[xabre1200]

I have a 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX with 31,000 miles. I purchased the car brand new 10/2010 and it has been my reliable daily driver since day 1. I have been looking at purchasing a Lotus Elise for quite some time now but I cannot justify owning both my WRX and a Lotus. I have to get rid of one for the other. Instead of parting out my car and selling it and then buying the Lotus I would like to see if anyone wants to do some sort of trade for an Elise. The car has been maintained meticulously with oil changes every 3000 miles. About a week ago the manual transmission fluid was changed per 30,000 maintenance. The car has never given me any sort of problems and has been extremely reliable. Always daily driven and has never been to any track or auto-x events.

The car is located in the SF Bay Area in California.

A few things that have been done to the car

performance:
P&L catback exhaust
Torqued Performance stage 1 tune
Perrin pitch stop mount
Forge Motorsports bypass valve
Kartboy front shifter bushing
Kartboy rear shifter bushing
KW Variant 1 coilovers & alignment

exterior:
Grimmspeed front license plate mount
Grimmspeed turbo heat shield
Hella supertone horns + Subimods bracket & wiring harness
Kartboy license plate delete
50% window tint front 15% rear
Pionner H11 X-treme vision headlight bulbs
Rota DPT 18x9.5+35 wheels
Bridgestone RE0750 265/35/19
Muteki SR35 tuner lugs
Subaru STI trunk (which is why I have an STI wing)
Type CS front lip
Type CS carbon fiber side skirts

interior:
Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD double din head unit
Rockford Fosgate Prime R150-2 2-channel amplifier
Rockford Fosgate Prime R1L-1X12 sealed enclosure with one 12" Prime subwoofer
Defi red racer 52mm boost gauge
SOLID modification vent pod
WC Lathewerks steel shift knob

I will try to get some better pictures of the car up but these are the only ones I have on my computer at the moment.

 

[xabre1200]

 

[xabre1200]

Bump

 

[allectrebek]

Just sell it on CL. My 2011 hatch sold in a week for exactly my asking price... Good luck! :up:

 

[jasondew]

Has any WTT ever resulted in a trade of some car for a Lotus?

 

[Doge]

Just sell it on CL. My 2011 hatch sold in a week for exactly my asking price... Good luck! :up:

This.

Has any WTT ever resulted in a trade of some car for a Lotus?

Good question. I can't remember one that did in my time here.

 

[xabre1200]

Hm I've gotten a couple of offers from members who are interested in trades. They are usually too far away or they want too much cash on top. I would list my car for sale on CL if I had a second car but this is my only car at the moment.

 

[wangt86]

Work with the seller on a downpayment to hold the car. Sell the WRX. Problem solved. Or get a loan for the Elise sell the WRX then pay it off.

 

[allectrebek]

Work with the seller on a downpayment to hold the car. Sell the WRX. Problem solved. Or get a loan for the Elise sell the WRX then pay it off.

This is pretty much what I did...

* Found the Lotus I wanted and negotiated the price. Let the seller know I needed to pull a loan.
* Went through PenFed. Got a great rate and a check was at my door within 4 days.
* Picked up and paid for the Lotus.
* Sold my STi within a week of picking up the Lotus. Used the money to pay back my loan.

Lots of little steps, but pretty easy...

Has any WTT ever resulted in a trade of some car for a Lotus?

Not that I've seen...

 

[MotoGeek]

"I wish I could trade my Elise for something heavier, slower, and less attractive."
-no one ever

 

[sleepe]

In terms of performance modifications, in the WRX context, is your car considered
mildly modified? (referring to engine and suspension only)

I have no experience with the WRX/STi scene.

If you want a true replacement for you dd WRX then you
will be very disappointed with the Elise wishing you'd never
sold the subee.

Anyone will tell you that you need a "real" car if you buy an Elige.
I bought my Exige through British Racing Group and the process
was smooth and painless. (consignment service)

-Robert

 

[LostPawn]

Hm I've gotten a couple of offers from members who are interested in trades. They are usually too far away or they want too much cash on top. I would list my car for sale on CL if I had a second car but this is my only car at the moment.

You are likely to run into the distance issue trying to buy any Lotus, many here have traveled a good distance to purchase their car. This shouldn’t be a factor if you have to work some kind of a trade.

Not sure about the “too much cash on top”, guessing if you’re trying to trade you take the hit on both your current car’s value and the limited supply of Lotus for sale.

 

[aschen]

I dont think these threads work out too often, but I did trade my sti + cash for my first lotus in 2008. That was kind of a wierd lucky thing though.

I met a freind of a friend and learned he had an elise. He told me he had back problems and wanted to trade it for something more comfortable yet still pretty fast. I said how about an Sti and the rest is history I guess.......

The low end torque of the mildly modded Sti caught him off guard the first time he drove it.

 

[derrek1280]

Hm I've gotten a couple of offers from members who are interested in trades. They are usually too far away or they want too much cash on top. I would list my car for sale on CL if I had a second car but this is my only car at the moment.

Well, with any Lotus, especially if you're wanting someone to do a trade, distance really shouldn't be much of an issue, as it generally shouldn't even if you were buying straight up, because of the rarity of those cars.

And as for people wanting too much on top... you're effectively getting "trade in value" for your WRX because they have what you want. Keep in mind, if you do trade, you save A LOT of money in sales tax, so you can always factor that into a slightly lower offer than you wanted for your WRX.


As to the other guy that asked if this was mildly modified... yes, I would consider this pretty mildly modified car. Some aesthetic stuff, but from an engine/susp standpoint, the mods are quite minimal.

 

[xabre1200]

Well, with any Lotus, especially if you're wanting someone to do a trade, distance really shouldn't be much of an issue, as it generally shouldn't even if you were buying straight up, because of the rarity of those cars.

And as for people wanting too much on top... you're effectively getting "trade in value" for your WRX because they have what you want. Keep in mind, if you do trade, you save A LOT of money in sales tax, so you can always factor that into a slightly lower offer than you wanted for your WRX.


As to the other guy that asked if this was mildly modified... yes, I would consider this pretty mildly modified car. Some aesthetic stuff, but from an engine/susp standpoint, the mods are quite minimal.

If I find the right car distance definitely isn't an issue. Yes, most of the mods are just aesthetic ones that can be easily reverted to stock if needed. I know it's a long shot finding someone who wants to trade but honestly I'm not in a huge rush. Just waiting to find the right car and buyer.

 

[dvj]

"I wish I could trade my Elise for something heavier, slower, and less attractive."
-no one ever

LOL, my original thoughts exactly.

 

[SwingLo]

Sell it outright. Take the cash and find the Lotus you want. Use that cash (and more) to buy the exact Lotus you want.

And don't put purple wheels on the Lotus. It's illegal.

 

[ItsThaMonsta]

Always easier to sell the car. I've never actually seen a trade thread work.

 

[Coyne]

I don't know why this is complicated.

1. Sell car on CL.
2. Rent car for two weeks at low rate.
3. Buy Lotus.
4. Realize what you have been missing in a car.
5. Spend more money upgrading it than the car costs.
6. Scoff at heavy "sports" cars.
7. Get accosted by onlookers every time you stop.
8. Be really nice to said onlookers.
9. Start weighing every part of your car.
10. Go on diet.
11. Buy carbon fiber, easier than dieting.
12. Inhale helium before driving.
13. Rage that parts are so expensive.
14. When someone asks to buy an extra HVAC button you have, try selling it for $90.
15. Soft top or hard top?
16. Consult Meteorologist.
17. Argue about the best tires.
18. Add 800lbs of downforce with wings and splitters.
19. Autocross it.
20. Realize you have so much more to upgrade.