968 v 911 v Elise
Discussion
Daily driver?
How much daily use will you be doing?
The 968 is far better to drive quickly than the old 911' models but lacks the excitement of owning an old 911.
Make sure it has aircon - if you get a 968 with no a/c you will fry in the summer, Sport model is much better value than club sport, but drives just the same (its the same car!).
The Elise is good fun but a pain in the neck as your daily driver and just does not have enough grunt, even though plenty quick enough on track its just not fast enough up the road.
I would also look at VX220 turbo and 996C4 or 944 turbo S.
Vx220 better to drive/live with as daily drier than Elise and 996 C4 far better to drive than the old 964 or old 3.2. 944 turbo S far better to drive than 968 with some very small mods you will have a reliable 300 bhp and an LSD which the 968 sadly lacks.
How much daily use will you be doing?
The 968 is far better to drive quickly than the old 911' models but lacks the excitement of owning an old 911.
Make sure it has aircon - if you get a 968 with no a/c you will fry in the summer, Sport model is much better value than club sport, but drives just the same (its the same car!).
The Elise is good fun but a pain in the neck as your daily driver and just does not have enough grunt, even though plenty quick enough on track its just not fast enough up the road.
I would also look at VX220 turbo and 996C4 or 944 turbo S.
Vx220 better to drive/live with as daily drier than Elise and 996 C4 far better to drive than the old 964 or old 3.2. 944 turbo S far better to drive than 968 with some very small mods you will have a reliable 300 bhp and an LSD which the 968 sadly lacks.
I think the comments above apply reasonably to the lower powered Elises, especially the lower powered S1 cars, but your budget would just about get you a S2 111S, which will match the performance of the 911 to 100 and beat that of the 968 and not be particularly difficult to live with as a daily driver. Some of the higher performance and/or modified S1s would be n budget too, though perhaps harder to live with.
rallycross said:
Daily driver?
How much daily use will you be doing?
The 968 is far better to drive quickly than the old 911' models but lacks the excitement of owning an old 911.
Make sure it has aircon - if you get a 968 with no a/c you will fry in the summer, Sport model is much better value than club sport, but drives just the same (its the same car!).
The Elise is good fun but a pain in the neck as your daily driver and just does not have enough grunt, even though plenty quick enough on track its just not fast enough up the road.
I would also look at VX220 turbo and 996C4 or 944 turbo S.
Vx220 better to drive/live with as daily drier than Elise and 996 C4 far better to drive than the old 964 or old 3.2. 944 turbo S far better to drive than 968 with some very small mods you will have a reliable 300 bhp and an LSD which the 968 sadly lacks.
No grunt? They are 0 to 60 sub 6secHow much daily use will you be doing?
The 968 is far better to drive quickly than the old 911' models but lacks the excitement of owning an old 911.
Make sure it has aircon - if you get a 968 with no a/c you will fry in the summer, Sport model is much better value than club sport, but drives just the same (its the same car!).
The Elise is good fun but a pain in the neck as your daily driver and just does not have enough grunt, even though plenty quick enough on track its just not fast enough up the road.
I would also look at VX220 turbo and 996C4 or 944 turbo S.
Vx220 better to drive/live with as daily drier than Elise and 996 C4 far better to drive than the old 964 or old 3.2. 944 turbo S far better to drive than 968 with some very small mods you will have a reliable 300 bhp and an LSD which the 968 sadly lacks.
Surely part f this decision is what distance is your commute? Is it M way is it twisty is it poor condition road.
I'd say longer commute the Elise wouldn't be one you'd want to do day in day out - also if your tall your knees will be jammed into the steering wheel (unless you have a smaller racing steering wheel fitted).
If none of the above is a concern then surely it's down to a question of which you love the looks of the most which one will you keep peeping out of the window at it waiting for the next steer. Also does age come into it? Some of the Porches mentioned are 20+ years old which have very different Maintence issues than newer cars.
I'd say longer commute the Elise wouldn't be one you'd want to do day in day out - also if your tall your knees will be jammed into the steering wheel (unless you have a smaller racing steering wheel fitted).
If none of the above is a concern then surely it's down to a question of which you love the looks of the most which one will you keep peeping out of the window at it waiting for the next steer. Also does age come into it? Some of the Porches mentioned are 20+ years old which have very different Maintence issues than newer cars.
Tyrewrecker said:
No grunt? They are 0 to 60 sub 6sec
I just sold one, I quite like them but I'd hate to have one as my daily driver.Yes they can do 6 sec 0-60 but they lack grunt and can be frustratingly underpowered, hence suggesting also look at Vx220T which can be easily tuned to 250 bhp in the same superb chassis for 70% of the price of the Lotus (with 50% more power and loads more torque).
I researched and drove all three before buying my Elise (as a daily driver). For me, if you can't stretch to a 968 CS, it would be between the 911 and the Elise. The 968 just felt rather ponderous and dull (the CS is apparently a different matter but probably isn't available in your budget).
Between the 911 and the Elise; the Elise handles better, is slightly more forgiving and has better feel through all of its controls (except the gearbox). However, it has a thoroughly uninspiring engine note and is noisy and rattly and generally not very pleasant to drive long distances in. The Elise also never really feels very fast in a straight line, if that matters. Ride quality is similar.
Of course either Porsche has a lot more luggage/people space than the Elise.
The VX220 is well worth considering as well. Personally I hated the turbo, but would probably have bought a N/A if I couldn't stretch to the 111S that I eventually did buy.
Between the 911 and the Elise; the Elise handles better, is slightly more forgiving and has better feel through all of its controls (except the gearbox). However, it has a thoroughly uninspiring engine note and is noisy and rattly and generally not very pleasant to drive long distances in. The Elise also never really feels very fast in a straight line, if that matters. Ride quality is similar.
Of course either Porsche has a lot more luggage/people space than the Elise.
The VX220 is well worth considering as well. Personally I hated the turbo, but would probably have bought a N/A if I couldn't stretch to the 111S that I eventually did buy.
All interesting stuff - thanks. Depreciation (as ever) is a consideration as is general running costs. Whilst I love the romance of buying an old 911 and keeping it for the rest of my days really appeals, I fear the reality can be £5k per annum to keep it on the road (general maintenance as well as routine servicing) which would be hard to take.
968CS sounds great but for the £5kish premium over a Sport, it seems poor value. Especially as a Sport running on decent suspension could be the best of both worlds. However, I do feel I would be paying 911 running costs for a car that is not a 911?
Love the concept of the Elise but always seems a bit "disposable" if that makes any sense and not a keeper i.e. not the ultimate of the ultimate, knowing the latest Exige V6 is probably the best Lotus of the modern era. Probably.
As for usage, I work in London so just use the cars at the weekends. Have a Caterham but need something for the winter and which the Mrs can hear the radio and not need ear plugs. Any Elise will inevitably be driven with a hardtop for most of the time. Will do approx 8k miles per annum with a couple of trackdays. And it will be driven in the salt, rain, snow if needed and maybe left for a couple of weeks without being washed (if that makes a difference).
Current car is a DC2 Integra which I fear I have grown out of and is not as much of a driving challenge as I would now want. Brilliant car for what it is and what it costs though
968CS sounds great but for the £5kish premium over a Sport, it seems poor value. Especially as a Sport running on decent suspension could be the best of both worlds. However, I do feel I would be paying 911 running costs for a car that is not a 911?
Love the concept of the Elise but always seems a bit "disposable" if that makes any sense and not a keeper i.e. not the ultimate of the ultimate, knowing the latest Exige V6 is probably the best Lotus of the modern era. Probably.
As for usage, I work in London so just use the cars at the weekends. Have a Caterham but need something for the winter and which the Mrs can hear the radio and not need ear plugs. Any Elise will inevitably be driven with a hardtop for most of the time. Will do approx 8k miles per annum with a couple of trackdays. And it will be driven in the salt, rain, snow if needed and maybe left for a couple of weeks without being washed (if that makes a difference).
Current car is a DC2 Integra which I fear I have grown out of and is not as much of a driving challenge as I would now want. Brilliant car for what it is and what it costs though
Edited by SidewaysSi on Wednesday 8th August 09:22
Well as I’ve had a 964 C4, a 968 Sport and a VX220 2.2 I thought I’d chip in.
With your usage I’d say 964 (as did a chap above who’d owned a number of the options you’d listed) with some rambling logic as follows:
£5k p/a on maintenance and servicing for the 964 seems a bit OTT unless you’re a real pedant. £2k -£3k I would have thought should be more than enough, unless you need a re-build. Mine had the RS fly wheel and clutch, and although it took a while to get used to, it made it feel far more involving.
The 968 Sports are really good all rounder and great value but for your usage and budget, probably not special enough. But cheaper still to run than the 964 £1k -£2k PA.
With Caterham experience, you’re obviously happy with hardcore, but for me (and especially the Mrs) the VX experience was a bit wearing.
Enjoy the search!
With your usage I’d say 964 (as did a chap above who’d owned a number of the options you’d listed) with some rambling logic as follows:
£5k p/a on maintenance and servicing for the 964 seems a bit OTT unless you’re a real pedant. £2k -£3k I would have thought should be more than enough, unless you need a re-build. Mine had the RS fly wheel and clutch, and although it took a while to get used to, it made it feel far more involving.
The 968 Sports are really good all rounder and great value but for your usage and budget, probably not special enough. But cheaper still to run than the 964 £1k -£2k PA.
With Caterham experience, you’re obviously happy with hardcore, but for me (and especially the Mrs) the VX experience was a bit wearing.
Enjoy the search!
SidewaysSi said:
which the Mrs can hear the radio and not need ear plugs
This might rule out an Elise for long trips.Funny how people's perceptions can vary so widely, I found using an Elise all year round and doing long trips in it very comfortable (with cheap earplugs) and easy to live with.
Having driven both quite extensively I'd take the Elise for a quick hoon along the local B-roads or the 968 for a longer drive on more major roads. Which you choose should probably depend on what type of driving you do more.
The only thing I would say is that the Elise is desperately short of luggage space once you have a passenger onboard, whereas the 968 is extremely practical for a sports car. I doubt the 968 would be as cheap to run as the Elise, but I don't think they tend to be too bad.
Can't say I've driven any of the older 911s to comment.
The only thing I would say is that the Elise is desperately short of luggage space once you have a passenger onboard, whereas the 968 is extremely practical for a sports car. I doubt the 968 would be as cheap to run as the Elise, but I don't think they tend to be too bad.
Can't say I've driven any of the older 911s to comment.
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