WTB: Wanted to Borrow: Lotus Elise in San Diego - LotusTalk

chaoscreature · 06-30-2009, 06:31 PM

I know this is going to sound like an odd request, but I am hoping that someone here will let me swap cars with them for a day or an afternoon. I am seriously looking at purchasing one of these, but my wife is very pessimistic that we will be able to live with the car. We test drove one at Newport Lotus (very nice people) so I am familiar with the car, but need more seat time before making such a huge decision.
I have a 1995 Ford F250 Diesel or a 2006 Jetta TDI to offer as "swap" material" if you need something to drive, and would of course return the car clean and full of gas. I can assure you that I am not looking to race the car, drive it hard or take it to a track and I can leave you with a deposit as well. I just need to spend more than 15 minutes in the seat of an Elise before I buy something that may be difficult to recollect my money on.
I live in Vista, San Diego but work near the Miramar base.
Thank You to any volunteers.

Svetlankas Toy · 06-30-2009, 06:40 PM

You do know that you can rent an Elise from Enterprise Rent A Car in So Cal?

$250 per day.....+++++...good way to see if it is the car for you...

chaoscreature · 07-01-2009, 06:42 AM

Svetlankas,
I was not aware of Enterprise having Lotus's. I was told that Rent-A-Vette in San Diego had them, but they closed the SD branch.
I will look into this, thank you.

RichS · 07-01-2009, 07:59 AM

When I was in the market the dealer handed me the keys to the car and said 'bring it back before we close'.

If you can develop a relationship with your local dealer they may let you have one of their demos for more than 15 minutes. You don't really need a full day, more like and hour or so.

Go home. Go to Home Depot. Go to the mall. Go to the grocery store. Go to the airport. Go back to the dealer.

That should be enough seat time to give you an accurate idea of what using an Elise is like.

Vampyre · 07-01-2009, 09:11 AM

If you have already driven one then you should know if this is a car for you....

Anymore time in the seat will not change this...

Mr. Know · 07-01-2009, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vampyre

If you have already driven one then you should know if this is a car for you....

Anymore time in the seat will not change this...

Sounds like it's more about convincing the wife...

JoshS · 07-01-2009, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vampyre

If you have already driven one then you should know if this is a car for you....

Anymore time in the seat will not change this...

+1 A customer took me around the block. The next day I took myself around the block in the one I bought

Svetlankas Toy · 07-01-2009, 09:54 AM

After I test drove mt first Lotus, I remarked to the owner, "That was the most fun I EVER had in a car....by myself!"
From then on, it was LOVE......

Funny thing is the wife enjoys the car about as much as I do....

But agree with the above comments...seat time wont change a thing...either it is for you...or not your cup of tea....

lotusforsale · 07-01-2009, 09:54 AM

I'm surprised you're not getting any takers on this.

chaoscreature · 07-03-2009, 08:30 PM

Yes, it is much more about convincing the wife. She likes the Cayman S's, will I like the more gritty feel of the Lotus. Plus the lotus seems much cheaper to mod in the future when high 4's 0-60 gets boring.
I did not want to harass the dealers since I will almost surely be buying private party. Either way I will be looking for a sub $25k Lotus or a 2001ish Porsche 911 or I might break the bank on a Cayman S to make my wife happy. Whatever I get it will be a whole lot faster than my 100hp Jetta!

Tyger · 07-04-2009, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaoscreature

Whatever I get it will be a whole lot faster than my 100hp Jetta!

"At my old school, detention usually involved being asked to write a 1,000-word essay about the inside of a ping pong ball. So I’m well qualified to write about the new Volkswagen Jetta. Because I spent every Saturday afternoon for five years writing about the precise chemical breakdown of air, it’s a breeze to fill these pages with prose about what is unquestionably the most boring car in the whole of human history." – Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson Volkswagen Jetta review | Driving - Times Online

bueno · 07-04-2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaoscreature

Yes, it is much more about convincing the wife. She likes the Cayman S's, will I like the more gritty feel of the Lotus. Plus the lotus seems much cheaper to mod in the future when high 4's 0-60 gets boring.
I did not want to harass the dealers since I will almost surely be buying private party. Either way I will be looking for a sub $25k Lotus or a 2001ish Porsche 911 or I might break the bank on a Cayman S to make my wife happy. Whatever I get it will be a whole lot faster than my 100hp Jetta!

I'd stay away from ANY 911 from '99 thru '01. I forget the exact reason but many mechanical issues. Dealers also don't want them so in the future if you're planning on trading it in, forget about it. Porsche is really struggling right now so deals can be had on new Cayman's or buy a '02 and up 911...much better year. Good luck!

chaoscreature · 07-05-2009, 07:44 AM

Bueno,
Thanks for the heads up, I will do more research on the 99-01's. That was a whole new model for them that year so its understandable that there would be issues. I think all of the manufacturers are hurting from the economic downturn right now. I have already lost 40% of the equity in my home, so even the thought of a brand new car right now makes my wallet cringe.
I am also going to retract my offer at this point to borrow the Lotus. I thought I was going to be able to convince the wife, but she is adament about NOT getting a Lotus. Too flashy, not enough amenities, and not fast enough to justify the lack of said amenities are the main arguments. Hopefully some day I will have the funds to enjoy both a Prosche and a Lotus as some of the members here do.
Thank you all again,
Chaoscreature

06-30-2009, 06:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
chaoscreature Chaoscreature Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 22	WTB: Wanted to Borrow: Lotus Elise in San Diego I know this is going to sound like an odd request, but I am hoping that someone here will let me swap cars with them for a day or an afternoon. I am seriously looking at purchasing one of these, but my wife is very pessimistic that we will be able to live with the car. We test drove one at Newport Lotus (very nice people) so I am familiar with the car, but need more seat time before making such a huge decision. I have a 1995 Ford F250 Diesel or a 2006 Jetta TDI to offer as "swap" material" if you need something to drive, and would of course return the car clean and full of gas. I can assure you that I am not looking to race the car, drive it hard or take it to a track and I can leave you with a deposit as well. I just need to spend more than 15 minutes in the seat of an Elise before I buy something that may be difficult to recollect my money on. I live in Vista, San Diego but work near the Miramar base. Thank You to any volunteers.

06-30-2009, 06:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
Svetlankas Toy Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA USA Posts: 91	Enterprise You do know that you can rent an Elise from Enterprise Rent A Car in So Cal? $250 per day.....+++++...good way to see if it is the car for you... __________________ Fly Fast, Fly low, and keep the ECM turned up to 11!

07-01-2009, 07:59 AM	#4 (permalink)
RichS No, it's only an N/A Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 3,285	When I was in the market the dealer handed me the keys to the car and said 'bring it back before we close'. If you can develop a relationship with your local dealer they may let you have one of their demos for more than 15 minutes. You don't really need a full day, more like and hour or so. Go home. Go to Home Depot. Go to the mall. Go to the grocery store. Go to the airport. Go back to the dealer. That should be enough seat time to give you an accurate idea of what using an Elise is like. __________________ Useful links to vendors removed at Nadeem's request. "Nice avatar by the way, I doubt Colin Chapman would have followed the herd as I have seen many here do. --Nadeem"

07-01-2009, 09:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
Vampyre Sports Cars Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Rochester, New York Posts: 1,940	If you have already driven one then you should know if this is a car for you.... Anymore time in the seat will not change this... __________________ 2006 Chili Red / Touring / LSD / TC / Forged Wheels / Hard & Soft Top / Lifestyle Paint / Desnorkeled / Odyssey Battery / Sector 111 Extinguisher Bracket / Sector 111 LidBone / CF Splitter / CF Bits / Lotus Stage 2 / Pure X C3 Corvette 383 TPI Stroker 6.3 liters of Torque / 1976 MG Midget, fun run about / 2005 Mits Evo 8 ACD/SSL / Dodge Van for hauling stuff / http://www.photobucket.com/mygarage

07-01-2009, 09:54 AM	#8 (permalink)
Svetlankas Toy Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Francisco, CA USA Posts: 91	After I test drove mt first Lotus, I remarked to the owner, "That was the most fun I EVER had in a car....by myself!" From then on, it was LOVE...... Funny thing is the wife enjoys the car about as much as I do.... But agree with the above comments...seat time wont change a thing...either it is for you...or not your cup of tea.... __________________ Fly Fast, Fly low, and keep the ECM turned up to 11!

07-01-2009, 06:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
chaoscreature Chaoscreature Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 22	Svetlankas, I was not aware of Enterprise having Lotus's. I was told that Rent-A-Vette in San Diego had them, but they closed the SD branch. I will look into this, thank you.

07-01-2009, 09:54 AM	#9 (permalink)
lotusforsale Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,217 Images: 8	I'm surprised you're not getting any takers on this.

07-03-2009, 08:30 PM	#10 (permalink)
chaoscreature Chaoscreature Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 22	Yes, it is much more about convincing the wife. She likes the Cayman S's, will I like the more gritty feel of the Lotus. Plus the lotus seems much cheaper to mod in the future when high 4's 0-60 gets boring. I did not want to harass the dealers since I will almost surely be buying private party. Either way I will be looking for a sub $25k Lotus or a 2001ish Porsche 911 or I might break the bank on a Cayman S to make my wife happy. Whatever I get it will be a whole lot faster than my 100hp Jetta!

07-05-2009, 07:44 AM	#13 (permalink)
chaoscreature Chaoscreature Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 22	Bueno, Thanks for the heads up, I will do more research on the 99-01's. That was a whole new model for them that year so its understandable that there would be issues. I think all of the manufacturers are hurting from the economic downturn right now. I have already lost 40% of the equity in my home, so even the thought of a brand new car right now makes my wallet cringe. I am also going to retract my offer at this point to borrow the Lotus. I thought I was going to be able to convince the wife, but she is adament about NOT getting a Lotus. Too flashy, not enough amenities, and not fast enough to justify the lack of said amenities are the main arguments. Hopefully some day I will have the funds to enjoy both a Prosche and a Lotus as some of the members here do. Thank you all again, Chaoscreature

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