I have a confession to make and I'll probably be flamed for this.
My dealer just told me I should expect my car (#16) in late September instead of late July. And the truth is, the longer the wait is taking, the less enthusiasm I have for the Elise.
The longer the wait, the more I start to convince myself not to get the Elise because it's just too small for U.S. roads. My concerns reasserted itself with the photo of the Elise and Honda Accord.
I already have two narrow focused racing motorcycles and I don't really want to have to drive a car with the same life-or-death and 0-error alertness as I do when I ride my motorcycles.
Also, my internal car vs. motorcycle conflict has flared up as MV Agusta* is coming out with a 1000cc version of it's 750cc motorcycle by September (my Elise's arrival date) and I think I'd rather trade in my current 750cc motorcycle for the 1000cc version. But, I won't be able to swing getting both an Elise purchase and 1000cc MV Agusta within the same time frame - and right now, I think I want that MV more.
Is anyone else tired of waiting and loosing enthusiasm too?
I'm not too keen on that bike. I would say keep your existing bike and get the Elise. Once you have it you won't be dissappointed. I'd also be mad that if you decided to pass on the Elise WHY couldn't you have done it sooner!?!? I would LOVE to get my car in Sept. Weather is still great and it's a good 3 months sooner than I expect mine. My advice is to stop thinking about it. Stay away from this board and any Lotus affiliatation for as long as possible. It just makes the wait more painful and seem longer. If you can do that the car will be here before you know it.
And you have a little more leeway in the error department with the Elise than you do a motorcycle. Not much, but some.
I've been waiting 4 years. I admit my enthusiasm dimmed at the beginning of 2003. But when the first previews and tangible looks at the US Elise came in, my fire was rekindled.
The Elise in US form doesn't appear to disappoint me in any way, and it's better in a number of ways than I thought. (I thought over that time, I had aged past the desire for a uncompromised sports car, and I probably did for $40,000. But the extra civility of the US Elise made me reconsider.)
Are you going to sell the car after 6 months? Why worry about the summer passing? Summer will come again next year! On the other hand, if you want to have both, I guess you could drop off and see if you can pick up an Elise next year. If 9 months makes a big difference, sure, wait, but it might be longer than that. Would you give up your spot so you can ride another sport bike for 2 months more? (analogy - if you had a Caterham and a S2000, maybe i'd advise the other way - get the bike and delay the Elise.)
You know the MV is one of my favorite bikes, but I don't think you are making a fair comparison.
Sept will be perfect weather in AZ, so why worry? I think if you bail now, you'll regret it. Get the Elise. If you aren't instantly enamored, flip it and get another MV.
The MVs a great bike, but Cagiva is so marginally financially viable, who knows if this bike will actually be produced. Look at the MV Brutale. Also, as with the 750 cc mv agusta, you'll be able to get one far cheaper in a year.
Nice bike! However, you already have a nice bike. What's a few more months for a car which will allow you to:
1) take a different group of women out,
2) allow you to put the top on for the rare inclement weather there (or if you travel)
3) be the envy of every auto enthusiast in the land!!
Hang on, man!! Shinoo gave the best advice. You can always flip it, and due to the extreme reduction in production, it's probably good for a $10,000 premium.
i was hoping to get the car by august/september. now i'm being told to not realistically expect it before december/january. At this poing i am 95% sure i will not be taking delivery.
The Elise is virtually the same size as a Miata. If you haven't driven a small car before, you probably will feel more vulnerable than in other cars. However, if you've been riding motorcycles, you should feel more protected in the Elise. Personally, I don't think that safety is a relevant factor in the decision to buy or not to buy an Elise.
I don't buy a new car very often, so waiting a little longer is frustrating, but not really significant. I plan to keep the Elise for 10 years or more. So whether my car arrives in July or September or December isn't a factor in whether or not I should buy an Elise. If you bail now and buy something else for instant gratification, you will have a very long time to regret it.
The guy down the street is selling his Lamborghini. I've almost bought it five times now. Everytime I call my Lotus dealer and I hear a different story about my delivery, it makes it that much harder not to say f' it and just buy the Diablo.
I posted last week that Lotus should be honest with us and tell us when we should expect the car. The constant shifting of the delivery date has totally f'ed up my racing this year. Last Friday I cancelled six trips because I have zero faith that my car will be here when the dealer promised it.
Its pretty pathetic that a company can't perform the most basic of customer service and let us know when our cars will actually be here. The complete lack of communication between the company, its dealers and its customers is appalling.
We have guys here on the forum that supposedly get inside information from people at the plant and no one wants to name names and secret this and that... Thats one hell of a way for an automaker to get the word out.
Lotus needs to step up to the plate and be difinitive about when the cars will be made and when they will be delivered. Each passing day they continue to chose to keep us in the dark is one more day I'm closer to owning the Lamborghini...
i was hoping to get the car by august/september. now i'm being told to not realistically expect it before december/january. At this poing i am 95% sure i will not be taking delivery.
Are you going to give up your spot? All you're talking about is 3 lousy months from what you expected. The Elise would make a great Christmas/Hannukah present. Hang tough.
Are you going to give up your spot? All you're talking about is 3 lousy months from what you expected. The Elise would make a great Christmas/Hannukah present. Hang tough.
yes, most probably gonna give up my spot and go the Porsche GT2 route instead (not that they're really comparable). I will keep my S2000 for heavy track work and if i want to have a drop top.
Another thing to remember is the Litre MV will be a new bike. As with Duck's and Cagivas it's always a good idea to not buy the first year production run. So, even if you felt like giving up the Elise I'd tell you to wait on the MV for one model year.
Thanks for your responses everyone. I think it comes down to two problems:
1) Internal conflict between the motorcyclist in me and the car nut in me. So far, the motorcycle side has been winning. I do have the 750cc version of the MV but would like the 1000cc version. However, I could trade-in/sell my 750cc MV later this year or in early 2005 for the 1000cc verision. SO, here's my real problem;
2) It's pictures of the Elise next to an Accord or the Mercedes that make me doubt the Elise. I'm not worried about the spartan interior or ride, I'm not worried about the difficult ingress or egress. The only thing that worries me is that it's too small.
I'm trying to rationalize that the Elise is just fractionally smaller than the Miata, and I would not be worried about driving a Miata. Maybe if I get a chance to see a Elise and a Miata, or S2000 side-by-size in person, I'll feel better.
As for the weather, it would be actually better to get the Elise in late September because that's when the temperature is consistently under 100 degrees. By mid-October, the weather would be "normal."
The guy down the street is selling his Lamborghini. I've almost bought it five times now. Everytime I call my Lotus dealer and I hear a different story about my delivery, it makes it that much harder not to say f' it and just buy the Diablo.
Since when is a Lambo anywhere near the cost of a Lotus let alone an Elise?!?! If I could get a Diablo for that price I'd friggin take the Diablo! Are you crazy? Is it damaged or something? As long as you can afford the upkeep and fixing it go for that. I think it's rediculous you would even be thinking about it.
Vanity is my curse and I've been a Lambo lover since I had diapers. I would die to own a Diablo. One of my fav Lambo's to date.
That aside, I have been back and forth with what car to get so many times it hurts to think about it. I started with the Lotus and funny enough ended with the Lotus as the final decision. If I weren't getting the Lotus I think I'd be in a 2005 SLK 32 AMG. The new one coming out. If Lotus screws me over too much I may still end up in one of those. But I have faith.
Anyway, I'm getting pretty tired of the wait, too. Was hoping for Sept/Oct (30s at Symbolic) but I doubt I'll see the car this year. Actually, I'm thinking that spring '05 sounds about right. March or April, maybe
Test drive will be the deciding factor for me. Why not wait for that? Should be able to nab one in July or August
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