Lotus owner on Oahu...

[808elise]

Originally Posted by X000000101

Hello all...

I'm moving to Oahu too and have decided to bring along our Magnetic Blue Elise.

Folks that shipped with Matson...any advice and/or tips? How long did it take between drop off and arrival? Were your worries about potential damage to the car alleviated, somehow? I'll ship from Richmond, CA, since it's the closest port to home.

It will likely be January by the time we arrive with the car, but have begun to make plans, and look forward to meeting other Elise owners in paradise!

Thank you,
Dave

Aloha Dave!! Send me a PM when you get here and hopefully mine will be out of the shop by then. I shipped a car using Matson and was very pleased with them. The car arrived in 21 days from LA. They were very professional and I had no damage to the car. If they mess up anything they will estimate the damage and cut you a check right then and there or they will let you get your own damage assesment done by one of the local shops and then cut you a check. If there happens to be any damage to the car I would suggest Global Auto repair on Sand Island Access road which just happens to be right down the road from where you will picking up your car. Well I'm excited to meet all of the new people moving to Hawaii.

[808elise]

Originally Posted by MikeVR4

Oh, we have something else in common then, I am very familiar with Omaha - I was stationed at Offutt AFB 4 yrs ago. I've heard it's grown quite a bit. We used to live on the West side, down Maple St. Definitely not alot of twisties out there to have fun on, though didn't they finish that road course nearby, was it in Iowa maybe on the Council Bluffs side??? They had just laid the asphalt down as we were leaving, never got to drive it in anger...

It was app. $2600 to ship the 2nd car from Maryland...Pretty steep, definitely not the cheapest way, but they were the same company that shipped my other car thru the military, so I decided to stick with them.

As for drives, take H-3 or Pali Hwy in the morning - There are few tunnels thru the mountains (good with the top off ), and the hill-climb to the top is lots of fun! For a little cruise take H-1 East (Kokohead-bound) and continue as it turns into Kalanianiole Hwy near Hanauma Bay - It is a fun, slow, twisty drive on the rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. I'm sure there are more good places, maybe North Shore - Thomas, you got any good ones?

Its all about TANTALIS!!! Its the twistiest road here but with a few potholes. Just stay out of the extreme parts of the corners and you will love it.

[MikeVR4]

Originally Posted by X000000101

Hello all...

I'm moving to Oahu too and have decided to bring along our Magnetic Blue Elise.

Folks that shipped with Matson...any advice and/or tips? How long did it take between drop off and arrival? Were your worries about potential damage to the car alleviated, somehow? I'll ship from Richmond, CA, since it's the closest port to home.

It will likely be January by the time we arrive with the car, but have begun to make plans, and look forward to meeting other Elise owners in paradise!

Thank you,
Dave

Dave,

I was wrong in saying that Matson shipped our cars to Hawaii. It was American Auto Logisitics. I tired to ship the Lotus through Matson however they said they could not ship it due to ground clearance. Damn the wife and her memory- she is no longer allowed to be near me when I type Elisetalk messages!

[Beanie]

Superferry to the Big Island is what I'd do! Saddle Road towards Hilo is just amazing... curve after curve after curve, all the while going downhill overall, but with hills like ocean waves as plentiful as the curves. If the Superferry is anything like H3 was, it won't be on schedule though. Time just seems to pass slower.

[Beanie]

I was on the Big Island just a month or two ago. I could not believe the crazy fast trucks passing me on the NW side of the Saddle Rd. I was going 5-10 MPH over the speed limit and being passed on hills. I figured they worked near the observatory and were extremely familiar with the road. On the Hilo side there were only 2 cars coming the other way and nobody else going my way. It was late afternoon on a Saturday.

[X000000101]

Thank you all for the info...can't wait to meet you all in January after we (wife, car and I) arrive! It sounds like I'll have to give Matson a call and get the latest info...maybe it depends on the boat, as I read they use multiple ones (regarding clearance issue).

Dave

[ace3]

Here I'm wondering why a thread from the "pacific" region is showing up when I searched for "Omaha".

Dave - too bad we couldn't get together and tear up the arrow-straight grid-pattern streets. I'm sure Hawaii will be a bit more interesting than West Omaha. haha

[X000000101]

Originally Posted by ace3

Here I'm wondering why a thread from the "pacific" region is showing up when I searched for "Omaha".

Dave - too bad we couldn't get together and tear up the arrow-straight grid-pattern streets. I'm sure Hawaii will be a bit more interesting than West Omaha. haha

Indeed! I believe I've seen you twice out in your Elise...one evening out in West Omaha and one towards Papillion. I'll be driving mine to Cali in less than two weeks for the shipment. I just returned from househunting in Oahu and I'll be driving the H-3 every day...one of the most beautiful and somewhat curvy interstates! Can't wait to get Elise and self there...just hopeful the shipping process goes well.

I'll be out driving over the next couple days here in Omaha so will keep an eye out for you!

Dave

[Autoworks]

New owner on Oahu, Just bought a black '06 Exige. I love it. Would like to meet folks with the Elises. So far, mine is the only Exige registered in Hawaii.

[808elise]

Originally Posted by Autoworks

New owner on Oahu, Just bought a black '06 Exige. I love it. Would like to meet folks with the Elises. So far, mine is the only Exige registered in Hawaii.

Mine should be out of the shop in about two more weeks. I have been waiting for it since the first of August due to some stupid lady that cut BETWEEN the cones on Kapiolani to make an illegal turn during rush hour. All they have left to do is put on my bodykit. Anyhow when I get it back I think we should all meet up. I'm in a car club here and I think it would be pretty cool if a whole bunch of Elises all showed up one night.

[Autoworks]

I'm definately interested in meeting other owners. I just got my motor past 600 miles. The second cam profiles make it scream. Absolutely psychotic fun.

[MikeVR4]

I'm game for meeting up with fellow Lotus pilots! I've seen several of you on the island - Here's a few:

1) Yellow w/stripes usually seen near Hunakai, with HRM plate surround - You are a member of the Mark Starr fan club, too!

2) A well-maintained Europa driving near Kahala Mall, wonder who it is?

3) Storm/Gunmetal Elise, somewhere on the H-1 parking lot...Don't quite remember.

4) A yellow Elan, again near Kahala Mall.

No esprit sighting, though.

[808elise]

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!

I will now have mine back from the bodyshop next weekend. If you guys really want to meet up let me know. I have been waiting on mine for the last 5 1/2 months and I will finally have my body kit on too. I think I saw you Mike. If I remember right you drive a Chrome Orange one and I saw you in front of Makalapa Gate. Ok hope to hear from you guys.

[Autoworks]

Cool that you got your car back. What body shop did the work. I am looking for a good body shop. Lets get a few cars/people together. Weekends are better for me. PM for contact info.

[808elise]

Originally Posted by Autoworks

Cool that you got your car back. What body shop did the work. I am looking for a good body shop. Lets get a few cars/people together. Weekends are better for me. PM for contact info.

PM sent

[HawaiiElise]

This is a late addition to these posts, but bombai braddah...

I'm not sure that O'ahu is such a great place for an Elise (too much traffic, no curvy roads except maybe Tantalus), but the neighbor islands are wonderful, with the following caveats:

1. Forget warranties, you're going to do all your own work, if you want it done right (or at all). I found one guy in Kona who would look at my car. I had him change the oil; he busted the Oil Filter Sandwich Plate (which is pretty hard to do), and then refused the pay for it. While it was an easy repair for me to do, that thing was expensive. Fortunately, the only "warranty" repairs I've had to make are a new switch pack module and a bubbly dash fascia, both pretty easy.

2. JN, the Lotus Dealer on O'ahu, seems pretty expensive, and perhaps a bit questionable. They wanted to charge me $80 for a windshield wiper (I've yet to find an aftermarket one here that fits). Also, there are other Elise owners here on the Big Island who are still waiting for the arrival of the replacements for their recall shifters. I get all my parts from South Bay Lotus in Redondo Beach or Park Place in Seattle now. They're pretty good about shipping things here quickly.

3. Some things will just never get done. I hit the big nada trying to find an autobody place here who will replace the starshield on the sill panels. Still don't know what I'm going to do about that.

4. Don't ever ship your car interisland on Young Brothers. I've heard of one exotic getting fork lifted into place on the barge, and a friends BMW arriving here encrusted in so much salt it could have been chipped off! Also, forget Matson, Pasha has drive on/drive off service on their boat from San Diego. Drop your car off in San Diego and pick it up in Hilo 5 days later (they go to all the islands).

That said, this is a great place to have an Elise, and I enjoy every minute of mine. Best Big Island roads: Mamalahoa Hwy from Waimea to Ahualoa (lots of good curves, usually always empty); the same highway through Holualoa, at least very late at night; Hilo side of Saddle Road (Kona side will give you Lotus rattles in places you thought they could never be); and the creme de la creme: Mauna Loa Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Also, the SCCA has a once a month track day at the go kart track in Hilo. You never get your car out of 2nd, but it's a total blast.

'nuff for now,

-Dave

[HawaiiElise]

woops, on the above I should have said "Old Mamalahoa Hwy" from Waimea. Catch it on the Mud Lane/Lakeland turnoff driving towards Honokaa. Great road.

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by HawaiiElise

Best Big Island roads: Mamalahoa Hwy from Waimea to Ahualoa (lots of good curves, usually always empty); the same highway through Holualoa, at least very late at night; Hilo side of Saddle Road (Kona side will give you Lotus rattles in places you thought they could never be); and the creme de la creme: Mauna Loa Road in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Old Mamalahoa Hwy is a great road. All the roads in that area are great, too. If you take this long way instead of staying on 19, you'll miss a nice section of 19, though. Just drive on every road in the Waimea area! I took a lot of video driving that road, Saddle Road, and others. Yes! The Hilo side of Saddle Road is amazing, too.

[cj323]

Originally Posted by HawaiiElise

This is a late addition to these posts, but bombai braddah...

I'm not sure that O'ahu is such a great place for an Elise (too much traffic, no curvy roads except maybe Tantalus), but the neighbor islands are wonderful, with the following caveats:

Wow, that's an amazing picture...is it always that beautiful on the island?

[Beanie]

Nice parking spot, Dave. Here's my favorite.


simply awesome hiking awaits