Question for those that have driven an Elise

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction) 01/24/2017 at 14:45 • Filed to: None

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How stiff is the suspension, and how rough do they ride? Is an Elise a completely unreasonable choice for a car that will be daily driven half the time (some on rough roads)? Asking for a friend...

Edit: found this thread, but still interested in your take. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

TractorPillow > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:53

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I daily drove one for about 6 months in the 2 years I owned one. Even when I had a commuter vehicle, I looked for reasons to drive the Elise. The suspension is stiff, but it never bothered me.

Scott > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:54

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DD an Elise...How short are you?

Honeybunchesofgoats > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:54

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I’m keeping an eye on the comments here, also for a friend.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:55

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Not completely unreasonable but pretty close. You have to climb in and out, I’m only 5'9" and its not easy. Also there are no “good” points on which to rest your weight as your climbing in/climbing out. (steering wheel bad, a pillar bad..)

Suspension is hard, made to feel harder by the whole environment of just being in an Elise (which is awesome!). One thing often goes unmentioned is the heat from the engine. It just pours down your back.

It is also one of the most fun cars I have ever driven, even still I would never want it to be my only option. You can hydroplane going 45mph over a puddle, your as invisible as a motorcycle etc...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 14:55

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This is a solid answer. How would you rate the quality of roads over your commute then? Most of my drive is fine, until I get close to downtown...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:56

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http://dougdemuro.kinja.com/i-owned-a-lotus-elise-for-free-and-so-can-you-1445088457

Doug did it, so can you!

LionZoo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:58

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The Elise suspension is honestly fairly compliant for a sports car. Go with the base suspension, not LSS. The ride is good enough that multiple people have told me they were surprised by how nice it rode. If you’re going to daily it, the bigger worry is someone or driveways messing up the clam.

TractorPillow > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 14:58

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My roads were mostly okay, but I ’ ve taken it on 500 mile plus roadtrips and down dirt/gravel roads. Main thing is that it ’ s really low so if there are tons of potholes and stuff, you ’ ll scrape. It is an incredible car and don ’ t think you ’ d regregret it. Someone else commented you hydroplane going over a puddle at 45mph...I lived in Tacoma where it rains all the time. I didn ’ t hydroplane once and I had Toyo R1R ’ s on it. I hate amenities in my vehicles, so the simplicity of the Elise was great. Getting in and out can be a pain but you quickly get used to it.

TractorPillow > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:00

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Keep in mind I’ve also daily driven a classic mini and a 2002 Viper GTS. All of which I found perfectly comfortable and reasonable. My current Cayman S bugs me because it’s too comfortable and normal.

EL_ULY > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:00

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Regular non supercharged Elise never bothered me and a few of our customers do daily them. Like Tractor Pillow said, even if they have something else, they still drive their Elise as much as they can. The have to deal with a less grippy, touring type tire is so. No point putting Pirelly Corsa or Michelin Pilot Cup on a DD.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:01

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Have pictured the rest of my life DD’ing an Elise since first posting on this a few minutes ago. It’s a good life.

EL_ULY > Scott 01/24/2017 at 15:01

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getting in and out is odd at first but even once inside, it isn’t too bad

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:02

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So would this be in additon to the E90, or are you going to part ways with the E90? Or is this one of those things where you’re like this could be cool.

TractorPillow > LionZoo 01/24/2017 at 15:02

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While I don’t agree with base over LSS, you’re right about someone else and driveways. You get really good at judging inclines and learning how to perfectly angle the car up driveways.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:04

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How’s the reliability? Is it something a Toyota shop could easily fix?

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > EL_ULY 01/24/2017 at 15:07

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How hard are they to fix? I just assume you fix all these expensive things.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Tripper 01/24/2017 at 15:08

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Hydroplaning is more your tire than anything, though aquaplaning is definitely easier when the car’s light and has relatively wide tires simply because there’s less pressure to break the surface tension of the water.

TractorPillow > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/24/2017 at 15:09

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I had it for 2 years and 13k miles. Sold it with 77k miles on the clock with absolutely zero issues in reliability. Had to fix a clip in the door handle mechanism with a zip tie, but other than that no problems. It’s an easy car to DIY a fair amount of stuff and the Lotus forum is one of the best communities on the internet. There are some common issues like the plastic radiator and the rear toe links, but nothing major especially if you aren’t tracking it.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:11

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How much of it is Lotus vs Toyota parts? Can they be replaced with better parts like the radiator?

TractorPillow > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/24/2017 at 15:13

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Yes there is an aftermarket replacement for the radiator a lot of people use. The entire drivetrain is Toyota (tranny and engine). There is nothing complex about the car unless you need to do a major service that requires taking the clam off. Even that isn’t complex as much as it is just time consuming. None of the Toyota parts are expensive, but if you mess up the clam then you are likely going to total the entire car. That’s why I parked in the way back of the parking lot and drove very defensively.

Rico > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:14

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If you’re looking to adopt I wipe my own ass!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:15

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What’s the problem with the clamshell that totals them?

TractorPillow > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/24/2017 at 15:20

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the car is basically two pieces - the front clamshell and the rear clamshell. That “bumper” on the front is not a bumper, it’s a part of the clam. It is made of a fiberglass like plastic that is hard to just fix (think FRP is what it was called), usually you have to replace. Replacing a clam requires a new clam (which is hard to find, although I think some aftermarket companies have gotten onto the scene recently), new paint, and new installation. It gets costly fast so a lot of insurance companies just total them. That’s why you see quite a few rebuilt and salvage Elise’s. The damage was probably quite minor, but got totaled anyways. Wirewheel.com buys up a lot of those totaled elises and does a phenomenal job fixing them perfectly. I would trust a rebuilt elise, but wouldn’t buy one just because resale would be a pain.

TractorPillow > Rico 01/24/2017 at 15:21

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I am actually hoping to adopt one day!

EL_ULY > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/24/2017 at 15:21

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big stuff is big

We charge 40 hrs for a clutch on Evora customer pay. Anything having to do with removing the rear of front clam. Early Evora seems to take the cake for worst quality of the line (I can argue of ALL time automotive)

Now that i’m in parts, Elise/Exige owners are indeed more hands on than Evora. More than anything it’s wear items and whoopies at the track. Here at the dealer we see the other half like alarm system failure, A/C, door locks, immobilizers, modules, etc. Evora is just all over the place. Not so much the engine for obvious reasons, but a lot of trim, electrical, a/c, and a lot of whoopsies. Lots and lots of those.

Working on the interiors is a little more frustrating than normal cars because everything is beyond fragile and almost always on back order. Hella expensive bits and nothing is ever available. The world of exotics, yo!

Anything else mechanical is just all nuts and bolts. Most things are not easy to get to and trying not to break things is key. Everything seems to be very fragile than normal on these. Hoses, lines, connectors, etc.

Elise and Exige can take a beating though. Speaking mostly of Evora

Esprits are just 100% pure HELL. If I could, i’d destroy every Esprit alive

TractorPillow > EL_ULY 01/24/2017 at 15:30

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man, and I want an evora so bad.

Averyrm - GTI YUP > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:31

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I would daily drive mine all summer. I had the base suspension and it was comfortable. I live in central Ohio so there’s a fair mix of roads. I’d slow down a lot for very uneven tracks and the like, but the ride quality never bothered me.

A048s would hydroplane over 45 if there was significant puddling, but I switched to star specs and those were excellent in the wet. Didn’t feel quite as good in the dry as the A048 though.

Things in the trunk would get warm for extended drives. Less than ideal for grocery runs.

Heat worked great but air conditioning worked very poorly - there is a fix involving the temperature sensor on the A/C evaporator but I never tried to apply it. PN A120P0149S.

Hope this helps!

Rico > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:31

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Well today’s your lucky day!

EL_ULY > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:36

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as long as it’s a MY14-

just a small tip but may not matter of course

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/24/2017 at 15:40

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Hahaha!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > EL_ULY 01/24/2017 at 15:40

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Thanks for the input, Uly!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:41

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Yeah, you’re a little weird, but aren’t we all, here on OPPO?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/24/2017 at 15:43

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Guess how much this one’s listing for? =)

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Averyrm - GTI YUP 01/24/2017 at 15:44

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Yes - thanks! Oklahoma’s hotter than Ohio, so AC is important.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:46

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It would be tough, but I think worth it. Def in my top 5 favorite cars.

LionZoo > TractorPillow 01/24/2017 at 15:46

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I had to get mine flatbedded last weekend (grenaded the transmission at track) and the flatbed scratched up the bottom of the front clam a little bit. Not a big deal, but I’ve been doing so well with not scratching the bottom ever, so it’s a little bit of a bummer. Also, here is info on my car: http://lionzoo.kinja.com/vehicle-spotlight-2011-lotus-elise-sc-1771407796

I’ll publish an update when the car is fixed and reliability of the new systems is confirmed. In the meantime, I miss having the Elise again. Also, is there a way to post on Oppo so you guys can see it easily?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/24/2017 at 15:49

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Wouldn’t be an only car, for sure. I, I mean my friend, has been in one and fits, even though he’s taller than you.

The heat is a concern.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Honeybunchesofgoats 01/24/2017 at 15:50

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So giving.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Scott 01/24/2017 at 15:51

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6'1", 225. I’ve sat in one, and fit. My friend has, I mean...

LionZoo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 15:52

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Another piece of advice: get the newest model that you can afford. Lotus made continuous tweaks to them throughout the production run, and those tweaks were generally good. The jump in quality between 2005 and 2006 model years were especially stark, but if possible I’d get something 2007 or newer (they are much more rare though, most Elises are 2005s).

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/24/2017 at 15:52

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Planning to at least go get a test drive in it today or tomorrow.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > LionZoo 01/24/2017 at 15:54

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YES! http://oppositelock.kinja.com/psst-hey-you-want-some-authorship-1787635220

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > LionZoo 01/24/2017 at 15:55

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Thanks for the good info!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 01/24/2017 at 15:58

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I think I might actually be willing to give up the E90 for something like this, but obviously I’d prefer to keep both, and also keep my beater SUV.

If I let go of the E90 for a “real” sports car like an Elise, I’d sell my ‘03 Pathfinder and get something newer/nicer/more reliable for half-daily duties.

I’m planning to at least get a test drive today or tomorrow...

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 16:17

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Demuro drove one across the country and concluded that it was absolutely the most uncomfortable car ever.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 01/24/2017 at 16:29

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Well, I wouldn’t do that.

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 16:36

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I think I like mine too much to get rid of it, the plan was always to have a second car for DD duties and eating up highway miles on a road trip. I’ve also always wanted an M3, so there is that.

That wouldn’t be a bad move to sell the E90/Pathfinder and get an Elise and something else.

Test drives are fun, but sometimes they make you want to do stupid things with your money.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 01/24/2017 at 16:56

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Realistically, the Elise probably isn’t a serious option as a daily driver, especially for someone like me with young kids. If for some reason my wife couldn’t pick them up after work, it would mean I’d always have to run home early first and then head back out to get them. The E90 is a damn Swiss Army knife in that respect! I love my M3, and really doubt I’ll let it go (except perhaps for a newer one with less miles), but if I had to in order to own a car as pure as an Elise, I might be willing to.

In cases like these, having a wife that must be okay with any big purchases is probably a good thing. Slows the whole decision-making process down quite a bit to allow more time for rational thought - ha!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 01/24/2017 at 16:58

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The same reason that Viper hoods are so expensive: It’s one giant piece with complex molding. The fact that it is fiberglass means that in most cases you can’t repair it so you have to buy an entirely new part.

Tareim - V8 powered > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 17:03

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I was considering an Elise as a daily earlier today but after some research I’ve given up on that idea and here’s why;

Don’t use in winter road salt. The Elise and subsequent Exige and Europa were all designed on a non repairable aluminium chassis. But this has steel suspension wishbones and steel washers that act as the spacers to adjust the castor and camber of the suspension. They form an electrolytic corrosion battery with the aluminium suspension mounting points. Lotus insists all dealers use a coating compound where steel is in contact with aluminium. The problem is when wet, especially when there is salt on the road, the steel washers corrode and then the form a battery with aluminium chassis, corroding the chassis where exposed, which is the edge of the suspension mounting bush. The suspension mounting points are particularly susceptible to this as not only are they exposed, but are the first place to get wet and the last place to dry out and even in the summer will suffer from condensation

The fact that the chassis is non repairable means that when this happens the car is dead as it costs several times the cars value to replace the chassis and rebuild the car. So inspect these areas carefully when buying/maintaining one of these cars.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/lotus/elise-2000/?section=good

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 17:04

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I know what you mean about the M3, it really isn’t flummoxed by any situation. I also know what you mean when you say you love it. I mean I took a picture of mine today outside the grocery store for no apparent reason.

As you pointed out you’d need somewhat of a useable back seat. So I guess you could go for some other coupe, but like you said your wife would have to approve. It’s always fun to dream though.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 17:13

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what color?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 01/24/2017 at 17:22

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A darker blue.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 01/24/2017 at 17:23

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The apparent reason is that it’s a seriously badass, handsome automobile!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tareim - V8 powered 01/24/2017 at 17:26

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Good info! If I bought one, it would definitely stay in the garage whenever there was ice/snow/salt on the roads.

Tareim - V8 powered > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 17:32

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I don’t have the luxury of being able to run 2 cars so need one for all seasons, so rules out the Lotus :(

TractorPillow > EL_ULY 01/24/2017 at 18:19

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MY 14 ups the cost to out of my league... :(

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 18:22

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$30k.

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 18:28

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Well, besides that reason. I still feel like a kid when I drive it, it’s awesome. I’ve had it for 2.5 years, well 4 days short of 2.5 years, now and still love it like the day I got it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tareim - V8 powered 01/24/2017 at 23:06

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Bummer.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/24/2017 at 23:06

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Just a hair over.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 01/24/2017 at 23:10

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It is so much fun... great drive home after work today made me wonder why I have wandering eyes...

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 23:25

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Sometimes you just want something different, I mean it’s one reason I want an AMG. You just want to experience different things. Even if I had both the M3 and C63, I’d bet 9/10 times I’d reach for the keys to the M3. When I had the 128i and the M3, even in heavy traffic, I took the M3. I guess you could get another E90. You could also spend that money updating yours, get the taillights, flywheel, maybe try and update the idrive.

Go test drive the Lotus though, nothing to lose; still have to get it past the wife, anyways.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 01/25/2017 at 08:52

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It’s actually my birthday today - she’s taking me out to eat, and hopefully to go check out the Elise after that. =)

E90M3 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/25/2017 at 08:58

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Oh nice dude, have fun, and happy birthday!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > E90M3 01/25/2017 at 09:03

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Thanks!

Nauraushaun > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/25/2017 at 22:11

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Get an SW20 MR2! Cheap, plenty quick with the turbo, enough storage for daily use. Softer than an Elise, but for a daily that’s actually what you want.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nauraushaun 01/26/2017 at 23:56

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Nice one. Any turbos left that haven’t been messed with?

Nauraushaun > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/27/2017 at 18:00

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It’s a 90s Japanese car, you know the answer.

:(

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nauraushaun 01/27/2017 at 18:08

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[weeps]

Nauraushaun > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 01/28/2017 at 05:47

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rip