Hey guys, I'm finally in a position to buy a toy car, and my choices are between the Elise and an LS3 Corvette. I have to admit that the Lotus has been my dream car for some time now, but I'm concerned about the cost of repair/maintenance/parts etc vs the chevy. I know the Elise is a reliable car, but when something does go wrong, I don't want to have to throw thousands at it every time something breaks.
I know this forum will be a bit biased, but still, any input is appreciated!
The cost of maintenance shouldn't be your main concern. Find a good car that's been well maintained, keep it up and it will treat you right. It's a Toyota drivetrain, if it hasn't eaten it's cam yet it likely won't.
the expensive fixes are when you bust up the body. Many, if not most of the Elise's with salvage titles were written off because of body damage, not serious damage to frame.
THE difference is more that these are two completely different cars. You'll quickly get responses along the lines of "you see a Vette on every corner." If you want the car for vanity purposes and for being noticed, then yes the Elise is the way to go.
Driving wise, they are just plain different, and really shouldn't be cross shopped.
If you like acceleration and speed, the Vette is the clear choice, unless you want to go the route of forced induction, but even then the factory supercharger doesn't really beef it up all THAT much.