[Ktwelve]

I first want to say hello to everyone :nanner:. I am new here and would like some opinons please :crazyeyes.

I have just recently been interested in this whole Lotus thing . I am wanting to get this 2005 Lotus Elise with 30k miles or one similiar in those respects in the near future, due to my budget. Now thats the key word, budget hehe. I am a 23 year old part time student and i have been saving some money here and there. I am wanting to trade in my SUV i have now and put down about half $. And most likely pay off the rest in a about 6months if not sooner.
I am wanting to use this as a daily driver. I am young, not married etc. and willing to put up with "hassels" of the size and other "quirks" that make this car what it is. My concern is, one, how durable SHOULD it be? I dont want to drop big $$$ on things breaking down on me.. quite frankly i couldn't afford that happening. Now i am capable of buying new tires every 10k miles or whatever and other minor things here and there.

What all should i be aware of...What am i getting myself into that i may not know?
What things could i expect to replace/repair and what are the costs of those?
Can i use this as a daily driver without having to replace many things at a high cost?

Basically i have fallen in love with this car and after spending the money on the vehicle itself i am worried that numerous things will need to be repaired at a high cost that i may not be able to easily afford. Is this a practical buy in my situation? Will i still be able to purchase this vehicle and properly maintain it without drastically hurting my wallet?

Any and all opinions/information would be appreciated.

:wave:

 

[kertong]

um, yes.

 

[Tejs]

I first want to say hello to everyone :nanner:. I am new here and would like some opinons please :crazyeyes.

I have just recently been interested in this whole Lotus thing . I am wanting to get this 2005 Lotus Elise with 30k miles or one similiar in those respects in the near future, due to my budget. Now thats the key word, budget hehe. I am a 23 year old part time student and i have been saving some money here and there. I am wanting to trade in my SUV i have now and put down about half $. And most likely pay off the rest in a about 6months if not sooner.
I am wanting to use this as a daily driver. I am young, not married etc. and willing to put up with "hassels" of the size and other "quirks" that make this car what it is. My concern is, one, how durable SHOULD it be? I dont want to drop big $$$ on things breaking down on me.. quite frankly i couldn't afford that happening. Now i am capable of buying new tires every 10k miles or whatever and other minor things here and there.

What all should i be aware of...What am i getting myself into that i may not know?
What things could i expect to replace/repair and what are the costs of those?
Can i use this as a daily driver without having to replace many things at a high cost?

Basically i have fallen in love with this car and after spending the money on the vehicle itself i am worried that numerous things will need to be repaired at a high cost that i may not be able to easily afford. Is this a practical buy in my situation? Will i still be able to purchase this vehicle and properly maintain it without drastically hurting my wallet?

Any and all opinions/information would be appreciated.

:wave:

I'm 23, I have a 2005 Lotus Elise, and I love it. I daily drive mine (for the most part when I'm not driving my 8), and I haven't regretted buying it for one second.

I went into buying my Lotus knowing that I could afford it. I'd say that if you have any doubt about the finances, you may want to reconsider. I haven't owned mine long enough to yet buy a new set of tires, but I've heard they don't last very long (especially the rears not lasting 10K). I've accepted that and budgeted for new tire expenses.

This is only food for thought - if you decide to get it, well then welcome to the club. But I don't want to get your hopes up and see you in a bad situation down the road. You should be 100% Sure about the purchase before doing it.

 

[def]

If you're unsure, then you could always wait.

idealy I would recommend keeping the SUV and having it as a second car. There are lots of situations I get in where I don't want to bring it. It draws a lot of attention (including negative), and is not durable during small accidents (you would be without the car for weeks if not months).

Tires I go through 4-5k street miles, 900$
Brake pads I go through pretty quick, every 10k miles? Calipers every 20-30k? Depends on your driving habits.
Services can be costly if you don't do them yourself, which are more much more frequent than a BMW


Do some searches, the maintenance and daily driver question gets asked a lot around here.

 

[Minnis]

Ok do only early 20's college students think about buying an Elise? Everyday it's the same post...

 

[LARRY]

I first want to say hello to everyone :nanner:. I am new here and would like some opinons please :crazyeyes.

I have just recently been interested in this whole Lotus thing . I am wanting to get this 2005 Lotus Elise with 30k miles or one similiar in those respects in the near future, due to my budget. Now thats the key word, budget hehe. I am a 23 year old part time student and i have been saving some money here and there. I am wanting to trade in my SUV i have now and put down about half $. And most likely pay off the rest in a about 6months if not sooner.
I am wanting to use this as a daily driver. I am young, not married etc. and willing to put up with "hassels" of the size and other "quirks" that make this car what it is. My concern is, one, how durable SHOULD it be? I dont want to drop big $$$ on things breaking down on me.. quite frankly i couldn't afford that happening. Now i am capable of buying new tires every 10k miles or whatever and other minor things here and there.

What all should i be aware of...What am i getting myself into that i may not know?
What things could i expect to replace/repair and what are the costs of those?
Can i use this as a daily driver without having to replace many things at a high cost?

Basically i have fallen in love with this car and after spending the money on the vehicle itself i am worried that numerous things will need to be repaired at a high cost that i may not be able to easily afford. Is this a practical buy in my situation? Will i still be able to purchase this vehicle and properly maintain it without drastically hurting my wallet?

Any and all opinions/information would be appreciated.


:wave:

You've fallen in love with it?

Get one now. Don't wait.

Everything on it is fixable.

What needs replacing?

Average number of computer control panels on a BMW? 87.

Number of computer control panels on a Lotus? 4.

Toyota engine. Reliable.

Clutch around $1200 - not very often

Brake pads around $300 - not very often

Tires - $1000 for 4 A048's. About every 8000-10000 miles.

Engine, suspension, etc. - maybe $1000 - $2000 - not very often.

What does a Lexus/Infinity/Cadillac cost to fix out of warranty? A hell of a lot more than that.

Get the car. Mine's a daily driver. :clap:

 

[Ktwelve]

Thanks for the input :clap:. Ya, i mean i can afford the car or i wouldn't be buying it. I just didn't know how practical it would be. I didn't want to end up spending an extra $2,000 every few months on things going out in it. Maybe stuff i didn't know about, or problems the Elise had. I just wanted to be certain before i made this investment. Thank you all so very much for the replies, i greatly appreciate it. :up:

 

[MattG]

If you can do basic maintenance yourself (especially oil and brake fluid changes), buy it. You can keep costs down by parking wisely, too (never, ever parallel park).

 

[macdady2424]

I hate to say it, but sounds like you're asking the wrong question. If you're asking others if you should buy a car, then the answer is probably no. But if you're asking if the car is reliable enough to handle your situation, then that's different. The answer is probably yes, but being young, there are places and situations where you may have to drive or carry people or things around and almost any Lotus as your only car is probably not gonna work for you.

I got mine at a pretty young age too, but also had a safe place to garage it, a safe place to park it at work, and another car to drive when I don't want to use it. I would say if you consistintly have a safe place to park and keep then car, then yeah, get it.

 

[VisualEchos]

1. How durable SHOULD it be? I dont want to drop big $$$ on things breaking down on me.. quite frankly i couldn't afford that happening.

2. What all should i be aware of...What am i getting myself into that i may not know?

3. What things could i expect to replace/repair and what are the costs of those?

4. Can i use this as a daily driver without having to replace many things at a high cost?

5. Is this a practical buy in my situation?

6. Will i still be able to purchase this vehicle and properly maintain it without drastically hurting my wallet?

1. I wouldn't worry as much about things breaking down with the mileage you're looking at, but I would try to purchase a car from here, and flatly ask the seller if he has addressed the common problems/concerns the car has.

2. Cam, toe-link, TSB's, do some searches, you'll find what to look for pretty easily.

3. Tires, brakes, oil, coolant, the usual.

4. It depends on how careful you are with the car. The things that make the car "go" are pretty stout, but the body is fragile, and can cost a LOT to fix.

5. Unless you have a second car, a Lotus is never a practical decision.

6. I would think so, but you'll need to do some research, and watch the for-sale section.

 

[the1sen]

hey sir

the car is great. that said, owning one is like having a dog as opposed to a cat.

The cat requires little maintenance, and all you have to really do is enjoy it, feed it, and clean the litter box.... same for most cars - you drive them, put gas in them, and change the fluids.

The dog however relies on you for everything. The dog has behavioral issues, like pissing in the house or chewing you shoes. The dog can't take care of itself for an extended period and has to be told what to do a LOT. This resembles the Lotus more because when something goes wrong, it is down for an extended period. The engine and tranny are bulletproof. A gentleman here put it best when he said that the Engine and Tranny will fall out before they die. The Electrical system is funky, and the alarm is a transvestite whore with genital herpes on it's fingers and an AIDS infested cum bubble on it's nose. Also, a lot of owners didn't get any of the service updates done to their cars from 05, like the slimy previous owner of my car, and I have had lots of trouble having things inconveniently updated as they break.

LOTS AND LOTS of people have had zero problems with their Lotus. Some have had problems, and you hear from them most. The squeaky wheel gets the oil after all.

As a college student, I would NEVER get a Lotus because you know some jealous puke bastard at school is going to key it or hurt it and you'll get stuck with the bill.

Given all that, I would not trade my Lotus for anything and i am going to buy another one once I pass 100,000 miles.

 

[05 ELISE/87 TURBO]

$$$???

its a lotus, meaning dealer maintenance is pricey....
but if you can do the simple stuff its worth it.
also i have found dealer servicing to be a very different cost issue depending on where you go..... symbolic motors san diego charged 65$/hr mid rivers in st louis charged 95$/hr and my dealer astonmartin lotus motorsports in mass charged me 125$/hr last time i was there('07) now its 137$......

but my car is 35 miles away from 50,000 and it runs great.
if you really have the money, it is in my opinion the best car on the planet for the money invested.

yes it gets lots of attention, good and bad......friggin' punks in my area have gotten two different center caps!!(25$ a pop, they dont fall out do they....?:wallbang

ive never had my car off the road and i live in winter zone.... it is VERY VERY hard not to drive it. but you MUST have a second or third or whatever car.

........the devil says cost be damned its so freakin' fun......:evil:

 

[kabob]

If money's that tight, I really don't see how you could afford to keep up with it. Take me, for example. I've had my '05 Elise for three months now. In that time, I've had to replace both rear tires at a cost of $200 each. I've had to buy new pads front and rear, rotors for the front and give it a brake flush. That cost me $880 in parts alone, and when they finally come in, about $300 give or take for labor to install all that. I just had the passenger window fail on me and a headlight bulb go out and that cost me $235 to take care of at the dealership. And I haven't even taken her out to the track yet I've driven her about 1700 miles and only have 18k miles on the odo.

Parts are expensive (VERY expensive) and scarce, labor even more so with a reputable mechanic. You have to go into purchasing one fully expecting to shell out much more than just the cost of the vehicle to keep it up and running. I, of course, have a daily beater as there is no way the Elise is a practical enough car to meet my needs as my sole mode of transportation.

 

[luxige]

You should shop for some insurance quotes upfront. Many insurers won't cover and some rank it as an 'exotic' ($$$).

 

[def]

I wouldn't say the engine and tranny are BULLETPROOF, but hopefully you won't have problems assuming you drive properly.

lots of little things can go wrong (kabob's post), be good with tools and have patience

 

[TTZip]

You being 23 and daily driving the Elise will cost you a lot on insurance. If you don't have a garage where to park it I wouldn't get it. There truly are too many jealous people who will want to do something to is since its not their car.

You need to remember this is a car. Out of no where something can break and cost you big $ to fix it. If you can't do it yourself then it goes to the dealership and that will not be cheap regardless of what you are going to get done.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

 

[Whitey#1]

perhaps this is a point. then again, perhaps i am giving bad input here. some poster can correct me if i am wrong.

does anybody know how many Lotus cars there are in the U.S? or how many Elise there are here in the states?

anyway, i've got the same concerns about possibility getting one. 4+ hours to a dealership at $125 an hour. hotel bills, being off work and burning leave, etc. plus nothing is cheap or easy to repair. potentially alot of hassles and headaches - especially if there is no warranty.

but another poster mentioned once that of all the bad things you hear on this forum to remember that there are alot of Lotus cars out there that are running fine without any big time problems/repairs. and if you could somehow find one that was still in warranty, that would sure solve alot of the potential damage to the pocketbook and allow you to sleep better at night.

i myself will not buy one unless i get a warranty.

Mike

 

[DWebb]

Buy it

Dude you could buy a beater for $1000 for those times that you may be in a pinch. Spend about $200 on tools. Read these forums. You'll be fine. I've had mine for 8 months 10k miles. No problems! On country roads, with those little yellow signs that say 40 mph corner, I glance down at my speedo and it says 110 gravy baby, it's freakin bliss.

I'm 5'11"
I'm fat
I'm 40
No excuses buy the damned car, welcome to the club, and to the far end of the parking lot!