The chassis itself is rock solid. Assuming you only have Toyota available since nobody replaces a Fiesta with an Elise and nobody actually owns a Fiesta ST outside the 'states.

You can daily drive them, but it won't be practical and it won't be comfortable. If that's your thing then go for it! Bodywork repairs are expensive so I wouldn't swing that way.

It's worse than a Miata. Really. Far worse. The space between the elevated door sills and the roof makes the Miata feel like a landbarge.

kek

Pic related, S1 masterrace.

They are uncomfortable and highly impractical. I hope it's just your toy snd not a DDor you will regret that decision.

>rover engine
>few problems

Repairs I can swing as long as it's not like I'm stuck in the driveway every other weekend. As for body work I'd be half tempted to get one that's already worn in a bit so I can enjoy the luxury of treating a niceish car like a beater.

But if they're not a bother and they're really that much more fun then that I think it what it would take shell out for a midlife crisis car.

They're pretty solid, despite what people may think. Won't deny that the headgasket problem is real and may happen eventually if the engine has never been opened, but when it does, it's a cheap and permanent fix (reinforced HG and dowels). Take the chance to upgrade the head for a VVC with delete cams, while you're at it.

You won't be stuck, but mind you, repairs don't come often but when they do, safe for the engine, they will be expensive. Most wear problems occur in the suspension which is pretty flimsy and is prone to rust on colder environments with salt on the roads. All is fine if it's protected and lubricated often.

Then there's the issue of the bodyshell being all fiberglass and the chassis being aluminum and epoxy glue... If the chassis gets damaged, you're toast. If the front crashbox gets damaged, it takes a new one and a specialist to bond it again to the frame front using said epoxy glue. And the clamshells are often repairable but can get really expensive to do or replace.

All in all, they are very reliable, very solid, VERY fun to drive, and worth every single penny. But be sure to treat it properly. That's all you need as an Elise owner.

Also don't drive it like a miata or it will kill you. It must be driven in pure grip driving style. It snap-oversteers very easily, and often after it understeers, rendering it uncontrollable. It's not a docile piece of machinery that you can punt around the roundabouts doing dem skids and pretending to be the local dagumi.

>flimsy suspension
>rust
hm. Well those two things make me concerned as a rustbelt person who likes suspension that can take a bit of a licking outside of track days. Thanks for the pointers; I'll keep that in mind.

You'll be fine as long as you don't buy a rusted one and take care of it, really.
There's not much else that can rust in the car anyway.

You should consider yourself lucky. In FUCKING LEAFland, a used Elise is worth 3-4 times as much as a new FiST.