larazaunida

looks like a locust

RotoRooter

Well I am in Seventh Heaven.

I picked up a saffron yellow Elise 2/3/05 from Lotus of Atlanta to keep my TitGrey Rx8 and H2 company.

It is really a treat to have under one roof. So different, but each so unique. The elise is the flashy, but no frills, pure sports car -- the Rx8 is in my opinion the best sports-tourer on the road (leather, Navi, sunroof, back seats, power everything, etc). I have reached my car goal for my life I think . . .

I a perfect world I wish I could have the interior and rotary engine of the Rx8 into the chasis and body of the lotus.

In case people ask:

Rx8 - $33,000
Lotus - $44,000
H2 - $55,000

Photic

Take some pictures of the trunk (I mean the lack thereof) My best friend has a silver, We opened his trunk and noticed a Glow in the dark excape latch. Not even a midget could fit in the trunk.

Ike

If you care about the size of the trunk on an Elise then you just don't get it, and you probably never will...

jsh1120

I can deal with the size of the trunk, but the absence of "Big Gulp" size cupholders was a deal breaker for me.

Ike

Yeah, that's a tough one

RotoRooter

The trunk is small no doubt, but it is deceptive. Unlike the rx8's trunk and most other cars on the road, you open the trunk and place things in and back -- with the Lotus you place them in and them TOWARDS you. There is almost 6 cubic feet of "boot" space if you place something in and then slide it TOWARDS the back of the car instead of the usual sliding of something INTO the car towards the seats.

Anyway, I have trunk space in my H2. I think I have the perfect trio right now

H2 - Wife, kids, car seats, strollers, luggage, etc or me and all the guys out on the town. The coolest minivan in town. comfortable, rugged. great for long distance drives and as a true SUV (beach, cruising, nightlife, shopping, mountains, long distance, nature stuff)

Rx9 - Still fits wife and 2 kids. Ultimate sports luxury. Navi, sunroof, power everything, excellent audio, big trunk . . . still cool with the suicide doors. My kids are 14months and 4 yrs old and this is perfect. All the performance I get and excellent cornering and gear box is a bonus.

Elise - Pure sports car, 2 seater, MY signature CAR, convertible, sexiest thing on the road right now.


I just don't see any drawbacks in this trio. Even cost of ownership-- free scheduled maintenance for the rx8 evens out the inconvenient and pricey Eilse. the 48month warranty evens out the 36month of the other two. No loaner car from Mazda? No problem I can get any car when I drop off the Lotus or H2. . . mileage sucks in the rx8, but is much better in the Lotus. The H2 is much maligned for shitty gas mileage (around 12), but it is the cheap regular gas and is the cheapest lux large SUV to service etc (see Yukon, Escalade, etc). . . I am just so damn happy right now.

BlueEyes

All 4 cubic feet of it with the spare back there. Incidentally, that is less than half the trunk space of a kia rio :p :D

RotoRooter

I never put the spare inside the truck -- if you blow one of these tires, you ain't changing it yourself -- it is going to get done professionally and I am going to pay for a new tire. Long rides, it can be fitted to the back . . . not sure where you got 4cubic feet or kia or whatever, but remember the H2 is so boxy that you can almost stand in it.


ANYWAY, BACK TO THE RX8!!!!!!!!!!

BlueEyes

I got that from a review of the H2 where they measured the trunk room (i.e with third row in place) 4 cf is what they got.

While it might be boxy, at 6'0, I cannot even stand under the tailgate when open, I have to duck.

ANYWAY, BACK TO THE RX8!!!!!!!!!!

truemagellen

the front is still ugly as hell but the back is sweet

seriously though you stick a fat passenger in there and the car slows down big time! and turns to the right!

Gigolo Jason

Here is a pic. It't not a very good one becasue it was over cast and was taken with a camera phone, but you get the jist of it.

CaptainZoom

If you want to go for the most hardcore of British sports cars,this is the one to chose...

Caterham CSR

Gigolo Jason

Only if it's an original.

Schneegz

And precicely WHY would one stick a fat passenger in a svelte beauty such as this?

truemagellen

well you take your wife with you on trips don't you?

Photic

Haha no that wasn't the point either. My friend has an M3 as well. He didn't care about the size of the trunk, he just wanted a pure bred sports car. the point was.. Why even bother having a Glow in the dark escape latch, when you can't fit a person who would be able to operate it inside of the trunk? It probably boils down to some law that was passed because of car jackings, but if you saw the thing you would realize it was funny. :D

Ike

Ahhhh I know what you're talkign about now... Sorry about to confusion, that's pretty funny. Maybe if Gary Coleman owned an Elise it would be useful

VikingDJ

I think Lotus should look into using the renesis as an engine. Wouldn't that be something. A 2000lb car with 238hp. Imagine how fast the rx8 would be if it weighed 1000lbs less. Scary thought.

truemagellen

if it weighed 1000 less it would start to drive like the Mazda racecar in the commercials sweet

RX-Hachi

Great color choice!

Hey Gigolo Jason, how's the ride? From what I've read, the ride seems to be the cars only draw back. Been toying with the idea of getting one too. But we've got some really crappy roads in Honolulu, due to some heavy rain over the past few years. Pot holes all over the place, wonder how the Elise would handle 'em.

Rotarian_SC

One of my friends had two of the original Morgans, but sold one. They are extremely light, but I don't know if I would want to drive in something with a WOOD frame, plus have to worry about protecting it from termites and rot

Ike

The toyota engine weighs less than the renesis, also, when dynoed they're making about the same amount of hp to the wheels as RX-8s are.

BlueEyes

I will take this one please.

truemagellen

which one is that?