Bought a Lotus
 

I still have the RX-8 after 6 years. The RX-8 has worked well as a daily driver so I decided to keep it and get something less practical.

The handling is amazing on the Lotus, it is not even close to anthing else I have ever driven. First tank of gas was 32.8 Mpg, about double what I get in the Mazda.

http://www.lotustalk.com/gallery/fil...233-img_55.jpg

I like the view of your driveway:) Congrats

gorgeous, congrats

nice!

:wolf whistle:
<--------- JEALOUS!

it kinda makes the 8 look like a giant :rofl:

i think that a lotus or a 993 turbo is my next car

looks sick, enjoy!

Nice driveway. Now paint it Velocity Red ;)

fox lol, i was thinkin the same thing!!! the 8 looks like a beast size wise loll


and irish, i do believe you meant galaxy grey, once again your spelling skills fail you ;)

Awesome Lotus. My friend's father owns Intermecanic, which is a well known lotus specialized shop in NY. It not unusual to see the shop packed with Lotus' everyday. Had an opportunity to take a Lotus Exige S for a spin and got driven in a track ready S240 pushing over 300rwhp. Truly amazing little cars.

LMAO, Yeah I guess having too Velocity Red cars would be too much hottness. It would be better if he went with more bland color :lol:

fixed ;)

Nice car! I'm jealous :(

beauty

wow, congrats!

Glad your not tall. I can't fit in one of those.

sweet! I still want one....minus two seats, but double the gas mileage, and faster..... drools

very nice car! those two look very good together

wow, i was thinking of a lotus recently also

I dont think that it is any worse than the RX-8. I'm 6' even and the headroom is better in the Lotus. The seat does go farther back in the Mazda though. My friend is 6'2" and he didnt complain.



Here are some more pics

http://www.lotustalk.com/gallery/files//13233-14.jpg

http://www.lotustalk.com/gallery/files//13233-20.jpg

http://www.lotustalk.com/gallery/fil...233-jersey.jpg

Pardon me while I live my life vicariously through your driveway.

awesome car love the color

i'm 6'2" and the elise fits me like a glove. the trick is getting in, and getting in with some amount of grace. once in, no complaints, perfect driving position

Very cool. I have always loved the Elise and Exige but have always needed the back seat of the rx8.

Check out www.secantvehicles.com

Its a company here in the SF Bay Area specalizing in lotus performance parts. I went to a open house and spoke to the engineers and there products are very high quality and they are even getting CARB approved for california vehicles.

They have a reflash that makes exige guys think you have installed a supercharger on your elise. They are also offering a supercharger.

The pic reminds me of the first time I looked at a Dodge Challenger and had my 8 parked right next to it. The 8 looks like a matchbox car parked next to the Challenger. Definitely looks like a beast parked next to the Lotus. I occasionally see one driving around here and I had no idea how tiny those things were until I actually saw one in person. Awesome looking driveway!

Celica-GTS is a good engine. Nice street legal racer. :)

Nice car. I've always liked the Elise.

If I had to pick another car that would be it but I would need another color.

nice shit dude looks great.

now lower it hahaha :lol:

Just out of curiosity, since Lotus dealerships are so scarce, would a Lotus owner get the vehicle serviced at a Toyota dealership since is uses a Toyota Engine?

I thought it was exiege sorry. Nice ride....

now show us how you get in and out

How much it cost you?

That is a little car.

There is actually a lotus dealer 10 minutes from my house, on the way to work if I dont take the interstate. I am going to try to do the service on it myself, I have done all the work on the RX-8 for the past 3 years and it is a more complicated car. But it is nice that the dealer is close if I need anything major.

But to answer your question, from what I have seen on the Lotus forum, the owners generally do not take their cars to a Toyota dealer. If the dealer is not close they either do the work themselves or go to a mechanic that works on foreign cars.

2 grand less than the RX-8 cost me 6 years ago.

Jealous. Thats the next car I'm going to get after I'm out of college.

^ My guess is 30k :dunno:
Any mods in mind?

Two smiling cars, happy to be parked in your driveway. ;)

No power steering though right? is that a pain?

If you are going over 5 MPH you wont realize it's missing. Turning the wheel when the car is stopped or barely moving is a workout.


$26. 14k miles. Its a 2005. I've been looking at them for a few years. It was too good of a deal to pass up.

It already has quite a few mods. CAI, Lotus Sport ECU chip, Lotus Stage 2 Catback, SSR wheels, SS brake lines, short throw shifter, all the grills are Carbon Fiber, most of the plastic on the interior was replaced by carbon fiber, polished aluminum or painted orange, black rear difuser, upgraded sound system with a 10" sub between the seats.

Most of the stuff I wanted is already there. I would have put mesh grills on it but I like the carbon fiber. I want to get a set of the stock Exige wheels to use for the street and put some sticky tires on the SSRs for autocross.

I noticed that; they're just like mine! My car may as well be your a Lotus. :wiggle:

Wow, what a steal.... good find! And congratulations, I'm jealous. Those are very sexy little cars. How's insurance run you with that?

More pics!
Ryan :smoker:

[QUOTE=Ryan2008;3622066]How's insurance run you with that?
QUOTE]

$345 for 6 months. The RX-8 is $305 for 6 months.

Wow, not bad at all. My insurance for my 8 is almost that for one month. Clean driving record too. Can't wait until I hit 25 as far as insurance goes.

Insurance for these cars is not bad at all. Power steering and not needed, most people that have driven mine do not even notice is not there. Working on the cars is another story, the dealers charge quite a bit, but if you do the work yourself it is not bad (oil changes and such). Replacing the radiator sucks, especially if you do it yourself. Enjoy the car, while it handles amazingly it is not as forgiving as the RX8 and you can get in trouble in a hurry. Best thing to do is improve what is behind the wheel. Autocross is a blast.

Do you happen to drive through Schaumburg? I saw an orange Elise on Schaumburg Rd. recently and thought of this post. Saw from your sig that you're in the Chicago area.

What a great car. I would love to own a Lotus some day.

So jealous!!!

Sorry, wasnt me. I have not been up to Schaumburg in the Lotus.

Like once you get the back loose it stays gone?

I would not say it stays gone, but it is a short wheel base and it is much harder to catch than the RX8 (at least in my opinion, I owned a 2005 RX8). That being said, if the car is well driven it will outhandle most. Other owners will talk about snap oversteer, and while I have not experienced that, I have broken it loose before and it is a handful. I took the Lotus driving school in Nevada and it was a blast, but one of the corners is a slow right hand sweeper over a crest. You carry quite a bit of speed through the corner and I lifted at the crest. The back end immediately broke loose, it was intense. My experience with the RX8 was much different, I could drive closer to the limits and the car would give me plenty of notice as to when it was about to break loose. The RX8 was a great car, practical and fun. The Elise is pretty much the same, but much less practical. I drive mine pretty much as a daily driver when the roads are clear. Most of the time it is great, but in rush hour traffic in 100 degree heat, it can get annoying. At the same time I just finished a drive tonight (almost a full moon) and it was great. If you have any questions about anything send me a PM, I have owned mine about three years now and have done about 95% of my maintenance and slight modifications (I want to remain in SS class).

omg nice