Best upgrade ever: a regular car for daily - LotusTalk

aschen · 11-02-2009, 08:16 PM

I recently purchased a wrx for a daily driver. It is a great practical car. Previously I was loging nearly all my miles in the elise. Since the wrx was new to me I drove it for the last several days. I drove the lotus today and have never apreciated it so much. The wrx feels like a tour bus in comparison.

Driving the lotus everyday started to make it feel like a regular car. only after being seperated from it for a while do I really apreciate how special it is. I have played around with the thought of trying out a corvette or something much more powerful in place of the lotus. But my drive today reminded me that I dont think i could ever be content with a regular sized car again.

PistonFire · 11-02-2009, 10:41 PM

I know what you mean. After my pickup was stolen, I daily drove my Elise for some time. Recently my grandfather passed on and left me his Cadillac STS. I usually drive this for the daily commute, but when I jump back into the Elise...

Snowphun · 11-03-2009, 03:27 AM

I also use a WRX as a DD, they make a great pair. Plus it's easy to make the WRX fast, and still manage 25mpg.

Paul O · 11-03-2009, 03:42 AM

Had the same experience but a lot more extreme.

I bought a Peugeot 405 Diesel for about 400 USD, complete with the 1995 hand book. It got to 60 mph in 21 seconds, brand new in the hands of the factory driver. Suffice to say time hadn't been kind and 180,000 miles later it was more a sort of half minute to 60 car!

Get in the Elise R and it felt like been fired out of a gun! Great way to appreciate the Lotus!

Paul

billt · 11-03-2009, 06:14 AM

The old joke if you had an extremely slow car was "Zero to 60...the same day"

Moto44 · 11-03-2009, 06:38 AM

My daily driver is a Jeep Wrangler. I love the Wrangler, but it sure does provide an interesting contrast.

CosmosMpower · 11-03-2009, 07:45 AM

I did the same thing although my dd is a bit closer to an Elise than a WRX. However, when the weekend is over and Monday rolls around even the S2000 feels large in comparison. The other day the passenger side mirror was a bit off, out of habit I attempted to reach over to fix it only to realize A, I could never each it and B, it has electric motors so I don't have to. Sad when a S2000 feels luxurious

Mattr762 · 11-03-2009, 08:22 AM

I've been driving a WRX for almost 8 years now as a daily driver. 95,000 miles a no problems so far. It run 13.8 in the 1/4 mile and I still get 25mpg while hauling the kids in the back seat!

tko211 · 11-03-2009, 08:50 AM

My DD is a 2006 V6 Mustang. It's an ok car. I switch my fun time between my Shelby GT Mustang and the Elise. If I drive either one of those for a few days and then switch there is a mountain of difference! Makes me appreciate the strong points of each car. Now my V6 Mustang feels like a very plain car.

ewalberg · 11-03-2009, 11:50 AM

my G500 and my elise are my shared DD's. Neither of which are generally regarded as good DD's. The elise is in the shop right now having a rear clam replaced and I'm doing some repairs on the g500 so i'm driving a C300 mercedes rental full time. Decent car, but i'm getting super tired of driving it. it' my other two cars are anything but boring to drive. I'm sure it sounds wierd to say an SUV is fun to drive, but trust me, it's a pleasure and not a "normal" car to sit behind the wheel of. I'm learning more and more i just don't like normal new cars. I think i'd rather drive a little 1995 honda civic than this C300... at least it would get close to 40mpg. The C300 still only gets like 24-28mpg... some other friends have seen the benz and said, "OH! I was sure you traded the lotus for the benz...." HA! I think i'm fast becoming an quirky automobile curmudgeon.

Driving other cars doesn't so much make me appreciate the lotus and the g500 any more... it just reminds me why i'm glad i'm driving them instead of anything else.

Terculees · 11-03-2009, 12:12 PM

My daily drive is an '02 E46 BMW 330ci coupe with the Sport and Premium packages. I love the BMW, it is the most perfect, well-rounded car. I had to stop myself from buying an M3, telling myself that I already had a sports car.

The bimmer will never give me that raw and edgy feeling I get when carving the canyons with the Elise (though I did change the tires to something with softer sidewalls for better street driving dynamics). I drive the Lotus almost exclusively on the weekends, and try to take it to work on an occasional Friday when the weather is nice.

Having had 1 elise as a daily driver before, I must agree, a dedicated daily driver is a must with this car. It makes you appreciate it that much more!

Jon J · 11-03-2009, 01:02 PM

My Elise has been my DD for about 2 years and I just sold my 400+ hp Mustang Cobra which was my back-up car. I am looking at a '06 330i but I am having a hard time rationalizing why I need a BMW that is just going to sit in the garage. The only justification I can come up with is that if I buy the BMW I won't have to drive my wife's SUV anymore when we need to take the kids some place.

11-02-2009, 08:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
aschen My car is really small Join Date: May 2008 Location: Woodlands Tx Posts: 395	Best upgrade ever: a regular car for daily I recently purchased a wrx for a daily driver. It is a great practical car. Previously I was loging nearly all my miles in the elise. Since the wrx was new to me I drove it for the last several days. I drove the lotus today and have never apreciated it so much. The wrx feels like a tour bus in comparison. Driving the lotus everyday started to make it feel like a regular car. only after being seperated from it for a while do I really apreciate how special it is. I have played around with the thought of trying out a corvette or something much more powerful in place of the lotus. But my drive today reminded me that I dont think i could ever be content with a regular sized car again. __________________ 05 Safron Yellow "bumbleBee" Not sure I can ever go back to a regular car 84 930 turbo "no nickname yet" 06 WRX Wagon "silverbullet"

11-03-2009, 06:38 AM	#6 (permalink)
Moto44 Back in the Saddle Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,808	My daily driver is a Jeep Wrangler. I love the Wrangler, but it sure does provide an interesting contrast. __________________ If nobody ever died doing it, how much fun could it be?

11-03-2009, 07:45 AM	#7 (permalink)
CosmosMpower Cone Magnet Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 2,029	I did the same thing although my dd is a bit closer to an Elise than a WRX. However, when the weekend is over and Monday rolls around even the S2000 feels large in comparison. The other day the passenger side mirror was a bit off, out of habit I attempted to reach over to fix it only to realize A, I could never each it and B, it has electric motors so I don't have to. Sad when a S2000 feels luxurious __________________ 06 Canyon Red Elise LSS, Touring, SS, Stg 2, HID, BWR swaybar 09 Mini Cooper S 6MT 2000 Grand Prix White S2000

11-03-2009, 08:22 AM	#8 (permalink)
Mattr762 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 197	I've been driving a WRX for almost 8 years now as a daily driver. 95,000 miles a no problems so far. It run 13.8 in the 1/4 mile and I still get 25mpg while hauling the kids in the back seat! __________________ 2002 Aspen White Subaru WRX. (Stage2ish)

11-03-2009, 11:50 AM	#10 (permalink)
ewalberg Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Redwood City, CA Posts: 718	my G500 and my elise are my shared DD's. Neither of which are generally regarded as good DD's. The elise is in the shop right now having a rear clam replaced and I'm doing some repairs on the g500 so i'm driving a C300 mercedes rental full time. Decent car, but i'm getting super tired of driving it. it' my other two cars are anything but boring to drive. I'm sure it sounds wierd to say an SUV is fun to drive, but trust me, it's a pleasure and not a "normal" car to sit behind the wheel of. I'm learning more and more i just don't like normal new cars. I think i'd rather drive a little 1995 honda civic than this C300... at least it would get close to 40mpg. The C300 still only gets like 24-28mpg... some other friends have seen the benz and said, "OH! I was sure you traded the lotus for the benz...." HA! I think i'm fast becoming an quirky automobile curmudgeon. Driving other cars doesn't so much make me appreciate the lotus and the g500 any more... it just reminds me why i'm glad i'm driving them instead of anything else. __________________ 2006 Aspen White Elise. Hard top (never left it's shipping box), LSS, LSD, Traction control, Red leather. Last edited by ewalberg : 11-03-2009 at 03:49 PM.

11-02-2009, 10:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
PistonFire Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 6	I know what you mean. After my pickup was stolen, I daily drove my Elise for some time. Recently my grandfather passed on and left me his Cadillac STS. I usually drive this for the daily commute, but when I jump back into the Elise...

11-03-2009, 03:27 AM	#3 (permalink)
Snowphun All good Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: SE MA Posts: 177	I also use a WRX as a DD, they make a great pair. Plus it's easy to make the WRX fast, and still manage 25mpg.

11-03-2009, 03:42 AM	#4 (permalink)
Paul O Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Hampshire(not new!), England Posts: 15	Had the same experience but a lot more extreme. I bought a Peugeot 405 Diesel for about 400 USD, complete with the 1995 hand book. It got to 60 mph in 21 seconds, brand new in the hands of the factory driver. Suffice to say time hadn't been kind and 180,000 miles later it was more a sort of half minute to 60 car! Get in the Elise R and it felt like been fired out of a gun! Great way to appreciate the Lotus! Paul

11-03-2009, 06:14 AM	#5 (permalink)
billt Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 16	The old joke if you had an extremely slow car was "Zero to 60...the same day"

11-03-2009, 08:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
tko211 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 90	My DD is a 2006 V6 Mustang. It's an ok car. I switch my fun time between my Shelby GT Mustang and the Elise. If I drive either one of those for a few days and then switch there is a mountain of difference! Makes me appreciate the strong points of each car. Now my V6 Mustang feels like a very plain car.

11-03-2009, 12:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
Terculees Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 362	My daily drive is an '02 E46 BMW 330ci coupe with the Sport and Premium packages. I love the BMW, it is the most perfect, well-rounded car. I had to stop myself from buying an M3, telling myself that I already had a sports car. The bimmer will never give me that raw and edgy feeling I get when carving the canyons with the Elise (though I did change the tires to something with softer sidewalls for better street driving dynamics). I drive the Lotus almost exclusively on the weekends, and try to take it to work on an occasional Friday when the weather is nice. Having had 1 elise as a daily driver before, I must agree, a dedicated daily driver is a must with this car. It makes you appreciate it that much more! __________________ 2006 Solar Yellow Elise \| Touring \| Tint \| Amp + Sub 2000 VW Passat 1.8 Turbo automatic yawn RIP 2005 Saffron Yellow Elise \| Touring

11-03-2009, 01:02 PM	#12 (permalink)
Jon J Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Keller, TX Posts: 47	My Elise has been my DD for about 2 years and I just sold my 400+ hp Mustang Cobra which was my back-up car. I am looking at a '06 330i but I am having a hard time rationalizing why I need a BMW that is just going to sit in the garage. The only justification I can come up with is that if I buy the BMW I won't have to drive my wife's SUV anymore when we need to take the kids some place.

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