RE: PH Carpool: Lotus Elise
Discussion
zebedee said:
You are American so I will give you the benefit of not knowing the Elise in your jome market, but suffice to say the Elise was generally bought by enthusiasts, and still is, not by poseurs.
I'm not convinced. I think at least half of the people I know who bought them new bought them for their image as a drivers car, not because they drive well. They don't tend to keep them very long though. Second hand buyers seem to be mostly enthusiasts though, in my experience.
kambites said:
I'm not convinced. I think at least half of the people I know who bought them new bought them for their image as a drivers car, not because they drive well. They don't tend to keep them very long though.
Second hand buyers seem to be mostly enthusiasts though, in my experience.
Including the S1? I don't know anybody who bought theirs just for looks or image - it's just a little too compromised for most people, they couldn't live with the lack of internal locking mechanisms (wind down the window and lean out with the key to lock yourself in!), lack of carpets, tiny doors etc etc. Second hand buyers seem to be mostly enthusiasts though, in my experience.
I know a couple with S2s who bought them to show off, it's marginally easier to live with.
Know a few people who bought new, and most track them, are relatively competent drivers. Depends what you want to do with it really - lift-off oversteer makes the early cars quite twitchy, so I've done a few different driver training days, wet weather stuff etc (not saying that makes me good!), Then again, mine is obviously second hand, so possibly backing up your point...
wevster said:
Great write up Phil!!
Thank you Sir! kambites said:
I'm not convinced. I think at least half of the people I know who bought them new bought them for their image as a drivers car, not because they drive well. They don't tend to keep them very long though.
Second hand buyers seem to be mostly enthusiasts though, in my experience.
You could be right, but I think most poseurs would ring their finances (or someone elses) a bit more and get a boxster. Very rare you see one of those being driven as intended, waste of some great engineering!Second hand buyers seem to be mostly enthusiasts though, in my experience.
zebedee said:
You could be right, but I think most poseurs would ring their finances (or someone elses) a bit more and get a boxster. Very rare you see one of those being driven as intended, waste of some great engineering!
Same prices pretty much. Parts tend to be a lot more on the Boxster though. You're right though. I can't remember the last time I saw one being wrung out over the Cat and Fiddle or any of the decent roads. Usually just poncing round London. As you say, a waste. Still, I'm sure some of them get driven properly - there must be Pistonheads folk with Boxsters who like a decent drive!
pthelazyjourno said:
Same prices pretty much. Parts tend to be a lot more on the Boxster though.
You're right though. I can't remember the last time I saw one being wrung out over the Cat and Fiddle or any of the decent roads. Usually just poncing round London. As you say, a waste. Still, I'm sure some of them get driven properly - there must be Pistonheads folk with Boxsters who like a decent drive!
Oh absolutely, don't get me wrong, I just think that the Elise is one of the perfomance cars that is driven as intended more often than not, taken on track days etc etc.You're right though. I can't remember the last time I saw one being wrung out over the Cat and Fiddle or any of the decent roads. Usually just poncing round London. As you say, a waste. Still, I'm sure some of them get driven properly - there must be Pistonheads folk with Boxsters who like a decent drive!
pthelazyjourno said:
Including the S1? I don't know anybody who bought theirs just for looks or image - it's just a little too compromised for most people, they couldn't live with the lack of internal locking mechanisms (wind down the window and lean out with the key to lock yourself in!), lack of carpets, tiny doors etc etc.
I'm too young to know anyone who could afford the S1 when it was new. 
kambites said:
I'm too young to know anyone who could afford the S1 when it was new.
Hehe. Cheeky sod! The people I know who bought theirs were incredibly fortunate, and buying in their v.early 20s.
I'm still only 30, I'm not that old!!! It was beyond me when launched - I was either at school or loafing around at uni until the launch of the S2.
Rawwr said:
19. What do I win? Cake? Tell me it's cake.
19 is young. What were you doing for a job at that age? Think I'd have probably stacked it if I'd had an Elise at 19! You deserve a cake! Unfortunately you'll have to pay for postage and packaging, please send me your bank details!zebedee said:
Isn't it a railway station? On Monopoly. Yours ignorant of all things capitalwise... zeb
You do realise that everything on Monopoly is based on somewhere in London? It is indeedy a railway station. Within an area of London. A slightly, er, less than salubrious area, apparently frequented by people like Rawwr when he's doing his Spanish queen impression!!
The other stations on Monopoly are in London too!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff