Lotus Elise as a daily

[swakelin91]

I'm sure this subject will have been covered many times before, but just wondering if anyone uses an Elise as a daily driver?

I recently did a what car thread on here, since then I have test driven many cars and settled on the Elise- it seems the perfect car for my current situation.

All I want to know is peoples opinion on it as a daily driver?

I only do around 8000 miles a year, mainly A/B roads with very little motorway/dual carraigeway driving.

[AyBee]

Click me

There's a Lotus section on here

[hajaba123]

Yup, done loads.

Answer to your question is yes, get it bought! 38,000 miles in 2 years in an S/C and 20,000 in 18 months in an S2 S here

[otolith]

We have two other cars, a 350Z and an old Saab 9-5 estate. The mrs commutes in the Nissan. The Saab is used for long motorway hauls, dog transport, fishing trips, garden centre / DIY barn / tip runs/ etc. I work from home, so I don't commute, but if possible I use the Elise for everything else. It does about 5000 miles a year.

[selym]

Ok, not the same car, but I use a VX220 daily.....wind, rain, shine. No issues whatsoever.

[kambites]

I do it too, albeit only for about 5000 miles a year. A few points:

- It's harder to get into and out of than most cars but once you get the knack it's only really an issue in very tight parking spaces and you can always take the roof off and step over the door if you have to. However, it might be an issue if you regularly take different passengers because until they learn the knack, it's an arse.
- The cabin is quite narrow - if you intend to carry an adult male passenger, you'll be brushing shoulders.
- Whilst the boot isn't that much smaller than something like an MX5, the opening is rather small so you can't put big solid items in it.
- If you intend to keep it outside, air conditioning is highly desirable to stop it misting up.
- You sit very low down, which is quite intimidating around lorries where your eyes are roughly level with their wheel nuts. You also pick up a LOT more road spray than in most cars.
- The ride is pretty good and the seats are comfortable if you fit but everything about the car is noisy - ear plugs make long trips much more pleasant.
- AD07 tyres are useless on snow.


I've had mine for eight years not and can't see myself selling it unless I need four seats.

[unpc]

selym said:

Ok, not the same car, but I use a VX220 daily.....wind, rain, shine. No issues whatsoever.

Ditto. I ran one of these for over 2 years as a daily. Loved every minute.

[Europa1]

I ran an S1 Elise as my sole car for 9 years and 90-something thousand miles.

Loved it, and had no major issues.

Be careful though - it gets expensive: after that I had to get a Europa S, then I got an Evora S...

[J4CKO]

kambites said:

It's harder to get into and out of than most cars

More akin to potholing that getting in and out of a car I found, definitely a knack and shouldn't involve crawling out on hands and knees as sometimes happens when people first encounter one, I always see the Elise as more a piece of sports equipment than a car in some ways, not sayign I dont like them but I dont do yoga and am 6 ft and 16 stone odd so doesnt really suit my diensions

[Claudia Skies]

J4CKO said:

More akin to potholing that getting in and out of a car

[Tickle]

I used an early S2 for two years as a daily, I covered about 10k miles a year in it. It was fine, trouble free but in the end I required a more practical car to use for work purposes.
Glad I tried the Elise as a daily, it was an itch that needed scratching for me.

I now run an S1 as a weekend car.

[chevronb37]

I used my Elise daily for a few months. I found it a total nuisance to be honest. Once the initial novelty had worn off I just found it frustrating doing the daily grind in something so awesome. That's not to say it isn't possible but it will depend upon your circumstances.

[otolith]

There is a knack to getting in and out - once you have it, it's as easy as any other car (unless you are very large, fat or infirm) but it can be amusing to watch the attempts of passengers who aren't used to it.

[Mark Benson]

J4CKO said:

kambites said:

It's harder to get into and out of than most cars

More akin to potholing that getting in and out of a car I found, definitely a knack and shouldn't involve crawling out on hands and knees as sometimes happens when people first encounter one, I always see the Elise as more a piece of sports equipment than a car in some ways, not sayign I dont like them but I dont do yoga and am 6 ft and 16 stone odd so doesnt really suit my diensions

My wife used to call it the 'Dog poo crawl' watching a first timer crawl across the pavement out of my first Elise (Sport 190 with the brace bar, just to make things even more awkward).

[SidewaysSi]

For a single guy or at a push a couple who love driving, I maintain the Elise is the best all rounder for vaguely reasonable money available anywhere. Look at it as a practical Caterham and you will love it but look at it as an impractical Boxster, you will hate it.

[walm]

swakelin91 said:

I only do around 8000 miles a year, mainly A/B roads with very little motorway/dual carriageway driving.

Me too.
Started with an Elise 111S and then an Exige S.
5 days a week to the station and back.
I actually looked forward to the commute - it made South West Trains almost bearable which is saying something.

Only changed because I needed 4 seats and I miss it.

Cons:
Not much of a boot.
Demisting takes about an hour. Maybe slightly less if you have AC. Just drive with your head out the window, like this:

Quite hard to get into but not impossible.
Make sure you have a regular seat belt not just a harness.
Ruins you for other cars.

Pros:
Smile. On. Face.
Ridiculously cheap motoring: mpg, insurance, low/zero depreciation, servicing, rubber - everything.

[AyBee]

walm said:

Make sure you have a regular seat belt not just a harness.

I bought mine with harnesses (seatbelts included but not fitted), I always intended to fit the seatbelts but haven't got around to it yet. Now I'm used to it, it's fine for me, just a pain explaining how it works to passengers

[swakelin91]

Thanks for all the replies, some good feedback.

My thinking behind it is that I can keep it for as little it as long as I want- depending on any change in circumstances and within reason it shouldn't lose much value. Then I can move on to something more practical again if needs be.

[kambites]

otolith said:

There is a knack to getting in and out - once you have it, it's as easy as any other car (unless you are very large, fat or infirm) but it can be amusing to watch the attempts of passengers who aren't used to it.

It was a bit of a trial for the first few weeks when I first got the car but now it genuinely feels no harder than getting in and our of the wife's Skoda. At least on the driver's side, I still can't do the passenger side.

[hondansx]

I ran VX as a daily for a year or so. I was 19, and even with childish enthusiasm i grew tired.