transio said:
2500 isn't that rare. With the Elise, residual value will depend very much on the performance of the 06's and later. If they get 300 hp and < 2000 lbs in them, obviously the 05's won't be so valuable, right?
I suspect there will end up, in total, about 6k-8k 2004-2006 current-generation Elises importted to the U.S, before we get to the redesign. Remember that the redesign is slated for "Late 2006" which would make it a 2007 model year. Therefore there ends up being about 3 years production of the current cars.
Take a look at the numbers in the Forbes.com article:
http://www.forbes.com/2004/02/10/cz_jf_0210flint_print.html
So, we've got numbers that are about 1/10 the yearly production of a Corvette, 1/4 the production of the S2K, and somewhere inbetween a Viper and the new Jag XK. But, remember, the Viper & S2K have been in production for several years already, and they're continuing to make them, so I would guess 10k+ S2K's and 5k+ Vipers are on the road today. That doesn't even mention how many have been wrecked (which will happen to the Elise too)
I think the current generation Elise is destined to be more rare than either of those cars could ever possibly be, and probably one of the most rare cars on the road, if you don't include the "super-exotics" that aren't even listed on that page.
That, combined with its very unique bumper exemption, the Lotus name, and its many other appeals, mean that its going to hold its value very well, and be a true "exotic" forever.
Steve