Can anyone cheer me up?

[marky999]

Hi...had my 111R since March and loved it (though not been able to drive it quite as much as I'd like). Anyway, it's my only car and now, as it gets colder and darker...suddenly I'm feeling a bit miserable! (and wondering if the rattles etc will suddenly lose their charm)

Anyone else get the winter blues? Any suitable cures?

[LotusEater666]

Perhaps you have seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

[Russ H]

T A D S

Russ

[Stu_00]

No way, Winter means no caravans clear cold days (Bit more power, well every little helps - anyway...)


Potential I think the odd winter days with the roof down beats xmas shopping !!!


I think also Europe will still offer some good 111r driving holidays with less traffic.

[21TonyK]

Stu_00 said:

No way, Winter means no caravans clear cold days (Bit more power, well every little helps - anyway...)


Potential I think the odd winter days with the roof down beats xmas shopping !!!


I think also Europe will still offer some good 111r driving holidays with less traffic.

Some of my best driving "moments" have been on cold dry mornings, clear roads and skies. Roll on winter.

[Gooby]

Winter just shows you another side to the cars character. If feeling a bit pissy then watch top gear and dream of a good hoon to stelvio...

[kevin ritson]

Have you treated yourself to an exhaust yet? They really sing on a chilly roof off day

[emenel]

I had exactly the same with my first Elise and sold it after only 6 months.

I soon realised, after driving a 'normal' car, what a fool I had been. The Lotus had the ability to p!ss me off like no other car but also thrill me in equal measure. For all it's faults and irritations it was never boring and every single journey was an event.

So I bought another one.

[NathanE]

Quite looking forward to my first winter in the 111R I've already done some cold trips in it and it warms up quicker than any other car I've had. Must be because of the small cabin compared to hatchbacks and such - less air to warm up?

Also on long trips the chassis starts conducting heat so you feel as snug as a bug in a rug!

Mine only has a couple interior rattles and I know, roughly, what they are and how I could fix them... it's amazing how once you know where the rattle comes from you don't really get wound up anymore when it happens

Edited by NathanE on Sunday 7th October 21:54

[Stu_00]

kevin ritson said:

Have you treated yourself to an exhaust yet? They really sing on a chilly roof off day

Oh Yes plus fling in a couple of tunnels and you wonder how a 111R can sound so good!


Something very satisfying about driving in the cold!!

[Handbag]

If you can hear rattles at slow speeds do what I did and buy a subwoofer
Sounds like you need to take it out for proper drive to shake away those commuting blues and you'll fall in love all over again

[Stu_00]

kevin ritson said:

Have you treated yourself to an exhaust yet? They really sing on a chilly roof off day

Oh Yes plus fling in a couple of tunnels and you wonder how a 111R can sound so good!


Something very satisfying about driving in the cold!!

[S Works]

Some of the best driving I've done has been roof off, early on a winter morning, wrapped up in a fleece, heater on, beanie on, trackday gloves on... superb.

[EN Ren]

Hi Marky999 and hi all
Long time viewer (4 years :O) first time poster!
but just had to post to this as i have been feeling the same until 8 oclock this morning.....well to be honest i feel the same every 6 months until something very special happens, normally something like......({woobly hazzy young ones intro}, last night decided not to get drunk not to and play bf2142 till 4 in the morning and woke up at 5.30 to watch the motor racing..waited till lewis made some bad desisions and decided to go for a blast. {end of wobbly hazy young ones intro}) checked the water and warmed the old girl up on a cruise up the A10, i hit the magic 87+ degrees and thought i would have a play.
I came across the A10 - A414 roundabout and did a very slow lap (worrying about my insurance preimiums) i thought i would try just a little harder, and got just a touch of oversteer but going against every natuaral reaction i kept my foot just slightly in and BOY!!! OH MY GOD BABY I LOVE YOU LONG TIME! touch of opposite lock came round again to find two bikers with a morning hoon in mind, followed them on the 414 did a right or two down some nice twisty roads thought a couple of villages (at proper speeds) and after a few more twistys left them with a wave.........

Moral of the story..
I was not driving like an idiot and i still loved my baby!
I have been thinking i need more power of late....."no i dont need it" really just the right roads- curcuit to play with
I have been driving to and from work too long and not getting up early or going out late to get some clear air
I have been taking her for granted and not apprieciating her for what she is (if my g/f reads this i am sooo dead)

I am back in love with my almost standard elise even after four years... so enjoy the experiance and treat her like a lady, even if it is now a south east asian lady who loves you long time!
Sorry for the dodgy spelling and grammer but i just felt i had to respond to this post....see you in another 4 years =)
EN Ren

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

Things can always be worse, picked my 111R up on Saturday, got it home, 2+ hour drive, all good (apart from the really bad cramp in my clutch leg stuck in traffic after having driven for 4 hours with only a short break - signing the paperwork). Went out for a drive to see a mate, got back, jacket and other stuff in the boot - boot doesn't open Then I wake up Sunday morning with a stomache bug and to top it all, it was a lovely cloudless morning.

[S Works]

I thought of this thread this morning as I was driving the car to MSC for a check-up on a ticking noise it has developed. My god I love the car.

Autumn day, lovely hazy sunlight, crispness in the air... roof off, music from the speakers and the engine... I drove past a field where a farmer was ploughing and I could smell the soil, I kid you not. The Elise makes you feel at one with your surroundings more than any other car I've ever driven.

LOVE IT!

[Phil-CH]

I love my car too! Though I probably wouldn't as much if I had to live with it every day. A big part of the specialness comes from only taking it out on weekend days when the weather is nice and I have the time to take it on the roads it deserves to be.

I wouldn't recommend anything else.

[Chris49]

Phil-CH said:

I love my car too! Though I probably wouldn't as much if I had to live with it every day. A big part of the specialness comes from only taking it out on weekend days when the weather is nice and I have the time to take it on the roads it deserves to be.

I wouldn't recommend anything else.

I'm the other side of the fence..... so to speak. If I couldn't drive her every day I'd be gutted. Getting out of this crappy office/ train station and seeing my Liz waiting for me reminds me thats its all worth while.

[Phil-CH]

That may be true, though I firmly believe that everyday usage makes anything that's special rather ordinary in time. Especially in the case of the Lotus that enjoys being out on proper roads - I couldn't bear using it everyday on my way to work.

To each their own though.

[DsDetective]

I think the cold autumn days are the best. I had some very memorable drives in my old S1 type 49 with lovely leaf covered lanes.

My elise R is also great fun this time of year as the Pipercross sounds just plain awesome as it sucks in that lovely cold air.