What are you dailying alongside your Lotus?
Discussion
S1 Elise with Audi turbo conversion for fun, and a BMW Z3 for pretty much everything else ... I only bought the Z3 due to the fact it had 26,000 miles on the clock, included pretty much every option available at the time of manufacture, and was up for sale at £2,000. Bargain!
Until then, I managed 9-10 years of daily driving an Elise of some description. I must admit, the water-tight roof, heated seats and decent heater system in the Z3 is lovely during these colder months!
However the main reason I opted for a second car was the 8 non-fault accidents I experienced; some whilst driving, some whilst parked (no note left), one outside a Lotus dealer whilst I was buying another Lotus, and another hit-and-run in a petrol station! I've spent countless thousands on fibreglass repairs due to other people not taking responsibility for their actions.
If the Z3 is hit in a car park ... meh.
My wife has a Fiat 500C, and I also have anytime access to a Skoda Octavia vRS - for mountain bikes/bigger stuff etc.
Until then, I managed 9-10 years of daily driving an Elise of some description. I must admit, the water-tight roof, heated seats and decent heater system in the Z3 is lovely during these colder months!
However the main reason I opted for a second car was the 8 non-fault accidents I experienced; some whilst driving, some whilst parked (no note left), one outside a Lotus dealer whilst I was buying another Lotus, and another hit-and-run in a petrol station! I've spent countless thousands on fibreglass repairs due to other people not taking responsibility for their actions.
If the Z3 is hit in a car park ... meh.
My wife has a Fiat 500C, and I also have anytime access to a Skoda Octavia vRS - for mountain bikes/bigger stuff etc.
Made me very envious looking at all these lovely Lotuses, I've just sold my S2 as I'm an old git and struggled to get out of it. It's not all bad, I've got a five year old C Class coupe as a daily driver that I've had from new, very civilised. Wife has a Focus ST diesel that we share, depending where I'm working. I've got an M100 Elan I've had 20 years and will never sell. I daren't say what I've replaced the Elise with but so far so good..
Daily is an Audi A2 Tdi 75bhp remapped to a very useable and entertaining upgrade possibly approaching three figures 
Lotus Exige S1 for that motorsport feeling
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon for Busso massage of the ears. Still staggers me everytime I drive that car how competent it is with the RHB Bilsteins and apparently standard power.
Lotus Exige S1 for that motorsport feeling
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Sportwagon for Busso massage of the ears. Still staggers me everytime I drive that car how competent it is with the RHB Bilsteins and apparently standard power.
Sheddy 15 year old Mazda 6 diesel. Cost bugger all so if it gets a dent in the car park don't care. Very easy to live with and relaxing to leave parked up in dodgy places unlike the Elise.
Have often thought whether or not to get something nicer with a bit more street cred but the piece of mind from dailying an old mechanically sound shed can't be beat. Repairs are dead cheap too being a jap barge. When it dies, I'll just buy a similar jap branded shed for 2-3k if I'm not yet forced into comparitively expensive EV ownership by the gubberment.
Have often thought whether or not to get something nicer with a bit more street cred but the piece of mind from dailying an old mechanically sound shed can't be beat. Repairs are dead cheap too being a jap barge. When it dies, I'll just buy a similar jap branded shed for 2-3k if I'm not yet forced into comparitively expensive EV ownership by the gubberment.
Good thread, glad it has been bumped! I wonder if the original posters still have the same cars. My daily is a boring A3 2.0TDI Quattro with over 180k miles up it. I have had it 6 years. It does 50mpg+ and I look after it mechanically but it’s nice not being precious about it.
I will need to replace it as some point but I don’t know with what. Seams daft spending a lot of money on a car that will just depreciate. I have thought about all sorts from BMW’s (never had one, or an Alpina!) to a cheap shed and change it every 12 months and I do like the orange Fiesta ST’s. But I don’t think a hot hatch would be ideal really! Pic from when I gave A3 a quick service.
I will need to replace it as some point but I don’t know with what. Seams daft spending a lot of money on a car that will just depreciate. I have thought about all sorts from BMW’s (never had one, or an Alpina!) to a cheap shed and change it every 12 months and I do like the orange Fiesta ST’s. But I don’t think a hot hatch would be ideal really! Pic from when I gave A3 a quick service.
My Micra 160 has been sold to pal and replaced with an Up! GTI-a more modern, grown up alternative.
A leg injury a few months ago (back on my feet now) meant the purchase of a Smart ForTwo, which I’ve grown surprisingly attached to, so the Up! has been relegated to occasional use and has become a little more mollycoddled!
A leg injury a few months ago (back on my feet now) meant the purchase of a Smart ForTwo, which I’ve grown surprisingly attached to, so the Up! has been relegated to occasional use and has become a little more mollycoddled!
keo said:
Good thread, glad it has been bumped! I wonder if the original posters still have the same cars. My daily is a boring A3 2.0TDI Quattro with over 180k miles up it. I have had it 6 years. It does 50mpg+ and I look after it mechanically but it’s nice not being precious about it.
I will need to replace it as some point but I don’t know with what. Seams daft spending a lot of money on a car that will just depreciate. I have thought about all sorts from BMW’s (never had one, or an Alpina!) to a cheap shed and change it every 12 months and I do like the orange Fiesta ST’s. But I don’t think a hot hatch would be ideal really! Pic from when I gave A3 a quick service.
Same here, running a 2011 Audi TT tdi with 182k miles and an E46 BMW 330Ti for the lovely sound it makes... Alongside a slightly tuned Elise S1.I will need to replace it as some point but I don’t know with what. Seams daft spending a lot of money on a car that will just depreciate. I have thought about all sorts from BMW’s (never had one, or an Alpina!) to a cheap shed and change it every 12 months and I do like the orange Fiesta ST’s. But I don’t think a hot hatch would be ideal really! Pic from when I gave A3 a quick service.
I absolutely love not caring about cheap daily cars, makes the Lotus feel that much more special, and the Lotus makes the TT feel like a big wafty machine!
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