Discussion
Hi everyone,
I've been reading the PH Forums for ages and finally got round to registering!It's good to see such a great Lotus community out there.
Thought I'd introduce myself and subject you all to my experiences in my first 6 months of Elise ownership (which has had a few ups and downs to say the least).
October 05 and I traded in my Alfa GTV 2.0 T-Spark for a beauty of an Ardent Red Sports Tourer. Everything going perfectly for a week when she fails to start after work. Cue bright red Lotus ignominiously being hauled onto flatbed AA truck in front of entire office. New alternator plus 2 new front tyres lightens wallet by about £550.
Got her back a week later and out for only the second time when dithering old bloke ploughs full pelt into the back of me at a pedstrian crossing with the lights on red. Only saving grace was if I wasn't there the pedestrian wouldn't be here any more...bloke admits liability immediately and off she goes for a new rear clamshell, exhaust, undertray, diffuser etc. Lucky old me gets a Nissan X-Trail Diesel (woeful), bloke's insurance gets a bill for £5k.
2 months(!) later get her back and have some fun in the Welsh mountains. A few days after that and cold morning + over enthusiastic right foot = graceful reverse pirouette into armco (from reading the forums this isn't uncommon!). Luckily I was only doing about 20mph and the only damage was a few inches out of the wheelarch and a badly scuffed alloy. Still set me back an eye-watering £1000 to repair and replace.
Got her back 2 weeks later (this is a great way of keeping the mileage down by the way) and now hold up traffic and frequently get overtaken by driving schools (roll on summer). Still, wouldn't swap her for the world
. Also went to Donny Park on Saturday for my first Lotus event - some very, very nice fibreglass on show.
>> Edited by motaboy on Thursday 23 March 21:22
I've been reading the PH Forums for ages and finally got round to registering!It's good to see such a great Lotus community out there.
Thought I'd introduce myself and subject you all to my experiences in my first 6 months of Elise ownership (which has had a few ups and downs to say the least).
October 05 and I traded in my Alfa GTV 2.0 T-Spark for a beauty of an Ardent Red Sports Tourer. Everything going perfectly for a week when she fails to start after work. Cue bright red Lotus ignominiously being hauled onto flatbed AA truck in front of entire office. New alternator plus 2 new front tyres lightens wallet by about £550.
Got her back a week later and out for only the second time when dithering old bloke ploughs full pelt into the back of me at a pedstrian crossing with the lights on red. Only saving grace was if I wasn't there the pedestrian wouldn't be here any more...bloke admits liability immediately and off she goes for a new rear clamshell, exhaust, undertray, diffuser etc. Lucky old me gets a Nissan X-Trail Diesel (woeful), bloke's insurance gets a bill for £5k.
2 months(!) later get her back and have some fun in the Welsh mountains. A few days after that and cold morning + over enthusiastic right foot = graceful reverse pirouette into armco (from reading the forums this isn't uncommon!). Luckily I was only doing about 20mph and the only damage was a few inches out of the wheelarch and a badly scuffed alloy. Still set me back an eye-watering £1000 to repair and replace.
Got her back 2 weeks later (this is a great way of keeping the mileage down by the way) and now hold up traffic and frequently get overtaken by driving schools (roll on summer). Still, wouldn't swap her for the world
. Also went to Donny Park on Saturday for my first Lotus event - some very, very nice fibreglass on show. >> Edited by motaboy on Thursday 23 March 21:22
Here's to many great miles of 
Welcome in.... I'm in a similar situation, although I've been less unfortunate with the incidents! I'm guessing it's too late to add the customary newbie caution of "CAREFUL IN THE WET!!!" 
Hope you enjoy your stay here as much as I've enjoyed mine so far. I've made some great friends on here, and I'm on the other side of the world!!
Hope you enjoy your stay here as much as I've enjoyed mine so far. I've made some great friends on here, and I'm on the other side of the world!!
Well relatively new to this but 4 days into ownership, in the wet took a sweeping right angled right on a roundabout and ended up spinning up a kerb and looking down the bank at a right angle to the road. Luckily very minor damage, scuffed an alloy, cracked behind the number plate front to back, bent the rear diffuser and exhaust surround. Four days! As I was spinning round thats all I could think of - four fecking days!
Take care in the wet - really. And the best upgrade you can buy is driver training; I will just as soon as I've got some cash again!
Take care in the wet - really. And the best upgrade you can buy is driver training; I will just as soon as I've got some cash again!
to all the 'newbies' and lurkers. Enjoy, take care, get some airfield time under your belt to learn more about the car, join a local club and mainly... HAVE A LAUGH! 
It's definitely in the 'do it and do it quickly' column of my 'to do' list!!
In a word (from what others have said) YES! It will open your eyes and teach you a great deal. Then it's case of absorption and understanding, practice and then do another! And another with plenty (safe - activity day) practice in between
In a word (from what others have said) YES! It will open your eyes and teach you a great deal. Then it's case of absorption and understanding, practice and then do another! And another with plenty (safe - activity day) practice in between
Absolutely - It will teach you a lot about the car and your own driving. In part it kick starts you to want to know more. Very useful and may save your life one day when some numptie on the road does something silly.
I was on my way home after my first walshy day, chucked the car into a roundabout and had to do an emergency stop under cornering when some numptie drove into the roundabout without looking. The day before I would have locked up and he would have gone into the side of me. Thankfully, I reacted the way he had been showing us all day. Can't recommend Andy enough.
I was on my way home after my first walshy day, chucked the car into a roundabout and had to do an emergency stop under cornering when some numptie drove into the roundabout without looking. The day before I would have locked up and he would have gone into the side of me. Thankfully, I reacted the way he had been showing us all day. Can't recommend Andy enough.
nwtony said:Whenever there's the slighest damp on the ground, I take roundabouts at 5mph and get some very odd looks...
Well relatively new to this but 4 days into ownership, in the wet took a sweeping right angled right on a roundabout and ended up spinning up a kerb and looking down the bank at a right angle to the road. Luckily very minor damage, scuffed an alloy, cracked behind the number plate front to back, bent the rear diffuser and exhaust surround. Four days! As I was spinning round thats all I could think of - four fecking days!
Take care in the wet - really. And the best upgrade you can buy is driver training; I will just as soon as I've got some cash again!
Hi motaboy. Sorry to hear of your troubles but I'm sure it'll be plain sailing from here on.
It didn't take long for me to have my first moment of Elise ownership after I collected the car in December. I'd got fed up with looking at the car and waiting for the rain to stop so found an excuse to go to the shops the long way round. On the way home I was keen to open her up and coming out of a junction hit the throttle hard - but to early. Suddenly realised I was travelling rather quickly sideways as I looked at the hedge
. Anyways by then I'd eased off the throttle and grabbed an armful of opposite lock. Fortunately she straightened up and we continued without any more fuss. Glad there wasn't anything coming the other way 'else it could have got messy.
Since then I've been very careful in the wet, although if nobody's looking can't resist giving the tail a waggle occasionally
It didn't take long for me to have my first moment of Elise ownership after I collected the car in December. I'd got fed up with looking at the car and waiting for the rain to stop so found an excuse to go to the shops the long way round. On the way home I was keen to open her up and coming out of a junction hit the throttle hard - but to early. Suddenly realised I was travelling rather quickly sideways as I looked at the hedge
. Anyways by then I'd eased off the throttle and grabbed an armful of opposite lock. Fortunately she straightened up and we continued without any more fuss. Glad there wasn't anything coming the other way 'else it could have got messy. Since then I've been very careful in the wet, although if nobody's looking can't resist giving the tail a waggle occasionally
I really wouldn't wag the tail at all on the road. The margin for error is pretty slim. Getting the back to squirm a little out of a dusty junction is one thing, trying to slide it especially at any kind of speed is taking a big gamble.
Save it for the airfield days when you can get it REALLY out of shape in safety.
Last time I was at North Weald I had the arse out all over the place. Full lock powerslide round a hairpin with the back wheels lit up
but 
Save it for the airfield days when you can get it REALLY out of shape in safety.
Last time I was at North Weald I had the arse out all over the place. Full lock powerslide round a hairpin with the back wheels lit up
but Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff