fark you I have 'too many memory segments' open. Don't judge me, just do your job you half-assed, overly used piece of shiat.

Last spring I was in full Mid Life Crisis mode and intensly shopping for an Elise. I found a great used one local to me, spoke with the owner a couple of times and eventually scheduled a test drive with him. First of all I'm 6'5" and had serious doubts about getting in the thing. It just barely waist high on me and took some serious motivational yoga to get in. The windshield is so low that if I went down any tiny hill the sky and most of the rest of the road would completely disappear. Mrs. Simusid had to lurch to the right every time I wanted to shift as we were more than shoulder to shoulder. Also, zero lateral space between my feet in the tunnel. Going gas to brake would almost get them tangled. But holy shiatalls Ma! Is that car ever quick!! And it's a TRON speeder around corners too.

Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

It's a shame. Those cars (even the vintage models such as the Europa and 7) are nothing but fun to drive, and take the corners like few cars can (even with today's technologies). I can see why they don't appeal to the average driver, but it's sad to see them in their current financial shape.

simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

Well... what did you get?

I'm seriously considering an Elise - without having test driven one.
(also: S2000, FD RX7, 350Z, Cayman)

That sucks. They had like 6 entirely new models slated for release that looked awesome.

Land Ark: simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

Well... what did you get?

I'm seriously considering an Elise - without having test driven one.
(also: S2000, FD RX7, 350Z, Cayman)

s2000 is underpowered IMHO; cayman is ok but tiny, RX7 has durability issues with the motor (it's like a 2 cycle engine), 350z is hot. im torn myself between nissan and lotus. if you do go lotus, go exige.

Land Ark: simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

Well... what did you get?

I'm seriously considering an Elise - without having test driven one.
(also: S2000, FD RX7, 350Z, Cayman)

I looked at 2 S2000's, they were ok. Plusses for the amazing honda reliability. Minus for the fun beginning at 6K RPM.
The wife REALLY wanted an RX8 because we used to have a 7 and loved it. I had serious reliability questions. The one we looked at was a dealer leftover marked $26k and before I even physically touched it he'd knocked $5k off the price. I bet I could have gotten it for $20k cash.
The 350Z looked like a frat boy car. Too cheezy, too plasticy, very gimmicky.
I sat in a boxster, liked it, was a top candidate and then I read about some catastrophic bearing failures that plagued many owners.
Next I drove a mercedes SLK. Everything about it was acceptable, nothing about it was exceptional. Known as a "hairdressers car". I found a 2008 AMG 55 that was a lot more brutish and damn near pulled the trigger on that one until I found that it was out of warranty and rotors were $800 each. Then I inched toward a 2009 SLK 350 with the AMG appearance package (but not engine) and was even close to buying when the wife made me look at a 2010 BMW Z4.

I fell in love. The car is absolutely gorgeous in black. IMHO more classic and stylish than any other 2 seater that I looked at. 250+ hp, handles great, VERY comfortable, love taking it on long trips. My only "regret" is that I have to put it away for the winter.

Land Ark: simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

Well... what did you get?

I'm seriously considering an Elise - without having test driven one.
(also: S2000, FD RX7, 350Z, Cayman)

I have a 2005 Lotus Elise with a Supercharger, and it is amazing!!! For about the price of a VW beetle you can own a supercar. They handle like a dream and with a light load I can run 0-60 in about 4.4 sec. It is an amazing toy and a blast to drive as long as you are not to big.

No @lookup for this sale?

Paging rohar to the "small sportscar" thread.

Fun to drive but not very comfortable - they're basically cars trying to do what a sportbike does better and much, much cheaper.

Seriously? The RX7/RX8s do not have reliability problems. They have stupid owner problems.

Very reliable if you fraking keep oil in them. Duh. They use a little oil in the combustion process. When you gas up, check the oil. Its just that fraking easy.

That being said, I hated my RX8. Plastic, junky, poor ergonomics. My RX7 as a top of the line car. The RX8 was a study in profit margins.

Still, the RX8 was faster than my Boxster and more fun.

simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports)

You can't say that last part about it's cousin car, the Tesla Roadster. Those things are frightening -- at low speeds they're quieter than a bicycle.

If these had more power than what that Toyota 4-banger puts out they would actually be worth having.

However, as it stands, its not surprising that people refuse to pay $50-70k for a car that has less horsepower than a 10 year old Honda Civic.

Goodfella: If these had more power than what that Toyota 4-banger puts out they would actually be worth having.

However, as it stands, its not surprising that people refuse to pay $50-70k for a car that has less horsepower than a 10 year old Honda Civic.

Well, the new 50-70k Elises/Exiges put out 220-260 hp... But even the regular NA cars with 190 hp are a whole lot faster than any Civic - and most people who care about horsepower know that.

I don't think it's the lack of hp that has slowed them down.

simusid: Land Ark: simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

Well... what did you get?

I'm seriously considering an Elise - without having test driven one.
(also: S2000, FD RX7, 350Z, Cayman)

I looked at 2 S2000's, they were ok. Plusses for the amazing honda reliability. Minus for the fun beginning at 6K RPM.
The wife REALLY wanted an RX8 because we used to have a 7 and loved it. I had serious reliability questions. The one we looked at was a dealer leftover marked $26k and before I even physically touched it he'd knocked $5k off the price. I bet I could have gotten it for $20k cash.
The 350Z looked like a frat boy car. Too cheezy, too plasticy, very gimmicky.
I sat in a boxster, liked it, was a top candidate and then I read about some catastrophic bearing failures that plagued many owners.
Next I drove a mercedes SLK. Everything about it was acceptable, nothing about it was exceptional. Known as a "hairdressers car". I found a 2008 AMG 55 that was a lot more brutish and damn near pulled the trigger on that one until I found that it was out of warranty and rotors were $800 each. Then I inched toward a 2009 SLK 350 with the AMG appearance package (but not engine) and was even close to buying when the wife made me look at a 2010 BMW Z4.

I fell in love. The car is absolutely gorgeous in black. IMHO more classic and stylish than any other 2 seater that I looked at. 250+ hp, handles great, VERY comfortable, love taking it on long trips. My only "regret" is that I have to put it away for the winter.

I was so very close to picking a Lotus up as well. A good buddy talked me out of it. I settled on a BMW M3 instead, and I'm sure glad I did; BMW is definitely a solid choice

/official car of cocks apparently

simusid: Land Ark: simusid: Long story short, It's uncompromising, uncomfortable, and noisy (loudest car ever tested by Consumer Reports) Mrs. S. said "there is no way I'm driving around new england in that" and I "settled" for something much more expensive and less outrageous. It's definitely not a car for everyone.

Well... what did you get?

I'm seriously considering an Elise - without having test driven one.
(also: S2000, FD RX7, 350Z, Cayman)

I looked at 2 S2000's, they were ok. Plusses for the amazing honda reliability. Minus for the fun beginning at 6K RPM.
The wife REALLY wanted an RX8 because we used to have a 7 and loved it. I had serious reliability questions. The one we looked at was a dealer leftover marked $26k and before I even physically touched it he'd knocked $5k off the price. I bet I could have gotten it for $20k cash.
The 350Z looked like a frat boy car. Too cheezy, too plasticy, very gimmicky.
I sat in a boxster, liked it, was a top candidate and then I read about some catastrophic bearing failures that plagued many owners.
Next I drove a mercedes SLK. Everything about it was acceptable, nothing about it was exceptional. Known as a "hairdressers car". I found a 2008 AMG 55 that was a lot more brutish and damn near pulled the trigger on that one until I found that it was out of warranty and rotors were $800 each. Then I inched toward a 2009 SLK 350 with the AMG appearance package (but not engine) and was even close to buying when the wife made me look at a 2010 BMW Z4.

I fell in love. The car is absolutely gorgeous in black. IMHO more classic and stylish than any other 2 seater that I looked at. 250+ hp, handles great, VERY comfortable, love taking it on long trips. My only "regret" is that I have to put it away for the winter.

Ah haha. My wife bought a black 2006 Z4si last year and loves it... Physically.
I haven't been inside a current gen one, but her interior is kinda cheap. She has M seats and they creak loudly. Any complaints?

Land Ark: simusid: Land Ark: simusid:

Ah haha. My wife bought a black 2006 Z4si last year and loves it... Physically.
I haven't been inside a current gen one, but her interior is kinda cheap. She has M seats and they creak loudly. Any complaints?

I don't want to turn this into a car forum but you have no EIP so..... no, no complaints at all. I have the upgraded interior and they are by far the best seats I've ever had in a car. Not saying much though since before the Z I've just had generic toyotas and a smattering of caravans for the kids.

simusid: Land Ark: simusid: Land Ark: simusid:

Ah haha. My wife bought a black 2006 Z4si last year and loves it... Physically.
I haven't been inside a current gen one, but her interior is kinda cheap. She has M seats and they creak loudly. Any complaints?

I don't want to turn this into a car forum but you have no EIP so..... no, no complaints at all. I have the upgraded interior and they are by far the best seats I've ever had in a car. Not saying much though since before the Z I've just had generic toyotas and a smattering of caravans for the kids.



Sounds like you did your homework. Enjoy the car.

And when talking about it in public, for trolling purposes make sure you refer to it as the "Zed 4".

Goodfella: And when talking about it in public, for trolling purposes make sure you refer to it as the "Zed 4".

While referring to other people's cars as "rubbish."

I_Am_Weasel: It should be Noted that this could caused a Domino effect.


/Wrong one, you idiot.

with the outlook this bad, It would be best to exchange for something else.

Dammit, and I was going to buy an Exige in the next couple of years >:(

Guess I'll be buying used.

simusid: The 350Z looked like a frat boy car. Too cheezy, too plasticy, very gimmicky.

That's because it is a frat boy car. The grown-up version is the G37 coupe.

My only "regret" is that I have to put it away for the winter.

...which is also available in an AWD for 2012, so you can drive it year-round.