Advice to new Elise owners

[BMJM100]

Make sence also. Tx

[cuttingedge99]

in terms of valets, my friend told me he learned how to drive stick while valet parking as a 17 year old. enuff said. he told me he feels kind of bad for all the ferraris and porsches, etc that he drove. i have had 2 valets scratch cars in the past, and my friend recently had his car stolen while it was valet parked. (someone must have grabbed the keys from the valet stand).
i try never to allow the valet to park my car. i just give them $10-$20 and ask them to park the car myself. if they ask for the keys, i give them a piece of paper with my phone number and tell them to call me if they need the car moved.

[Aedo]

Originally Posted by krodista

Fastliz,

I valet parked all through college and may be one of the few people who was a responsible valet, but I was known for taking care of peoples cars because I myself was a car fan. I was appalled to hear that a valet wouldn't let you self park. I honestly typically reserved a couple of spaces towards the front of the beach clubhouse parking just for such people who may want to selfpark. The funny thing about it was the fact that the gentleman who had a McLaren SLR had no problem with me parking his SLR when he brought it, but he also knew me as I had been parking his other cars for years. A gentleman who had a Lotus Elise also had no issue with me parking his car, but people would come in with a Mini Cooper S and even cheaper cars and feel like I was going to somehow ruin it. Then again, both the SLR and Elise wouldn't let others park their cars and if I wasn't there, they would drive through and park themselves. I never reved the engine hard, never drove cars hard, I parked the cars and then brought them back...I sprinted to the car to speed up the process. Its sad that people abuse vehicles/property that isn't theirs. I drove all sorts of cars over the years with that job and honestly don't know of many cars that I haven't driven (driven in the sense of parked and brought back), but my eye has always been on that Lotus Elise, which I hope to one day be able to afford one for myself. I'm new here, but I have been reading for a while...vicariously living through actual owners lives

Welcome to LotusTalk Great story!!! I had a similar experience as a valet while at Uni and now own and Elise - I'm sure you'll get your Elise too!!

[biffster10]

When I was at uni, I had an old 79 Chrysler Newport with a big patch of primer on the side. I took a friend of mine to a posh hotel where her parents were staying. The valets looked like a-holes so I parked it myself so they didn't hit any of the nice cars with it... that car was HUGE and the spots were tiny.

[Wexler]

The only "accident" I have every been involved in where I was at fault was while a Valet...I was backing a boat of a station wagon it a spot on a grass field...bumper caught the bumper of a volkswagon rabbit...I saw the rabbit lift up out of the corner of my eye and for some stupid reason floored it...thus ripping off the bumper...

I avoid Valet at all costs...regardless of car...for the simple reason that I was a Valet. Lock your glove boxes!

[Mad MaTTer]

growing up I had friends that did valet, and I know for a fact that where they worked the drivers would take the cars out and race them. they worked in fanc S Beach, so they got a hold of some nice cars.
I try and never have my car valet. i have heard many stories from those working and youll be surprised how much they mistreat cars. I would rather park elsewhere and walk a few blocks than leave my cars with these guys. they even have rubbing compounds on hand to hide any accidental damage they may cause to cars.
Just recently i saw a valet driver stall and burn the clutch on my friends stick shift Jetta. i mean that car has one of the easiest most forgiving clutches and the guy still stalled the car. I mean how could a valet driver not know how to drive stick??