Newbie

[h2k]

hey guys im new here, im h2k on the s2ki forum if any of you have heard of that site. ive been looking to trade my 2003 s2000 in for something else...little more edgy feeling. im young and dont really care that much about ride qaulity and comforts blah blah etc. this would be my daily driver to school and work, ive heard mixed people saying they daily driver their elise. im looking at an 2005 elise, is there any maintence problems i should be aware of? are these hard to work on to maintain like oil changes etc? lots of oil leaks? to me i think a cd player,ac,power windows,cup holder is fine.

[Lifespan]

An 05 is not going to have a cupholder. Too luxurious.

And there is also a big thread on Elise as a daily driver... and an entire forum for new arrivals linked directly under this one...

[h2k]

o ok thank you

[Demonized]

Originally Posted by h2k

o ok thank you

power windows are lighter than the crank windows, so most people got those.

Oil changes are super easy, AC usually sucks on 05's, stereo is less than adequate if that's a concern.

[h2k]

what about fogging of the windows? i live near seattle so in the cold and rain windows will fog up fast. stereo im not to worried about, how much does the soft top leak? is it true that if the elise gets into an accident to where theres frame damage..its not repairable?

[Demonized]

Originally Posted by h2k

what about fogging of the windows? i live near seattle so in the cold and rain windows will fog up fast. stereo im not to worried about, how much does the soft top leak? is it true that if the elise gets into an accident to where theres frame damage..its not repairable?

Never had "fogging" problems from humidity in my Elise, I have however had to deal with the "de-gassing" from the dash... you can search for that.

Soft top will probably leak.

Any car that gets into an accident which causes frame damage risks getting totalled.

You can search for Elise specific frame totals.

[h2k]

well thanks for the information, i appreciate it. im deciding on either the lotus elise or a s2000 cr. what do you guys think?

[Aedo]

Originally Posted by h2k

well thanks for the information, i appreciate it. im deciding on either the lotus elise or a s2000 cr. what do you guys think?

Have a look at the banner at the top of the page and guess which direction most here will lean

[Christophe111]

Originally Posted by h2k

well thanks for the information, i appreciate it. im deciding on either the lotus elise or a s2000 cr. what do you guys think?

Do all you can to test-drive an Elise, or at least get a ride.
It will make your choice clear and you won´t have to live with regrets, no matter what you decide :-)

That´s how I did: Met a friend of a friend who introduced me to his Elise. He showed me everything about the car, let me sit in it (not drive it do). And that´was it for me. I never look at other cars since then.

[kestrel74]

Read.

The official, ONE AND ONLY, Can This Lotus Be Used As A Daily Driver thread

[Vampyre]

Originally Posted by h2k

well thanks for the information, i appreciate it. im deciding on either the lotus elise or a s2000 cr. what do you guys think?

S2000 CR

[zygotesoup]

Originally Posted by Vampyre

S2000 CR

club racer

but i like this club racer much better

[EliseAtLeast]

Since you already have a S2K why get a S2K CR? I like my S2K CR and it makes a good daily driver but I love my Exige but its not a good daily driver. I don't recommend the Lotus to be a DD. Yes its possible but you will hate it after a while. Maybe keep your S2K and also get an Elise?

[Lifespan]

I love my Elise as a DD, but there is no doubt that it is completely impractical and NEVER should be the only car in the household. Case in point, when friends or family fly in from out of town, they either have to pack very lightly (not for the trip across the country, but the last dozen miles from the airport to the house), need to rent a car, or need to come in at a time when I can use my wife's car. Even trivial stuff can be a pain. You also have to worry about where you will be driving it and all the other stuff mentioned in far more detail in the DD thread.

Great car, makes my commute fun, and also causes a good bit of inconvenience. I'm willing to bet if I continue to enjoy the Elise so much, I will still want to break down and get a cheap utility car in the next year or two.

[Cthulhu]

If you're young and don't have a lot of things to pack, it's probably the most fun car there is to drive in that price range (or almost any price range). Just be aware that people have trouble seeing your car at night, especially in the rain (yes... I have personal experience with this). Being in the rainy city and having this car as a daily driver means you might want to get one in a really bright color. Chrome Orange, Krypton Green.

[09EliseMW]

i just bought my elise about 2 weeks ago and tested the soft top for leaks. i dumped buckets and buckets of water all over the soft top. the corners sides and then proceeded to spray it with a hose for a good 10 min. open the door and didnt see any leaks. i also drove 300 miles at 70mph in a decent amount of rain and it never leaked once.

i also drive my car as a DD and it is my only vehicle. but im single, dont really travel and dont have much to lug around ever so, its not too bad for me as a DD and im also only 23(bday was 2 days ago). going to be buying a beater though. just so the miles dont rack up quickly.

[Lifespan]

On the topic of driving at night, how bright are the brights to on coming cars? I've only had mine out in a true, stormy night a couple of times and the standard lights seem really weak (mostly because they are so close to the ground). With the brights I can see much better and they don't seem to aim too high, so I was tempted to just keep them on, even in oncoming traffic. On any other car that a bad idea and a dickhead move, but for this car...?

[09EliseMW]

i got an 09 and the lights seem to be just fine at night. even in inclement weather. the brights are BRIGHT. its ridiculous. i know the 05 model elise had headlight issues not being bright enough or just not postioned the right way. but i tell you what. the 09, they fixed that prblem. i got no problem seeing in the dark or in stormy weather with just regular driving lights.

[RENDERMAN]

I come from S2KI also. I say buy a CR, you'll be happier!! it takes a very special person to appreciate an Elise/Exige, it's a totally different experience. The S2K is a street car for the track, the Elise is a track car for the street.....

[Cthulhu]

The lights on my 07 Exige were ridiculously bright, they have excellent coverage too.