Fantasy vs Reality: Does your Lotus match your expectations?

2018 Views 23 Replies 15 Participants Last post by Agent ONE, Jan 15, 2009

SKYVUE

Discussion Starter · Jan 14, 2009

Before I bought my '05 Elise two years ago, owning and driving a Lotus was a fantasy. It was my dream car. For the past two years of driving, I feel the Lotus exceeded my expectations, but in many ways differently.

Things that did NOT fit in the "Fantasy":shrug:
1. Babe Magnet Syndrome: I've never seen hundreds of women chasing me down the street. Matter of fact women look away in scorn.
2. Popularity Contest: No this car does not make you popular.
3. Blowing off every car on the street. Nope, Lotus is not a dragster.

Things that happen that made the "fantasy" even better

1. My driving ablity has improved in leaps and bounds...I'm so aware when I drive and I like that!
2. Tracking: I never knew that I would do that before, now it's becoming an obsession!
3. I've met so many Lotus owners and, while they are so different in many ways, they have a strong bond that also become great friends....and I like that too.
4. Every time I drive my car it's exciting! And the internal grin has never worn off......

Ricardo Montalban passed away today at 88. In a 1978 interview about his popular TV series "Fantasy Island", he analyzed the series' success:

"What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies you learn to appreciate your own realities."

What are your fantasies about Lotus cars, does the reality approach the excitement of the fantasy, or exceed it?

--Hal

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

CosmosMpower

· #2 · Jan 14, 2009

Good thread. I agree with all the ways it did not fit.

The reliability has been both better and worse than I imagined. I heard that British cars were supposed to randomly fall apart and have the electronics malfunction. So far I haven't had any major problems (a/c blower did get replaced).

I still dislike the manual steering rack as much as day 1 (at low speeds) even though I thought I'd grow to love it. It's much easier to get in and out and not as much of a pain to daily drive if necessary. I still love the noises it makes on the second cam in a tunnel or under a bridge. My right foot goes to the floor automatically when entering a tunnel with a huge smile on my face coming out of the other end.

ZAMMY1

· #3 · Jan 14, 2009

1. i enjoy the 'tinker toy' aspect of the elise.
2. it feels like the racers i used to enjoy.
3. now that i'm really too old to track a car i can still feel the 'truth' of a simple chassis.
4, i feel that simplicity is a virtue, of course it DOES have HVAC and a roof!
the next best thing for me would be a seven.
5. it has a relatively inexpensive, easy to find powertrain. no exotics for me.
6. the lotustalk group is a superb mix of technical people who have an answer (sometimes smartass) for a question. one can't help but learn from them.
7. it cheap to run, 30+ MPG lifetime average in 21,500 miles.
8. and, most important, i smile like a jackass chewing briars when i drive it!
sam:clap:

LARRY

· #4 · Jan 14, 2009

Does your Lotus match your expectations?

FAR, FAR more than my expectations.

This incredible machine is like no other sports car on the road.

And people can't take their eyes off it.

Superfast, incredible handling, and a championship pedigree.

As the poster said... "HOLY SH*T!" :clap:

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Monsi

· #5 · Jan 15, 2009

My exige does attract alot of women... where it doesn't live up to the hype is they are all 20 years older than desired

Icedog_16

· #6 · Jan 15, 2009

SKYVUE said:
Before I bought my '05 Elise two years ago, owning and driving a Lotus was a fantasy. It was my dream car. For the past two years of driving, I feel the Lotus exceeded my expectations, but in many ways differently.

Things that did NOT fit in the "Fantasy":shrug:
1. Babe Magnet Syndrome: I've never seen hundreds of women chasing me down the street. Matter of fact women look away in scorn.
2. Popularity Contest: No this car does not make you popular.
3. Blowing off every car on the street. Nope, Lotus is not a dragster.

Things that happen that made the "fantasy" even better
1. My driving ablity has improved in leaps and bounds...I'm so aware when I drive and I like that!
2. Tracking: I never knew that I would do that before, now it's becoming an obsession!
3. I've met so many Lotus owners and, while they are so different in many ways, they have a strong bond that also become great friends....and I like that too.
4. Every time I drive my car it's exciting! And the internal grin has never worn off......

Ricardo Montalban passed away today at 88. In a 1978 interview about his popular TV series "Fantasy Island", he analyzed the series' success:

"What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies you learn to appreciate your own realities."

What are your fantasies about Lotus cars, does the reality approach the excitement of the fantasy, or exceed it?

--Hal

+1, Hal!

Bavarian Motorist

· #7 · Jan 15, 2009

No. It stinks. Doesn't have enough cupholders.

BobaFettm

· #8 · Jan 15, 2009

Okay... I'm gonna sound like a huge nerd. But I'm an IT professional... so I guess thats really already out there.

My fantasy of the exige was bad actually! From playing massive amounts of video games that the Lotus has been portrayed in I thought it was gonna be the scariest car around a turn possible! I HATED the elise / exige in every Gran T, Forza, practically EVERY game that has one... Every time you'd come off the gas it would spin on you... braking at 60 mph would make you spin... then on one of my yearly trips to the Tail of the Dragon I met up with a very YOUNG lotus driver. I asked him about the car and he constantly went on how scared he was of the car etc blah blah blah...

But I've ALWAYS been a lotus fan at autocrosses and track days... I just couldn't believe these people and games. I just couldn't. And regularly pedobear'ing on this site for a couple years and listening to people's opinions I did the rash thing.

I bought one. I tracked it for the first time at waterford a very technical tight LOTS OF WALLS course. loved it. Went out to Gingerman and was highly impressed! then... I went to Grattan! This car isnt a fantasy... its a reality. It is the perfect car

I'm not racing professional but I can't believe how insanely WRONG video games have missed this car. I now look back at that kid on the dragon and he must be numb in his feet, hands, legs... everything. You know what this car is doing at every moment you have it under control.

Its WAY exceeded any possibility I thought a car could give me.

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Mr. Know

· #9 · Jan 15, 2009

BobaFettm said:
Okay... I'm gonna sound like a huge nerd. But I'm an IT professional... so I guess thats really already out there.

My fantasy of the exige was bad actually! From playing massive amounts of video games that the Lotus has been portrayed in I thought it was gonna be the scariest car around a turn possible! I HATED the elise / exige in every Gran T, Forza, practically EVERY game that has one... Every time you'd come off the gas it would spin on you... braking at 60 mph would make you spin... then on one of my yearly trips to the Tail of the Dragon I met up with a very YOUNG lotus driver. I asked him about the car and he constantly went on how scared he was of the car etc blah blah blah...

But I've ALWAYS been a lotus fan at autocrosses and track days... I just couldn't believe these people and games. I just couldn't. And regularly pedobear'ing on this site for a couple years and listening to people's opinions I did the rash thing.

I bought one. I tracked it for the first time at waterford a very technical tight LOTS OF WALLS course. loved it. Went out to Gingerman and was highly impressed! then... I went to Grattan! This car isnt a fantasy... its a reality. It is the perfect car

I'm not racing professional but I can't believe how insanely WRONG video games have missed this car. I now look back at that kid on the dragon and he must be numb in his feet, hands, legs... everything. You know what this car is doing at every moment you have it under control.

Its WAY exceeded any possibility I thought a car could give me.

Call it our inner geek...but I always held the same issues with games that had a Lotus in them, it was always the most difficult car to drive. Maybe the greatest handling car in the world just doesn't translate well to the digital world.

Agent ONE

· #10 · Jan 15, 2009

SKYVUE said:
Things that did NOT fit in the "Fantasy":shrug:
1. Babe Magnet Syndrome: I've never seen hundreds of women chasing me down the street. Matter of fact women look away in scorn.

EVERY woman near my age wants to get into the car. Maybe its the color.

I am aware that the "YO CHECK US OUT" colors aren't attractive to women in general. The car is outrageous enough in a regular color. Having an outrageous car, in an outrageous color, is like wearing a ring on every finger and a faux leopard skin coat. That is probably where the scornful looks are coming from.

The only distasteful looks come from the angry liberal granola head women... You know, like mid 50s, not lesbians but wish they were. Hair on the legs. Have a sticker on their car about organic food because in some strange way, in their minds, every time they buy an organic apple they are giving the middle finger to George Bush. :shrug:

EVEN THESE lame ass granola head b!tches smile when I return their mean look with a smile and tell them it gets 30mi to the gallon. They are SO freakin delighted, I mean like I just crapped a baby seal or something.

Bavarian Motorist

· #11 · Jan 15, 2009

Bavarian Motorist said:
No. It stinks. Doesn't have enough cupholders.

I should add I am fixing this though. I already have the BWR holder in, and the Lotus one is on order, and just for fun, I'm getting a copy of jim-clayton's cup holder. It will have more cup holders than my BMW...:evil:

SKYVUE

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 15, 2009

Agent ONE said:
EVERY woman near my age wants to get into the car. Maybe its the color.

I am aware that the "YO CHECK US OUT" colors aren't attractive to women in general. The car is outrageous enough in a regular color. Having an outrageous car, in an outrageous color, is like wearing a ring on every finger and a faux leopard skin coat. That is probably where the scornful looks are coming from.

The only distasteful looks come from the angry liberal granola head women... You know, like mid 50s, not lesbians but wish they were. Hair on the legs. Have a sticker on their car about organic food because in some strange way, in their minds, every time they buy an organic apple they are giving the middle finger to George Bush. :shrug:

EVEN THESE lame ass granola head b!tches smile when I return their mean look with a smile and tell them it gets 30mi to the gallon. They are SO freakin delighted, I mean like I just crapped a baby seal or something.

WOW! I mean....WOW!

--Hal

Moto44

· #13 · Jan 15, 2009

Well said, Hal! Pretty much what you said.

Mr. Know

· #14 · Jan 15, 2009

SKYVUE said:
WOW! I mean....WOW!

--Hal

Sad thing is...up here those "women" he describes are EVERYWHERE.

Bavarian Motorist

· #15 · Jan 15, 2009

Mr. Know said:
Sad thing is...up here those "women" he describes are EVERYWHERE.

Only difference is they're actually lesbians where you are

codymac

· #16 · Jan 15, 2009

Agent ONE said:
EVEN THESE lame ass granola head b!tches smile when I return their mean look with a smile and tell them it gets 30mi to the gallon. They are SO freakin delighted, I mean like I just crapped a baby seal or something.

OMFG!
rotfl

Made a bunch of new car geek friends, even one guy that carries a murse! I like that the Lotus crowd digs everything from the "identify this car" oddness to modern-era F1.
:up:

Fantasy: I expected the car to make me look like a driving god on track.
Reality: I don't think I'd have developed nearly as quickly in any other car - still working on the pesky driving god bit though.

Fantasy: I thought people might think I was a rich rock star or something.
Reality: I'm really tired of being asked how much it costs at every stop light.

Fantasy: Babe magnet.
Reality: 12-year old boy magnet.
-eek-

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Mr. Know

· #17 · Jan 15, 2009

Bavarian Motorist said:
Only difference is they're actually lesbians where you are

Ya...I had to disagree with him on that point, since we are both in the same area. He's just in a state of denial...I'm not. rotfl

FLuXeXigeS

· #18 · Jan 15, 2009

when the exige S came out, that was the final straw, the missing link i was looking for in the elise was finally a reality, never looked back since purchase and far exceeded my wildest fantasies as far as driving pleasure

all the other quirls while not part of the fantasy is something i can live with after always having a grin after i drive the car

whether it be errands or canyons or autoX its just a pleasure period

and i guess meeting Hal and all the cool peeps in this great community is also a PLUS

Agent ONE

· #19 · Jan 15, 2009

Mr. Know said:
Ya...I had to disagree with him on that point, since we are both in the same area. He's just in a state of denial...I'm not. rotfl

Granola head b!tches that seem angry, are IMO usually NOT ******. They are some distorted kind of hetro. Usually with some kind of, on the verge of death meth looking skinny hippy husband who they just bark orders at. These guys look run down (probably from putting up with the crap from their spouses).

I am actually kind of friends with some of these women, though they realize in EVERY way we differ (I am one of those people who can be friends with anyone). I have actually heard from a few "I wish I was a lesbian." Thats why I said that. Weird.

timmp

· #20 · Jan 15, 2009

Chicks dig it...

I find, amazingly, that crazy granola eating Marin women like the elise, as do their younger, finer daughters. But, I also learned long ago that many women like cars that are cute, or something like that. We had a baby sitter, whom I would have to shuttle to our house. I arrived to pick her at various times in a ferrari, a 427 cobra, various M series bmws, turbo porsche-the car gambit. Never did she say anything about the cars, except that they were loud. I picked her up one day in my wife's minicooper S, and she went crazy!!! "I can't believe you would drive such a cool car - this car is so cute!" It was all she could talk about.

Lesson learned.

t

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