[relise]

Like to know this forums opinions if ordering the base car is a big mistake. I am leaning that way but will the car be non-saleable because of no power windows or leather in the future?

Looks like most people are going to get at least the tour package.

 

[Lumn8r]

It all depends on your taste. The main reason I am getting the touring package is to get biscuit rather than black interior. But then I am not too concerned about resale value. I don't forsee myself selling the Elise

 

[Allan Gibbs]

I don't think you'd take too much of a financial hit for not having the touring package.

To the general public, it may be a little harder to resell....a little. But then again, the general public wouldn't want a Elise anyway, since it's too impractical and "underpowered." I think the bigger concerns may be the reduced sound dampering rather than the windows and leather.

The person who most likely buy your car would be someone who would want to use it as a track car, or someone who doesn't want too many frill to begin with. So, it shouldn't be too big of a deal with the Elise.

 

[Au111]

Nah, you'll be fine. Some of us (well, me) went with the Touring pack 'cause we need to play nice with the wifey. You'll find plenty of people who will be willing to take a "base" Elise of off your hands in the next couple of years. Get what you want, and don't worry about resale (unless you order Chrome Orange (ducking)).

 

[waelsie]

In Europe, the aftermarket options for the Elise are far more numerous and varied from 3rd party suppliers than they are from Lotus. Quite often they are also quite a lot cheaper from 3rd party suppliers. Lotus dealers also do their own extras as well - I have a Bell & Colvill Carbon Fibre Roof, and B&C also do engine mods, and their own exhausts etc etc.

I do not believe it will be detimental at all to take a "standard" elise, although as others have said - totally your choice and taste.

In the 2nd hand market in Europe, people are also starting to look for standard cars in preferance to already (additionally) tuned ones, because they want to do it "their way".

IMHO you won't lose either way. Let the cars get there first - the mods will be close behind - and probably numerous.

Giles.

 

[CAErven]

Go for the base car if you like it!

How crappy is the base Lotus Elise anyway? Give me a break!
99.99357% of America would give their left (and probably right too) cojone (or however you spell it LOL) to own that car. No worries I say.

 

[jdw5155]

Honestly, the main reason I'm leaning towards the touring package is for the electric windows. It's not that I'm lazy but I understand from other posts that the winders are quite succeptable to getting loose and rattling more than the powered ones over time. The nicer (but thicker) top is just a bonus I suppose.

They can keep their MP3 radio though.

Jim

 

[Jay]

given the dollar's devaluation, its always a possibility that the 'loaded' cars will find their way across the pond first....they'll have over 350 of the first orders to sort out.

 

[agent.5]

They can keep their MP3 radio though.

Let's have a delete-radio option. There are much better, albeit more costly, stuffs out there.

 

[jml1952]

I'm planning to use my Elise as a daily driver, or nearly so. I had a nice long discussion with Nick Adams, Lotus development guy, at the LA Auto Show and he told me that he would strongly recommend getting the touring package in my situation. The sound and thermal insulation provided by the improved soft top and the stuff they add to the body of the car will improve the comfort level quite a bit, according to Nick, without impacting the driving experience.

Aside from that, I think that the padded soft top that comes with the touring package is more substantial than the flimsy standard top, so it will hold up better over time. I also like the seats that come with the touring package - they look a little nicer to me. Electric windows are nice too - the lack of a hand crank makes the car look a little cleaner to me. And the MP3 capability of the improved stereo with the touring package will be nice.

To me, it's well worth the additional $$. If you don't plan to drive that much, it might not be.

 

[stuttgart]

I am still trying to decide between hardtop or touring package. I am leaning toward base car with hardtop since red with matching top look very sexy. But I am afraid the manual window will cause rattle over time. I probably have to test drive or sit in one with touring package before I make up my mine.

 

[zvezdah1]

stutt,
Only trouble is, you can always buy a hardtop, but you CAN"T add the touring package later.

Chris

 

[stuttgart]

stutt,
Only trouble is, you can always buy a hardtop, but you CAN"T add the touring package later.

Chris

Hmm...that's true. I am in the 2nd batch of order, I guess I have couple months to think about it.

 

[Knute]

Honestly, the main reason I'm leaning towards the touring package is for the electric windows. It's not that I'm lazy but I understand from other posts that the winders are quite succeptable to getting loose and rattling more than the powered ones over time.

I thought the same thing, after reading anecdotes from european owners, so I asked Nick Adams about this at the LA show. (Whether the electric windows were less prone to rattle) He laughed. Turns out, the original problem didn't really have anything to DO with the windows; it was a manufacturing tolerance issue with the striker pin on the door latch. If the pin was undersized, as some were on the earlier cars, then the door could rattle a bit even if fully latched. If the windows were tightly shut, this braced the door and prevented the rattling- the rattling wasn't actually the window, but the door on the striker pin. This was solved by improving the manufacturing tolerances to prevent undersized pins, and a number of pins on the earlier cars were upgraded during regular maintenance even in cases where the owner had not yet reported a problem.

In short, the window rattling issue to which you refer shouldn't come into play on the federal Elise regardless of whether one orders manual crank or electric windows, and it's not entirely clear to me whether this issue ever affected the S2 Elise- I have the impression it was an S1 thing.

Another point, while I'm thinking about it, is that I read a quote that the electric windows saved weight, but I also heard at the show that they add about 1/2 a pound. Go figure- I don't know which to believe, but electric windows at least provide one less protuberance to bump into inside a relatively small cockpit; I agree with others who opine that the electric windows provide a "cleaner" interior appearance.

-Knute

 

[stuttgart]

Knute,

Thanks for the info. That help me clear up my concerns on those rattle.

 

[ex-M3]

While I am ordering the touring package, I don't think a car without it will be any hard to sell than any Elise. I doubt there will ever be many on the market, so if someone wants one, they will have a limited selection. I bet miles, condition and price will be the deciding factors. The difference is not that great.

 

[shay2nak]

hi jml1952, do you have a deposit down for an Elise at anyone of the dealerships near you, possibly Silver Star Lotus in Thousand Oaks? If so, what place are you in?

thanks

 

[jml1952]

hi jml1952, do you have a deposit down for an Elise at anyone of the dealerships near you, possibly Silver Star Lotus in Thousand Oaks? If so, what place are you in?

thanks

Hi shay2nak-

I placed my deposit with Symbolic of Beverly Hills last January. Based on current guesstimates by my salesman, he expects to see my car within the first 3 months and I will get it for MSRP. That timeframe would be great, but I'm not holding my breath since they don't have enough information to be totally accurate in their projections.

I visited Silver Star also, since I live 5 minutes away. I did not give them a deposit because they would not guarantee MSRP and gave me the distinct impression that they would be adding a surcharge. I also felt that Symbolic probably would receive a larger allocation than Silver Star. Recent posts suggest that they may have placed some orders for people high on the list at MSRP, so that might have worked out.

Who has your money and where do you stand on the list?

I am planning to let them service the car, as they indicated that they will be expanding that aspect of their business.

 

[shay2nak]

Hi jml1952,
I'm with Lotus of Newport Beach. They have me down for #51 but haven't taken my deposit yet. When I called them initially, they were at #40 when Silver Star was at #68. But when I called them back a few weeks later, Newport was at #50 and they stopped taking deposits because they weren't sure how many cars they would get a month and they didn't want to leave any of the customers hanging. More people have called to place deposits after me, however, they are keeping track of who called when so there is no confusion of the order. The saleswoman told me that they would know how many cars they'd be getting after the LA Auto Show was over and they would be calling people and sending them info in the mail thereafter. At the time of my wanting to place a deposit the saleswoman said they would receive 10 or 12 cars a month. I don't know if that is correct or not and apparently they don't either if they stopped taking deposits.

I wish I had placed my deposit at #40 but I didn't want to until I saw the car and had a chance to drive one. I eventually did so in Scottsdale, AZ and called Newport the next day to place the deposit at #50.

 

[jml1952]

We don't know what the allocations will be, but I haven't seen any information that could possibly result in a dealer getting 10 to 12 cars per month, with the possible exception of the initial delivery to each dealer.